/diy/ - Do It Yourself

>>2596096
Absolutely not. Leather molds easily and is expensive and heavy and needs regular maintenance

>>2596096
If you want a leather backpack, then yes.

>>2596096
I've been dreaming of making a leather backpack, every time I go looking into it, everyone says it'll be heavy as fuck
which is probably true, and I can probs use some leather and some other material and have it durable enough, while being significantly lighter.
tl;dr, consider a backpack only partially leather for weight and money reasons.

>>2596096
say rip to your hands. i made leather jacket one time

>>2596274
Look into water buffalo leather.
Great for gun holsters. Durable but also lighter than cowhide.
I have zero idea the cost comparison between the two though.

>>2596096
it doesn't matter, you won't do it.

>>2596274
>dreaming of making a leather backpack
Have you ever made a cloth backpack?
Maybe start there with some denim, so you get an idea how to cut and sew it.
And then move on to leather.

just get a fukkin klein already

>>2596096
There is too much going on on that backpack

>>2596096
its not much more worth it than buying your own, unless you want something really specific or decorated.
first of all, you'll probably need a whole skin or two of leather for all the pouches and parts of the backpack, and that can easily cost more than a hundred. second, you'll need a leather sewing kit, maybe with rivets and some different metal parts for buckles and what not, those materials could cost up to about 50, but you can use most of them for future projects. then theres the dye, glue, and sealants you'll need to finish the leather, which might cost around 30.
heres what i reccomend, before doing a big project like a hiking backpack, make some more simple stuff. if you're a /k/fag its not hard to come up with ideas, make a belt, ammo pouches, medical pouch, field kits, or even a suspension system for it all, which takes the place of a lightweight backpack in some ways, but can be worn with one
anything copied from ww1 gear will give you a lot of practice

I boil leather in beeswax and shape while warm. It makes it durable and always smells great.

>>2596852
is it true that boiled leather is as hard as wood? atleast considering the thickness

I don't want to kill a thread so I'm posting here. Dyed my bundeswehr fragmentation vests a second time. Used 3 different types of blue dye for natural fibres. Dyed in my barrel over a induction heater, turned it off half way trough. Dyed it for about one hour with stiring it, also by hand and sometimes let it rest so I can have a short break. Put old dinner plates on the vests so they would stay submerged evry time I wanted a break. Finally put it in the washing machine together with a fixative, I think it did itvs job well, it didn't have any blue color in the bit of water that rinsed off it afterwards. Still drying
>pic rel right after machine wash with fixative

>>2597089
>after air drying for some hours, but still wet
Defineteively better than the first result, pictures don't show it for good. Mayber it's better to see in direct sunlight. Like the first time, left one soaked in the color the best, it's actually blue in the prior bright green spots, middle is okay and right okayish, more green tourqise then blue

>>2597091
>back
gonna search up my older posts in /sew for comparison

>>2587423 front
>>2587431 back

on another note i just realized op meant DIY ing and not DYE ing

Working leather is super easy. I do 18th century reenacting. I make leather pouches and shooting bags all the time. A 3 hole or 5 hole leather punch makes holes easier other than that a leather awl, a thimble, a thick needle, a pair if sissors and some artificial sinew and you can make everything.