Up First: Harness Leather
Made with a natural finish, Harness leather is a durable, vegetable tanned leather that was originally made for harnesses and other riding tack that came in direct contact with the horse. It is infused with waxes and oils to resist sweat and water, while remaining strong with repeated use and wear. Its natural finish makes it popular for belts, wallets and bags, where each hide comes with its own unique grain and blemishes that remain visible after the tanning process is complete.
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First - I start with quality full grain leather. This sleeve is going to made from black Horween Dublin from Tannery Row. Once I have a big enough piece, I trace out the pattern I need for the two pieces for this project.
Second - I trim down the leather using a straight edge and a rotary knife. There are many different types of blades one can use to cut leather, but for this project I chose a rotary knife. It is easy to use when cutting straight lines.
Third - I cut my bigger piece of leather into two pieces - one will be the front and one will be the back.
Fourth - Time to round the corners on our pen sleeve. I use corner rounders from Tandy Leather and my Barry King Maul from Rocky Mount Leather.
Fifth - Time to glue the two pieces of leather together. I use a water-based glue called Ever Tac from Springfield leather. It is easy to use, doesn't have an order, and is a snap to clean up.
Sixth - Time to put the two pieces together. One thing I love about Horween Dublin leather is the creative grain that stands out. You can see the marking in the hide that adds such a great character to the piece.
7th - Time to measure out my stitch line! I'll use a wing divider to do the outside edge and then measure for the 3 different pockets.
8th - Time to start punching the wholes for the hand stitching. I use a punch pad from District Leather, my Barry King maul, and 4.0mm pricking irons from Crimson Hide. Once it is finished, it is ready for stitching!
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The reason to establish Horween Dublin as a hallmark leather for Night Heron Leather are plentiful:
First, Horween Dublin is a leather tanned in America. While tanneries all over the world produce fine leathers, we wanted to offer leather goods that were sourced in America and made in America.
Second, Horween Dublin has a traditional and rugged look that ages very well. The natural grain of the leather is evident on every piece. It's a versatile leather that looks good in many different leather designs.
Third, the color options are various. We will carry the Black, Brown Nut, English Tan, and Natural.
Check out our Horween Collections Page for the many different leather items we offer in Horween Dublin.
]]>Hi, my name is Jason and it is my passion to make leather goods for people to enjoy.
My leather journey started with fountain pens. My wife and I enjoy writing with fountain pens and I needed a way to carry my daily pen in my front pocket - for ease of use. There are some pen sleeves out on the market to buy, but I didn't want to pay the price for a sleeve that was mass produced and how no personal touch. To get around that problem, I watched a few videos on how to make a pen sleeve out of leather. Through Youtube, my passion for making goods out of leather started to grow!
For my pen sleeve, I bought a small piece of leather, some tools, and got to work. It took me a few hours, but I was able to put together my first leather piece. See below for the picture of my pen sleeve. I still carry it around today - even though it has many flaws and problems!
Since that first pen sleeve I have sought to make quality leather goods for other people to enjoy!
Blessings,
Jason W.
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