Aubrey Kloppers

Hi Guys n Girls I am looking at making the following bag to use whilst riding my motorbike. (work and home) Anyone have an idea how to make it? I see no stitching was done, but I can not figure out where the strap attaches on the bottom of the bag... cheers Aubrey

Hi Dave You will see from my previous posts that I made a solo bag for my Sportster 48. Please could I ask you if you do not have a template for your bag? I am about to make one for a buddy (His bike is a Softail) and although the size will be the same, I will be making it out of one singe piece of leather... Thanks and if you don't, please do not feel bad telling me so. Kind regards Aubrey Kloppers Cape Town South Africa

Thank you everybody. I have finally put the bag onto the bike and it looks awesome! (Well, for me!) And I love the case that I did everything, from seeing the first design, to eventually mounting it onto my bike. And here is the end result:

Ok, the second-last step was to add the buckles. Done and dusted

Thank you guys, I think I got it, use what I started with, namely stitch

Thank you EricLuther Please could you tell me why sowing would make a difference to using Chicago Screws? Kind regards Aubrey

After stitching I ended up with quite a nice bag. The next step is to attach the buckles: As you can see, my stitching (for a fist try) is not straight. I will work on that

Please could you guys 'n girls in the know advise me what the best way is to attached the following buckles? Rivets, screws or stitches? Kind regards Aubrey Kloppers

I know this is a kind of stupid question, but I am making a leather saddlebag (solo) for my Harley Davidson forty-eight. I have just completed the stitching of the sides and would like to know if I have to oil (or put dubbin) on the inside (rough side) of the leather as well? Let me show you: The leather is about 3-4mm thick. It is untreated and quite hard. Do I heat the "dubbin" to become liquid if I want it to penetrate DEEP into the leather? Sorry for the stupid questions Kind regards Aubrey Kloppers

After waiting 24hours I took the sides out of the template. Looking as I expected: and started the stitching: I decided to go with the 4 prong, 3mm diamond punch and although a bit of an effort to hammer out, quite fast and rewarding. (I was able to do this last night) Faults made: 1. The CLOSING-FLAP of the bag is to small. I am going to make it a double-layer to keep it's shape and to hide my mistake 2. The stitching is not 100% straight. But, I suppose that comes with time and practice. 3. The flap above the side (Above) needs to be cut to fit better. (This is to seal the bag, I will either put a press-stud on both to close or a draw-string-kinda-thing, but later on this.) Things I did that I think was cool: 1. I used 2 sets of needles and worked from both sides when I stitched. I felt it was much easier getting the curve right. 2. The template to stretch the sides was a stroke of genius! It makes stitching a dream. Well, on this side. You will see the other side goes with a curve, I will have to see what happens when I get there... That's it for now. Updates will follow...

Hi Guys and Girls. I am so glad I found this forum, I have looked all over the net for information on how to make a Solo Saddle Bag for my Harley-Davidson 48. I have started with the project and luckily found this forum, as I do think I am a bit stuck... The following is a step-by-step reconstruction of how I created the pieces and what I would like to end up making. The first steps was to get a proper template to work with. I could not find one on the net, so I decided to first of all box the entire build out and to create a template from that: I then transferred this template onto paper (Note, the build will not be square, this is only a guideline...): I then added the sides and marked it off onto my leather: I then cut all of it out (No pictures, sorry) and created me a wooden template to get the sides in the right form once I start stitching: And clamped the leather sides into the form to stretch: Ok, this is as far as I got. Question(s): I would like to stitch this using a very thick, waxed nylon thread. I did try (as you can see from very first picture) to use an awl (I think that is what it is called) to make the holes, but it is VERY HARD!!! The leather is 4mm thick (So the stitching will have to go through 8mm leather!) I have seen postings from other sites that some leather-makers use a DREMMEL tool with a very thin drill-bit to make the holes. What, out of your personal experience, should I do to get this done as easy possible and effectively possible? I know "NO PAIN, NO GAIN" is normally the best approach... Kind regards Aubrey Kloppers Cape Town South Africa

Thank you everybody for your replies. I would like to post my progress, but I think I have to post a couple of messages before I can start a topic. Cheers Aubrey

Hi Chancey Thank you for the reply. I have looked for (Unsuccessfully) one of those 3or4 fork-like punches and was unable to find one (even at the biggest supplier in Cape Town where I live), but was told by the sales person that I could use a DREMMEL high-speed tool with a very thin drill. (I don't know if you know these, but I believe they rotate at about 38000RPM and the drill-bits are as thin as a needle...) Other than that, to use an awl (I think that is what it is called), but because of the thickness (almost 1cm thick) not very user-friendly! Thank you so much for your speedy reply Aubrey

Please could you guys help a newbe? I have (almost) the exact same pattern which I am about to stitch together (I have a HD 48). My question is (I do not want to use a lace-punch option, rather a baseball-stitch) what is the best way of getting the holes into the leather? I am using 4mm thick (according to google, 0.1574803149608 inches) I am contemplating drilling the holes with a Dremmel-tool... Cheers and thank you for having this board, I was looking all over and by chance stumbled onto this site. Aubrey Kloppers Cape Town South Africa