Klara

I am assuming that you don't live a self-sufficiency lifestyle in the middle of nowhere but are perfectly able to buy slippers if you should urgently need a pair. Then there is no "needs must". You can make what you want to make and your hands can take and buy (or do without) things you don't enjoy making or that you need urgently when your hands feel bad. If you enjoy handsewing (l do as well), there is no need to buy a machine. Certainly not to make things for a neighbour who does not seem to appreciate good leatherwork at its just value. You could always offer to teach him how to make the sheaths himself.

The thing is, if you are starting a business, you will also need to think about nasty things like taxes, insurance, overhead, advertising... I strongly suggest to keep leatherwork as a hobby for as long as possible.

Maybe it should, but that's not how the punches are made. Because the punches are meant for punching the holes for buckles with rectangular prongs, as I said above. I don't know about car bonnet straps. But I do know about belts, saddle girths, stirrup straps and watch straps and I am absolutely certain that I have never ever tightened a watch strap as much as the others.

My quick and dirty suggestion would be to lay a cheap blanket on the recliner so that any dye would rub off onto that instead of your clothes. At least until you have found a better solution.

Thanks for the link!

I have a feeling that a car bonnet is strapped down with a lot more tension than a watch strap I also think that a round prong would "float around" rather unsightly in an oval hole (the oval is width-wise! See here: https://www.etsy.com/fr/listing/876722338/outil-de-poinconnage-de-bracelet-de?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=watch+strap+punch&ref=sr_gallery-1-1&frs=1&sts=1&organic_search_click=1) @ToddW Looking at the price of this punch, I repeat @mike02130's advice from above: You do NOT need such a punch! A single prong will do if you measure where you want your holes. I also have a feeling that it might be not as easy as it looks to make nice holes with a five-prong punch (because you need five times more force than for a single one). Never having had one I can't be sure, but I notice the difference with stitching chisels.

The form of the punch should conform to the buckle prong. If the prong is round, you want round holes and if the prong is flat(tish), you'll want oval holes. And the size should be the tiniest bit bigger than the prong.

https://us.vibram.com/company/shoe-service/shoe-outsole-repair/ If they can't help you, try Etsy. There's quite a lot of diy supplies being sold.

Don't worry about it too much. You won't make "a" watch strap, but almost certainly several. Make the first one with the tool and leather you have on hand and find out what you really need. For example, it is not actually necessary to pad or even line a strap. I'd suggest watching a few YouTube videos and going with the most straightforward construction for a first strap.

I have quite a few wrinkly bits of leather in use. The only thing that "broke" was a boot (which I didn't make myself) - it developed a hole at the forefoot (where it bends with each step). I am pretty sure that the briefcase won't see as hard use as these boots, so I wouldn't worry about the wrinkles. Taking good care of the leather will help (you could maybe give your friend a small pot of Aussie Cream, assuming that is some sort of leather grease?)

I believe it's the construction out of one leather strap that's wider than the watch where it sits on top, with the two tabs for attaching the watch, that makes it aviator style. Has the advantage that the watch won't fall off if one of the spring bars comes loose. Like today's NATO straps...

Yes, I got the idea from hinges I've seen in my old house. Man-made materials have replaced leather in many cases for many people, but there's no reason not to go "back" to leather...

Nice! I've never seen anything like it, but I imagine the leather working just like a plastic cover. Incidentally, a few days ago I replaced a broken plastic hinge on a grooming box with a strip of leather...

Yep. If you have some experience working with wood and a few tools and scraps lying around, a stitching pony is easy enough to make. If you work with an awl (following Al Stohlman's technique - the instructions in The Art of Handstitching Leather can't be beat), any cheap stitching iron will do (or a wheel, which should be much faster) because you are only marking where you will poke the awl. Top brand names may be easier to sell second hand, but probably not for the price you paid for them. And the difference may well be the amount you'd pay for a cheap set from Amazon or Aliexpress (which you could keep lying around unused just in case you need to make or repair something someday). The difficulty with these sets is finding one that does not contain too much stuff that's unnecessary or unusable (I am pretty sure that the threads would be pretty crappy, for example. There I pay for brand names. Same for needles - John James it is. ) We've recently had a similar topic - I still stand by my list of minimum tools (on page 2): Though for your bags you will probably some way to close them, which might need another tool (set).

I am not making leather gooods for sale, but I have made lots of horse and dog gear, and generally it is the hardware that fails. Even after learning to buy stainless steel items....

I'd suggest getting a copy of Al Stohlmam's book The Art of Handsewing Leather. He marks the holes with a wheel and uses an awl for making them. The technique needs a lot of practice (unless you have at least three hands) and a stitching pony or variation thereof, but I find it fast enough and a lot more fun than fighting with a sewing machine.

Great work (as always). It looks amazing. I would say "completely professional", but I have the feeling that most professional work nowadays doesn't look so good....

And let's not forget the possibility of losing insurance cover when using unauthorised equipment or even being sued by the insurance company if you supply vests for kids other than your own...

The bag looks great, I like the initial and the stamping inspires me to look at the unused stamps from my set :) What I personally don't particularly like is open outside pockets for important things like phone and keys...

Do you absolutely want ribbing? Because the front edge of the sleeves is a weak point (just yesterday I discovered that on my all-weather jacket it's a collection of holes - after only 18 years) and ribbing is not easy to replace or repair... I would try to find another way.

Some time ago I have read about canvas painted with linseed oil for making lightweight shields and/or armour in ancient somewhere - that might be an avenue to investigate for all-natural dividers if the cow doesn't work.

A saddle needs to fit the horse (at the very least the type of horse you will ride) and it needs to fit you. The only way to find out whether that's the case is to try the saddle. A third party's opinion in the internet is not very important.

How does it work? I can't see a hinge, so how do the jaws open?

There is definitely something to that. The difficulty is getting hold of the clients willing to spend big bucks. I never managed. Possibly because I didn't try hard enough because I knew from my time in fashion how demanding (and nasty about it) these clients can be...

You could switch to copper rivets and burrs? Or, for less money but more time, sew the leather tabs to the base.