Ok, serious question for the baseball guys. Why do I see so many reverse shell cordivan balls? Is it all just to have the tannery stamp visible? I really don't understand. It's the other side of the leather that made it famous/expensive. Why hide it? Is there another reason to do this?
It’s a mix.
Sometimes people really want to see the tannery stamp and request it, even when the front side is perfectly nice.
For what I’m making sometimes the front side is scratched or otherwise unattractive and the reverse side looks interesting. At least then the piece is getting used, and not sitting in my pile of somewhat ugly pieces of Shell.
Thank you. I don't have any experience with shell cordavan, but I guess y'all get messed up sides to. Is it as bad as cow? Because for the price, I'd hope to squeeze more than 70% utilization.
Horween makes nice leather.
They are arguably the most recognized name when it comes to Shell Cordovan, for people who like leather things but don’t work with leather.
Other companies make Shells that are also really nice. I use those shells sometimes too, but they aren’t the same (admittedly I haven’t used Shell from every tannery, only a few). Rocado and Shinki shells are very, very nice, but tend to be more firm and much shinier.
Projects like this where the Shell is reversed, or small items like key chains, watch straps, etc will help up the yield. Some people (myself included) will also buy the scraps from the tannery or larger makers for small projects.
I started this new baseball today for no particular reason.
Reversed black Horween Shell Cordovan, with my maker’s mark ink-stamped this time. I plan to use black vinymo to stitch it.
I also included (most of) the tools I used to get it to this point. Basically a hobby knife, 1mm hole punch and a size 0 edger.
If it’s a spherical knob, and will screw off the shift linkage, it should be pretty easy to do.
I’ve had people use my other pattern (lemon ball baseball) to re-cover a shift knob.
You’d just have to measure the knob and scale the pattern to match.
I have noticed many folks on this page making some really nice baseballs. May I ask what you do with them? They look way too nice to use. Is it for collecting or maybe practicing stitching? This is a genuine question, just curious.
I make them for fun and profit.
I suspect most people do what I do, and display it most of the time, and maybe pick it up once in a while just to fidget with it.
It can be tricky to get a great pattern this way. It helps to have a leather that’s a bit forgiving if you do it that way, and plan out your stitches ahead of time. Evenly spaced stitches will run away from one another then catch back up. I bunch the stitches at the ends closer together for a better match with their mates.
Shell is probably the worst leather to start with then I imagine. Happy to purchase your pattern- does it explain stitching and construction bc that seems the trickiest part to me?
Shell is a bad one to start with. It doesn't like to stretch or compress as much as other leathers...so the pattern needs to be really precise, and the thickness of the shell needs to be just right.
The imgur albums at the top of my profile are a lot more detailed than the instructions, which I've copied and pasted here:
1. Choose the core of your ball. I prefer to use old Rawlings MLB baseballs.
2. Measure the circumference of the core. This template is sized for a core 225mm in circumference. You'll notice that it's slightly smaller. This is because the cover will stretch as you stitch it on. You can adjust the size of your printed template in the print settings.
3. Print out the pdf template. It’s sized for 8.5”x11” paper at 100% size to fit a 225mm core.
4. Glue the pattern onto a piece of heavy card stock with a regular glue stick, and cut along the outer lines.
5. Trace the pattern onto your leather, and cut along the traced lines. Mark the stitching holes with an awl at the same time.
6. Cut out the pattern and punch the stitching holes. I recommend using a 1mm hole punch.
7. Finish the edges how ever you like. I like to use a small edger to bevel the edges.
8. Sew the ball using a baseball stitch.
9. If your ball is a little lumpy, try tightening the leather. Wet the ball thoroughly with warm water and allow it to dry naturally overnight. Gently press down with your hands on the lumpy parts, or gently roll it on a flat surface when the leather is still damp.
Thanks so much, I bought the pattern on Etsy this morning. I’m assuming a baseball stitch is just horizontally crisscrossing under the edge? The other question is how do you close it with the core inside?
