USB cover

[Rublackett]

Has anyone ever made a USB leather cover? I tried to make one and I'm looking for other designs. Thanks. 

[NVLeatherWorx]

Is there even enough of a market for such a thing that one would commit the time and energy to designing one and then investing the money and time into materials and the making of it?  If there is then you would be the father of the design because I am not aware of anyone else who has done such a thing.  I do know that there are some small pouches around that could also be used to carry a USB stick but not aware of any "covers" so to speak.

[gary]

I just did a quick search under sub memory stick cover leather.

 

http://www.chinalane.org/images-leather-usb-memory-stick.html

http://www.usb-flashdrive.co.uk/usb-flash-drives/leather-usb-sticks-en/item/126-leather-usb-drive-4

https://www.usbmemorydirect.com/products/pouch.htm

 

And there are quite a few designs.

 

 

 

[NVLeatherWorx]

The question that I posed was is there a real market for it?  It isn't a surprise to find that there are offerings out there but that doesn't mean that the market actually exists to support it.  And, after looking at the products offered via the links that you provided, I can safely say that two of them don't even use real leather (not the term Fashion Leather) and the one that clearly indicates the use of top grain leather appears to be quite shoddy at best.  One thing that also stood out with each one was that these could be made to order with a hefty minimum quantity required, which indicates to me that these are not a common item but can be fulfilled if requested.  So, unless the OP is intending to invest in the purchase of thousands of thumb drives and then covering them in leather for the purpose of creating a global outlet for them my original reply pretty much stands.  Is there a market out there for them and is it worth the time and money.  Besides, the OP is looking to see if there is a pattern (or patterns) for such a thing when it only takes 5 minutes to create one based on the available memory stick that is in his possession.  Since my original response to the OP I have designed a cover/pouch for each of the thumb drives that I personally own (and I have 7, all different is design) plus one each for my FireFly portable drive, my Seagate portable drive, and two other expansion devices; the entire process only took me about 15 minutes so it isn't really necessary to look beyond what sits right in front of us.

It takes only a few seconds to formulate a design for your own use and that is pretty much what the OP was indicating the purpose was for.  When you look at the original image provided and compare that to what is found at any one of the links provided within the replies you can see that the OP pretty much already achieved the same basic results.  My recommendation would be to refine the design that has been made to create the final look that is being sought.

[gary]

Sorry, NVLeatherWorx, wasn't replying to you. I was responding to the OPs search for other designs not commenting on materials or the market.  

6 hours ago, Rublackett said:

Has anyone ever made a USB leather cover? I tried to make one and I'm looking for other designs. Thanks. 

 

[TinkerTailor]

11 hours ago, NVLeatherWorx said:

Is there even enough of a market for such a thing that one would commit the time and energy to designing one and then investing the money and time into materials and the making of it?  If there is then you would be the father of the design because I am not aware of anyone else who has done such a thing.  I do know that there are some small pouches around that could also be used to carry a USB stick but not aware of any "covers" so to speak.

You do realize that filling a hole in the market is one of the principles of good innovative business. Large amounts of money are made every day by people who develop the first of something. Sometimes it is not made because nobody has made an innovative design yet. Perhaps combining it with a pouch for door fobs or making a wallet for a couple drives would be marketable.

Then again, perhaps it is just a hobby for the OP. Perhaps the entire market is his/her daughter starting a computer science degree and dad just wants to make a small gift.........

Rublackett: I have made alot of one off little things like this. One thing to try is to use a bit thinner veg tan leather at 4oz or so, sew up a pouch out of two flat pieces with the stitches approximately as far apart as the width plus the thickness of the object to be encased. Wet the leather well, and slip the object into the pocket. Let it dry at room temp then take the object out. Obviously the object will get wet, so waterproof it or make a dummy mold piece instead. I have a block of wood that is the same size as each size of iphone.  In addition I would use smaller thread and smaller awl for a little project like this. If it is lighter leather you can take the thread out of a home sewing machine and hand wheel it as a hole punch for the stitch holes.

Hope this helps, and welcome to the forum.

[Rublackett]

Hi there, thanks very much for the help. I was just intending to make a few here and there and possibly sell a few on etsy. I am quite new to leathercraft so please forgive my poor stitching.

[NVLeatherWorx]

@Rublackett  From the image that you provided you pretty much hit the idea of where you should be going already.  As stated though you may want to consider a lighter weight (thinner) leather which will allow it to form a bit easier around the device itself.  Don't apologize for your stitching; we all started out the same way so no worries.  As you continue to work with leather and stitch more things together you will find that your skills will improve quickly and before you know it you won't even remember the beginning days of your journey.  Good luck with your continued development and journey in the leather working world and keep us informed of how things go, even if it is another project.