BlackDragon

You may remember my prototype mini-tote here. A family friend liked it a lot and asked for a large version so I made it for him to give to someone. I changed the stitching so I could do it on a machine instead of handsewing. Instead of Chicago screws on the flap I stitched it on and used rivets for accents. The front pocket and the bags interior are lined. The inside of the bag has a good sized pocket. And since it's a large bag I added feet on the bottom. I used 4/5oz veg tan for the exterior, 2oz veg tan lining, the trim is Fiebings Russet and the body is Fiebings yellow with a litte brown mixed in. As always critiques are welcome.

Remember to keep those finger tips away from the rulers edge. I dodged a bullet

For me it depends on the thickness and length of the cut. For thick leathers where I have a long run and am just getting the leather down to manageable size I go with the electric rotary (I rarely use this) For leathers above 5oz and precise cuts I generally go with a utility knife Thin leathers I go with manual rotary or exacto blade Scissors I use to trim off edges of lining The round knife I'm still getting use to

When dyeing I die a little on the inside so dying is applicable

I love it when I cut each side to 9" then realize I actually cut one side to 8".

If I dont have a funnel I'll cut off the bottom of a soda bottle, 20oz or 2L.

*smell I blame the tiny buttons on my phone

You know, I didnt realize I dont small leather any more. Now I'm sad

I used blue tape and never have a issue with it not sticking. I put it on before casing the leather.

I worried about the thickness when I was designing it then I remembered it was going into a purse or handbag so I wasn't to worried about it. My sister gave it to her coworker at her goodbye party and she loved it. I left a couple business cards inside and a few of the ladies wanted my information to commission purses. Hopefully those will pan out

Great advice, I really appreciate the feedback.

Nice!

Wellwood and Barge both work great. Amazon sells both for about a dollar difference for a quart. Use both in a well ventilated area

Nope, I tooled it.

I made a business card holder for my sister's coworker. The coworker is leaving to continue her career with another company. I used 5oz vegtan with olive oil for the cover. 2oz vegtan for the lining (no die), pockets and strap (Fiebings Russel brown). Ritza Tiger thread 0.6mm mid brown.

Can you make a wooden skeleton for the interior then wrap it with leather? A wooden ring on the top and bottom with two pieces of wood to create the dividers

The hole next to the dome I use for setting the burr on short rivets and the hole on the side I use for longer rivets. I don't know if it's the correct way but it works for me. Edit: Now that I think about it more I could just use the front hole to start the burr then cut it down the rivet so I can drive the burr further.

I didn't even think about stretching thanks for mentioning it. I'll keep an eye on it.

I leave near Camp Lajeune

I had a spare seat for my bike sitting around. I also have some brown embossed alligator chrometan and purple vegtan that I acquired a few months back. So I wanted to see what I could create and came up with this.

Ok the issue wasnt the bottom pulley after all. When I was putting the machine together the youtube video I was watching had the pulley backwards like in the top picture. Watching the video that came with the machine (which I've seen on youtube before) had the pulley flipped around. I put the bottom pulley back where the manufacturer set it. Now everything looks like it's running as it should.

Thanks! I appreciate the help. I'll get everything aligned tomorrow and give it a go.

It's been 2 months and I finally brought home my Class 4 from Zack White's. I'm in the midst of setting it up but I noticed that the bottom pulley is at a slight angle. Is this normal or should I adjust the pulley height?

Wow looks good. Looks similar to one I'm making for my sister's MIL.

There a LOT of types of leather. It's like asking how many types of cars are there. Best thing to do is start with finding out what you would like to make out of leather and we can go from there.