Leather is very well known for its resistance to wear and tear.
I'm often asked 'How well does xyz leather cope with daily use?'
Some leathers improve with use, gaining a patina and a character of their own from the oils in our own hands that the leather naturally absorbs without any treatment or special care or conditioning.
Leather needs some care and conditioning of course, I've seen and I've owned leather items myself that are over 35 years old that have had very little treatment or care in their life time, yet a quick wipe down and may be some leather conditioning treatment and they look as good as new again.
I bought this holdall bag in 1985 in Cyprus it has been cleaned and treated once in all that time. Yes it is showing its age and I have had to redo some stitching but it still has a lot of life left in it!
This is my A5 Custom Van der Spek that I received in July 2014, the interior leather is an untreated nappa leather, very prone to picking up oils from our hands and becoming much darker.
Here it is again in June 2017, slightly better lighting (less harsh).
And again this week in August 2020 under similar lighting to 2017
I think it is looking really good! You can see some marks where my finger nails have disturbed the nap of the leather, but otherwise it is fairing up very well.
I have a wallet from Gillio which has had a lot of handling in the last 5-6 years since I bought it. It is made with the same Epoca leather that their organisers are made with.
And here it is in August 2020, with a story to tell for every mark and darker from all the handling it has had in about 5 years or more!
My Filofax Winchester from over 35 years ago is holding up well, nicely curled over at the edges and at the corners. It's had very little treatment with any care products in the time I've owned it. I repaired the popper button because the plastic cap split and disappeared, but apart from that it is fine.
So with the minimum of care your leather organiser will last a life time or longer.... like my tool case that I was given when I started work over 45 years ago, and it wasn't new when I was given it!
It's due for some maintenance soon in the form of a new zip, I've done it once before about 25 years ago! Time for a new zip.
Have you ever wondered what the mysterious numbers are on the stickers of Gillio boxes? They designate the model size/model type and the colours of the leather.
The first number is the size of the organiser, and the second number is the model or layout
229/11 Amica Mini
223/11 Amica Pocket
224/10 Amica Medium
238/18 Amica A5
229/14 Compagna Mini
223/14 Compagna Pocket
231/02 Compagna A6
222/02 Compagna Slim
224/02 Compagna Medium
238/02 Compagna A5
229/08 Mia Cara Mini
223/08 Mia Cara Pocket
231/08 Mia Cara A6
224/08 Mia Cara Medium
238/08 Mia Cara A5
So 238/02 from the above list is an A5 Compagna which is what is in this box. and 828 is the colour Royal Blue.
'It says it is made of leather' to which I would respond... "Yes but there is leather and there is leather"
Confused? Please don't be...
I did some digging around and found the following definitions of the different types of leather that we find used in Filofax personal organisers.
Full Grain Leather: leather which has not been altered beyond hair removal. Full grain leather is the most genuine type of leather, as it retains all of the original texture and markings of the original hide.
Corrected Grain: leather that has been buffed to remove blemishes, then covered with a new, artificial grain created using pigments and other finishes.
Split Leather: leather made from the lower layers of a hide/skin that have been split away from the upper, or grain layers. Split leather is not as robust and full grain leather.
Suede: is created from the flesh (inner) side of a hide, which is buffed to remove the surface and then flattened to create the suede effect. Suede refers to the process rather than the type of leather.
Nubuc: is created using the grain (outer) side, giving it added strength and durability. It is buffed and brushed to create a soft, velvety effect.
Aniline Leather: leather that is coloured with a transparent dye. The effect is applied by immersing the leather in a dye bath. Because the finish is transparent and shows the natural markings of the leather, only the best quality hides can be used.
Vegetable Tanned Leather: utilises tannin and other organic materials such as bark instead of the traditional chemicals
Bonded Leather: a process where off cuts of leather are cut up and mixed with resin and then pressed into a sheet of leather
A lot of these different types of leather are used in a variety of products, not just Filofax personal organisers, so when it comes to care products you have plenty of products to choose from to keep your organiser soft and supple.
