Making leather wrist rests

[Noko]

So one of my other hobbies is leatherworking, and I've been thinking for a while of making myself a custom leather wrist rest.  I was hoping to improve upon the EK rest in terms of quality, plus the ability to do custom colours and decorative carving is interesting.  This post http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=46855.0 by keyjay gave me some inspiration for making some prototypes, and while I was on vacation to visit my folks I had access to my dad's power tools and expertise.  The first step was to make wooden forms to wetmold the leather top piece.  I decided to make moulds in TKL and 60% size.

Nice curved corners:


Inside cut out and also used to trace another piece for the inside of the form.


Sanding and rounding the edges of the forms.


In the front are some long strips of MDF.  I'm working on two prototypes to see which type feels best as an internal core to the rest.  Based on keyjay's post, one has a hard MDF core and a thin layer of foam on top.  I also found a local foam manufacturer that makes ultra high resiliency upholstery foam (http://www.foamite.com/foam_grades.php) so I am also going to talk to them and hopefully get a sample to try out.

More pictures of moulding process to come this weekend.

[keyjay]

I suggest you get your hands on one from EK as a guide (no, they ain't cheap, I know). It's an awesome piece of design and engineering and would be perfect were it not for the horribly poor choice for the type of foam they use.

Keep in mind that the slightest warping will make wood a poor option, so see what you can do to address that well. It has to lie really flat to be usable. EK and others use metal for that, and for weighting, which is probably very functional on both counts.

BTW, I use full-sized boards only, and would want a rest made for a full-sized board. I position the rest centered with the hands -- G/H -- and a full-sized rest ends up covering my arrow keys on the right and my extra keypad on the left that I always use for added functionality (X-Keys 24, which is pretty much the same size as an optional keypad for a TKL). So, if all else works out, I'll be in the market for a full-sized.

Good luck with the project!

[nubbinator]

Check out neoprene (wetsuit material) as a foam.  It's decently affordable and should make for a good cushion.  I've talked to some people who make their own shoes and use it for the insert.

[Noko]

I suggest you get your hands on one from EK as a guide (no, they ain't cheap, I know). It's an awesome piece of design and engineering and would be perfect were it not for the horribly poor choice for the type of foam they use.

Keep in mind that the slightest warping will make wood a poor option, so see what you can do to address that well. It has to lie really flat to be usable. EK and others use metal for that, and for weighting, which is probably very functional on both counts.

BTW, I use full-sized boards only, and would want a rest made for a full-sized board. I position the rest centered with the hands -- G/H -- and a full-sized rest ends up covering my arrow keys on the right and my extra keypad on the left that I always use for added functionality (X-Keys 24, which is pretty much the same size as an optional keypad for a TKL). So, if all else works out, I'll be in the market for a full-sized.

Good luck with the project!

Actually the reason I had this idea was when I noticed EK's shipping prices to Canada were insane--it was something like $40.  Also, I'd feel bad about copying someone else's design through disassembly.

You can't see in the picture, but the Fibrex (I forgot, it's harder than MDF) is painted on one side, which is a good solution to warping.  MDF itself is very warp-resistant.  As for metal, I'm going to try out using stainless steel rulers cemented to the wood as an idea.  I'm going to make the first prototype TKL, and I'll try it out myself for a while since that's mostly what I use.  I was also thinking of doing a test like putting the corner of a heavy book on overnight.

I did realize something (was up thinking about this rather than sleeping last night )  -- an unavoidable issue with veg tan leather is that if you're getting it damp and applying pressure, the leather will naturally compress a bit permanently (basically it activates glue-like proteins in deeper layers of the flesh, which is why wet moulding works).  I'm using a thinner leather than the EK rest to reduce this potential, but it's worth mentioning.

Check out neoprene (wetsuit material) as a foam.  It's decently affordable and should make for a good cushion.  I've talked to some people who make their own shoes and use it for the insert.

This is an awesome idea, and one I hadn't thought of.  It would be a lot easier to work with than closed-cell foam, plus the fabric layer would wick moisture nicely away from the wood.  Thanks!

Edit:  Also going to try some automotive soundproofing felt.

[MOZ]

Watching this closely. Do you plan on selling these once your first piece comes out good.

[Noko]

Watching this closely. Do you plan on selling these once your first piece comes out good.

Sure, once I figure out a prototype I am satisfied with.  At that point, I was thinking of an interest check to see which customization options people are interested in.

[vun]

Watching this closely. Do you plan on selling these once your first piece comes out good.

Sure, once I figure out a prototype I am satisfied with.  At that point, I was thinking of an interest check to see which customization options people are interested in.

