Search the Community

Projects are coming along with the help I've gotten from this forum. My stitching is much straighter and looks better. I finished the Ostridge wallet after three attempts and made a small business card case. I'm now working on a Shark Skin tri-fold wallet. I did all the cutting today and added the Tyvek for the credit cards along with the RFID paper so that the cards are secure from someone copying the data.

Ok, not officially the first. There were 2 others that were prototypes. This is the one that I will keep to use. There still are several changes I'd make if I think about selling them. This is not a "show off", but more of requesting some critical feedback. I'm still learning this whole leather thing. I'll point out the issues I see in it. It's made out of a random lot of 1oz Horween leather. There's an RFID cloth layer in between the outer layer and lining leather. It has a couple card pockets, a bigger pocket for folded money/receipts, the passport pocket, and a sleeve to help hold plane/train tickets. I'm going to try a thicker leather next time. The edges on the pockets were too flexible to burnish well. I used the same leather as a liner. It does not close very easy yet. Maybe it will loosen up over time. On one prototype I used a suede which worked out much better. I think the stitching is ok for the most part. I can see a few places where I pulled too hard and therefore it's uneven, and a few places where I didn't space them very well (like corners and going over pockets). There's a 2" section I did not sand the edge enough, and it's not flush. I'll try to sand it more to fix it later. Finally, the sleeve flap probably does not have enough room to actually fit a ticket, but it can be used for anything. Next time I'll probably just not include it. Any thoughts/pointers?

She's a holster customer but wanted this wallet, therefore the RFID. My mistake in the description, sorry.

Can't wait to see pics. What was the purpose of the RFID protection for a holster?

I picked up 4 Ostridge legs at Tandy the other day just to see if I could work with it. Glad it's not too expensive because I made simple mistakes on each one but ended up with a keeper that sold to one of my old holster customers. I guess that she liked the idea I added RFID protection to it and mentioned I was going to make a few for Christmas presents. Next I was able to pick up some Shark at a good price. I'm going to try a few different designs with templates I picked up from Maker's Leather Supply. To get the lines straight I'm using a white pencil for initial marking, then my Prinking Iron. I'll post pics as the process continues.

I put a lining on the back and front plus the card slots all have Tyvex to keep the cards centered. The wallets also have RFID to protect them from electronic scanning.

Hey Folks, I have a customer asking if I can offer RFID blocking on my wallets. He says that I can use sandwich foil? Has anyone else ever done such a thing? Would you be able to offer some advice?

In N.I./UK/Ireland we do not have Id in the way the US or mainland Europe has where every citizen needs to have an Id card. The 'Id' window in our wallets are usually used to show bus passes, or works id, ie passes needed by your employer etc. I put photos behind my plastic window, others I know put their bus passes there. Mr.Plod in N.I./UK /Ireland accept our word on our Id and only insist on something more in a serious, very serious, incident eg a road traffic accident On the mater of RFID blocking. Plumber type people use an thin aluminium tape to cover pipes. I've tested it and I use it sometimes in card wallets. A roll of this tape will cost you about £/$ 5. The roll is usually about 2 inches wide and 50 metres long.

Another thought is to use an RFID-resistant cloth (to stop scammers) as the lining.

I was trying to think of the term for the anti-scam. RFID.

Tbh I've only used the iron-on a few times. The solid sheet didn't work out happy for me; the heat was too much and the leather shrivelled. I need to get an iron on which I can set a lower heat. On the interlining, it was more successful. I used black to cover some thin aluminium tape (for RFID blocking) inside credit/debit card wallets. But again, that iron with a lower heat setting is looked for. As well, my iron is a steam iron which only works with water in it. Hot water and leather are not a happy combo.

Looking for a wholesale source for quality handmade, made in USA wallets. Card holders, bifolds, money clips, windows, etc...I am an experienced leatherworker with a boutique retail shop, but don't want to get into making all the wallets if I can help it! Think unlined, simple wallets, not poly lined or RFID or turned edges or anything that looks like it was made in a factory. Smaller quantities, like 12s and 20s (not 100s). Anyone out there have this setup or can point me in the right direction? Thanks.

