Making Rounds For Bag Handles

[Mockingbird]

I'm using The art of making leather cases vol.2 and 'sewing rounds' section of The art of hand sewing leather.

Are there any other resources that go into depth on handle making?

I'd love to see a video of the whole process of making a handle, especially on making/using fillers and piping and the like.

[olenawills]

You can have a look at the Newey duffle in matte grey alligator link from Peter Nitz Facebook page.

[MonicaJacobson]

Thanks for the link, the amount of information there is awesome. Also, the bag is awesome. I am drooling.

[olenawills]

Yes, comments are on the right for every picture. Very useful.

[Mockingbird]

Thanks for the link! Lots of attention to detail.

Any good sources for the fileteuse and attachments? Where can I find the rubber cord he uses for the handle and core material for putting in between the leather to make it bounce out.

What are the pliers called that he uses to round the handles?

I guess I'm looking for bag-specific making tools and materials.

[olenawills]

Pliers manufacturers web-site or Pliers in US shop

fileteuse and attachments or you have to find a thread here about french retailers.

I guess I'm looking for bag-specific making tools and materials.

Don't think so.

[Mockingbird]

Thanks!

[billybopp]

... I believe this is at least more or less the same as the outrageously expensive fileteuse's from France ...

http://www.campbell-randall.com/shop/index.php?route=product/product&path=74_110&product_id=14436

Still expensive, but not quite the pucker power expensive of the French devices.

I've also seen similar pliers .. still a little pricey, but less somewhere, but can't remember where.

Bill

[CustomDoug]

The heat control part of the Cambell units have been out of stock for a really long time.. but I don't see why other control units from wood burning machines wouldn't work.

Doug C

[lranger]

The pliers are basically the same thing as "cantle pliers", or "horn pliers" used by saddle makers. There are various companies that make them, Jeremiah Watt products is one, but they are fancier and more expensive than they need to be. I made my own by welding the wide steel plates to the jaws of a cheap pair of vice grips, which is what I'd recommend. You can make the plates any size and shape you want them.

[lranger]

Here's a pic of the one I made.

[CustomDoug]

Wouldn't these do the same thing? : http://tooltown.com/shop-by-category/clamps/8-sheet-metal-clamp-vise-grip-style/

I saw these at Harbor Freight too, they look very similar but I'm not sure either one locks.. maybe some kind of a strong rubber band strap doubled over a couple of times would work to "lock" them, for a cheap alternative? :

http://www.harborfreight.com/6-inch-jaw-straight-sheet-metal-seamer-98728.html

http://www.harborfreight.com/8-inch-flat-jaw-welding-pliers-93062.html

Doug C

Edited November 19, 2014 by CustomDoug

[billybopp]

I think the trick with these is that the jaws need to be parallel. If you look at the tool town vise grips, the jaws meet only at the very tips, and any material would have to be pretty thick to make them truly parallel. Those would likely mark the leather. The harbor freight ones are harder to tell, since they are pictured in the open position. The then again, at $7 and $15, I'm sure a body could make 'em work even if they aren't exactly right!

Bill

[lranger]

I have a pair of the sheet metal claps. They definitely mark the leather bad. The new type of vice grips that billybopp is talking about, which I also have, are better, technically, because the jaws stay parallel. But, I didn't want to use my "good" vice grips. The ones I made in the picture work fine. They do leave some marks, but they are minimal if you don't gorilla grip 'em down. The leather is really wet when you use them for going around a cantle and the horn, so any marks that are made can easily be rubbed out. Usually, the clamped area is not going to be visable in the finished product anyway. If the leather is dry, like in making these rolled handles, they don't leave a mark. I used them on the handbag pictured in my thread "First Attempt at Handbags. It costs virtually nothing to make them, and the ones you can buy start at about $75.00. Your choice.