That turned out nice! I had the same idea to use a vacuum sealer to form a blank about seven years ago, but I never pulled the trigger on that project. It was good to see the proof-of-concept carried to its conclusion.
Love your initiative! I’ve learned that the nose of an anvil perfect for setting the nose rivets. Brooks hammered rivets from the top (head) while holding the bottom of the rivet against the tool. Also, if you slightly dampen the leather b4 setting rivets they will set deeper, allowing for a smooth rivet head, coplaner with the leather surface. Where did you get the leather from. Looks beautiful!
I’ve been thinking about doing this for years. I have two broken Brooks saddles now. My plan was to make a mold of each side and clamp them together. I like the use of the vacuum sealer. I might try that.
As an idea: In order to prevent marks on the leather by the vacuum bag you could place a softer and thinner piece of leather on top (so that both touch with the flat surface). I will try this method soon to restore a historic bicycle leather saddle!
Nice! Found bit of veg tanned 3.5 - 3.8 mm leather. Did yours feel good / quick break in & holding up?? Would you know now to determine grain of leather? Mine flexes easier one direction - perhaps the bendy direction goes crosswise, would think official seat grain would run front to back & is that the way grain grows nose to tail? - R
This was an eye opening video. Have always been surprised that Brooks does not sell the leather for the saddles when its time to replace. Or accept the frame and replace the leather( I would imagine it would be a win win situation ). Seemed like a waste of the good seat hardware. Anyway watching you do your thing has definitely spurred my interest in doing the same and hopefully succeeding. Have you considered bison or buffalo ( asian) hide? Not sure they would work as the physical properties may differ from cowhide. Brooks sources their leather from a breed of cattle and only uses a particular section that is of sufficient thickness. You must probably have seen their video of how they make their saddles on YT which is also worth watching.
My Brooks Flyer suffered a broken frame after +10,000 km and had a loose rivet that needed replacement. While the leather itself was still in perfect condition and yet not over-tensioned. This says the leather itself is more durable than the steel frame and can easily survive the life of a frame. New leather on an old frame is no guarantee of a very cost-effective restoration and it's likely to still break the frame after that. Then you can start over again...
Brilliant use of plaster of paris and the Foodsaver vacuum! The leather on my old saddle is VERY dry and I'm not confident of the original material thickness. What was the thickness of the leather that you used (based upon your caliper measurement) and how large a piece of it was required for your new outline? Also, was the leather you used vegetable tanned or other?
So my template measures roughly 11.5 x 6.5 inches. The leather I used is 8-9oz which equates to about 3.4 mm. Which is what my B5N measured. Information on the internet suggests the saddle says was a cheaper made saddle meant to be used as an OE saddle. According to a Brooks video here on UA-cam the B17 uses 5mm thick leather which would be 12-13oz. I use veg tanned leather.
Really helpful video - thanks. Can you advise - what strength of sealing machine did you use? (am looking at one with a claimed 80 kPa). Also, what thickness of hide (am thinking 3mm for a first project). Lastly, did you use any products (eg softeners, conditioners, water...) to augment the ability of the hide to take the formed shape?
The leather I used was 8-9oz or roughly 3.5mm thick. It was rather easy to work with but may be a little thin, however I haven't had any problems yet. Brooks uses 5mm according to this video. ua-cam.com/video/J4n8qkwIElY/v-deo.html As for my vacuum sealer it is a Foodsaver FM2000 I can't find exact specs but it looks like it probably only pulls about 20"Hg so about 68kPa. You can form leather without it but does work really well at help. As for forming leather, you have to wet the leather fully. the leather must be Veg-tan leather, chrome tan leather doesn't take shape very well.
Love your initiative! I’ve learned that the nose of an anvil perfect for setting the nose rivets. Brooks hammered rivets from the top (head) while holding the bottom of the rivet against the tool. Also, if you slightly dampen the leather b4 setting rivets they will set deeper, allowing for a smooth rivet head, coplaner with the leather surface. Where did you get the leather from. Looks beautiful!
Absolutely brilliant. I was planning to undergo this process with no guidance. As you can imagine this video will help me immensely ! Thank you !
Glad to see someone did this. Thank you for the thorough video.
That turned out nice! I had the same idea to use a vacuum sealer to form a blank about seven years ago, but I never pulled the trigger on that project. It was good to see the proof-of-concept carried to its conclusion.
