AndrewWR

Hi @fredk I got the kangaroo leather from Identity Leather, based in Matlock, Derbyshire. It comes in undyed or black. Fair warning, it's sold primarily for falconry goods, so the finish is less important than the strength. Best to tell them what you want it for before ordering, so they can find you the most appropriate (least blemished) skin. It is also very pricey. That messenger bag used £300 of materials. About ten times what it would have cost in Pittards heavyweight goat skin.

I recently blew my allowance on some 1.5mm thick kangaroo leather. According to the hype, K-leather is 10 times as strong as cow hide. It's certainly nice to work with: supple but not stretchy (like goat or pig) and it cuts easily. I decided to make a messenger bag out of it. In total it's got 7 compartments: The main space is 35cmx25cmx7.5cm (14"x10"x3"), front and back are two full sized pockets that'll each take a 13" laptop comfortably. The front one of those pockets has a press stud closing flap that also secures two nested smaller pockets (Keeping the press stud hardware out of the laptop space) and the rear laptop pocket has its own separately press stud flapped "medication pocket" (For my diabetes meds - Best to always know where they are). Lastly, the flap has a large, zippered pocket that can be accessed without opening the main bag. The strap is bridle hide, not kangaroo, because kangaroo hides are small and a decent length cross body strap would be a patchwork of pieces. This strap is on quick release Loxx fasteners that also allow 360 degree swiveling. The strap isn't adjustable because I know the perfect length for me (from my camera bag strap), but being quick release, another strap is always an option. FYI: Stitch count is approximately 3000 @ 3mm pitch, hand sewn.

Thanks Chuck. I always appreciate when people explain the design details they incorporate to overcome problems. Nice, simple sheath. No fuss, no mess and no problems. Kudos to you.

All Hand sewn, @PastorBob. I don't have sewing machine can't justify the cost or space as a hobbyist. If I was running a business, it'd be different but I think I still prefer the netness and quality of hand sewn leather. Which brings me to @Tequila 's question: Tequila, I don't think what I did here can be done with a machine (But I'm willing to be corrected on that). Because it's hand sewn, I punch all the holes first and each stitch pulls them into alignment close to the inner radius. I wet the middle of the edging strip with a cotton bud so the leather is more inclined to stretch around the outer radius. This stretch is only a fraction of a millimeter at a time, since the stitches are 4mm spacing. As I understand it, machine sewing doesn't allow this progressive tension so the outer radius is unstretched and the inner radius puckers under compression. This is time consuming work but I happen to think it's worth it.

Doc, some air rifles made in Britain are pretty powerful but anything over 12 ftlbs (6 ftlbs for air pistols) is considered a firearm here and subject to our draconian licensing laws.

Not Sedgwick. Metropolitan Leather supplied the bridle hide and J. Wood supplied the two shearling fleeces to line it.

Just finished this project: An English bridle hide case for my air rifle (Don't smirk, Americans. It's all that's legal here in Britain). The construction is 3-3.5mm thick bridle hide lined with shearling lamb skins (it took two) and edged with 1.5mm bridle hide. The handles are 2.5mm bridle hide with an 8mm leather cord core and the hardware is a 150CM heavy duty YKK zipper and 4 links of 1000KG rated marine stainless chain.

Yes, HJ. My maker's mark is my initials in morse code (minus any spacing) . - . - - . - . = AWR Usually, I hide it somewhere in a non-structural seam by punching stitching holes in 3mm and 5mm spacing but on this tool bag I tried something new because there was a blemish on the nubuck I couldn't cut around so I covered it.

Do you mean it's not 'manly' after all? Did I just make a handbag by mistake? :-(

My neighbour laughed at me when I said I wanted to make a 'manly' tote. This is 3.5mm to 4mm thick nubuck with English Bridle hide handles cored with the leather drive belt from a (very old) lathe. Oh and it's destined to be a tool bag. Manly enough for you, Andrea? The back of the hide was treated with Tokonole to seal it and smooth it a bit. Hence the darkness. The hardware is a couple of Loxx fasteners (marine grade) rather than a zipper because things like spirit levels or steel rulers stick out the top. Dimensions: Top (closed) 47cm Base - 37cm x 13cm Height 40cm Handle drop 10cm Handle diameter (not counting seam) 14mm

I padded and lined the front and back first, then stitched the side/bottom/side panel, then laid foam backed suede in the bottom, then the two sides got their foam and lining. The side padding holds in the bottom badding (glue too). It couldn't be stitched inside out because its bridle hide and way too stiff for that sort of construction. Turning leather of this weight and firmness inside out would crease it horribly and ruin it. Also, because the stitching goes from outside to inside, Inside out would not be any easier. This is hand stitched, like all my work. This style of construction is fiddly but it produces nice, robust seams and a relatively flat structure inside as well as outside. If you take another look at the open top photo, you'll see the rolled edge of the side panel and the folded edge of the front panel are flat against the side.

Accessorizing now! Just occasionally, I use a couple of filters and I wanted to make a case for them. It kindo of matches the etui I did recently, because I had just enough of the pigskin left. This case is lined with pigskin suede too. It comfortably holds two 55mm Hoya filters in their plastic cases and convenientl fits in the bottom of the camera case.

I'm a big fan of wet forming leather after assembly. For the very best fit, I put whatever the case is for (in this case Airpods) in a reasonably heavy duty self-seal plastic bag and leave it in the case until dry. When the plastic bag is removed, it leaves a very small amount of clearance so you can get the contents in and our without having to 'break-in' the case further but its a close enough fit to be rattle-free.

