Dan28

Thanks Robin. Fullmetalsam, thanks as well. Regarding the weather proofing, I'm not very sure. I've only been doing this about a year. I also normally don't use my Neatsfoot oil too much because I don't like the smell. I used it this time on the messenger bag because I've heard it can darken your leather a bit and I was trying to do that. I think Resolene or similar acrylic finish might help but it will give your leather a shine. Many here are more knowledgeable on the subject than me. The duffel bag has only been outside once. I've been using the messenger bag now and it might have gotten sprinkled on once but not soaked. My first messenger bag that I made last year is similar to the one in this pic in the dye and several mink oil applications every so often. I've been caught out in fheavy rain on my motorcycle with that bag about 3 times where it got really wet. It dried out and seems fine to me. I don't have that one at work with me now or I'd take a pic and show its "after" look. Here it is when I made it.

Thanks Bills (both Wild and regular ) I finished the strap up last week, and wish I had moved the side d-rings on the duffel up a little more. I didn't want them to interfere with the side flaps but the balance is just a bit off. Its okay against your body when carrying it because it will stay right side up then, but as you go to take it off the shoulder, it wants to roll. I probably could have moved those d-rings up maybe half an inch without them hitting the flap. Those are 1 1/4 inch d-rings, I might have used 1 inch versions too.

I too, only made these for my and my sister's use. I see what you are saying about a slot for tickets/ boarding passes, but oh well, too late now. I had just received my passport last Thursday. Haven't been out of the US since '99, and then I didn't need a passport (military). I did a search on passport wallets and that seemed to be a common design, I just did my own mod of it. I will probably just sandwich the the additional docs in it and either use a rubber band or maybe a little strap to keep it closed. I almost incorporated a vertical strap/closure in the design, kind of like the ones I see that are used regularly on journals/diaries. I decided against it though for ease of opening.

Here is the image I messed up the UBB tags on in my first post.

I finished the strap last week for my duffel bag and moved on to a couple new projects. Mainly a couple passport wallets. I also made a quick little case for my sister's Windows Surface Pro 3 tablet/computer. That was a little difficult since I did not have the tablet on hand. Lastly, I whipped together some coin purses out of the salvage bin, since while in Ireland/Northern Ireland will be using more coins than usual. My first ever wallets. Made from 4/5 oz Herman Oak on the outside main body, probably closer to 4 than the 5. The interior pieces are calf skin, probably around 1 or maybe 2 oz. Color is Fiebings Aqua green on the left and Angelus light rose on the right. They have two coats of Resolene finish. This Surface case is also 4/5 oz Herman Oak. Pig skin lining with foam glued in between the leather and pig skin. Walnut dye and a couple coats of Resolene. My sister liked the dragon concho on my bag, so I put one on her case. Has brass covered magnetic closures. Lastly I made these two coin purses on a whim yesterday, out of some scrap. I don't do too much stamping/tooling due to the noise it makes. I decided to try these, unfortunately, I really messed the tri-weave one up. I think maybe because I did it with a slab of granite on my lap, and I was not able to get as good a view. I've used that on larger scraps before just to practice on my bench and was able to stay a little more consistent. Oh well, they will probably only be used for a couple weeks. Definitely something I need more practice on.

Looks good. I've personally had various degrees of luck with that style of clasp though. Most of the ones I've used are fine, but I've had a few that I guess had weaker springs and tended to turn on their own at times. Hope that one is not like those and doesn't come undone at highway speeds.

Looks good. I have this as an upcoming project myself. Waiting for the arrival of my passport to start it though.

Yes it is veg tan, Hermann Oak is the tannery its from, which coincidentally is located about a mile or so North of the background the pics were taken from. I don't buy enough leather at one time to get it directly from them though. I have only been doing leatherwork for about a year, and so far all I've worked with has been Veg tan. The messenger bag, was mostly Fiebings Saddle Tan dye that I mixed with some Fiebings Ox Blood and a pinch of denatured alcohol to give a little red tinge. That one has several coats of neatsfoot oil rubbed in and probably one or two of mink oil after I carried it a few days. I generally commute to work on a motorcycle with no storage and use the bag to carry a few things I use at work. The duffel uses Fiebings Professional Oil Dye in Walnut. It also has Fiebings Mink Oil rubbed into it but nothing else. I considered putting a coat of Resolene on it but decided I did not want the shiny look on this one. I made another bag last year in the same color (from the same bottle of dye, 32 oz) with roughly the same leather that I did put Resolene on. I'll pull the picture out of my gallery.

Just kind of sketched dimensions on a piece of paper and figured out my measurements there. I did make a pattern for the handle though, as that was the first time I had ever attempted that style of handle. I used that same handle pattern to make the handle for the duffel bag, but I modified it a little so that the pieces that fold around and are stitched together are angled on the ends, though it looked better that way. I also made a pattern for my middle strap on the duffel bag and for the pieces that hold my D-rings. The D-Ring holders started out as a pentagon, that I rounded the ends. The middle strap was some stock crescent moon shape from Photoshop or Paintshop Pro that I printed and modified a little. Left out that I made a pattern for the pieces that hold down the straps on the duffel bag too, but even with the pattern, they are all kind of unique due to a little variance on my cutting.

Thanks guys. There are some issues/mistakes there, Some how one of the side panels had a couple more stitching holes than the other on the duffel. I'm sure they are the exact same length. I cut my pig skin lining a little long near the lid, so there is about a half inch plus cut right at the bend. My middle strap was originally longer I also put the buckle tongue a little high so its kind of a hair hard to buckle. I don't think the leather will stretch to make it easier as it ages, as I sandwiched polyester webbing in that strap to keep it from stretching.

That is a really nice looking sheathe. I also took something away from just the background of your pics that I think is a great idea, using rubber bands to keep your dye daubers attached to your dye. Though I buy my most used dyes in the 32 oz bottles.

Count me in as another fan of the dye job.

I don't know jack about different tooling styles. I do know I think yours looks really good.

More pics. The straps on both bags are 4/5 oz leather laminated together.