Leather over Concealex question

Chiro75

Chiro75

Joined
Feb 4, 1999
Messages
5,786
I just scored a couple of pieces of really nice leather that Herman Miller uses in their furniture. It's a beautiful chocolate brown color and about 1mm thick, just guessing. Very pliable and soft. Nice stuff. The back has sort of a soft suede feel almost like a fuzzy peach. My idea is to use this over the Concealex in some sheaths. My questions:

1) Is the leather ready to use as-is, or do I need to remove the suede-ish feel somehow?

2) What glue should I use?

3) What's the process? Do I just glue and stick it on, should I put it in my mold after gluing or what?

4) Do I need to prep the Concealex in any way first?

5) Should I drill holes for my Chicago screws afterward and run the hardware outside the leather or cover the entire sheath and hardware with the leather?

Thanks in advance!
 
I've done a couple leather over kydex and they came out OK. I don't do them anymore since they scratch up the 416ss bolsters I use.

I haven't done leather as thin as 1mm, mine was 2/3 ounce and not suede. I'd test a small piece glue up to make sure the glue doesn't bleed through before anything other wise your suede will work just fine. I use Masters contact shoe cement but most any contact cement will work. Loctite contact cement is found in almost any hardware store and will work fine.
If your concealex is not slick smooth, contact cement will hold it just fine. If it is slick smooth, just rough it up with 60 grit sand paper a little but you probably won't even need to do that.
Mold and shape your kydex first. Once the kydex is ready, cement both the kydex and the inside of the leather and let it set for a few minutes. Make sure you glue up the edges good since this is where it is going to peel if anywhere. Apply the leather carefully because it's going to stick once it touches. Stretch it tight when you apply it. Then put on any chicago screws or other hardware on after it cures a bit. If you put the screws or rivets under the leather, it's just not going to look right.
Have fun...
 
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