Literally it means case, but when used in English the word has become a synonym for little sewing kits. It seems to be an example of an adopted word becoming more specialized than it originally was. Like the word camera (since photography is one of your interests) which originally, in Latin, meant bed chamber. I wonder if that's down to an early realization of the 'artistic' possibilities of photography in bed rooms ;-)

Here's the wash bag (Dopp kit) that the etui was styled to complement. 8"x4"x4" is on the small side but the pilot it was made for said he's quite happy to use the complimentary toiletries in the hotels he stays in so he doesn't need to carry much.

Just when I think I've seen it all... Fabulous! Another gratuitous victory for imagination over practicality. You are an artist and an artisan, my friend. Stay safe.

I agree that Sam Brownes don't fair well under load, since leather will stretch around their post just as easily as around the tongue of a buckle. That said, This is not an application where any significant load is being put on the leather. The strap is 1.8mm thick bridle hide, which is on the firm side anyway, and both ends are fitted over the stud so the strap itself is entirely detachable and replaceable if that need ever arises. I also found that a 5x8 mm crew punch in this firmer leather makes a more wear-resistant hole than a round punch and split. With the traditional split, I found the corners get dog-eared very quickly. The crew punch hole keeps its shape much better and so does not become too loose. I use lots of Sam Brownes and often for purposes they weren't intended for. One of my earlier posts was a leather box that had Sammies as feet and as finials on a leather butt hinge, but not as the box closure. I've also used them recently as an alternative to the male half of a Loxx fastener. Turns out a 5mm Sammie engages perfectly with the female half of a Loxx fastener. Handy where space is an issue and strength is not. Thanks for the thoughtful comments, Spyros. Stay safe. :-)

I don't think he'll ever need a collar stud but, at a pinch, he can always unscrew the Sam Brown and use that. :-)

This is a little project that research suggests has no market value at all. At least, Google couldn't find anything that fit the brief. A friend asked for a travel sewing kit (etui) for a man. All such commercially available kits seemed to be cheap and nasty and overtly aimed at the female customer. This guy's a commercial pilot so spends a lot of time in hotels and in uniform. So... running repairs would include shirt and jacket buttons, hems on pants, torn seams and broken zippers. Gentlemen, I give you Etui Pour Homme... This card wallet sized little case is made of saddle pigskin (motorcycle saddles) and is closed with an English bridle leather strap. Inside the case, which naturally lays flat when open, are two safety pins (for broken zippers) a small but beautifully crafted pair of needlework scissors ( Baby Bow - Merchant & Mills (merchantandmills.com) ), a metre (39") of iron-on hemming tape (not pictured), a needle threader tool (not shown), two fine fabric needles, two large needles, half a dozen pins and a carbon fibre thread card to hold three colours of thread. Closed, the case measures 85mm x 55mm by 10mm + 6mm for the Sam Brown stud. Snappers, Velcro or magnets could just as easily be used as the closure but slimness wasn't my priority so I chose styling to match his dopp kit. On the slight chance somebody might think they have a similar requirement, here's the plan I drew. Stay safe. Andrew

Caleb, I can only offer my moral support, but I found your comments thoughtful and measured. Good luck with your competition, your business and your family.

Being a bridge camera user, I don't need a lot from a camera bag. A little protection from the elements and knocks and bumps. What I didn't need, and what most of the designs I looked at offered, was room to safely store the family crystal. So here's my single space camera bag, minus the shaped (and suede covered) foam that I'll add for support when ebay delivers it. There's already 1/8" (3mm actually) of 10kg density EVA between the leather and the suede but I've ordered som 10mm 45kg density EVA to properly pad it and make some support for the lens. The strap is detachable, courtesy of Loxx fasteners and doubles as the camera's strap because I've added tabs to the camera's strap anchors that have 5mm Sam Browns on them. Top tip: Loxx fasteners will lock perfectly well onto a 5mm Sam Brown stud if you want something lower in profile and less intrusive on the back side than a standard Loxx male connector. Not as strong, I'm sure, but the camera doesn't weigh that much. Carbon fiber is becoming one of my favourite materials to work with. In this bag, the suede under the flap conceals a 0.5mm sheet of CF to stiffen the flap and make it lie a bit flatter, making a better fit with the bag and supporting it when the grab handle is used. The 'weird' three belt loop system is to give me the option of attaching it to my recent backpack build if I have a lot of luggage to carry. They'll also take 1" D-rings if I just want to dangle it from a couple of snap hooks while the camera's round my neck. Stay safe. Andrew

Ah! I'm so dumb! I actually thought they were needle cushions because I've seen something similar, though not so proficiently made, used to store needles but it was just a lump of wadding inside and not very heavy. You've got me thinking now. I'll have to check what offcuts of wood I have that I can route a former out of to try that. Thank you for the inspiration.

Beautifully crafted and eminently practical. The same moulding, filled with shot would make fine weights for holding patterns down too. I love the punch-work. Its like brogue got an upgrade. Stay Safe.

Penny'd be 90 now, not 70. Sadly, Gloria Winters passed away in 2010.

The lighting and camera are doing it a lot of favours but the entire butt was delivered inconsistently dyed and with way more wrinkles than was acceptable. If I'd been charging myself for the time I spent getting enough of it looking good enough for this project, I'd have doubled the cost of the hide. As it was, the supplier agreed when I complained (with pictures) and replaced it with a decent quality one. Take it as an indicator of just how bad it was, that the supplier didn't want the crap one back. In bright daylight, the leather still doesn't look so good, even after hours of TLC. Fortunately, I live in North Wales where bright daylight is something old men tell tall tales about seeing once, when they were lads. Meanwhile... Back at the bench... I've been adding on bits. A pigskin laptop sleave and a little removable pocket for a spare shopping bag because there are some groceries I just won't trust in a suede lined bag.