Show us your leather

[Geeman]

Love the red lining 

[Duke Mantee]

@Geeman Goatskin is such an underrated leather in these parts - and the range of temper, grain and colour is fantastic … this red is really nice and it was actually part of the skin I bought to make some overlays for a belt

[Duke Mantee]

… and this was definitely lost in the changeover - albeit they’re shitty pics because I am old and forgot to take ‘proper’ pics before it was shipped to Japan 

Horween Shell, Walpier Gaeta, Lambskin, YKK Excella Zip and THK snaps 

 

[Duke Mantee]

Mini Trucker Wallet

Black Wax finish Minerva in Biscuit from Badalassi Carlo s.r.l.

(anyone who uses the phrase, or similar, “love me some Badalassi” will prompt me to apply for mod status to wield the ban hammer … fucking instagrammar)

Khaki thread and solid brass hardware (Hasi Hoto snaps, YKK zip, d-ring, shackle, chain and fish hook

Edited October 23, 2023 by Duke Mantee

[Duke Mantee]

A pair of braces / suspenders made of crust cowhide from a long shut tannery (the straps) and crust calfskin (the ‘rabbit ears’ and attachments) and decorated with a couple of antique silver Japanese coins

The cowhide is a real old fashioned pit liming and tanning - some of the hide still had hair on. It’s amazing stuff, nothing like it and never will be again.

[chicote]

Excellent work on those, Mike - i really appreciate seeing how your belt-making skills transfer over to so many different applications. I notice the slits on the rabbit ears have a small hole punched at the end - i assume that's to prevent the leather from tearing?

[Duke Mantee]

2 hours ago, chicote said:

Excellent work on those, Mike - i really appreciate seeing how your belt-making skills transfer over to so many different applications. I notice the slits on the rabbit ears have a small hole punched at the end - i assume that's to prevent the leather from tearing?

Thank you very much - I guess leather is leather regardless of the shape or application. Not much difference from a belt to a bag strap to these.

And yes, that little hole is there for exactly the reason you’ve stated. Probably not necessary but there’s no reason for a shortcut

[Double 0 Soul]

I used to have a lovely old pair of Grado GS1000 headphones.. they sounded perfect, the bass to treble ratio was just what i wanted for the kind of music i listen to. The G cushions were quite large but the GS1000 needed them for the wide soundstage, alas.. everytime i slouched back into the sofa the large cushion would be pushed out of position on my head.. also if i was reading, it would push my glasses out of position, very annoying! and i'm more of a sloucher than a sitty-up straight kinda guy so as perfect as they sounded.. i found myself using them less and less.. eventually i sold them and i bought a vintage pair of RS1's which solved the issue..

The RS1 sound signature was quite different, very warm but lacking the bass thump my music really needs.. so i sold those and bought a pair of Hemps.. i love the sound of these but they had a shitty vinyl headband, keeps the sandal wearers happy i suppose but it really cheapens them especially when the previous pairs had luscious (i think) lambskin leather..

I sent them up to Duke for an mod.. he used horsehide on top and calfskin against the head.

I asked for purple thread to match these Japanese Yaxi S Cushions

..i've also got a set of cushions from Geekria.. these are the best sounding and most comfortable.. the F cushions that they come with feel f'kin awful.. like they're pressing against the top of your ears

..i kept the new Grado G cush i'd bought for the GS1000s .. for those occasions when i am sitting up.

 

Edited October 27, 2023 by Double 0 Soul

[Duke Mantee]

I appreciated the thought and the opportunity Neal

Describing those purple accents on the setup shouldn’t work in my mind but seeing it proves how good it does look

[Maynard Friedman]

Great work again, as per usual Duke. Lovely cans Neal.

[Double 0 Soul]

Very photogenic, Grado's

[Duke Mantee]

A quick pic of  a classic bifold wallet made from two of the most expensive bovine leathers I’ve used - J&FJ Baker Russian Calf and Tanneries Degermann Baranil

 

[Duke Mantee]

… and the matching belt 

 

[Duke Mantee]

Sorry - iPhone 

But a thing to hang some things on. The guy was given a similar thing, but his thing had zamak hardware and it broke. So now he has a thing that won’t break.

Anyway all solid brass hardware, and a wee bit of what’s left of that defunct leather I made the braces from.

[Duke Mantee]

The rest of that Russian calf hide … the commission started as the belt then became how can the whole hide be used. The belt and wallet above, and this is how …
 

Edited November 22, 2023 by Duke Mantee

[Duke Mantee]

… and the wallet (again). Traditional bifold - 6 card slots, two hidden pockets and a cash pocket

 

[chicote]

Wow, that is truly amazing Duke! Are you doing all the stitching by hand or have you got a leather sewing machine? I’m patterning a new leather bench seat for my truck at the moment, but the thought of all that hand stitching is daunting…

[Duke Mantee]

25 minutes ago, chicote said:

Wow, that is truly amazing Duke! Are you doing all the stitching by hand or have you got a leather sewing machine? I’m patterning a new leather bench seat for my truck at the moment, but the thought of all that hand stitching is daunting…

Thank you.

It’s all by hand - no electricity is harmed during my work (well maybe a bit of lighting) - I got a bit fed up with all these companies saying by hand and what they mean is someone used their hands to operate a machine, so I do it the old fashioned way. Not that I have an issue with someone using machines though, still get great, and sometimes better, results.

