Some Bicycle Saddle Bags

[Basically Bob]

They look great! Thanks for sharing,

[Wild Bill46]

All of them, are nice looking bags, Nice Job ----------------------- Wild Bill46

[MonicaJacobson]

They all look very nice. If you get into veg tanned, you don't necessarily have to dye them... I happen to really like the look of undyed (though sealed) leather as it ages. You can also get pre-dyed veg tanned leathers that are thicker. There are a few things you can do without having to get into dye. I know what you mean, though. Sometimes the dye looks really great, and sometimes it really doesn't look as good.

[slipangle]

Thanks all,

And Monica. I too like the look of un-dyed veg tanned. Takes on a nice glow and color.

I do get requests for bags to match guys' leather saddle, however. And it is usually Brooks "honey",

a difficult color to match. Or brown. Still trying to come up with a suitable dye mix for honey.

I have never tried working with colored veg tanned but should check it out. Thing is…does it have the same temper and firmness as standard veg tanned? Of course, I'm not doing tooling but having the ability to cut clean 45's with a French edger and do box-type construction at the edges is important. Which veg excels at, I've found. The black chrome tanned above sucks in that regard, but it's sort of workable.

I need to practice becoming better at dyeing. I do have an airbrush but so far haven't tried it with leather dye yet.

Thanks

Slip

Edited October 15, 2014 by slipangle

[capsterdog]

I really like them. You are doing a great job.

[slipangle]

Thank you, Capsterdog!

[MonicaJacobson]

Thanks all,

And Monica. I too like the look of un-dyed veg tanned. Takes on a nice glow and color.

I do get requests for bags to match guys' leather saddle, however. And it is usually Brooks "honey",

a difficult color to match. Or brown. Still trying to come up with a suitable dye mix for honey.

I have never tried working with colored veg tanned but should check it out. Thing is…does it have the same temper and firmness as standard veg tanned? Of course, I'm not doing tooling but having the ability to cut clean 45's with a French edger and do box-type construction at the edges is important. Which veg excels at, I've found. The black chrome tanned above sucks in that regard, but it's sort of workable.

I need to practice becoming better at dyeing. I do have an airbrush but so far haven't tried it with leather dye yet.

Thanks

Slip

I'm not sure... But I haven't been able to try very many dyed veg tanned leathers. I've got a Horween Dublin black that is veg tanned and predyed, and it's like working with butter. It burnishes beautifully, but mine is only 4-5 oz. It is softer than normal veg tanned, and more supple, but still sturdy-ish. I don't really know how it would do at 9 oz or if it would suit your purposes, but I hope to find something like it at some point, since I like using heavier weight leathers.

[oscar621]

Your work looks very nice. I think you might want to try to some drum dyed veg tan leather. Springfield leather company sells it by the square foot - price is a bit steep but it would let you try it without buying a lot. I use it for making holsters and it is almost the same as undyed veg tan (seems to be a bit stiffer/dryer which is probably a result of the dying process) but it takes oil great and has a nice uniform color. Colors are going to be limited too - usually just black and brown is what I've seen....

[slipangle]

Thanks Monica. And Oscar621.

I'll take a look at the offerings from Springfield.

I notice my local guy, Waterhouse Leather, doesn't seem to offer

drum dyed veg tanned.

Slip

[silverwingit]

You are on a very good path! Keep it up.

I myself am fascinated by your super-clean cut outs. Would you mind telling us how you do them?

Many Thanks,

Michelle