Fellini Re-dyed

HereWeGo said:
I always wanted to give this a shot and I finally gave it a try.

The cap Has Not been dyed yet so you can see how the whole case looked before I started.

What do you think?

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I think it's going to look really nice. If it were me I might try and fill the gaps where the leather has shrunk to make it as seamless as possible.

Just goes to show that you can make something old nice again with a little effort.
 
JB Cases said:
I think it's going to look really nice. If it were me I might try and fill the gaps where the leather has shrunk to make it as seamless as possible.

Just goes to show that you can make something old nice again with a little effort.
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John;

What would he use to fill those gaps? Just curious as I have thought about this before on my cases.

Mike
 
Deadon said:
John;

What would he use to fill those gaps? Just curious as I have thought about this before on my cases.

Mike
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I think I would try to use the leather dust from sanding a piece of veg tan and mix that with glue and the same color dye he is using for the recolor.

We do this once in a while to fill gaps in certain situations. But when we do it then it's for very small blemishes and the fix is practically invisible. I have never done it for large gaps over a large area.

By using shoe glue the glue can be removed easily if it goes onto the edges.

That's what I try at least.
 
Just leave the case's gaps like they are, no biggie, it is expected on a case this old. If you get lucky and succeed in filling them, you bring out the gap at the joint even more. There is no fix for that other than major surgery, and the result will not be worth the effort unless done by an expert.

One piece of advice for you, if you have not done so already, is to apply a sealer after you buff it out and let the case dry completely. If you used a heavy application of dye, it will need to be buffed as well to remove any excess from the grain of the leather. These two steps will keep the dye from transferring to your hand, clothing, etc.
 
hangemhigh said:
Just leave the case's gaps like they are, no biggie, it is expected on a case this old. If you get lucky and succeed in filling them, you bring out the gap at the joint even more. There is no fix for that other than major surgery, and the result will not be worth the effort unless done by an expert.

One piece of advice for you, if you have not done so already, is to apply a sealer after you buff it out and let the case dry completely. If you used a heavy application of dye, it will need to be buffed as well to remove any excess from the grain of the leather. These two steps will keep the dye from transferring to your hand, clothing, etc.
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I disagree. It depends on what the person who owns the case wants it to be. For me I'd want it to smooth and without a gap if possible.

Just because you said it's such an ordeal I will take a little time and do some examples tomorrow to post in this thread to show everyone what I mean.

I also don't agree that gaps are expected in a case this old. I have seen 30 year old cases in pristine condition that were used every day and seen 8 year old cases where PRESUMABLY the maker should know better since he was going off of a style made for the past 50 years where there are gaps everywhere.

When the leather shrinks this severely then in my opinion there are two causes, one is that is a mistake on the case maker's part because they did not glue or prepare properly for the type of leather used and two because the case was subjected to very harsh conditions such as extreme heat and dry climate that sucked all the moisture out of the leather.

Note to EVERYONE - take care of your leather things properly by conditioning them at least once a year to keep them moisturized. There are tons of good advice on the web about how to take care of leather. I like to use good mixtures such as Dr. Jacksons products.
 
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When you buy something used, and or second hand you never know what conditions it has been exposed too. All of the tube style cases have examples of seam separation.

What you missed is the part about the fit at the joint, or top to bottom. Regardless of what you do to the back, the fit at the joint will still be as it is now, with a gap the same or bigger than what is on the back of the case. This area is where the major surgery comes into play.

There is also no successful way to fill the seams perfectly on the back, and if you were to try this it should have been attempted before the re-dye. I also imagine if the dye was applied heavily that there will be more separation to come as it dries.

The job re-dying looks great, kudos to you for trying to restore your prized, old case.
 
The cleanest way to repair seam gap on a case like the OP has is to cut it out and glue a new strip of leather in the slot. This method is superior to any filler, and requires the skills of an accomplished case maker.
 
hangemhigh said:
The cleanest way to repair seam gap on a case like the OP has is to cut it out and glue a new strip of leather in the slot. This method is superior to any filler, and requires the skills of an accomplished case maker.
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What skills would those be? I mean conceptually I understand your meaning but actually I find that what you are describing is fairly easy to do according to my experiments in our shop along these lines.

In fact I can't remember ever seeing one single case of this type where either filler or a strip was used in the restoration. I mentioned filler as something I would try if it were me. Because if it were me doing this restore job then I personally wouldn't be happy with the gaps and I might destroy the case trying to fill them but I would try for sure.

To me the skills to do a strip would be the ability to use a steel ruler and hold it in place while you cut a straight line on one side and then a straight line on the other side. Then cut a piece of leather that is the same thickness or less thick to the same size. If less then use paper to build up the cavity so that the leather is flush. Then apply glue to one side and about half of the cavity. Glue up the edges. Glue the strip and the edge. Let the glue get tacky. Glue in one side being careful to match the edges. Then apply glue to the other side and repeat the process.

I do have a little experience in that regard with new GTF cases we have built - specifically the Szamboti cases we built for Will Prout with real inlays, the Tascarella case we built with an inlaid Hoppe ring and a few others with inlays.

On this case everything you see on the back is inlaid over the seam:

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--- I would however agree with you that care is needed when doing this type of work. I don't find it difficult but I do find it easy to be impatient.

I ruined the first Tascarella case by being to impatient. So on the next one I took my time and it came out nicely.
 
The thing about filler is the substance will be absorbed by the leather and that will make for discoloration along the filled area. When you re-dye the filled area this will stick out like a sore thumb. You are also at the mercy of the natural edge of both sides of the seam, which many times is less that laser straight. This will also be glaringly obvious after using filler. Then there is the issue of leveling the filler, either by sanding or something similar to achieve a level application before you re-dye. Bleed over, fraying from sanding, and other instances of uneven coloration are all problems you will experience with filling.

The strip method I described is a little known fix for the seam problem these cases develop. I don't have an example on hand to show you, but I will try and contact the collector who had this proceedure done to one of his Fellini cases and see if I can get a few pics.

I believe, if I remember correctly, a custom made jig is required to make the cuts with the precision that is required. I don't have access to the jig, but I seem to remember the strip and case leather was cut on a 45* angle so the strip would lay down perfectly in the channel. There is also the top and bottom areas that requires first hand knowledge of how to finish the ends.The leather strip must be skived to the exact thickness of the case leather, a time consuming process.
 
hangemhigh said:
The thing about filler is the substance will be absorbed by the leather and that will make for discoloration along the filled area. When you re-dye the filled area this will stick out like a sore thumb. You are also at the mercy of the natural edge of both sides of the seam, which many times is less that laser straight. This will also be glaringly obvious after using filler. Then there is the issue of leveling the filler, either by sanding or something similar to achieve a level application before you re-dye. Bleed over, fraying from sanding, and other instances of uneven coloration are all problems you will experience with filling.
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You obviously know a little something about leather.
 
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