Just throwing this in here; I'd loooove a pair of Filco-style wrist rest for my eDox. The Filco rest is amazing, but doesn't work all that well with the eDox :c

[Noko]

Watching this closely. Do you plan on selling these once your first piece comes out good.

Sure, once I figure out a prototype I am satisfied with.  At that point, I was thinking of an interest check to see which customization options people are interested in.

Just throwing this in here; I'd loooove a pair of Filco-style wrist rest for my eDox. The Filco rest is amazing, but doesn't work all that well with the eDox :c

Something like two pieces fitting the bottom angles, according to these dimensions?  http://i.imgur.com/cw4nX0w.png

[MOZ]

Watching this closely. Do you plan on selling these once your first piece comes out good.

Sure, once I figure out a prototype I am satisfied with.  At that point, I was thinking of an interest check to see which customization options people are interested in.

Just throwing this in here; I'd loooove a pair of Filco-style wrist rest for my eDox. The Filco rest is amazing, but doesn't work all that well with the eDox :c

Something like two pieces fitting the bottom angles, according to these dimensions?  http://i.imgur.com/cw4nX0w.png

I'd like something like that.

[Noko]

Finally had time to start the forming process on the first prototype.  I already figured out a couple of things that need to be fixed next time around.  One, I should secure the inner part of the form so it's properly centered every time--I thought it might be good to have flexibility but it's too much of a pain.  Two, I cut this piece way too big and had a hard time making sure everything was lined up and level (plus the clamps are going to push on it and, worst case, make it stretch in weird ways).

Now waiting 24 hours to unscrew it and see how it looks!
Sorry for the terrible lighting, the digital camera I have here is not the greatest.

[kurplop]

I'm enjoying watching the progress. Looks great

[Binge]

I am so very excited by this... to think my love-conquers-zombies art was for such an artist 

[Noko]

I am so very excited by this... to think my love-conquers-zombies art was for such an artist 

Hey, I'm not an artist  
Mostly I just trace stuff, because I can't actually draw.  I'm pretty good at tracing though!  Carving is honestly my favourite part of leatherworking.

On a side note, if you ever have a drawing that you'd like done on a wrist rest, let me know.

Actually--have any drawings that could go on a prototype?  Think something you could use as a colouring book page, that level of detail. 8.5 cm x 36 cm rectangle to work with.
It might be cool to carve this prototype and auction it for a good GH cause.

[Binge]

Tonight!.. I brainstorm

[Noko]

I found a local place to cut acrylic, so I tried my hand at designing a mould for an ErgoDox rest in Inkscape and sent it off for a quote.  I'd probably make these with an acrylic core, if this works out okay.

Still waiting for my order of padding material to arrive before I can start assembling the TKL prototype, unfortunately.

[keyjay]

Don't forget that while neoprene might help wick away moisture from the wood, you want to be sure to be wicking away moisture from the "hands" also. Sweat that sits and gets sticky will not be comfortable at all. You need something that breathes.

[Noko]

Don't forget that while neoprene might help wick away moisture from the wood, you want to be sure to be wicking away moisture from the "hands" also. Sweat that sits and gets sticky will not be comfortable at all. You need something that breathes.

Yup, I've also got some automotive jute felt on order.  I was thinking a natural woven fibre would be a good choice when breathability is a major concern, and it should be very resilient considering it's a carpet underlay.  I'm also getting some samples of industrial wool felt.

[Noko]

I should (finally!) be getting all the supplies I need picked up from the post office today.  With everything ready to go, I should be able to put together the first prototype rest in a couple of days.

I'm very happy with the automotive felt so far (which is a good thing for me--I'm allergic to wool so it would have been a pain in the ass to work with wool felt).  It behaves very similarly to wool, as it pulls in moisture but remains breathable, and it should be far more resilient than any type of foam over long periods.  I also got my cut acrylic for an Ergodox prototype in.

In the meantime, I also built a padded and lined leather case for some gear to practice working with the material (plus, I eventually want to make a leather 60% case!) which turned out quite nicely.  Need to get my camera charged and then I'll be able to put up a picture post.

[Noko]

The first step is to return oils to the leather after losing them in the wet-moulding process.  I use olive oil and give it a nice amount of sunlight in order to darken the leather a bit.  You can see the big-ass scar on this piece.  I know I'll screw up at some point on a first prototype, so I used the worst part of the hide!  Afterwards, I apply some protective finish.



