Do you think I can make these?

[Timbo]

Wow, I'd be glad to make the leather handles all day for half that price!!!

But speaking of copper handles.........here are a couple of pics of some copper pulls I made for a desk, that I also made.

They are really easy to make, go to the do it yourself store and get the heavies uncoated copper ground wire they have, bring it home and use a vise, vise grips, screwdrivers, pliers or whatever and twist them how you want them. Now throw them in the fireplace, wood stove, bbq grill or whatever until they are read hot. take them out (with pliers, duh!) and beat them flat on an anvil and bend the curve into the handle. Quench them in water or beer or whatever. (quenching adds some cool colors too)

I used some copper nails I have to mount them. I just clinched the nails so they wouldn't pull out.

Here is the result. They are pretty rustic though.

Tim

edit: I've also made some with a closed loop at the top that came out cool.......and I have made hooks for a coat rack the same way.

Edited January 8, 2009 by Timbo

[Suze]

Timbo - now THAT I could do - have done (sort of, Whe you are "building" a haunted house, you would be amazed at what you can come up with)

Just wait - I may have a more "custom" kitchen that I had first thought.

I am planning on painting the cupboard doors a parchment color and doing some sponge painting on them (to look more like parchement) and doing some decortive paint work on them

the hardware hut site also has "dummy strap hinges" and I looked at them and thought STENCIL

[ClayB]

Those first ones should be fairly easy to make. Take a piece of strap iron, around 1/2 inch wide, 1/8 inch thick or probably less. Cut to length. Bend the round into the handle over a piece of pipe the right size. Even a piece of heavy PVC pipe ought to work. Then stick it in a vice and bend the ends straight, or you could probably do this with a pair of pliers. Drill holes in the ends. You might want to coat the metal with lacquer so it wont stain your leather if you dampen it.

Then cut strips of leather making allowances for the froming and stitching. Wet the leather, form it around metal. Apply Barge or other contact cement to hold the leather in place. Stitch around the edges, trim, finish the edges. Punch a hole in the leather matching the holes in the metal. Pick out some screw back conchos that you like and get some of the drawer pull adapters for them and you should be all set.

[Windy]

Well now I am trying to imagine your kitchen once you installed

38 $900 handles that are 15 inches long. I believe you would have

a funny looking kitchen unless you are the size of the jolly green

giant. I believe they are selling these more as a piece of sculpture

not something mass produced. There are people out there who

will pay for quality and I believe there are at least two leather

workers on this site who will tell you that to some money is no

object. I do believe it was on this site where a guy said he sold

a belt for 16 grand. I have never priced anything from Peter Main

but I am guessing it is not cheap.When I see things like this I do

not think wow that is high priced. I think one day I will be getting

those prices for my work.

WINDY

[Suze]

the sad thing Windy is that with the "odd sizes" of the cupboards in the kitchen, a fifteen inch piece would not look too bad. It would fill up less than half of the door top to bottom.

and before you say anything about that - My Dad built all the cupboards in the kitchen and they are NOT standard size doors. Mom and Dad built the house themselves and we have some very "odd" arrangements of things. So either I buy all new cupboards or I "see what I can do with what Dad built. (ANd I can't afford to remove and replace the whole kitchen.

They would def be a statement though.

Opps forgot to say that I am a crafter myself (dollhouse minutures-You want to talk expensive? Not much in material costs but the time involved) but I still see those prices and think "rip off" Sort of like those Longenberger baskets - I know people who make the same style basket and for about half of the price of those other ones. And they are better made too. But the Longenberger people have convinced us that these will be worth tons of money someday because of the name on the bottom,

I will buy a hand crafted item over storebought any day. And pay well for it. But I look at these and wonder just HOW they manage to sell them.

Edited January 8, 2009 by Suze

[tashabear]

WELL NOW that is more my speed - I really haven't messed with leather but give me wire and a hammer....

My SCA name is Mariassa of Ashgrove and If I could pull off two of those 900.00 jobs, they would look just "right" on the cupboards flanking the sink.

I think I might even have some 12 gage wire in the basement (I have just about everything in the basement) Only I would have to burn or scrap the coating off of it to "antique" it.

Hmmmm - must look in basement.

Hello, I'm Lady Tasha Medvedeva from Canton of the Towers in the East -- maybe we'll meet at Pennsic!

I'm pretty fond of Krylon Hammered Finish spray paint. I used it on some outlet plates and now they look like hammered iron if you don't look too close. :-D

You know you're a SCAdian when your house is half-finished, because every time you go to the home store you come away muttering to yourself, "I could make that..."

[CitizenKate]

I think that must have been a typo, because the price I'm seeing now is on the order of $90. Still, that's pretty steep, considering no more than it is. I still sometimes wonder if I'm in the wrong business...

Kate

[tashabear]

I think that must have been a typo, because the price I'm seeing now is on the order of $90. Still, that's pretty steep, considering no more than it is. I still sometimes wonder if I'm in the wrong business...

Kate

I'm still seeing the metal pull at $874.91.

[CitizenKate]

Maybe try re-loading the page? The page you're seeing may have been saved by your web browser from a previous load.

Kate

[ClayB]

Kate,

the pulls in the first link, leather covered metal were around $90. The metal pulls in the last link were the ones that were $875. But in their defense, it looked to me like it was a set of 8 pairs of pulls for that price.