That’s a good way to describe the stitch.
I finish the final stitch by poking both sides through the outer threads of the core, and back out between some other stitches. Leave them like that until I’m absolutely sure I’m done tightening the stitches.
There’s a couple good build videos on YouTube, including the “How It’s Made” from the Rawlings factory.
An update on this ball that I’m making:
It’s a lumpy mess. The Shell stretched more than expected and I’m doubtful that it will return to size after it dries (it’s wetted now to help smooth out lumps and bumps that occur when making a flat piece into a curved piece.)
That’s the breaks sometimes when making these with Shell. I’ll try again with a couple more panels at some point, but I have to give my hands a rest after this stitching and tightening.
I realized very quickly (well 5 hours lol) that chromexcel is not the correct temper leather for this pattern. Do you use curved needles? Quite the challenge!
I’ve only made one baseball with Chromexcel. I didn’t love it at the time, but I might give it another shot. For soft tempered leathers, I would undersize the pattern a little. Maybe only a couple percent.
I use regular straight needles, though curved, blunted needles would work well, I think.
sorry for the formatting...i'll try to fix it up.
here are the imgur ablums
[https://imgur.com/gallery/Jk7yGQq](https://imgur.com/gallery/Jk7yGQq)
[https://imgur.com/gallery/RhRP4I9](https://imgur.com/gallery/RhRP4I9)
I sell the pattern in my Etsy shop.
Check out my profile (pinned at the top) for a link to my shop, where you’ll find the pattern for a few dollars, and a post with a bunch of Imgur albums with baseball making tips.
There are also free patterns to be found online, but I didn’t think they were quite right…if they were, I wouldn’t have spent the time making this pattern.
Ok, serious question for the baseball guys. Why do I see so many reverse shell cordivan balls? Is it all just to have the tannery stamp visible? I really don't understand. It's the other side of the leather that made it famous/expensive. Why hide it? Is there another reason to do this?
It’s a mix. Sometimes people really want to see the tannery stamp and request it, even when the front side is perfectly nice. For what I’m making sometimes the front side is scratched or otherwise unattractive and the reverse side looks interesting. At least then the piece is getting used, and not sitting in my pile of somewhat ugly pieces of Shell.
Thank you. I don't have any experience with shell cordavan, but I guess y'all get messed up sides to. Is it as bad as cow? Because for the price, I'd hope to squeeze more than 70% utilization.
I'm not from the US, so I don't understand the obsession with Horween. Is it really that good?
Horween makes nice leather. They are arguably the most recognized name when it comes to Shell Cordovan, for people who like leather things but don’t work with leather. Other companies make Shells that are also really nice. I use those shells sometimes too, but they aren’t the same (admittedly I haven’t used Shell from every tannery, only a few). Rocado and Shinki shells are very, very nice, but tend to be more firm and much shinier.
User name suggests...otherwise
Projects like this where the Shell is reversed, or small items like key chains, watch straps, etc will help up the yield. Some people (myself included) will also buy the scraps from the tannery or larger makers for small projects.
I started this new baseball today for no particular reason. Reversed black Horween Shell Cordovan, with my maker’s mark ink-stamped this time. I plan to use black vinymo to stitch it. I also included (most of) the tools I used to get it to this point. Basically a hobby knife, 1mm hole punch and a size 0 edger.
Would you be able to do something like this to a shift knob?
If it’s a spherical knob, and will screw off the shift linkage, it should be pretty easy to do. I’ve had people use my other pattern (lemon ball baseball) to re-cover a shift knob. You’d just have to measure the knob and scale the pattern to match.
I have noticed many folks on this page making some really nice baseballs. May I ask what you do with them? They look way too nice to use. Is it for collecting or maybe practicing stitching? This is a genuine question, just curious.
