Antique British gun case restoration project

First attempt or not...very nice work.
Well done.
Spike
 
Nice work. How did you attach the corner covers and loops. I assume you didn’t stitch them on I’m guessing glued. Did you fabricate them or source them.

A project like this isn’t tempting.
 
So this is the progress so far up to today. We
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So I am waiting for ribbon material to go under and lift the barrels. And build the snap cap and oil pot storage.

All the while adding coats of Leather N Rich once a day.
Very nice. Projects like this are not done in one night. I am looking for a case also, for a rifle. Terrific results.
 
Not being critical but thought I should pass on some advice. It appears you did the stitching with a single needle and thread. Result is thread appears to skip holes. The corners and straps would originally have been stitched with a harness or cobblers sewing machine employing needle and two sources of thread: spool and bobbin. To replicate this you would use a threading awl to push a loop of thread from top spool through hole in the top of leather, pass the other thread through the loop on back side, pull the awl back through, pull thread on top side taught, then push another loop through next hole, and repeat. That way you have a continuous line of thread from hole to hole. FYI for next project.

Edit: Looking at the photos again, it appears you used both single and double thread methods. Double where the straps for handle are sewn to the box and single thread skip-stitch for leather handle and corners.
 
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You can achieve the same lock stitch with a needle at each end of the thread. The replacement corners are more to cover the torn and worn 150 year old corners.

On the next one I will most likely take it to a nearby Amish horse tack maker. And have him sew the edges and corners with his machines.
 
You can achieve the same lock stitch with a needle at each end of the thread. The replacement corners are more to cover the torn and worn 150 year old corners.

On the next one I will most likely take it to a nearby Amish horse tack maker. And have him sew the edges and corners with his machines.
Yes, two needles can get the lock stitch look but that requires pushing two needles completely through the same hole. An awl is much quicker because only the point of the awl must be pushed through the hole once. And awl is more comfortable to manipulate and penetrate than a skinny needle. The awl method would be much more preferable for repairing existing sewn leather with thread missing or worn out. You have existing holes to work with. I would NOT take old leather to be resewn with a machine. That would just punch a lot more extra holes in it, weakening the already weak leather. Definitely use an awl to repair sewn straps, etc.
 
That is some really nice work, case is looking fantastic. You did a beautiful job replacing the interior, I really like the scarlet baize color, everything looks like a nice custom fit for that gun.
 
Nice work sir! Hand stitching is one of my least favorite things to do. Hand stitching old leather I like even less. If you take a sponge with some tap water and get your edges damp, then take your glycerin bar and rub it into the edges, then use some heavy canvas; no. 4 works best, and rub vigorously. It will give your edges a glassy appearance, and freshen it up a bit. Careful rubbing with the original linen thread it gets a bit fragile after so many years, as I’m sure you figured out.
 

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