250 foot of thread to make these. I know that because the spool got finished.

[beautiful_FrEaK]

You are a maniac!

[Duke Mantee]

4 minutes ago, beautiful_FrEaK said:

You are a maniac!

 

well, I don’t know how to use a sewing machine …

[oomslokop]

no!no!yes! origami wallet after 10-11 yearsish

[sensy]

I made a (singular) boot by hand (as in every single stitch and cut and everything) boot to learn stuff.  It might not be pretty but it is technically wearable.  Still have a lot of cleanup and detail work left. 
 

Edited December 3, 2023 by sensy

[chicote]

@sensy that's amazing!! i remember a couple years ago you saying you planned to make yourself a pair of boots and were teaching yourself other leatherworking skills along the way... i really admire your dedication, and the skills you've learned really show in how cleanly that boot turned out.. looking forward to seeing the next one!!

[sensy]

@chicote thank you, i really appreciate it!

[Duke Mantee]

I’m seconding @chicote here - it’s no mean feat (geddit?) to make footwear from scratch, especially as complex as this.

There aren’t many boots I ever seen that are handmade (lots of makers are happy to say handmade when they’re really not), so it’s great to see this

[sensy]

11 hours ago, Duke Mantee said:

I’m seconding @chicote here - it’s no mean feat (geddit?) to make footwear from scratch, especially as complex as this.

There aren’t many boots I ever seen that are handmade (lots of makers are happy to say handmade when they’re really not), so it’s great to see this

I think it's an interesting question where it stops being handmade (with no definitive answer). Belt sander for the heel/soles? Definitely still handmade imo. Sewing machine for the upper? Also OK I think. I'm using bought, machine made linen thread, and some people makes that by hand. It's fun to think about, but also I'm only doing it this way because of what equipment I have, and which parts I find interesting to learn. I'm probably going to look for a cheap sander because finishing the heel is boring as shit.

[Duke Mantee]

7 hours ago, sensy said:

I think it's an interesting question where it stops being handmade (with no definitive answer). Belt sander for the heel/soles? Definitely still handmade imo. Sewing machine for the upper? Also OK I think. I'm using bought, machine made linen thread, and some people makes that by hand. It's fun to think about, but also I'm only doing it this way because of what equipment I have, and which parts I find interesting to learn. I'm probably going to look for a cheap sander because finishing the heel is boring as shit.

You’re absolutely right - there is no real correct answer. 

I disagree about sewing the uppers though. For me they should be handsewn; we do it for bags, wallets, belts etc so there’s no reason in my mind that uppers can’t be handsewn. Soles and heels are very difficult so shaping down a heel with a sander could be argued as still being handmade.

I think the thing that bothers me most is the businesses are rather disingenuous about what handmade can mean - so really it’s the lack of integrity rather than the lack of skill, because as I’ve said before it takes no little skill to be a good machinist 

[sensy]

35 minutes ago, Duke Mantee said:

You’re absolutely right - there is no real correct answer. 

I disagree about sewing the uppers though. For me they should be handsewn; we do it for bags, wallets, belts etc so there’s no reason in my mind that uppers can’t be handsewn. Soles and heels are very difficult so shaping down a heel with a sander could be argued as still being handmade.

I think the thing that bothers me most is the businesses are rather disingenuous about what handmade can mean - so really it’s the lack of integrity rather than the lack of skill, because as I’ve said before it takes no little skill to be a good machinist 

Businesses should just be open as to how they do things instead of using non defined buzzwords and we're good, I guess. But we all know and understand why that's not gonna happen. 

As for sewing the uppers, maybe it's just cause I'm not used to ever seeing handsewn ones that makes it easy for me to accept machine sewn ones as handmade. It's also completely a waste of time and energy to handsewn them, nothing practical is really gained from it, while you could argue a saddle stitch does add some longevity to a wallet, bag or belt. 

Again, no true answer but for me it's a feels thing, and I feel this is correct for me. 

[Duke Mantee]

16 hours ago, sensy said:

Businesses should just be open as to how they do things instead of using non defined buzzwords and we're good, I guess. But we all know and understand why that's not gonna happen. 

As for sewing the uppers, maybe it's just cause I'm not used to ever seeing handsewn ones that makes it easy for me to accept machine sewn ones as handmade. It's also completely a waste of time and energy to handsewn them, nothing practical is really gained from it, while you could argue a saddle stitch does add some longevity to a wallet, bag or belt. 

Again, no true answer but for me it's a feels thing, and I feel this is correct for me. 

Given the strength and durability of a saddle stitch I would suggest it is better placed in a boot than a wallet - I think what we see then is actually how business efficiency (time=money) has convinced us that a handmade boot doesn’t need to be saddle stitched.

It used to be a bespoke suit was entirely hand stitched but it’s now not uncommon to find that long seam lines are now machine stitched  … it’s still handmade because the rules of engagement have changed to suit the landscape.

It’s really not a discussion about quality as such - more the confusion that arises when a customer can’t understand why item A is $X but item B is 3x $X … because item A has a few finishing stitches done by hand and item B is everything done by hand and both ‘legitimately’ claim handmade status. I see it here fairly often - and mostly centred around footwear and larger leather items.

Edited December 9, 2023 by Duke Mantee

[Duke Mantee]

Horsehide, Vachetta straps and (from the defunct Clayton tannery) mellow tanned pockets

Edited December 18, 2023 by Duke Mantee