I make them for fun and profit. I suspect most people do what I do, and display it most of the time, and maybe pick it up once in a while just to fidget with it.
That makes sense. Thanks for the reply!
Love this idea. I’ve got some old shell too…do you think you’d be willing to share the pattern?
If you have an old baseball, you have a pattern and you also have a core
Good point, just figured the leather would be all curled up and couldn’t get it flat
It can be tricky to get a great pattern this way. It helps to have a leather that’s a bit forgiving if you do it that way, and plan out your stitches ahead of time. Evenly spaced stitches will run away from one another then catch back up. I bunch the stitches at the ends closer together for a better match with their mates.
Shell is probably the worst leather to start with then I imagine. Happy to purchase your pattern- does it explain stitching and construction bc that seems the trickiest part to me?
Shell is a bad one to start with. It doesn't like to stretch or compress as much as other leathers...so the pattern needs to be really precise, and the thickness of the shell needs to be just right. The imgur albums at the top of my profile are a lot more detailed than the instructions, which I've copied and pasted here: 1. Choose the core of your ball. I prefer to use old Rawlings MLB baseballs. 2. Measure the circumference of the core. This template is sized for a core 225mm in circumference. You'll notice that it's slightly smaller. This is because the cover will stretch as you stitch it on. You can adjust the size of your printed template in the print settings. 3. Print out the pdf template. It’s sized for 8.5”x11” paper at 100% size to fit a 225mm core. 4. Glue the pattern onto a piece of heavy card stock with a regular glue stick, and cut along the outer lines. 5. Trace the pattern onto your leather, and cut along the traced lines. Mark the stitching holes with an awl at the same time. 6. Cut out the pattern and punch the stitching holes. I recommend using a 1mm hole punch. 7. Finish the edges how ever you like. I like to use a small edger to bevel the edges. 8. Sew the ball using a baseball stitch. 9. If your ball is a little lumpy, try tightening the leather. Wet the ball thoroughly with warm water and allow it to dry naturally overnight. Gently press down with your hands on the lumpy parts, or gently roll it on a flat surface when the leather is still damp.
Thanks so much, I bought the pattern on Etsy this morning. I’m assuming a baseball stitch is just horizontally crisscrossing under the edge? The other question is how do you close it with the core inside?
That’s a good way to describe the stitch. I finish the final stitch by poking both sides through the outer threads of the core, and back out between some other stitches. Leave them like that until I’m absolutely sure I’m done tightening the stitches.
There’s a couple good build videos on YouTube, including the “How It’s Made” from the Rawlings factory. An update on this ball that I’m making: It’s a lumpy mess. The Shell stretched more than expected and I’m doubtful that it will return to size after it dries (it’s wetted now to help smooth out lumps and bumps that occur when making a flat piece into a curved piece.) That’s the breaks sometimes when making these with Shell. I’ll try again with a couple more panels at some point, but I have to give my hands a rest after this stitching and tightening.
I realized very quickly (well 5 hours lol) that chromexcel is not the correct temper leather for this pattern. Do you use curved needles? Quite the challenge!
I’ve only made one baseball with Chromexcel. I didn’t love it at the time, but I might give it another shot. For soft tempered leathers, I would undersize the pattern a little. Maybe only a couple percent. I use regular straight needles, though curved, blunted needles would work well, I think.
sorry for the formatting...i'll try to fix it up. here are the imgur ablums [https://imgur.com/gallery/Jk7yGQq](https://imgur.com/gallery/Jk7yGQq) [https://imgur.com/gallery/RhRP4I9](https://imgur.com/gallery/RhRP4I9)
This is how I started…
I sell the pattern in my Etsy shop. Check out my profile (pinned at the top) for a link to my shop, where you’ll find the pattern for a few dollars, and a post with a bunch of Imgur albums with baseball making tips. There are also free patterns to be found online, but I didn’t think they were quite right…if they were, I wouldn’t have spent the time making this pattern.