Looking for suggestions.

[Forty Rod]

I'm not a leatherworker, so if this sounds like a bad idea please let me know.  

I want to get a piece of russet leather 24" x 40" for a desk pad.  I have no idea what kind of leather I'm looking for, if it can be used under a computer, what to do to keep the edges from rolling and have it lay flat and smooth, what kind of non-glare finish I can use that won't get all scarred up right off, etc.

I don't want it tooled but I do want to finish the edges.

I also don't have $450.00+ S&H for a commercial made one.

I'm open to suggestions.

Thanks.

Thanks.

[Ace Lungger]

 :)Howdy My old Bud! Do you have a Tandy store close? If so, They have a god deal on Latigo Sides, and also Tuscany Cowsplits.They have all there hides at  a good price. If I had some extra cash I would go get some extra, just to have.
Fourty you know that I don't have a lot of experence in the leather. You can Allways find pretty good deals on non Veg tanned hides on ebay. I think you would worry about the desk?i don't know how differnt tanned leather would effect your desk.
FR, If you are going to put down a piece of leather on a high dollar desk, please don't go by what I have told you!! I don't want to be the cause, if something went wrong!

I am sorry that I didn't help much!
ACE

[Springfield Slim]

Are you going t be writing on this leather or just use it for a mouse pad? Why do you want the leather on the desk?

[Forty Rod]

Ace and Slim, I have a brand new "high dollar" ($100.00) pine desk top built into a former closet.  I'm not too concerned about the desk top, but I am going to have my computer on it and don't want any difficulties with that...chemicals, moisture, etc.  I also want to make sure it's going to lay flat on the desk top and if I were sure it would last for ten or fifteen years I wouldn't hesitate to glue it down.  Might even roll it over the front edge and use brass upholstery tacks to secure it along the front and down both sides and across the back.

Right now I'm looking for a non-reflective, durable, light-to-medium russet color that isn't too soft so I can run my mouse on it and write on it if I need to.

I want leather because it looks rustic and I like it.  I grew up when a lot of people had leather tops on desks, but never paid them much mind...at the time.

[Ten Wolves Fiveshooter]

Hello Forty Rod 

            Did you get that new pc running good yet?, on the desk , you could cut the leather to size, then put it flesh side down on your desk, and then get some none glare glass cut to size, should solve your problem, and it would be easy to clean and keep clean, you can use some of that grip rubber that they use to keep things from slipping around, I use this type of rubber when routing on my flat work bench, it comes in rolls and in different colors, we have our desk top fully covered in glass, and I really like it, having leather underneath glass would be nice, this is just another slant on things, your miles may vary.


                                                         tEN wOLVES 

[Forty Rod]

I have a new laser mouse TW, and it won't work on glass.  I tried that first, but thanks anyhow.

[Marshal Will Wingam]

I have a non-glare clear vinyl/plastic/whatever desk pad that allows me to see whatever is under it. My laser mouse works fine on it. It may have cost me $25 at the local Staples or Office Depot. My wife has one and she keeps pictures under hers. I just like the wood grain of my desk showing through.

[Ace Lungger]

 :)FR,
If you have a Tandy store go to it, One there specails, hey got lots for you to look at for $50.00 and less. If you don't have a Tandy Store Close, go online to there lastest sale, and look and what they have on sale, any of those will work okay, then if you see something you like go to ebay and, you might buy what you want for less!
Good Luck Pard
ACE

[Gun Butcher]

  Forty Rod there are a couple of different ways you can go.  You could use a saddle skirting weight leather and finish it with a satin finish or get an upolstery or chap weight and go to an upolstery shop and buy a sheet of the heavyweight paperboard that they use to back the upolstery in cars. then you would have to cut the leather to size and glue it to the board using the 3M adhesive that the upolstery shop sells.  Its not as tough as it sound s and you would have a much wider range of colors to choose from.  For a small desk it would probably run around $100 to 150 according to how fancy you want to get for the material.  I did one many years ago for a friend. back then the cost was about  40 bucks. I finished it with small brands in each corner that i made out of coathangers attached to an electric soldering iron...... it worked what can I tell you. I probably just got lucky but it did look nice

[cowboywc]

Howdy FR
Leather top or leather covered desks look great but are not practical. Trying to write on leather sucks.
I've done many of them and the people have always called back asking what to do to get rid of the writing
marks on the leather. Unless you are writing on a pad of paper you will leave marks or tear through the paper
and write on the leather.
As most know veg-tan leather takes an impression very easily and holds it, garment leather is too soft.
The leather they used to make desk inserts from you just can not find anymore. The last one I did I used a non-
grained lining leather and I think it worked the best.
Just my 2 cents.
WC

[ChuckBurrows]

Leather top or leather covered desks look great but are not practical. Trying to write on leather sucks.

That's cause the old timers used fountain pens to write with rather than ballpoints, etc. With a fountain pen writing on leather is a real dream......

The ones I've re-done for modern use I did use 2/ oz veg-tan: I had it triple plated (by W & C) which really tightens up the grain and then finished up with varathane or varnish - making a form of "patent" leather. The look will be dependent on whether you use satin or gloss - I like satin which keeps the finish more leather looking. There are a couple of other "tricks" that one can use to harden leather, but they can also screw it up real fast so........... 

[Marshal Will Wingam]

That's cause the old timers used fountain pens to write with rather than ballpoints, etc. With a fountain pen writing on leather is a real dream......

My sister has my grandfather's desk with inlaid leather panels. I never thought about it much but you're right, he had a fountain pen.

[Forty Rod]

Looks to me like you old boys have given me something to cogitate on.  The pine top has all the character of a sheet of typing paper.

I'm still open to suggestions.

Thanks.

("Triple plated"?)

[Gun Butcher]

    Heck Forty Rod, if the darn thing is real wood just get yourself a wood burner kit and put brands around the edges. you could get pretty creative if there is enough room.   

[Forty Rod]

It's big enough (23" x 80"), but the surface is too soft and subject to scratching (already and it's only been up for about two weeks.), and like I said, there isn't much to recommend the wood grain.

[Dalton Masterson]

Can you add a hardwood veneer??? I know its not leather, but it wouldnt be pine at least.
DM (who is also looking at redoing his grandpas old desk)

[Curley Cole]

How's about a marble or granite top...(course if that is too expensive there is stuff to simulate it) then in the middle do one of the largee desk pads the big boys put down, then have one of these "leatherheads"  make you a real purty mouse pad..

http://leather-pad.com/

this is some thing like what I had in mind...

Btw, pard, I am retired in about 20 days and I think you are about due for a new avitar. Now, do we know anybody that is capable of takin yer picture??

curley

[Ace Lungger]

Forty Rod, howdy this moring,
If you are willing to use contact cement, go to ebay and look up item #350123647772 not sure on this one, but he has several and they are cheap
also look up item # 110322193359  this one is 48 SQ. feet
Both these I think will work,  Go to Ace Hardware or True vaule and buy you a quart of contact cement, put it on the desk top, and the back side of your leather, you will need a helper, I would cut to fit first, I would over lap the front edge.

That is what I would do.
ACE