Love your initiative! I’ve learned that the nose of an anvil perfect for setting the nose rivets. Brooks hammered rivets from the top (head) while holding the bottom of the rivet against the tool. Also, if you slightly dampen the leather b4 setting rivets they will set deeper, allowing for a smooth rivet head, coplaner with the leather surface. Where did you get the leather from. Looks beautiful!
i love this technic. thanks for sharing
Superb, thank you! I have two old Lycett saddles where the leather has ripped. I was going to scrap them and replace them, but not now!
I’ve been thinking about doing this for years. I have two broken Brooks saddles now. My plan was to make a mold of each side and clamp them together. I like the use of the vacuum sealer. I might try that.
great job on the bike! I'd love to see some more details on the overall bike now that it's finished also wonder how it's doing a year later.
Did you ever post the finished bike? Would love to see a detailed walkthrough
As an idea: In order to prevent marks on the leather by the vacuum bag you could place a softer and thinner piece of leather on top (so that both touch with the flat surface). I will try this method soon to restore a historic bicycle leather saddle!
Great video, loved it.
Well done
It was amazing, and the next part??
Nice! Found bit of veg tanned 3.5 - 3.8 mm leather. Did yours feel good / quick break in & holding up?? Would you know now to determine grain of leather? Mine flexes easier one direction - perhaps the bendy direction goes crosswise, would think official seat grain would run front to back & is that the way grain grows nose to tail? - R
This was an eye opening video. Have always been surprised that Brooks does not sell the leather for the saddles when its time to replace. Or accept the frame and replace the leather( I would imagine it would be a win win situation ). Seemed like a waste of the good seat hardware. Anyway watching you do your thing has definitely spurred my interest in doing the same and hopefully succeeding. Have you considered bison or buffalo ( asian) hide? Not sure they would work as the physical properties may differ from cowhide. Brooks sources their leather from a breed of cattle and only uses a particular section that is of sufficient thickness. You must probably have seen their video of how they make their saddles on YT which is also worth watching.
My Brooks Flyer suffered a broken frame after +10,000 km and had a loose rivet that needed replacement. While the leather itself was still in perfect condition and yet not over-tensioned. This says the leather itself is more durable than the steel frame and can easily survive the life of a frame. New leather on an old frame is no guarantee of a very cost-effective restoration and it's likely to still break the frame after that. Then you can start over again...
superman...respect you.........
Thank you for your video... Question what size of a punch did you user for lacing .. 2mm or 3mm. ?
looks to be 2mm just enough to pass a shoe lace through
Brilliant use of plaster of paris and the Foodsaver vacuum! The leather on my old saddle is VERY dry and I'm not confident of the original material thickness. What was the thickness of the leather that you used (based upon your caliper measurement) and how large a piece of it was required for your new outline? Also, was the leather you used vegetable tanned or other?
So my template measures roughly 11.5 x 6.5 inches. The leather I used is 8-9oz which equates to about 3.4 mm. Which is what my B5N measured. Information on the internet suggests the saddle says was a cheaper made saddle meant to be used as an OE saddle.
According to a Brooks video here on UA-cam the B17 uses 5mm thick leather which would be 12-13oz. I use veg tanned leather.
You should have tooled many designs into the leather would have been cool
Really helpful video - thanks. Can you advise - what strength of sealing machine did you use? (am looking at one with a claimed 80 kPa). Also, what thickness of hide (am thinking 3mm for a first project). Lastly, did you use any products (eg softeners, conditioners, water...) to augment the ability of the hide to take the formed shape?
The leather I used was 8-9oz or roughly 3.5mm thick. It was rather easy to work with but may be a little thin, however I haven't had any problems yet. Brooks uses 5mm according to this video. ua-cam.com/video/J4n8qkwIElY/v-deo.html As for my vacuum sealer it is a Foodsaver FM2000 I can't find exact specs but it looks like it probably only pulls about 20"Hg so about 68kPa. You can form leather without it but does work really well at help. As for forming leather, you have to wet the leather fully. the leather must be Veg-tan leather, chrome tan leather doesn't take shape very well.
Great job but wouldn’t it had been cheaper to just buy a new one?
Nice! 🫡
Love your initiative! I’ve learned that the nose of an anvil perfect for setting the nose rivets. Brooks hammered rivets from the top (head) while holding the bottom of the rivet against the tool. Also, if you slightly dampen the leather b4 setting rivets they will set deeper, allowing for a smooth rivet head, coplaner with the leather surface. Where did you get the leather from. Looks beautiful!
superman...respect you.........
superman...respect you.........