AndyNext

Does anyone know if this book is still available anywhere, perhaps as a download? I can't find it in the Tandy LeathercraftLibrary where most of the other Stohlman books are still available, and its not appearing on any searches of the online bookshops. Thanks.

Royal Mail will hold your parcel, then card you with a bill ! This is usually 20%VAT plus their admin flat fee which I think is £8 or £10. The admin fee is a killer if it is only a low cost item. A couple of items I've ordered from GoodsJapan have been delivered directly without any charge, but most have required VAT+admin payment.

I bought my Gum Trag from Artisan Leather. It definitely has something added to it to stop it becoming a growth medium for your local yeasts and other micro-organisms! It has a distinctive smell which triggers ancient memories of school corridors after the cleaners had been in!! So if you want to mix your own Gum Trag, I would suggest adding a drop or two of Dettol, or similar disinfectant. And my experiences with Le Prevo online ordering have been similar to FredK. They are not as slick as newer websites, but they only ask for the money once they've checked the stock and are ready to ship. If something isn't in, they've called to discuss alternatives.

A deadblow hammer for punches, stitching chisels. A Tandy rawhide mallet for tooling. A secondhand cobblers hammer off Ebay for hammering stitching, glued leather etc. And recently, after watching an Ian Atkinson video, I've started using a ballpein hammer when rounding off copper rivet heads after trimming.

If you want a reliable tote pattern with accompanying video, then Ian Atkinson has a good one. His videos are excellent at explaining the processes as well as the actual making. https://www.etsy.com/listing/264115189/build-along-leather-pattern-6-turned As others have said, always prototype a new design before cutting into expensive leather. I use cheap split. It will help you understand how the pattern works and therefore how you can then make your own changes to the design, sizing etc.

Rockoboy. The leather handles are fine for me when carrying it, the angle of the photo may be giving a false impression. They are also just long enough to put an arm through and hoist the bag onto your shoulder if the shoulder strap wasn't attached. I did add a paracord core to the handles, which makes them stiffer and stand up more. They are the length from the pattern. With hindsight, I should attached them with D rings rather than the suggested rectangular loops.

After messing around with a few different design ideas, I settled on Tony See's pattern (DieselpunkRo on Etsy) for a large Weekender bag. I decided using a well-tested pattern reduced the risk of major errors especially when the project needed a lot of nice leather!! The leather is Stafford Tan shoulder from AA Crack, about 2.2mm, which happened to be in their sale clearance; and I used 1mm Havana Tiger thread. I decided to make a cotton webbing shoulder strap rather than leather as I find them more comfortable and less likely to slip. Plus making a leather one would have meant buying another piece of leather!

Thanks for the pics, very useful

Thanks, I might take you up on that offer when the project goes 'live', i.e. before Christmas 2019, if I hit any issues!!! Do you have any more pics of your bags?

Those cartridge case bags are lovely. My wife has submitted a 'present request' for me to make her a handbag in a similar style to those, but I've yet to work out a pattern.

It is just the camera angle, they are both the same size - its the small dopp kit pattern. This was the first time I've used one of Tony's patterns and punched the holes, I usually use stitching irons. I used a 1.5mm punch and 1mm tiger thread. Aside from the actual punching, I found the major downside of punched holes vs awl or stitching irons is that the leather doesn't grip the thread after each stitch. You therefore need to work harder to maintain tension in the stitch runs e.g. by occasional extra casts in the saddle stitch to lock it.

I've just finished two dopp kits as birthday presents for our sons-in-law. I used a Tony See pattern with added personalised elements decorating both sides. The leather is navy Old English Bridle from Metropolitan (often available at a reduced price) and is about 2mm. The light tan was left over from a previous tote bags project. Both bags are partially lined lined using cotton fabrics from my wife's quilting stash! My original plan was to use the regular dopp kit design involving sewing the bag inside out, boxing corners etc. However the leather proved too stiff and its glossy finish started to crack in the folds when the bag was turned back the right way. Back to the drawing board and my hunt for an alternative design led me to this one on Tony's Etsy shop - DieselpunkRo.

Very nice !!! I'd be interested to know what weight of leather, thread, needle size etc you used to get that crisp, precise look.

Thanks, nice bag

I am planning to make a duffle/weekender bag from veg tan shoulder, as I'd like to dye and finish the leather myself. The design I'm adapting is a turned bag and so has boxed corners. What weight of veg tan shoulder leather is it feasible to use in a turned bag? I would like to use about 2-2.5mm/5-6oz but I'm unsure whether it will be too stiff to create the boxed corners. What is everyone's experience? I've previously done boxed corners on tote bags and a dopp kit, but these were all constructed using a softee finished veg tan. All thoughts and advice gratefully received