zissou

Those look fantastic, Paul!

Yup, both Alden, both Barrie, which is a great fit for my feet.

I finally received my second pair, so here they are ready to go.

The black WT boots were worn briefly inside to make sure they fit. Otherwise, the are both brand spankin' new.

Absolutely.

Last call for belt photos, too!

This is going to be hard to choose just three pairs of Roys.

I finally worked out a design for a sunglasses case. Figuring out how to line it was the hardest part. In the end, I decided to fully line it with red microsuede (the fabric, not leather).

I pretty much blindly went about trying to make a wallet. After a year, I was making better wallets.

OK, I canceled my W&C order, mostly because I don't like the idea of spending ~$400 on leather that I can't see first. They are going to send swatches.

I have been using the Euro bends mostly because I was looking for something nice in 8-10oz for belts. I wish it came in 10-12oz, but oh well. I've managed to pick it up whenever it's on sale. I will promptly go check out the Royal Meadow for lighter weights. Thanks for the advice, guys!

^^^ Yea man, im using royal meadow too.! Its pretty good and blemish free. People give them too little credit...

Royal Meadow is great stuff, best moisture content of any veg tan I've gotten my hands on. I just wish it was available in 2-3oz.

You guys are talking about the Royal Meadow tooling sides that Tandy sells? I was using the European single bends, which had a nice density, and made great wallets and belts. Should I be rethinking ordering from W&C and go back to Tandy? I worry about ordering from W&C without being able to select the hides.

Whew! I finally ordered a couple of sides from Wickett & Craig for key chains and wallets. I'll get twice the sqft of leather for the same price as I was paying for Tandy's nicest leather (which I liked, for the most part), so hopefully it is just as good or better quality. If I like it, I'll make the switch to their 10-12 oz for belts as well.

Agreed. This is the only thread I've paid attention to in a long time.

Ebay has a pair at a good price. I have not seen them for much lower than $200.

Last drop on these before they go up on Ebay in a couple of days.

I had a bit of deja vu yesterday as I was scouting out locations to take a group snowshoeing this Saturday. I'm pretty sure that was one of the first things I posted about a year ago! The Roys look a little different this year...

It was a beautiful (but cold!) day up in the mountains

Ah, thanks for your advice, NC! I imagine that it's much easier to cut shapes like that with a laser, but you've confirmed my suspicions about the edges. I am guessing that it might not matter much if the pieces were going to be dyed and have the edges burnished, but half the stuff I make is natural. I'll go back to planning on ordering dyes... I've heard it's fairly easy to make a press with a car jack? I see a 6-ton shop press on Harbor freight for $65

Hey zissou....you should look into getting metal water jet stencils made. Its pretty cheap. I use them daily.

Pm me. I got a connection.

Hmm, so they are metal stencils, but you still cut everything by hand? A metal stencil would certainly help for some things...

I'm using Fiebing's spirit dyes. The oil dyes don't come in too many colors. I sometimes use their black oil dye, but talk about something that bleeds all over the place!

Logistically, laser cutting would be easiest. I have a friend who is interested in helping me transfer my paper patterns to digital files, and there is a shop in town that does laser cutting and engraving. I spoke to them briefly, and they said it should be a piece of cake. The only potential issue is the edges looking a little browned, but maybe that will just work nicely into burnished edges? I'll keep you all posted.

Zissou. This color is so sick! I have limited experience playing with dye. What do you guys use to seal the leather so it doesn't bleed? Not a fan of the shiny plastic look of some sealers.

It's pretty fun mixing custom colors. I always thing the standard Fiebing's colors are too bright, so I like to tone them down with black, cordovan, or chocolate, depending on the base color. Once I figure out a 'recipe', it's easy to duplicate.

I usually finish everything with Obenauf's LP, which buffs to a nice matte after it is absorbed. I slick the inside of belts with gum trag, but I find that doesn't really seal it. I'll give bag kote a try. In my opinion, the inside of belts is really the only thing that needs actual sealing.

In other news, I am seriously considering switching to laser cutting for key chains and card cases. I simply can't keep up with demand, and it would allow me to cut and dye large numbers at a time. The other option is to have a dye made, but then I need to find a suitable press.

My New Year's resolution is to cut production time, since I'm tired of spending every night individually cutting and dyeing each piece. I'm also planning to just offer 2 or 3 different buckles so I can cut a lot of belt blanks at once.

Someone save me from having to list these on Ebay!

Damn, TBG that green shell is hot! It took me a little while to mix a green that I liked, but I am happy with it.

I'm setting 40 snaps (which is really 80 snap halves) by hand for a bulk order, and really wishing I had a press! My hands are killing me after the first 20.

Wow, Daniel! You really destroyed your pair! Very impressive.

Joseph Hill- I think your pair looks fantastic. If you think yours are less worn than others here, that just means they'll have a longer life

Price Drops!

These are great trousers! Surely someone would like them...

tg- I do a lot of hiking on trails that are shared with mountain bikes, dirt bikes, and horses, and I'm always amazed by the trail destruction caused by horses above all other users.

I don't own any indigo RRL jeans, but they've been my go-to for trousers lately. I finally sorted out my sizing on the Orchard St. selvage buckleback chinos, and I recently picked up a pair of Harris Tweed trousers. They're both at the tailor at the moment, so I'll post photos this weekend.

In the meantime, I've posted a couple of pairs up in the market if anyone's interested...

RRL Orchard St Selvage Buckleback Chinos 34W

These are made from a heavy dark tan selvage twill, rigid and unwashed... pretty amazing chinos! I bought these and had them taken in in the waist and seat, but they are still too large for me. I recently bought another pair in a smaller size. I wore these once for about an hour, so they are essentially brand new.

SOLD . Original Retail was $360, and I recently paid $225. Paypal only.

RRL Selvage Natural Straight Leg Jeans 32x34

These are made from a selvage natural denim. They were heavily washed by RRL and have repaired distressing. They're a really interesting jean, but I just never wear them. I think I wore them once?

$85>$70>$55 Shipped CONUS. Original Retail was $385. Paypal only.

Waist: 33"

Front rise: 11.5"

Thigh: 12.5"

Inseam: 33"

Hem: 9"