dirk87

I’m trying to design and make a logo stamp i can use for hot foil stamping. I’m totally new to hot foil stamping and would like to have some opinions on what minimum line withs are doable. Looking at fonts in the 2-4mm height range. Does anyone has experience or tips? Time to fire up my Deckel G1L again! BR, Dirk

Some more pictures build up: 0,9mm Haas Zermatt 0,15mm velodon reinforcement 0.9mm buttero

I tend to use painters tape to mark a line allot. If i have sensitive leather like pueblo etc, i paste it a few times on scrap leather to reduce the stickiness (or my sweater )

Really nice wallet and execution. About the diamond pater you say swivel knife, this is a kind of carving knife to cut through the top layer right? Not so familiar with this. Really like the look. Also wondering about the cutout in the centre between your card pockets. Is the shrink leather you use for lining not able to fold there? Im wondering about constructions like this if you would leave the leather there but not glue it. Thank you for sharing!

Thank you for the feedback. Yes! I learned allot from leathertoolz videos, i really appreciate his effort. It’s the first time i stitch rounded corners in stead of square. Square aur i know how to plan. For rounded I was thinking of planning the corners with a 2 prong at 45deg first ( yes it difficult to explain by text ) then fill the space between.

Good to know, i can also see this as a benefit , I will wear it for a while, kind of really like it

Thank you! I mean these kind of stitching things witch i didn’t really plan for, some long or short stitches. Changing the dimensions a little will get rid of this.

Made a bund strap ‘attachment’ thingy. Slides under a normal strap. Never really gave these any thought but i quite like it now. It’s more a proof of concept, messed up the stitching and didn’t finish the edges. *please ignore the maker stamp, was trying out some 3d printed stamps before ordering proper ones.

I am using it allot, its easy to use the basic functions. It’s not perfect but by far the best tool to plan your patterns for stitching. I like to estimate my dimensions then draw it up in leathercraft CAD to see how my stitch placement looks and adjust the dimensions. Then i draw it in fusion 360 and 3d print my patterns. So far used it for wallets and watch straps.

I have a question for people who have experience with bonded leather, in particular salamander salpa. As i posted before, i use an inner layer to build up thickness(and make a nicer spring bar hole after folding over), lets say im using from 0.4mm-0.8mm depending on the strap thickness i want. i am now using salpa for this and quite like the feeling and stiffness of the finished strap. My question is, does anyone has experience with the longevity of salpa? I read allot about bonded leather not being ideal for high stretching and bending. But in this application its backed up with velodon so there is basically no stretch but there is allot of bending at the buckle. Would a layer of shoulder, belly or just split be better here?

Thank you~, very kind. Please do, its fun

Thank you, it must have been allot of work stitching at 3.0mm but looks absolutely great. I must give that Xiange thread a try, really gives a linen vibe in your pictures.

Some more sharing… I had some difficulty centring my buckle pin cutouts so i ended up doing it this way. I cut it before i cut to final size, this way i can align my template perfectly. I am using a round punch an then cut the straight edges with a knife. Not 100% satisfied with this method. If you have an alternative way please leave me a comment. I was thinking about this nattools cutter, does anyone have experience with it?https://junlinleather.com/products/nattools-watch-strap-buckle-punch This is how i finish the buckle side. Completely paint and finish the edge like this then glue in the fixed keeper and touch up the edge paint. Anyone using a different method? I saw in a hermes video they kind of open it up after it was fully glued and insert the keeper but i don't really get it how that works.

The more feedback the better if anyone has experimented please share your thoughts

Genuinely appreciate your feedback, i never really thought about failures or reliability in this way so that improves what i’m making

Ok, makes sense but has nothing at all to do with the spring bars being QR or not. As far as i know spring bars (both QR and normal) come in 1.5 or 1.8 mm, assumed the pin ends were the same diameter. Something for me to check, thanks this helps me A few but how is this relevant? I stated from the beginning i am not intending to sell anything, this is just a hobby. Does everyone here starting with leatherworking make 1 wallet and then call it a day, you surely don’t need more than 1 wallet. I am just trying to get better at all the skills and think watch straps are a good way to do this.

Please do and feel free to ask any questions, i did quite allot of experimenting and still am. Happy to exchange ideas and experiences.