Looking for a wholesale source for quality handmade, made in USA wallets. Card holders, bifolds, money clips, windows, etc...I am an experienced leatherworker with a boutique retail shop, but don't want to get into making all the wallets if I can help it! Think unlined, simple wallets, not poly lined or RFID or turned edges or anything that looks like it was made in a factory. Smaller quantities, like 12s and 20s (not 100s). Anyone out there have this setup or can point me in the right direction? Thanks.

A. I put it just on the outside layer with a thin cloth liner glued over it, which also gets sewn at the edges b. don't bother with the fancy expensive RFID stuff. Aluminium tape used for insulating heating pipes is cheaper. £4.99 for a 50m roll. Its also thicker by a smidgen and self adhesive. It works fine & dandy

Tandy sells a RFID shield lining that works quite well Item #3499-00. This is supplied in small sheets about the size of printer paper. It's a flexible polymer. Not the world's cheapest stuff at £12 for a pack of 3 (£6 Elite) but one pack is enough for several wallets depending on how you cut it. Sadly I've not found any other source for it or a similar product.

Tandy sells a pack of RFID-blocking polymer. Works well, if a little crinkly.

I recently was granted the business pricing rates, and there is, to be perfectly honest, not a great deal that I can get at Tandy that I can't get elsewhere at a better price and/or quality -- even with the significant discount I get. I buy their 3D stamps and RFID paper mostly. I have bought a few Ghormley patterns off them but rather disappointingly they have now been discontinued.

I used couch leather I skinned to line the inside layer of this bifold. It's wrapped around rfid blocking paper. But I had to find other leathers for outside and pockets. I would suggest do some edge tests. I was not happy with my edges on this but without a better plan just had to keep going

There are some RFID tag systems that will do that, but they are expensive. Real time GPS trackers require monthly subscriptions that make them unaffordable for research.

Like NVL, I don't actually use much cloth for lining anything. Usually the only time I do is if I'm lining the cash slot with RFID blocking material and then I double the top over and sew everything else in between the layers. Personally, I go 4/5 for the back (outside) and then 3/4 for the inside and then 3/4 that's been split to 2/3 for the pockets

Passport Wallet made from Hermann Oak (c) 4/5 oz leather, glazed pigskin pockets (5 credit card/ID slots and two currency storage areas) and a faille cloth liner. Since Passports have RFID chips embedded in the back cover and the information can be stolen this wallet has a RFID Shield embedded between the outer leather and the liner, this prevents ID theft. Chief

Thanks Tugadude, found it easily with RFID fabric. Amazing how easy it is when you use the right term. rick

For once, I am stumped. I mean I can't find the thread I was referring to. I believe either Dwight or Ferg were the source. I take what they say with great respect. I believe a lot of folks use a type of copper foil or mesh and it can be found pretty cheap. Try googling RFID fabric and you will find it.

FYI...The newer chips you see in cards are not RFID. The new ones are called EMV (Europay, Mastercard, and Visa). They have to work with the terminal, and create a unique transaction code each time it is used. Most have to be inserted in the terminal and you have to wait a few seconds till it establishes a link. Some "dual" cards can be touched to the terminal, but they are what is called near field, and they have to be very close if not touching.

Who cares? The card holder is not responsible for unauthorized charges. To be sure, RFID is not as popular for credit cards as smartcard (chip-and-pin) or the plain magnetic stripe. Smartcards are not vulnerable to RFID exploits since they don't use RFID, and the card does not divulge the PIN. Smartcards are fairly secure in relative terms to magnetic stripes or RFID, but that security primarily benefits merchants and the card issuers. Smartcards are valuable for preventing loss in relation to data breaches like those at Target and Home Depot, but for individual card holders, they don't offer much benefit. RFID is more popular for low-security building access cards. But building access control should be augmented with more than RFID cards. If card issuers want the cards more secured, it will be on them to provide the means for that security.