Next come the guts: felt, a metal core, and the MDF piece.  So far there is no warping at all a month after its move from a low-humidity to a high-humidity environment.  The moulds have already warped a bit, though, and I might need to get them remade in acrylic.  The felt is a pain to cut and leaves felt pubes everywhere, urgh.  Everything held in place with a small amount of normal white glue.



Gluing together the bottom piece (I cut this earlier) with the inserted guts and top part.  Rubber cement this time so that excess is easy to get rid of when it is time to finish the edges.  It doesn't need to be very strong as it's really only necessary to hold everything together while being stitched.  That being said, I need to rethink the stitching a bit.  I got a new stitching groover and ended up screwing up with it freehand, but then I figured it would look better with a narrower ungrooved stitch anyways.  Meh, it's a prototype.



Other stuff I'm working on at the moment:

[AGmurdercore]

The first step is to return oils to the leather after losing them in the wet-moulding process.  I use olive oil and give it a nice amount of sunlight in order to darken the leather a bit.  You can see the big-ass scar on this piece.  I know I'll screw up at some point on a first prototype, so I used the worst part of the hide!  Afterwards, I apply some protective finish.

Show Image

Next come the guts: felt, a metal core, and the MDF piece.  So far there is no warping at all a month after its move from a low-humidity to a high-humidity environment.  The moulds have already warped a bit, though, and I might need to get them remade in acrylic.  The felt is a pain to cut and leaves felt pubes everywhere, urgh.  Everything held in place with a small amount of normal white glue.

Show Image

Gluing together the bottom piece (I cut this earlier) with the inserted guts and top part.  Rubber cement this time so that excess is easy to get rid of when it is time to finish the edges.  It doesn't need to be very strong as it's really only necessary to hold everything together while being stitched.  That being said, I need to rethink the stitching a bit.  I got a new stitching groover and ended up screwing up with it freehand, but then I figured it would look better with a narrower ungrooved stitch anyways.  Meh, it's a prototype.

Show Image

Other stuff I'm working on at the moment:

Show Image

WOW dude this is impressive :O

[CPTBadAss]

That tooling!! And for a prototype that looks awesome @.@. Great job

[MOZ]

That looks real nice. Can't wait for final product!

[Noko]

I finally had some time to finish this up.  First off was thread prep for double-needle sewing.  I used two different weights of thread (one on each side of the rest) to judge which looks best on an item of this size--the thinner stuff does.  I also messed lining the stitch holes up a couple times until I found a reliable way to do it, so the prototype is unfortunately drunken looking.



I use pricking irons to lay out holes and then open them up with an awl.



After sewing and trimming, I use the green-handled edge beveller to round the edges, sand them, then burnish them with a damp cloth rubbed with pure glycerine soap.  At this point you can paint or dye the edge, but leaving it natural is simpler.  A perfect edge should look like it's fused together into one piece of leather.



After the edges dry, they get burnished again with beeswax and a wood slicker, then everything gets a final coat of protective finish.  After that dries, I apply a final coat of a beeswax-based leather conditioner and buff to a shine.



The finished product!  This is the side with the thinner thread that I think looked better (and where you can see the line veering off and back unfortunately!)



So how does it feel as a wrist rest?  I'm actually pleasantly surprised.  The top is nice and firm but the felt has some give to it.  The weight is actually quite nice (it's 280 grams), and the bottom ended up perfectly flat as I had hoped.  There is a little bit of friction holding it in place on the desk, though it still slides quite easily.

My next task is to try out the Ergodox form.  I'm hoping to perfect the little things that went wrong in the prototype and try out tooling as well.  At that point, I'll need someone with an Ergodox to try it out in person and give me their impressions on the design

[Phedran]

Ooh! Damn, this looks sexy. Eagerly watching this thread then...

[Photekq]

Man, that's so nice.

[BliTzKiN]

Looks great! Love the contrast of the stitching against the leather. Definitely looks better than what many other brands offer

[Noko]

I've started making my first ErgoDox rest to see how my mould design fits the real thing, as well as testing out dyes and tooling on a formed wrist rest.

First of all, here are the acrylic parts I got in the mail from the laser cutting company (www.wecut4u.com, I was really happy with them).  I did a light sand on all sharp corners and edges to begin with.  You can see I also had a couple of internal parts made out of acrylic for initial prototypes.  I am also thinking that that little ring around the internal form will make laying out stitching much easier later on.



Same deal as before:  I wet the piece of leather, clamped it down using the acrylic mould (though I used some sticky-tac to hold the middle part in place this time) and waited for it to dry.  Tooling is the next step before oiling, though, if you want to tool.  I made a tracing pattern in Photoshop the same size as my original CAD files submitted for cutting and printed it out.  This is usually durable enough for a one-time use.



