andrewsejlv

Tremendous work! I love the color choices.

Snapped a couple quick photos of a prototype design I worked on today. It's a valet tray that folds into a closed pouch. Carries your items to the destination, and gives you a nice place to put them when you get there. Being a prototype, I spared the good leather and used some remnants I had from a leather couch I re-upholstered. I'm really liking the design though, so I'll probably make a few small tweaks to the pattern and then make one from some Horween Essex. What do you guys think?

Red/white/blue card wallet, being given as part of a set that will be auctioned off at a local VFW Memorial Day event:

Fantastic work! I dig the interior fabric as well.

It definitely does make things easier. And yeah, it's a pricey piece of equipment, that's why I currently use one at my local makerspace. I'm justifying building my own because I have a number of hobbies that I use the laser cutter for, so it's a little easier to stomach the cost... The smell can be less that pleasant at times. Especially when doing a lot of engraving. But with the exhaust system turned up it's not too bad.

Thanks! Here is a video of the laser in action (if I can get the link to work):

Made a new version of the Flat Card Wallet, with 2 additional outer card pockets (4 total). Made at the request of a friend, so we'll see how he likes it. Making this wallet gave me the chance to photo some fresh material against the wallet I've been carrying everyday. The wallet has taken on a pretty awesome patina in only about a month and a half of use. Really looking forward to seeing how customers' items age with use!

Thanks! I have been trying to cut multiple patterns every time I get access to the laser, and stitch them up in my free time. Thanks!

Thanks! I usually do the first of each design in a two-tone color scheme, as it highlights all the pieces involved. I'm actually pretty happy with these colors, but I may be biased as the creator... lol Thanks! It's all hand stitched. The two industrial walking foot machines I have are set up for working with Cordura, and the aggressive feed dogs and presser feet tear up the leather, so I hand stitch. Plus, I like being able to take my time and get the good stitch lines, so I don't mind hand stitching.

Another recently made item of mine: a Field Notes Cover Although I had made a field notes cover not long ago (the one with the streets of Pittsburgh engraved), I wanted something a little more business oriented. I made this with business card pockets added, and also sized it for dual purpose (it should function well as a passport cover, or at least that's the plan) Let me know what you think of the design. If there's anything you would add or change to up functionality, I'd love to hear it. I want to offer this as an item for sale on my Etsy store, but I'm not convinced this is the final form of the design yet, so all input is appreciated. PS: I feel like I've posted a lot of items recently, and don't want it to feel like I'm spamming the board. If it's better/preferred to condense threads and post items in batches, I'm happy to do that, just let me know.

I'll post a new thread about it next time I go to cut some stuff, and take a few pictures of the workflow. Here is a few shots of a custom business card holder I made for the owner of a local business. He really like the graving of the logo, as did I (I think I got the settings for the engraving nailed this time: I've still got alot to learn about product photography, so please excuse the wildly inconsistent backgrounds. I don't have proper reflecting boards or a good tripod yet, so getting the right setup and lighting has been a struggle.

Thanks!

Thank you! Yeah, the stitching holes were laser cut.

Very nice!

No master chart that I know of, but I just took a measurement of my thread as best I could, and I'd say it's about 0.60mm nominal (TEX207/T210 equivalent in size for bonded nylon type threads). Right between Lin Cable 532 (0.57mm) and 432 (0.63mm), if that's of any help.

My first attempt at a traditional bifold wallet. Laset cut from Horween Chromexcel, hand stiched with Serafil size 15 thread. Overall I'm relatively happy with the outcome, although there are a few issues that I would like to fix if I make another one of these. There is a gap between the card pocket pieces, and I think this is the result of not properly accounting for the kerf of the laser cutter when I made these parts in AutoCAD. It was also difficult to keep the multiple layers aligned during stitching, since I don't have a stitching pony/clamp yet, so I'll probably move to the offset pockets that I use on my other wallet design for the next one. This should also help with layer build up at the outer edges, which is a plus.

Thanks for the info. I just put some saddle soap in my amazon cart, looking forward to giving it a shot. Right now I'm using the laser cutters at the local makerspace (TechShop), a Trotec Speedy 300 and a Universal Laser Systems V4.6. I can post up information about the machines and workflow if it's of interest (I'll start a new thread if it is). I'll be heading over there thursday/friday to cut another batch of new product designs. That said, I'm working on building my own laser cutter right now. 60W Recci tube (water cooled), 600mmx900mm working area, smart exhaust system, and hopefully under $2400 if all comes together well. I've been keeping detailed documentation of the build, and would be happy to post up about the build and my general laser workflow once it is finished.

Thanks, I'll take a look through that thread. It is such a satisfying tool to use. The fact that you can cut through material with highly focused light never looses its magic. Lasers and hand stitching. The laser makes perfectly straight and evenly spaced holes for stitching, so the results tend to come out well. Do you use the water and saddle soap on the edges while sanding? I've been sanding the edges, but doing it dry.

Awesome stamp! I'm amazed at the crisp edges you can get at this scale. I've been toying with laser engraving my own stamp. I might be sending a message your way about a stamp in the near future.

Here are a couple photos of my recent work: Flat Card Wallet Business Card Bifold Pen Pouch One thing I want to improve on is the quality of my edge finish. Right now I'm using Gum Tragacanth with a homemade slicking bit I made for my dremel tool. The issue with this is that I use a laser cutter to cut my items out, and this leaves a charred edge, which is difficult to remove. When I bevel the exposed edges, I get the contrast between the fresh leather of the bevel and the charred face from the laser cutter. To overcome this, I need to either find a good way to clean the charred edges or start to die/paint the edges to get a uniform finish. If anyone has any ideas on cleaning the charred edges, it would be greatly appreciated. General feedback on my designs or workmanship is also welcome and appreciated, as I'm here to learn.

Thanks for all the suggestions. I opened a few pieces of the spam mail I usually throw away yesterday, and got 2 cards already. I should have what I need by next week...

Greetings, I was wondering if anyone had information on where I could purchase a few mock credit/debit cards for use in product photos. I'd like to show my wallets with cards in them, but don't want to use my own cards, due to the risk of me forgetting to cover up sensitive data on the cards in the pictures. Any information would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Jon