LatigoAmigo

It helps when you put your location in your profile.

Not clear as to what will work best for you, but to help others understand, here is some information about PVA (from Wikipedia): "Poly(vinyl acetate) (PVA, PVAc, poly(ethenyl ethanoate): best known as wood glue, white glue, carpenter's glue, school glue, Elmer's glue in the US, or PVA glue)." There are some environmentally friendly contact cements out there, including Weldwood Non-Flammable Contact Cement available at Home Depot, which might be worth trying.

Possibly cleaning the leather with saddle soap. My preferred is liquid in a spray bottle I get from a local farm supply store. That and a soft rag should help you clean up all of the residue.

The only thought that comes to mind is to rivet the plastic plaque through the leather to a metal plate. Maybe use Chicago screws, which are rivets that don't need pressing.

I sure hope this answer helps you more that it might confuse you. There are various types of oil-tanned leathers, and while some will take a finish, some won't. You may have to try the finish you are curious about on some sample leather and see what happens. For example, I have some "yellow latigo" from different tanneries. One of them takes Fiebings antique finish very well, and another won't accept any antique finish at all. And yet another takes the antique finish, but it rubs off. There are other types of finishes, including Resoline, Atom Wax, various oil/beeswax concoctions, and the list goes on. You will need to take it on a case-by-case basis and see what happens. My ultimate solution is to choose leathers that do not need any further finishing, so that is mostly what I do these days.

Possibly available at Maine Thread Company... https://www.mainethread.com/index.php/cotton-cord/product/194-burgundy-541-cotton-cord

Not too sure about the compatibility of the dies, but this has been my choice... for only $125. http://www.campbell-randall.com/product/italian-twist-press-no-3

Buy one and disassemble it. There's your pattern.

Very nice bag, and a GREAT story. Keep up the good work!

Give 'em a call and tell them what you're looking for, I'm sure they'll be glad to help you. They might even be able to send you a sample. Nice folks.

The Hide House (located in, of all places, Napa) carries 2-3 oz. black English kip leather in their inventory, plus they do international shipping. https://hidehouse.com/products/index.html?Product_ID=776

How about using a wood burning tool instead? Kits can be found at Amazon for $20 to $30, so that along with a temperature regulator (less than $50), and you should be in business for way less than $100.

Now that is something worth celebrating.

As the saying goes, "If You're Not Paying For It, You've Become The Product," otherwise why are valuable e-books be given away for nothing? The bills have to get paid somehow. Not neurotic, just cautious.

This is all very interesting, but wouldn't you need an active email address in order to get the "password" to activate your account in order to get more "free"?

Until they have everyone's name and email address.

I use Tokonole (Seiwa Tokonole Leather Finish Burnishing Gum available through Amazon). I paint it on with a small, stiff brush (usually two coats, maybe three), and have found that the color does not rub off at all. Water based and easy clean-up. Very happy with the results.

Setting rivets used to be a headache for me, as they would occasionally not set right and come apart under pressure. I would try to make sure that I imparted enough pressure with my rivet setter, but that would sometimes lead to an unwanted impression in the surrounding leather. And other times the rivet would set "off center" and have to be removed and reset. I solved my rivet problems by purchasing a bench style rivet setter. Nary a problem since.

With such interest, you might think that some of the leather suppliers who advertise here would find a way to obtain and sell these... hint, hint.

You might search this site for previous posts regarding this very same question. One would think these metal loops would be very available, but, surprisingly, they don't seem to be.

Gorgeous.

You might be able to answer the question yourself by building a prototype of your bag out of cloth before you cut any leather. Because cloth is not as thick as leather, the prototype won't have the exact same dimensions as the finished bag, but you'll be able to better visualize the end result, and that might get you closer to your answer. I've had to learn this lesson several times.

Brilliant!

Very interesting design for a guitar... busy, but not too much so, then well crafted. Good work!

Wow! Very nice work.