How To Replace Leather on a Writing Slope / Box 

P.S., the gluing it up part was good (although you might want to mention to use acid free glues like the wheat paste bookbinder's glues. I don't think hot hide glue would fly with most folks, unfortunately.)

I heard that you shouldn't use PVA and only use wallpaper paste as PVA actually hardens and isn't as good for the leather.

I was a journeyman furniture maker for years, Hot hide glue makes the leather contract and curl as it cools, fine for veneer but this is SKIN. We used cold wall paper paste made up a batch at a time from flour to glue leather down, it's reversible; has no odor. The Poly vinyl acetate(yellow glue) you're using is HELL to get off and lowers the value of the piece. Nails are not necessary.

The music made me smash my writing slope to pieces.........

what is you use for the backing cloth under the Scriver?

where do I find the leather insert in the first place?

I just purchased a really old leather travel writing case. Not made of wood. I live in U.S. where would I look to have someone help me restore it?

I was with you up to the point at which you drove two nails into the edge of a fine piece of woodworking. A better way to attach the ribbons to the wood under the leather (ideally driving a small end portion into a pre-cut slit in the wood with a small chisel) and cut a small slit in the leather where the ribbon could be threaded out (near the top of course, where it would not interfere with writing.) That's how it was done on most originals that I have seen anyways.

I'm trying to find a video that shows how to REMOVE an old and damaged piece of leather but all I can find it how to fit a new piece. Can you recommend a video or have you made one that I can't find?

What did you use for the backing cloth

What's the song in the video? It's catchy!

I am not a speed reader and music was appalling, otherwise very instructive

Or you could have just glued the ribbon under the upper and lower edges of the leather, leaving just a small tab to poke out along the edge of the leather. NAILS! OMG! Horrified to the hilt.

Anyone watching this that wants to do it. Use a scalpel with a fresh blade. It will cut a cleaner line and much easier. No fighting with it like in this video.

Mask of the edges first......you`ll get in to a right mess if you don`t

I will try to do it with Woodglut plans.

The whole thing looks a bit of an amateur bodge

So a video promoting the sale of the leather piece, using questionable methods to install it.

I think you can do it yourself, just watch and learn from Woodglut.