Juliette

Hi Everyone! I am looking to make some soft tote bags and would love to use only vegetable tanned leather. I am using Wickett and Craig bridle for my straps, but for the body of the bag I would like to use something softer and more pliable, but still veg tanned. I am wondering if there are any distributors or tanneries left in the US that have 3-4oz soft milled vegetable tanned leather available in pre-dyed neutral colors (brown, tan, black, grey, etc)? The only thing that I can find so far is un-dyed soft milled sides. Thanks very much in advance for your help!

Thank you for taking the time to reply - I'll have to give this a try! I am folding the ends of the strap over a swivel snap end and riveting into place. Thanks again! Juliette

Hi Everyone! I am looking for tips on how to most efficiently construct a long (~45"), skinny (5/8") two layer strap out of upholstery leather. So far I have been folding over a large piece of leather and gluing the flesh sides together, then cutting a straight edge, then cutting to width, then sewing around the whole thing. The thing is, it has been hard to get a nice clean cut edge, and very hard to cut a consistent width down the length of the strap. Anyone have a different method I could try? Also, I've been using water based leather adhesive - should I be using contact cement instead? Thank you! Juliette

Hi Martyn, Thanks for your response - yes, I have tried gum trag, saddle soap, and beeswax (all separately). I still get fuzzies/fraying! I use english bridle that has been split to 7oz and refinished on the backside and I seem to have a hard time getting that flesh side smooth on the cut edges.

Hi Everyone! I have been working on my strap edges for a while now, and I'm still frustrated with the result! I still get some fraying here and there that feels rough on my shoulder. I am looking for a Filson-like supple finish, as seen in the photo below. Anyone have any tips or do you know how they achieve this result? Are these straps burnished and painted or do they use paint and an electric creaser? Thanks very much in advance for your input!

Excellent - the picture is perfect! Thank you DavidL!

Thank you, sbrowne and impulse! I'm a beginner and having a hard time visualizing this . . . do you put the square flush with the short strap end and one long side of the strap and then use the measurements on the inside of the square to try to center the punch point along the short end of the strap, or do you mean that I should set the square so that it is along one long strap side and the bottoms of the two legs of the punch? or have I go this all wrong? Any guidance is much appreciated! Thanks again so much for all your help!

Thank you everyone for your responses! I appreciate the tips and I'm looking forward to figuring this out, and stop relying on just plain luck. I have never used wing dividers, but I have googled them and now know what they look like. I am a beginner at this, so CCW and DavidL, do you think you could elaborate on how to use the dividers from the end and/or the strap side to find center?

Hi Everyone, I've been learning so much from this forum - thank you! I have a recurring problem with my bag straps that I am hoping you all can help me with: I am using an English point strap end punch from Weaver Leather to make the ends of my bag straps. I use a 1" punch on a 5/8" wide strap because I like the more obtuse angle that it creates at the end. . . problem is I can NEVER get this thing to perfectly center, and my two curved wings are almost always just slightly lopsided. I am a perfectionist, so the littlest bit of unevenness bothers me. . . but it also becomes a problem because then I attach the strap to the exterior bag by edge stitching (with my machine) around the perimeter of the strap end. . . so any lopsidedness really becomes apparent. Does that make any sense? I have tried making end punch/stitching templates out of scrap leather straps, and this works okay, but is still not totally foolproof. . . Does anyone have any tips or words of wisdom when it comes to quickly centering that strap end punch, and also stitching evenly around that point? I'm so tired of wasting precious strap leather! Thank you all so much for sharing your knowledge!

Hi Tugadude, Thanks for your response! The ebay punches are pointy, but I guess what I'm looking for are the wings or arms of the punch to be straight, not curved. The Springfield Leather ones come close, as they have straight sides, but instead of a point, they have a little flat part at the tip. I guess I may be being too picky! I might bring one of my end punches to my local metal fabricator and see if there's anything they can do. Thanks again for responding! I appreciate it, and I'm learning so much from this site!

Hi Everyone, I'm new to the trade and I am working on making leather straps for my handbags. I've been using English Point end punches; however, I find them somewhat hard to machine stitch around, and I'm really looking for something a bit "pointier." I can't seem to find anyone selling more of a "V" shaped strap end punch - do these exist? Is this something that would have to be made as a custom tool? If so, who makes 'em? I've tried making a template and hand cutting, but they don't look as professional, and I like the idea of a more consistent and efficient way to do this. . . Any ideas? Thanks for your help!!

Hi Everyone, I'm just getting started with my leatherworking, but I'm striking out on buying bonded nylon thread over the internet. I try to color match through the computer screen, but I often end up with a color that is slightly off, and it's getting expensive! Can anyone recommend a supplier for #69 bonded thread that I can buy a color sample chart from? Thanks!