Danne

I'm looking for a "lock" for a bracelet i'm going to make in alligator. (Not a copy of Hermès like in the photo, just an example of what I mean) The location of the reseller and the price doesn't matter, but I want high quality.

I think it's nice. And it will age beautifully. I would leave those edges raw or dye them (Not using edge paint) Because yes it will crack, and the reason is because it wrinkles at the fold quite a lot, and no edge paint will "stretch" that much. A solution for the wrinkles (for other projects) would be to glue the lining around a curve, also it would help to change to have a thinner lining than exterior leather. Regarding edge paints, in my opinion there are way better options out there than Fiebings edge kote. And how durable the edge will be depends not only on the brand of edge paint, but also the viscosity of the paint. Some thicker paints is of course quicker to get a nice result with, thinner paint may require a lot of coats. There are also primers available that might be suitable for some waxy/oily leathers. A couple of brands that are easy to source and popular. Fenice, Uniters, Vernis 600, Giardini (There are of course other good brands also, like Stahl, Beraud CT and such) Personally I use Fenice and Uniters, but prefer Fenice. (I think you should buy one color of a couple of brands, and maybe a couple of different primers and test them to see what you like. If you would like to make a nice edge with few coats, I think you should try Uniters EP Full (Primer) and Uniters EP2000. (You can get a "perfect edge" with just one coat of primer and one coat of paint. I haven't tried the durability of this combination, but Uniters have a good reputation, and from my test pieces it feels like a good solution.

Thank you Thank you, hard to decide. it would give it such a different style with brown or orange thread. Thanks Thank you, I think it's more used as a jewelry than a "tool" these days. Even though I actually find it a lot easier to just have a quick glance at my watch, instead of picking up my phone.

I thought I share a few photos from the build of a strap i'm working on. (Keep in mind that the white balance is "everywhere" because I took those photos under incorrect light, and just did a quick adjustment in PS. The outer part is really dark brown. Also, I can't decide between dark brown or orange thread. I think the edges will be dark brown though. Everything is hand cut.

It's interesting, for me it's the opposite, I find it a lot harder to punch the holes away from me. Just like I see some people "toe" through a watch strap point with their creaser, I find it easier to "heel", even though I often toe the right side, and heel the left side (to avoid an X where the crease meet the point)

I feel like I get best results (with irons with flat prongs) if I crease the edge before, and just punch close to the creased line. The problem is that I really prefer to make my first crease after stitching and some sanding. I mean most (all?) earlier European pricking irons had flat teeth, so with practice I would get used to them, but tbh, why not use the irons I feel most comfortable with? Of course it's a question about spending money, but personally I rather spend the money for a set of 2.7/10SPI if I feel most comfortable with those tools.

I use my wing divider (which I have made sure have the correct sharpness, not to sharp to cut into leather, but to make a "groove/impression" then I just lay down my prongs in that groove with very little weight, and I can feel how i'm in the centre (Because the prongs have a radii too them. Next step is to make a very light impression, if it would be a little off I can realign. Once it's good I push down my iron (by hand) to make a little larger impression. When it's finished all around my project it's easy to put my iron in those holes and punch through. 9/10 situations with my Ksblade I only punch through one layer before assemble, and open them with an awl (Because I like to punch wallets and card holders from the outside, and since my inside have skived edges it would be hard to punch a straight hole. Also a tip, if you make a wallet/card holder and just punch the exterior. If you print or make your template on paper, and tape it onto your leather, your can pre-punch your paper template. Tape it in place, push your iron by hand through your holes in your template. cut out your exterior. And you have your holes in the correct place.

I was talking about the European version, with the slightly rounded prong tip. In my opinion they really shine when it comes to leather where it can be hard to see a scribed line, because they are so easy to align.

I don't say it's not possible to get a perfect result with irons with "flat prongs" I have done a decent amount of straps with 10-11SPI with those tools and with really good results. I mentioned this because I see it as a big benefit from Ksblade. It would be the same to compare a manual creaser you heat over an alcohol lamp with an electric creaser. We all know that a manual creaser can give you perfect results, but what do I see as a benefit with an electric creaser? the fact that it will keep a consistent temperature. I also like that Ksblade have a nice weight distribution, and are ergenomically awesome in my opinion. The downside with Ksblade is that they cost more than a lot of the alternatives. And of course the reason for my failed holes here wasn't because of bad tools. It was me who failed to use the tool in the correct way. I just wanted to share why I prefer Ksblade, I personally find it easier to use.

Yes, I haven't tried Sinabroks, but they might also be a good alternative.

I have Ksblade in 3mm/9spi, and another good brand for 2.7/2.45mm. I don't need to mention the other brand, it's good. But the downside is that most brands don't center to a line like Ksblade. and this is what can happen :/ Hours of work going straight to the trash can. This is NOT Ksblade

Also a tip to avoid the template to moving around is to glue with water based contact cement on the back side and let it dry completely, it will result in a little "rubbery finish" so it stays in place better.