I understand your concerns but I don’t get your reasoning. Again i have no intend on selling anything myself bit this would mean there is not allot you can sell commercially. As a business you should be confident in your product and be covered by insurance anyways for liability. In this reasoning I couldn’t imagine any company or business selling saddlery for example, think about the liabilities there. Anyways i get a few valuable points from this discussion and would like to elaborate on this from a point of improving the things i make. 1. Quick release spring bars: What does make these inferior? I cant see mechanically any difference in strength, the 2 only risks i see are becoming undone by accidentally pulling the leaver ( friction agains wrist,..) or the strap being weaker because of the cutout. Would appreciate opinions or experiences with this. 2. Longevity of the strap: I understood failing starts at the closure point which i can understand. Are these straps reinforced completely or just at the folds? I also cant imagine a watch failing when a strap is worn at the closure even if there is a rip between 2 holes. Just trying to understand failure points, would appreciate if there are experiences or pictures to share. Thank you all

I thought it might be useful to share my way of constructing straps for anyone who also wants to start with it. This is the way that works for me after experimenting allot but by no means the only or best way. This is my build up: I make everything in 30mm width and finally cut out to strap size. I find this makes it easier to keep the spring bar hole perpendicular and its also easier for the buckle pin hole ( i cut this first before cutting the strap to size) For flat straps i really like 1mm outer and lining, 0,1mm reinforcement and salpa inner 0.4 to 0.8 depending on the stiffness of the outer layer or the final thickness i want. Imgur linked picture above should show all of my steps - Edit: i think above doesn’t link to all the pictures. This link should https://imgur.com/gallery/B6YZv7a - Cutting all panels to size, i created templates to get the correct length. Skiving the fold edges of outer layer and lining. Glueing the outer layer and reinforcement together. I leave the fold edge unglued so i can fold them over separately later to prevent wrinkles inside the fold. Using 0.9mm Togo and 0.1mm velodon here. Glueing the inner layer on the reinforcement. Using 0.6mm salpa here. Glueing and folding over the reinforcement, then the same with the outer layer. I avoid glue on the spring bar locations so i can press everything together but open back up later on. Roughing and applying glue on the the fold over part. Using a 4.0mm guide Applying the liner, glue is applied on both side across the whole length but i only glue the first 5mm together Glueing the complete liner on a curved jig Line up template and cutout the final strap size More to follow on finishing and construction of the short side with buckle…

Thank you for sharing and very nice work. I really like your stitching end on the corners, it’s the first time i see or at least notice this. I should keep this in mind if make an attempt at wallets

Let me organize my files and find a place to upload.

3D printed templates i’m using. Most of them are not really necessary but its part of the fun for me. i glue my straps complete in 30mm width, then cutout the buckle pin notch on the short strap, then line up and cutout the outer profile 1. 115mm strap cutting outer leather and reinforcement 2. 115mm strap cutting lining and inner layer 3. 115mm strap template 4. Different length gauge for glueing/lining up liner to the folded edge. 5. Gauge to mark fold and skive line at 5/10/20mm 6. 75mm strap template 7. template for glue liner at the fixed keeper side 8. 75mm strap cutting liner 9. 75mm strap cutting inner layer 10. 75mm strap cutting outer layer and reinforcement Glueing jig for outer/inner layer Curved jig to glue liner

Just found this post, really nice work. Very nice colors, construction and stitching. Inspires me to start making bags. Can i ask about your stitching? Which size irons and awl do you use? And which thread size, looks like linen?

Thank you and no problem highjacking, its an interesting discussion. I also agree a watch should be worn and there are always risks. Otherwise take an insurance or keep it in a safe as investment but i think there are better things than watches for that. A well constructed watch strap is a very low risk to fail imo, it should hold up well beyond after the stitches completely fail. I also deconstructed 2 older (~5 years) straps from oris and certina both were still intact but once opened i could see the reinforcement degrading(some kind of cotton weave i think). Not failing. Hard to test but i’m sure velodon will hold up much longer. The whole strength of a strap is based on the reinforcement, if its in the right places the leather will not be stretched and should last a very very long time.

It had more to do with me being unsure and indecisive and didn’t want to mess it up… maybe thats in line with Japanese culture LOL