I case the leather properly, then masking tape the tracing on and trace with a ballpoint pen.  Next, I strop my swivel knife for carving based on the tracing (you rub this chalk stuff on the flat surface, in this case the leather stick, and sharpen the knife at the right angle using the compound).



Here's the image after carving.  The next step is to figure out how you're going to tool.  I like to do checkered bevel for the outline, smooth bevel for the interior, and background for highlights.



Here we are after tooling:



Now, after this is all done, we are back to the step of oiling and letting it bake in some UV for a while.  Tomorrow I am going to do some dyeing.

[nubbinator]

This is looking pretty awesome.  Are you using cow leather or another kind?  When I was looking at doing some leatherwork myself, I was looking at different leathers and I think it was elk that I just fell in love with.  It's not as stiff as tanned cowhide, but it is ridiculously soft and just felt amazing on the skin.  Don't know if it would work great for what you're doing, but I loved it.

[Noko]

This is looking pretty awesome.  Are you using cow leather or another kind?  When I was looking at doing some leatherwork myself, I was looking at different leathers and I think it was elk that I just fell in love with.  It's not as stiff as tanned cowhide, but it is ridiculously soft and just felt amazing on the skin.  Don't know if it would work great for what you're doing, but I loved it.

Yeah, I'm using veg tanned cowhide for these.  Elkskin is probably doable, though, because the thickness would be similar (probably just for the top though, and use a cowhide bottom).  I can try a rolled-edge prototype to see how it would work with something like elk.

I'm getting pretty close to something I feel comfortable selling, so I may do an IC and can definitely include other leather options (buffalo, deer, and also elk) if people are interested!

[Noko]

Finished up the Ergodox rests.  Since I'm dyeing this one, first step is to mix the dye.  I wanted a darker colour so I went with 1:1, but I think I should have gone 1:3 in hindsight as the dye didn't end up quite as even as I would like.  I usually go for 1:5 but in this case Oxblood looks neon pink if it's too diluted so I was a bit worried about that..



Stinky stuff, so I do it outside.



After buffing off excess dye, I put on two layers of glossy topcoat, then rub in some black antique paste.  This fills in cracks and tooling with colour.  Since I'm working with cheap leather there are a lot of imperfections which give it a nice distressed effect.



While everything's drying, I tried another experiment--fitting chrome tanned leather to a moulded backing, since it can't be formed itself.  I don't like how it turned out, mostly because it's really hard to get the corners to play nicely, but it could just need more practice.



On the other hand, I run into a problem while stitching up the Ergodox pieces.  The acrylic I had cut for the inner part is too thick (which makes sense, it's the same thickness as the mould itself).  I had to stop what I was doing and rip out the acrylic pieces to salvage the project.



So waste not want not:  the chrome tan experiment before is a nice solid dual layer piece of leather, so it'll work okay as an inner core for now.  Unfortunately, the stitches on the skull piece were already a bit out of place from before I stopped, so it's a bit warped.



Finally, I assemble both, do some edging with black edge coat, sand, edge again, put on final finish and polish:



Here's the half that didn't get warped.  It needs one final polish to clean up the stitches, but I think it looks pretty nice.



I've gotten in touch with a distributor here of Wickett and Craig leather (actual high-quality, made in USA stuff).  I've just about got everything ironed out so I am pretty confident in making them out of good leather now.

[demik]

Now do a wutang one!

[Dubsgalore]

These are really incredible, nice work!

[agodinhost]

The first step is to return oils to the leather after losing them in the wet-moulding process.  I use olive oil and give it a nice amount of sunlight in order to darken the leather a bit.  You can see the big-ass scar on this piece.  I know I'll screw up at some point on a first prototype, so I used the worst part of the hide!  Afterwards, I apply some protective finish.

Show Image

Next come the guts: felt, a metal core, and the MDF piece.  So far there is no warping at all a month after its move from a low-humidity to a high-humidity environment.  The moulds have already warped a bit, though, and I might need to get them remade in acrylic.  The felt is a pain to cut and leaves felt pubes everywhere, urgh.  Everything held in place with a small amount of normal white glue.

Show Image

Gluing together the bottom piece (I cut this earlier) with the inserted guts and top part.  Rubber cement this time so that excess is easy to get rid of when it is time to finish the edges.  It doesn't need to be very strong as it's really only necessary to hold everything together while being stitched.  That being said, I need to rethink the stitching a bit.  I got a new stitching groover and ended up screwing up with it freehand, but then I figured it would look better with a narrower ungrooved stitch anyways.  Meh, it's a prototype.