I mainly use Fenice and Uniters. But I have two different primers for Uniters (I don't use them though) EP FILLER and EP FULL. EP FULL one coat and one coat EP2000 give a rounded edge that seems to be durable. I haven't tried how durable though. I go the long route (sanding edges rounded, paint a layer and heat it, paint 4-5 more coats with sanding in between and finish with melting wax and burnish.) Time consuming but durable. See example with EP-FULL (Polyurethane) at the bottom One coat of EP Full, One coat of EP2000, light sanding with 800 grit and polished with some paraffin wax.

Hi I posted this and thought I make a thread for it here also, if anyone need it. Made a template for people who want to try to glue on card paper and use as templates. Standard size 115/75. 18-16, 20-18, 22-20 When you print it and measure to the fold line you will see that it's 1mm too short, the template is made for 1mm leather, and when folded it compensates for the fold. (So not a error in the drawing) I choose to not use a curve for the taper, because it's such a small taper it will both look curved and be curved when sanded. And it makes it easy to cut out templates after glued to card paper, because you can use a ruler for everything except the "point" (tip: Cut the template point in multiple cuts, and start with a very shallow cut) you can do the same on leather, or scribe along the template, silver pen, or cut along the edges and finish with "stabbing" around the tip with a skiving knife, and sand it into shape. I haven't tried printing the letter size (since I have an A4-printer) but if something is wrong with dimensions notify me so I can solve it. Instruction.pdf Templates_A4.pdf Templates_letter.pdf

Made a template for people who want to try to glue on card paper and use as templates. Standard size 115/75. 18-16, 20-18, 22-20 When you print it and measure to the fold line you will see that it's 1mm too short, the template is made for 1mm leather, and when folded it compensates for the fold. (So not a error in the drawing) I choose to not use a curve for the taper, because it's such a small taper it will both look curved and be curved when sanded. And it makes it easy to cut out templates after glued to card paper, because you can use a ruler for everything except the "point" (tip: Cut the template point in multiple cuts, and start with a very shallow cut) you can do the same on leather, or scribe along the template, silver pen, or cut along the edges and finish with "stabbing" around the tip with a skiving knife, and sand it into shape. I haven't tried printing the letter size (since I have an A4-printer) but if something is wrong with dimensions notify me so I can solve it. Instruction.pdf Templates_A4.pdf Templates_letter.pdf

This work quite good for me, but a silver pen is certainly a good idea that I will use for bund straps like this one, if it's a soft or a leather that doesn't work to scribe well. For stiffer veg tan a thin round awl work good. But chevre Sully is a good example. Can't scribe, really hard to cut along a template without anything moving (I have to constantly move my fingers to put pressure on the correct places of the template) And use a fine pen and paint on the flesh side isn't really a good option for me either, because I find it hard to free hand cut from the flesh side, because I can't really make a primary cut and follow it for multiple cuts. Thanks for the tip. A silver pen is on the list.

I make a template in a cad software (but graph paper work fine of course) then I glue it to thicker card paper and cut it out. It requires some practice to cut the leather with precision. But two things that help is to start with a very shallow cut, and put a little extra pressure on the end of your template/your cut.

Yes, but they are based in US.

I'm looking for best price on Bergeon 31227 in Europe (I find a lot of resellers in UK, but not that keen on paying the import duties) For those who wonder what it is (and don't want to Google) it's for making a hole for quick release spring bars.

@Rahere I thought I show you how I do. Don't get me wrong here, your solution is also a good solution, the important part isn't how we do things as long as it gives us a good result, but I really like this. I align it with my wing divider and hold it in place (you can tape it in place depending on leather) then I make an impression with my hole punch, remove template and align to my impressions and make holes. It would be a little less finicky with regular vertical punches though.

I didn’t do any holes yet, might give it to someone and just make one hole. That ”wheel punch” give good results though. And alignment is made with a paper template. But a vertical punch set is on my list also Thank you

Width: 20/18mm, Thickness: 4-2.8mm Exterior: French goat (Alran) Lining: French Calf (Haas Zermatt) Stitching: 2.7mm/10spi, Xiange twist 0.3mm

Padded bund strap in brown with slightly contrasting blue thread. Fully lined and reinforced including keepers. This strap was a little tricky, because I had to make the distance between the lug folds quite tight for the strap to fold nicely around my wrist with the watch attached (I have relatively small wrists) I'm happy with the result except a few minor things. the back stitching at the lug folds, and the finish on the lug folds could have been better. (Even though the later isn't visible with my watch attached.) Thickness 2.8mm Exterior leather: Tärnsjö semi-anlinine veg tan. Inlay leather: Alran goat Lining: Haas Zermatt calf Stitching: 2.7mm/10spi

Same here, orange and dark green. Thank you everyone for your nice comments.

Thank you, it's hand stitched. I don't own a sewing machine, but if I would start making belts I think I would consider it. Or it I made bags (So I could stitch the parts together with machine, and details hand stitched.)