My Custom Leather Work

[Jörg Krüger]

Wow!! That is talent. The art work is tremendous. The craftsmanship is out of this world. I would love to be able to do this. Beats the day time job of fixing cars

 

[CM McKenzie]

Rig is all stitched up and ready to start finishing edges.

 

[CM McKenzie]

I’ve had a few people contact me about some of the technique I use. I’m going to start adding some information for a few interested ones that are building your own gear. If you are not building and are just buying, some of these posts will be useful information when looking for quality. I’m going to start with a post on stitch lines.

 

[CM McKenzie]

When I look at leather items one of the first areas I look at is the stitch line. This goes for machine and hand stitching.

I typically look for a few things when I look at stitching. I obviously look for tight stitching of the proper size and consistency; both in stitch length and tension.

I also look for a stitch groove in veg tanned leather. A stitch groove is a small groove just big enough for the thread to lay down in. The stitch groove does a couple of things. The most important thing is countersinking the thread. This protects the thread from abrasion and snags. It also gives the thread a place to fall and helps assist with a straighter mor consistent stitching line.

Another thing I do is use a hand stitch wheel to mark my holes whether I’m using a machine or not.

The left stitch line is one I just ran through the machine. The right one is a prepped line; grooved and marked.

These are the two stitch lines side by side. Notice the right line is straight and consistent compared to the left.

 

[Strausser]

few interested ones that are building your own gear.

I’m one of the few.
I’ve dabbled a bit,made some dog collars,sheaths etc.
I don’t ride,but it would still be cool to make a saddle.And shoes or boots.

 

[CM McKenzie]

I’m one of the few.
I’ve dabbled a bit,made some dog collars,sheaths etc.
I don’t ride,but it would still be cool to make a saddle.And shoes or boots.

Saddles are fun to watch come together. Boots and shoes are the one thing I have never jumped into. If my boot maker ever retires I may have to give it a shot though.

 

[CM McKenzie]

Here is another example of what you can do if you take the time to lay out your stitch lines properly.

This little pouch is one I made to organize a small field gun cleaning kit.

This pouch is both hand stitched and machine stitched. The tooled flap is machine stitched, and the rest of the body is hand stitched. If you look closely you can see a slight difference.

 

[CM McKenzie]

My machine I used was a little heavy for the stitching coming out of the back side. Just that little cosmetic error. Built for 1 inch swivels. I’m refining my pattern.

The first person in the US that says they want this; gets it. I will cover shipping.

 

[Joedad]

View attachment 454400My machine I used was a little heavy for the stitching coming out of the back side. Just that little cosmetic error. Built for 1 inch swivels. I’m refining my pattern.

The first person in the US that says they want this; gets it. I will cover shipping.

I’d love it

 

[CM McKenzie]

I’d love it

It’s yours! That took longer than I thought. PM me your information.

 

[MRBlack]

If you make another I’d be interested depending on price!

 

[CM McKenzie]

If you make another I’d be interested depending on price!

I’ve already got a couple more on the cutting table. We can see what we can figure out.

 

[MRBlack]

PM sent

 

[CM McKenzie]

I’m going to hit on my pet peeve now. A lot of builders; especially mass production places, forget to pay attention to their edges. Everything flows from the edges, and it is typically the first area I look at.

I hit all my edges with a knife first.

Then I smooth any indentation or void with a sanding drum on a rotary tool.

I then smooth the edges even further with a palm sander.

Then I round the edges with an edge tool.

The most time consuming portion is the final step. I burnish the edges with a damp cloth, saddle soap, and rub it with a patch of course canvas until it heats up enough to give it a glassy appearance. The rig on the right being the finished product.

 

[CM McKenzie]

Both sides are hung and perfectly even.

 

[Scrumbag]

Here is another example of what you can do if you take the time to lay out your stitch lines properly. View attachment 454171View attachment 454172This little pouch is one I made to organize a small field gun cleaning kit.

This pouch is both hand stitched and machine stitched. The tooled flap is machine stitched, and the rest of the body is hand stitched. If you look closely you can see a slight difference.

This I really like!

 

[CraigV]

View attachment 454400My machine I used was a little heavy for the stitching coming out of the back side. Just that little cosmetic error. Built for 1 inch swivels. I’m refining my pattern.

The first person in the US that says they want this; gets it. I will cover shipping.

Hey CM, Same as MRBLACK, I'm interested, depending on the cost.

Thanks!

 

[CM McKenzie]

Hey CM, Same as MRBLACK, I'm interested, depending on the cost.

Thanks!

PM me we can figure something out.

 

[CM McKenzie]

I’ve been putting this project off just because it’s going to take me awhile to complete, but now that I’ve cut into it I’m excited to see how it comes together.

 

[CM McKenzie]

After three solid days of tapping, and temporarily crossed eyes. I’m simply making progress.