Always check the instructions to ensure the care product you intend to use is suitable for the type of leather you have. If possible test it on a leather sample or on a part of your organiser that will not normally be visible in daily use.
What the outer material of your organiser is made from has the biggest influence on the potential life span of your organiser. Whilst there are hard wearing synthetic materials, the most commonly used material is leather.
The cover is the part you will most frequently touch, you will hold the organiser by the cover, it is the most visual part of your organiser. Therefore the choice of leather, its colour and texture is going to be a very personal decision, only you know what you like or don't like.
There are various types of leather, not just what animal it originally came from but how the leather has been treated or coloured.
Leather comes in the following forms. You will find most of these types used for organisers at different price points.
Full-grain leather refers to hides that have not been sanded, buffed, or snuffed (as opposed to top-grain or corrected leather) to remove imperfections (or natural marks) on the surface of the hide. The grain remains allowing the fiber strength and durability. The grain also has breathability, resulting in less moisture from prolonged contact. Rather than wearing out, it develops a patina during its expected useful lifetime. This type of leather is used in the most expensive organisers.
Top-grain leather (the most common type in high-end leather products) is the second-highest quality. It has had the "split" layer separated away, making it thinner and more pliable than full-grain. Its surface has been sanded and a finish coat added, which produces a colder, plastic feel with less breathability, and it does not develop a natural patina. It is typically less expensive and has greater stain resistance than full-grain leather if the finish remains unbroken.
Corrected-grain leather is any leather that has had an artificial grain applied to its surface. The hides used to create corrected leather do not meet the standards for use in creating vegetable-tanned or aniline leather. The imperfections are corrected or sanded off, and an artificial grain embossed into the surface and dressed with stain or dyes. Most corrected-grain leather is used to make pigmented leather as the solid pigment helps hide the corrections or imperfections.
Split leather is leather created from the fibrous part of the hide left once the top-grain of the rawhide has been separated from the hide. During the splitting operation, the top-grain and drop split are separated. The drop split can be further split (thickness allowing) into a middle split and a flesh split. In very thick hides, the middle split can be separated into multiple layers until the thickness prevents further splitting. Split leather then has an artificial layer applied to the surface of the split and is embossed with a leather grain.
Bonded leather or reconstituted leather is an economical material that uses leftover organic leather (from tanneries or workshops) that are shredded and bonded together with polyurethane or latex on to a fiber sheet. The varying degree of organic leather in the mix (10% to 90%) affects the smell and texture. Its reduced cost makes it popular for furniture upholstery, especially for commercial furniture that requires durability—though durability can vary widely depending on the formulation.
The leather goes through a series of processes to make it useable and to dye the leather. Some leathers are dyed and then have a protective layer added to them so that they are more resistant to water damage and staining.
The leather can be dyed a variety of colours some leathers being easier to dye than others. So for instance the full gain leathers like these samples above are in a more limited colour range because they use vegetable tanning type dyes to colour the leather.
Where possible I always recommend getting leather samples especially if you are having a custom made organiser. If you want to be reassured about what type of leather you are getting, ask the seller of the products.
Leather Stiffener
Between the internal and external leather, there will be hidden a variety of materials that you will often not be aware of. Even organisers that feel very soft and supple will have a lining material between the leather to prevent them from 'creaking' as they are opened and closed. This lining material is often just a synthetic mesh textile material.
In addition to the liner some organisers have a stiffening board inserted between the two layers of leather. This board material can be a cardboard (carton) sheet material, or a manufactured synthetic leather board known by the trade name of Bontex.
Bontex is a very flexible material you would hardly know it was there if you flex the covers, but it helps to provide stability and stops the covers from curling.
There is also Bontex Frame, this is used on the stiffer leathers to help with the assembly of the organiser.
When ordering a Van der Spek Custom organiser you can specify what sort of leather stiffener will be used on your order.
Watch the video below to see a full comparison of Bontex and Carton and see for yourself which is which.
Leather Care
Leather is a natural product, it isn't indestructible, it needs caring for over time.
