DIY magazine holder
Leather is one of those marvellous materials that can look incredibly tarnished, but with a bit of care and attention will come up looking amazing.
This makes leather an upcyclist’s best friend, and not only because it means it generally goes cheap.
For this week’s project I decided I wanted to turn this ancient school bag into amagazine rack. There are a few tricks when picking a good piece of leather: make sure it has not dried out. The moment leather starts cracking no amount of conditioner will repair it.
Most marks will come out with a bit of a polish, but paint is on there for good, so try and pick something neglected but not abused.
This bag was still as sturdy as old boots, and just a little TLC brought out the deep brown.
The process was pretty simple. First I used a natural detergent to wash away the dust and grime for decades spent in an attic. Next, using a leather conditioner, which you can buy from any shoe shop, I applied a liberal amount to all leather areas and then buffed it back off again. The general rule is the longer you are willing to spend buffing, the shinier the finish.
I decided to line my new magazine rack with felt. A lot of people think this is a really tricky process, but nowadays you can buy cheap felt from most hobby stores, and then it is simply a case of using a strong PVA to stick it in place.
For the hinge of the back measure an additional inch of felt which will hang loose over the hinge when closed. This allows the bag to open properly without stretching the felt and will not be seen when the bag is closed.
Once the felt is glued in place it is just a case of giving the buckles a quick polish and just like that you have a beautiful magazine rack.
Total cost: $15, and I saved a cow from becoming amagazine rack!
For more ideas visit studentupcyclist.wordpress.com