04/06/2026
Honing my craft, 8/10. I was able to get the seam to lay more flat by trimming up the selvage on the backside. Unfortunately the top of the trim has a sharper radius and makes the seam bulge a little more breaking the uniformity. The leather looks nice and flat without any clumps or uneven patches from the glue, brushing has been working much better than spraying.
The process on this part was a little more involved. The edges have a close relationship with the adjacent parts so the tolerances of the leather have to be accounted for. Using a scrap piece of leather, I test which mating surfaces have enough clearance. The sides that don't, get marked and sanded back. This allows the part to sit flush and ensures the fasteners aren't fighting the bulk of the leather.
The glue up. I mark along the edge where I want the center of the seam to be placed with a sharpie marker then apply contact cement to both parts. Once dry I use the seam and marked line to align the leather. Once set in place, I stretched out the leather and wrapped it around the backside.
This was not the best strategy. Once the seam was completely laid down it limited my access to some areas. I think for the other side I will try a top down approach. This is something that will come with more experience.