Try to avoid getting the leather wet and do not store in areas of high humidity. Likewise avoid areas of extreme temperatures for long periods of time.
Some people advocate not treating their leather organisers. I recommend asking the manufacturer as to what they recommend as they will know the type of leather used.
So as you can see from this post and the previous posts in the series, there are quite a lot of things that go together to make 'The Perfect Organiser' be it ready made or a custom handmade one from Van der Spek.
If there are any elements I've not covered in this short series of posts, please either leave a comment or drop me an email steve at philofaxy dot com and there might be additional posts for the series.
[Information Source: Leather types and treatments - Wikipedia Leather]
A while back, inspired by the colorful, decorated organizers I've seen in blogs and Facebook groups, I decided to switch from a .05 pen in black or blue ink to bold, .07 pens in a variety of colors. I was happy with my choice of pen (Pentel EnerGel), but the pen loop on my Cuban Filo wasn't. The new pens were a bit too thick for the loop.
Instead of doing the wise thing and using Kent from Oz's method for stretching a pen loop, I just forced the pen in and out, thinking the loop would stretch with wear. Instead, it was the threads attaching the loop to the cover that gave way:
I thought it would be a pretty simple job to have a cobbler reattach the loop and make it bigger. I brought my Filo, and an example of the type of pen I use, to my local show repair shop. I thought they could add some elastic to the loop so it could hold thicker pens, but after some testing they found that the rubber grip on the pen would snag on the elastic. They said they could attach extra leather to the loop and dye it to match, but since they would be stitching it by hand, they couldn't match the original machine stitching. They were also concerned that the job would be expensive, but I assured them more than once that I was willing to pay for quality handwork.
They did the job in just about a week, and it came in $5 under the estimated cost at $25.
The original part of the loop is at left, the added leather at right
The pen fits comfortably
Without the proper equipment, my local cobbler couldn't roll the edge of the leather and stitch through multiple layers, so the raw edge of the leather is dyed to match
All in all, I'm happy with the job. For a small repair like a pen loop, I recommend giving your local artisans some business!
'It says it is made of leather' to which I would respond... "Yes but there is leather and there is leather"
Confused? Please don't be...
I did some digging around and found the following definitions of the different types of leather that we find used in Filofax personal organisers.
Full Grain Leather: leather which has not been altered beyond hair removal. Full grain leather is the most genuine type of leather, as it retains all of the original texture and markings of the original hide.
Corrected Grain: leather that has been buffed to remove blemishes, then covered with a new, artificial grain created using pigments and other finishes.
Split Leather: leather made from the lower layers of a hide/skin that have been split away from the upper, or grain layers. Split leather is not as robust and full grain leather.
Suede: is created from the flesh (inner) side of a hide, which is buffed to remove the surface and then flattened to create the suede effect. Suede refers to the process rather than the type of leather.
Nubuc: is created using the grain (outer) side, giving it added strength and durability. It is buffed and brushed to create a soft, velvety effect.
Aniline Leather: leather that is coloured with a transparent dye. The effect is applied by immersing the leather in a dye bath. Because the finish is transparent and shows the natural markings of the leather, only the best quality hides can be used.
Vegetable Tanned Leather: utilises tannin and other organic materials such as bark instead of the traditional chemicals
Bonded Leather: a process where off cuts of leather are cut up and mixed with resin and then pressed into a sheet of leather
A lot of these different types of leather are used in a variety of products, not just Filofax personal organisers, so when it comes to care products you have plenty of products to choose from to keep your organiser soft and supple.
I love smooth, soft leather. The smoother and softer, the better.
Filofax likes to jazz up binders with textures, which is fine, as long as they don't exclude at least one line of binders with smooth leather.
My Buckingham has completely smooth leather that is soft to touch but not flimsy or floppy at all. It has had a rough life and has proven to be resistant to gouges and scratches. I wonder if there is any equivalent in the current lineup? I know the Maldens have that soft buffalo leather, but it is "floppy" compared to the leather of my Buckingham.
Do any of the new binders, or any others currently available, have smooth, soft, sturdy leather?
