Show us your leather

[mikecch]

^ That's some quick evo on the Angelos!

hehe..yes you are really the leather expert on every topic if I had your knowledge and your contacts I would have a broader range of products to choose from and prolly would use more different products and would know what's the best for what leather.

for now I'm very happy and like the mustang paste a lot better than my Red Wing boot oil which i used so far on all my leather products.

but as always, thanks for your inout!

Didn't mean to sound overly harsh, Mustang Paste is a very good product.

And congratz from stepping up from the RW boot oil!

Edited November 28, 2011 by mikecch

[BrownMetallic]

Very impressed by how well made it is...

The edges left raw; the density is mind-blowing:

More on my blog.

how do you treat/groom the edges, Mke? here's mine:

.

Edited November 28, 2011 by BrownMetallic

[mikecch]

^ The photos were taken right out of the box, so they were untreated.

Liking the colour on yours! And it seems like the edges have smoothed over with time quite well.

I might just follow suit and leave the edges as is...I was flirting with the idea of smoothing them over a little bit this afternoon.

Actually, I'm thinking about doing a group buy project with Charlie...I've been given the OK to do a double-prong buckle design, with military spec buckles.

I'm looking over a couple of samples, and the double-prong design with this waxy harness leather from Baker's will really recreate a European WWII service belt that I have:

It's got a really terrific hand to it, pliable yet very strong.

Not sure that the waxy harness is everybody's cup of tea though, but this one would be:

Also from Baker's, it's the natural bridle butt.

Not as pliable, but the evo on this would be awesome!

I want to see if we can get thicker though, aiming for at least 15 oz.

Anyway, more for me to ponder.

I want to get our boots project done first though...

Edited November 28, 2011 by mikecch

[BrownMetallic]

double prongs__ right on, Mike!

but, how do you smoothen the edges? friction?

re: the Lennon HH boots project, i'm leaning towards the WW2 [2nd sample], but w/e the consensus is__ it'd be quite 'aight with me..

Edited November 28, 2011 by BrownMetallic

[hollowsleather]

A great low-tech way to burnish a belt is to hook the buckle end around something sturdy, take a lightly dampened rag and grip the belt with it near the buckle end, hold the sides firmly and pull towards the end of the belt repeatedly and quickly. You want to get some friction heat going and it'll smooth down the fibers nicely.

Using water alone won't create a very long lasting burnish, but if you repeat that trick with a wax-impregnated soft cloth afterwards, you can get a pretty good edge.

[mikecch]

double prongs__ right on, Mike!

but, how do you smoothen the edges? friction?

re: the Lennon HH boots project, i'm leaning towards the WW2 [2nd sample], but w/e the consensus is__ it'd be quite 'aight with me..

Still waiting on updates re: sample leather from the WL directors...things aren't happening as quickly as I would've liked, but I'm happy to wait for a good thing.

Great tip there from hollows.

I like to use wax and a whet stone that been soaked in liquid wax - not very professional, but it does an OK job at smoothing over edges that need a bit of touch up.

Would love to get my hands on the hand-made wooden burnishing tools that Angelos uses.

Edited November 28, 2011 by mikecch

[unlucky]

I've got wooden slickers made from Purple Heart and Iron Wood. My cousin has a lathe and made them for me. The Purple Heart I fitted in my drill press and turned the speed down a bit. I wax the leather and run it through the appropriate groove in the wood. It works o.k. I find wood slickers a bit too slick to get a good starting burnish, but they're excellent for finishing off a piece. My favorite slicker is a rib bone I found on a very decomposed deer on the side of the road. It seems to get heat generated faster than wood. I've got a chunk of antler that also works well.

Edited November 29, 2011 by unlucky

[biltan]

treated the black wallet with some obenoff's

[BrownMetallic]

great & helpful tips there guys_ thanks much!

[marineabilly]

Took some extra material and crafted novelty suspenders with custom Engineer Boot buckles

[flatpattern]

^^ really like the turquoise spots into the red. very nice. good job those look great.

[marineabilly]

^Thanks! I completed this wallet today for a buddy of mine over at Fine Light Trading.

[UkeNo]

Hi,

Can anyone recommend a good/safe way to remove Biro ink from leather, i have biro on a leather jeans tab and a camera case?

Thanks

Edited December 3, 2011 by UkeNo

[jonsc]

My friend mattxchu and me cleaned and oiled our leathers today..

Oliberte and Clarks boots, Tanner Goods and Early to Rise wallets, Corter Belt, Iron Heart and Imperial Patch, and Flat Head leather bracelet.