Show Image

Other stuff I'm working on at the moment:

Show Image

WOW dude this is impressive :O

Really impressive!
Congrats man!

[saturnotaku]

Amazing craftsmanship. I'd love to buy a couple 87/TKL ones from you.

[bazemk1979]

nice and good quality work 

[wasabah]

Cool! So did you test the ErgoDox rests with an ErgoDox yet?
If so, could you post a couple pictures?

[jevvix]

These look awesome. Count me in for a full sized one if you do get to selling them ever. 

[Noko]

I've had a lot of RL responsibilities to take care of lately--but I've been working on the business end of things, working on a website and getting shipments in from suppliers.  Also been working on another prototype as well as some surprises which I hope to finish up soon.  Here's my first Poker-size, dyed in British Tan (unfortunately I tested out a new edge paint and it both stank horribly and covered poorly):



No test for the ErgoDox yet--still waiting on that package to arrive.

I also drew up a mould for a full sized model since there seems to be quite a demand for those as well, and I sent it off to be laser cut today.

[Photoelectric]

How did I not see this before?  These are great, and I'd love one!  I like that you actually add custom designs and would love one with stars once I'm rich (heh heh).

[Melvang]

If I ever get the money for one of these I would love to get one in TKL size but a touch longer due to being a custom board to my layout and specs but with this emblem tooled into the middle of it.

[LechnerDE]

Wow! Really great work!

If you take orders one day, I'll buy a TKL one with a custom logo

[Fatrat]

Are you ready to take orders for the ergodox rest? If so, I'd like to give you some money 

Drop me a PM when you're ready

[Feign]

These look incredible. Nice work!

Just throwing an idea at ya'. Have you considered trying "deep-buttoning" or "button-backing" on one for a retro style?

[Noko]

How did I not see this before?  These are great, and I'd love one!  I like that you actually add custom designs and would love one with stars once I'm rich (heh heh).

Awesome, thanks for the compliment. That means a lot to me as I really admire your painting work

Wow! Really great work!

If you take orders one day, I'll buy a TKL one with a custom logo

Check out my sales thread : http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=51762.0

Are you ready to take orders for the ergodox rest? If so, I'd like to give you some money 

Drop me a PM when you're ready

I'm aiming to make a progress post on these this weekend in this thread.

[Noko]

These look incredible. Nice work!

Just throwing an idea at ya'. Have you considered trying "deep-buttoning" or "button-backing" on one for a retro style?

Ah, forgot to quote this in my reply as well.  I don't think that would work so well with the limited amount of thickness I have to work with.
However, some possibilities I was thinking about include riveting as opposed to stitching, and doing one in full triweave:

[Noko]

ErgoDox Adventures!

So I've been working on a double height ErgoDox prototype for classic cases, since they're taller than your regular keyboard cases and I didn't have an ErgoDox of my own to check it out.

I used an extra acrylic cut piece from my first try as a spacer underneath:



When I started, I didn't know how the leather would stretch if I tried to double up on the height underneath the form.  I'd read that "relief cuts" were necessary so I kind of tried to put them in (afterwards--I didn't know how close to cut them beforehand and I didn't want to ruin the piece by guessing).



It actually turned out very well though.  Just a bit of rippling from tension, so now that I know where that happens, I can make the relief cuts there.
The other new innovation this time around:  MORE CLAMPS



MORE



Lowe's had a clamp sale, and I could not be happier with my purchase.  More clamps=way better result.
You can see how the insane pressure prevented any rippling on the final piece:



I repeat this process for the other half, flipping everything over so the other side is mirrored.
Next I do the normal dye, oil, buff--the leather seems not to have stretched too much and takes it really well.  I am super happy with the Wickett and Craig.
I decided on Chocolate Brown to go with Retro DSA (and it's actually pretty close in person).



Here's the internal assembly.  I got wooden parts cut of the normal thickness, so I double up on them inside to get the proper height.  It seems to work just fine.  The ruler goes at the widest part of the rest, which I hope will be good for weight balance as well.



All stitched up--and that is a spray bottle of tasty extra virgin olive oil 



The finished product after a final wax and polish. 





I was going to do the edges in brown, but the natural looked so nice I decided on a clear coat instead:



The Retro:



Now I hope these are the right height!

[LechnerDE]

Amazing work! Looks so perfect!

[pexon]

[Photoelectric]

Those rests are excellent!  Thank you so much for sharing your process with great photos.

[Binge]

I really want one of these sets for my ergodox... Any chance you could make a version that extends under the ergodox so I don't move the rests around while I "play classical piano" with my desk?

For reference this is what I do...