YinTx

As to the casing, many will say, "Water works!" And it does just fine. If you want to experiment some, I listed some of the recipes I've gotten off of this site in this thread: and perhaps other threads as well. I'm no expert, but your Tooling looks pretty good for a first go! YinTx

If I recall, it is just loaded with pigments. I wonder if diluting it like 5 to 1 (alcohol to dye) would reduce the tendency to bleed? YinTx

That is a great looking piece of art! Nice! YinTx

I put a layer of 1 oz on the back of the tooled section after I was done dyeing, antiquing, etc. It still has come out a lot thicker than I wanted, so a bit much to carry around in the front pocket for my tastes. "T" pocket design might help here for the future, but wanted to try one with a full pocket design. Here is the inside: YinTx

Awesome find! YinTx

Hermes does use machines. Even on things you see. Look at their watch strap making process youtube video: machine stitched. Clicked out. I was looking at one of their "L" shaped wallets online on their website the other day. Clearly machine stitched, and not well I might add. But still $600 for a flappy piece of leather. Many other high end fashion houses have their products made in Asia/China - think Burberry, LV, Dooney and Burke, etc. I have to point out my value added when I am talking to clients. This means letting them know leather qualities/sourcing, thread, stitching quality, edge work, tooling qualities, customization available, etc. If I don't then I'll be asked to compete with a WalMart product. Or a high end fashion brand made on an assembly line. YinTx

Is this also from the Tarnsjo Gaveri tannery? YinTx

I had one of these, didn't work for a hoot. Promptly turned into a block of Barge with a brush protruding from it. Waste of $ for me sadly. Which is frustrating when I see others using them with glee! YinTx

I'd say not a wannabe. On the contrary, a more likely successful business model to have only the specific tools you need to create a fantastic item in a niche market. Nicely done! Love the shop, the website, and the product. YinTx

Thanks! I must admit to consulting my better half when I get stuck between 2 or 3 options, but this one was a no brainer. Fil Au Chinois Jaune. Also, I should be clear, the carving pattern is a pattern that Tandy has for free, that I took some liberties with and modified. YinTx Clean design. How long have you been carrying that one? YinTx

Ok, I'll play. Finished this one a while back, it is a prototype of a design I did last year. I've given a few away, and I'm testing this one out to see how it performs. All Hermann Oak 2 oz interior, and 3 oz exterior leather with a 1 oz liner. Fil Au Chinois thread, hand stitched as always. Wet after tooling: Skip ahead a few weeks, and 2 days into use: YinTx

Where are you getting it from? YinTx

Yes, I saw the 600ft2 min order line also. This leather looks superb, very even light color that just looks luxurious. I saw in their list of photos a scrap bin in their leather retail shop, would be interesting to work with a few pieces of that scrap to see how the leather behaves without having to buy 600ft2! YinTx

I'd say you did well with the graph paper then! YinTx

Thanks for sharing so many more photos, it is certainly deserving. Easy to see a whole lot of work went into that! Neat design too, did you do the design work also, or is it modeled off of something? YinTx

That is really neat! so much dimension to the two hands, came out great! YinTx

Cleanly executed. That looks like really nice leather! How does it burnish? YinTx

Neat wallet! I haven't seen the bison brown color. Cool! YinTx

Only advice I have is provide more photos! This is a stunning piece of work and deserves closer observation! YinTx

Close up looks better than a close up of mine would. Did you bevel before you textured/back grounded? I have a padfolio I made, that I have been carrying around for nearly 2 years, from a single layer of 5 oz leather. It seems plenty stiff enough for me, I can rest it on a knee and write in the pad without it flexing too much. 10 oz plus liner plus a stiffener must be like carrying a board around! YinTx

Also, surprised that 10 oz leather needed a backing board? I would have thought it was plenty stiff... YinTx

Man, that is sharp! You've got that basketweave going good! I like the color combos. Not sure about the cut marks showing up, might need to see a closeup for anyone to make a solid guess... YinTx

I just watched one of their work along tutorials, and was more than a bit surprised at the techniques being taught, such as marking stitches one at a time with a single point pricking iron, on a stack of leather on top of a marble slab with a giant dead-blow hammer. How could any beginner hope to get consistently spaced and angled stitches and not wreck their iron with this technique? Mike's comment about could ring true here. Please, OP, get some reading in on this site and watch a large variety of videos from very skilled crafts people before you go teaching this one. Unless, you just want to have some pre schoolers hammer some marks in round keychains. That shouldn't be too difficult to teach and let em run with! Just my .02, worth the price of admission. YinTx

Not sure if this is the type of template you had in mind, but https://www.leathercraftlibrary.com has a lot of stuff for free... and for sale. YinTx

I've ordered from them in the past, but only via phone call. You might try that. YinTx