The sun made the leather more orange than it really looks..

[DrOz]

Hey, I am in morocco atm and they have huge tanneries here. So I was wondering what are some cool leather must haves?

[beautiful_FrEaK]

My OGL-LT b_F SILVER SWORD DENIM WALLET

[meroswarrior]

Corter 16 oz natural vegetable tanned leather belt. really thick!

[thecolosseum]

This might not be the place to post this but here goes nothing...6 card wallets I have been developing. Working out the kinks and trying to start a company. i dont tknow the price point on somthing like this maybe 50 to 80 usd

<p> </p>

<div></div>

<div>DSC_0174 by Mr.JohnCinyo, on Flickr</div>

<div>

DSC_0178 by Mr.JohnCinyo, on FlickrDSC_0177 by Mr.JohnCinyo, on Flickr</div>

<div>DSC_0179 by Mr.JohnCinyo, on Flickr</div>

Edited December 8, 2011 by thecolosseum

[lucaas]

VOYEJ Vessel Indonesian (very old model)

around 10 months.

treated with mink oil + obenauf twice. couple of sun-bath...

Edited December 9, 2011 by lucaas

[JAW]

I like this game, so ill play:

Chromexcel horse butt outside, natural english kip insides:

Color #8 Shell cordovan keychain

and one piece brown chromexcel cardholder:

[arcarsenal]

Since I got my camera back from repair I've been kind of giddy with picture taking. Took the family outside while it was sunny for some glamour shots.

Hollowsx3, Blackacre x2, Angelos, Makr and Obbigood:

[arcarsenal]

And now some details on the horsebutt cxl Ray from The Blackacre used on the card case and wallet. Love the burgundy color. Thanks for the inspiration Mike

Brushed Universal snap closure:

Bulletproof and razor straight sinew stitching:

[distort]

Context Double Ring Belt

1 year +

Edited December 12, 2011 by distort

[Captainhj17]

Hello everyone, long time lurker finally posting up some pics.

This is my custom made Hollow's wallet, has about 2 months wear. Oil once with new and tanned for a few hours, it has resided in the back of my APC's and developed a nice blue patina. That will probably be it for the indigo transfer because it will now reside in the pocked of my new Iron Hearts which are lined.

As reference here it was on day one.

Edited December 12, 2011 by Captainhj17

[hollowsleather]

That little corner poking up really bugs me! I glue those pieces but it doesn't always hold, if you use a dab of rubber cement on the end of a toothpick and then clamp it for an hour or two with a clothespin, that should stay down.

Looking good otherwise!

[kiya]

Wild Child Cowhide & Cordovan Leather wallet, produced by Flat Head.

Used every day for 3 years, never cleaned or oiled as i don't believe in oiling or cleaning leathers.

(don't tell me why i should be, i know all about it, i don't do it).

[Tiro]

that cordovan looks so sweeeet!

can't wait for my kamida wallet.... (damn customs!)

[mikecch]

@ arcarsenal: that CXL horsehide certainly has a lovely colour - nice pieces you have there!

Quick announcement:

Fellow leather nerds, it's time for another group buy project!

This time it's with a little workshop in England called Equus Leather, run by Charlie who is trained in classic English saddlery and who has been making leather crafts professionally since 1995.

The belt this time around will have a little bit of a military twist to it, being a 1.5" wide hand-cut strap, fitted with a solid-brass custom double-pronged garrison-style buckle, ending with a slant edge tip.

The buckle fold will be held together by hand-sewn saddle stitching in waxed Irish linen threads. The edges left raw after a clean cut (I mean, really clean.)

For the leather, we'll be revisiting Baker's tannery from the Quercus project, this time with a modified form of their oak-bark butt which is referred to as the russet bridle butt. The leather will be 6 mm thick (or a little more), have an incredible grain growth, and is "natural" coloured for optimal evolution with time!

This is one of the very best cattlehides available in the world, undergoing a long, slow but gentle oak-bark tanning process (1 year and 1 day sitting in up to 72 of Baker's bark tanning pits) and then finished off by hand.

Very few tanneries in the world produce leather in this old-fashioned way - it is how vegetable tanned leather used to be made.

Anyway, please do let me know if you're interested

(I'm taking names for the newsletter list until new year.)

[arcarsenal]

thanks mike. after seeing the work ray did for you, i just couldn't resist.

keep me posted on the group buy, sounds amazing. thanks for setting it up.

[mikecch]

^ PM me your e-mail if convenient