Satchel/purse & Passport Wallet

[shinelightshine]

Hey guys!

These are a couple recent projects.

I made a bag/satchel with one large compartment and a small pocket on the inside, and I made standard passport wallet.

Let me know what you think!

-Nick

[Feraud]

Nice work. The natural finish should age nicely and look distinguished with time.

[MonicaJacobson]

Nice. Both these and the ipad case you made in the other thread. Very clean, very nice. You'd take it up yet another notch if you finished your edges with gum trag or saddle soap.

[Basically Bob]

I like them, both. Agree with Monica re the edges.

I especially like that Canadian passport. ;-)

[shinelightshine]

Nice work. The natural finish should age nicely and look distinguished with time.

Thanks Feraud!

Nice. Both these and the ipad case you made in the other thread. Very clean, very nice. You'd take it up yet another notch if you finished your edges with gum trag or saddle soap.

I like them, both. Agree with Monica re the edges.

I especially like that Canadian passport. ;-)

Thanks guys! And ya, I should have paid more attention to my edges on those. I'm finding that I'm liking gum trag less and less. I find that I don't get the results I want and that it ends up make the the edge too crusty/hard. I'm going to start experimenting with saddle soap and beeswax.

Do either of you have any suggestions?

Also, Basically Bob! I see you're from Simcoe! I was in Simcoe a year or two ago attending the Gentlemen of the Road Festival (the tour with Mumford & Sons and Old Crow Medicine Show) at the Norfolk Fairgrounds. It's a beautiful little town.

Edited March 3, 2015 by shinelightshine

[MonicaJacobson]

It helps if you start with a clean cut, and bevel your edges with a sharp beveler. The cleaner it is, the easier to handle. Believe me, I learned this the hard way. Keep in mind that everyone has their different method, and you really just have to figure out what works for you. I burnish the first time with saddle soap, let that dry, and sand it with 400 - 600 grit sandpaper. Burnish again with saddle soap, and repeat sandpaper and saddle soap until you like it. Sometimes it only takes 2-3 times. I've had some trouble with the edges not lasting as long as I like, so I've been experimenting with three thin coats of resolene (one coat every 12 hours) to see if that will help the edge last. I haven't been doing it long enough to know if it works, however.

I've never worked with beeswax, but I hear people get good results. Maybe that's why my edges don't last as long as I want them to.

I'm jealous - I'd love to see Old Crow Medicine Show anywhere!

[Basically Bob]

Glad you enjoyed youself, here! That was an amazing time, for sure. If you are ever in the area again, look me up.

For edges, I use a variation of Hidepounder's tutorial in the "how do I do that" section.

In terms of wax, I find that parrafin works better than bees wax for edges, but some leatherworkers use a 50/50 bees wax/parrafin blend. Others use straight bees wax. I, personally, haven't used a blend of the two. The difference is that bees wax is soft and sticky. Parrafin is harder and slippery.

I use an acrylic paint (Edge Kote) for guitar straps (this reduces, substantially, the risk of dye transfer if the player sweats a lot). I started doing this after seeing a belt has been worn, almost daily, for 15 years with edges that still look good. It took me a lot of messing around and watching Sean Dalgetti at Tundra Leather (Hamilton) apply it to find an application method that works for me.

Edge finishing is one of those things that you just need to play around and find a method that you prefer.

Hidepounder (Bob Park) is a highly respected leatherworker in the Western style and if it works for him, in that application, it'll work for me.

Let us know how you make out with resolene, Monica.

Edited March 3, 2015 by Basically Bob

[Redochre]

That's some nice work there, I like the design.

I'm having the same issue with edge longevity.... I'm fine the problem with beeswax is that it's sticky... Even when cold so it looks grubby.

[Tugadude]

Your stitching is excellent, but the thread is too small for the holes. You shouldn't be able to see the pronounced slits. Try hammering the stitch line down. That might fill in the voids a bit. Otherwise, the execution is spot on.