Club Obi Wan

Well, I've been meaning to make a leather MKVII bag for a while, and finally found a leather that I like.

I pulled one apart and then whipped up a prototype leather version over the last couple of weeks. The main outer pieces are measured as close as possible to the one I dissected (I have another bag from another maker that has some visible differences in the size/shape of some of the pieces). But, due to the thickness and general behavior of the leather, it didn't end up looking exactly the same (most notably that there didn't end up being enough "slack" on the side pieces to do that folded down/angled thing, the sides are just flat-out rectangular).

I used brown fabric for the inside divider and brass hardware. I'm going to try a second prototype, cutting the leather a little different and trying it with tan fabric & nickel hardware, just to see which looks best.

I also decided that since the material isn't screen accurate, I'm not going to worry about adding the disc & the drainage vents, because ultimately they're not entirely necessary. I also didn't include the center divider or that small pocket thing on the inside, or the small outer pocket on the other side from the disc.

Here's a couple of quick snapshots (forgive the bad mirror pic!)





After the second prototype I'm going to make as many as I can with the leather I got (probably a dozen or so, but not exactly sure) to sell on my site, but that's probably gonna take a couple of months. They're hand-stitched with a heavy braided, waxed cord which unfortunately takes a good long while (but the result is pretty dang durable, I'd say).

Looks fantastic!

Thanks

Tundra, the appearance is one of the main reasons I picked this leather. It's very, very textured/scuffy/scarred - generally very rugged looking and non-purse-like. It's a distressed-look, has a nice non-shiny finish, scuffs pretty easily... personally, I love it! It's also pretty sturdy but still fairly soft. I'm thinking I'm going to eventually make one for myself with a green thread I have (so it will go with both my brown and green hats )

I have some oil-tanned leather, I'm thinking of trying some bags from that, but it's very flat and even. It looks great after it gets beat up a little but at first it almost looks like a fashion bag/purse leather.

I don't post often, but just want to say this looks great. Looks like a small messenger bag to me. I don't get the purse vibe from it at all.

I've gotta agree... that looks fantastic!


NICE work!

I am so ready for one of these!!!

Awesome work! and really stylish at that!

Wow! That definitely looks great!

You mentioned picking out a leather you liked. What kind is it? Lamb, goat, cow? It sure has a great colour to it. I realy like it. Also...how heavy is it? An MKVII is so light that it made me wonder what the weight difference is. Thanks! Really good work! W>

Just a suggestion, I WOULD add the drainage vents. The first time you get caught in a rain storm, you'll wish you had them should water get into your bag.

No argument on leaving off the discs. They would be purely decorative at this point.

Regarding the drainage holes.....I carry a PortaBrace run bag (first production from 1988) on a daily basis for work, and in their first design they didn't put in drainage holes in their side entry pockets. I had to start carrying terrycloth washrags stuffed in those pockets to soak up water when it rained. They incorporated drainage holes in all versions from then on.

Just a suggestion. Drainage holes serve a very useful purpose if you plan on carrying the bag outside.

BEAUTIFUL piece of leather crafting!! Wish I had one.

Regards! Michaelson

Cool project!

You mentioned picking out a leather you liked. What kind is it? Lamb, goat, cow? It sure has a great colour to it. I realy like it. Also...how heavy is it? An MKVII is so light that it made me wonder what the weight difference is.

It's a fairly soft 3.5 oz(ish) cowhide. As for the weight, it doesn't really seem to be all that much heavier than a canvas MKVII. I have a postal scale laying around here somewhere, if I find it I can just weight the two and compare them.

Just a suggestion, I WOULD add the drainage vents. The first time you get caught in a rain storm, you'll wish you had them should water get into your bag.

You make some good points there, Michaelson. Unfortunately I don't have the foggiest idea where to find anything like that. Don't suppose anyone could point me in the right direction...?

***edit: never mind. I just realized I could just use some nice, small, relatively innocuous eyelets for the same purpose.

PsychicsAndSwords wrote:***edit: never mind. I just realized I could just use some nice, small, relatively innocuous eyelets for the same purpose.

Exactly the right thing to use too!

Regards! Michaelson

That really is an awesome bag!!!

I'd like to see the oil-tanned leather version, just to see how it ages when it cracks.

That could be the perfect leather IMO.


-TS

My wife says she'll take one, as long as it doesn't have magnetic clasps.

(She has had bad luck with her transit cards getting wiped.)

Very cool, nice work.

InexorableTash wrote:My wife says she'll take one, as long as it doesn't have magnetic clasps.

(She has had bad luck with her transit cards getting wiped.)

Nope, no magnets, just snaps.

Beautiful! How much? Can we place orders?

Flash Gordon wrote:Beautiful! How much? Can we place orders?

Thanks, not sure, and no.

Okay, that's not helpful, so here's a little more in-depth.

The cost I'm not 100% sure on, because I keep finding I need more supplies. For instance, I had to buy a lot more of the braided cord because it turns out I can't even get two bags out of a spool. Also, I've been using/testing the prototype and am not completely happy with the fabric I bought for the center divider, so I ditched that in favor of a pricier but more heavy-duty khaki-colored canvas I recently found.

But, based on the current cost of materials and the amount of time it takes me to make the darn things, probably somewhere in the $150-175 range.

But on the plus side, due to the extra day off on the 4th, and generally not going outside much due to heat/horrifying doom thunderstorms/etc, I've been getting a lot of time in to work on these. So, the way things are going, it'll probably be only 3, maybe 4 more weeks until I have them ready to sell, not the two months I was thinking.

As for the pre-orders, I've only been doing my store for about a year and up until now, everything I've sold through it has been a one-of-a-kind. These bags, along with another (much smaller, simpler) movie-inspired project I'm working on (it's a jewelry thing, don't get too excited ), have been the first time I've ever made more than one of an item to sell. So, since I'm kind of new to this sort of sales, along with the not-completely-set cost/production time, I'm not really comfortable doing preorders.

Anyway, I also noticed that one of the hides of leather I bought was a slightly different shade of brown, so it can't really be mixed and matched with the rest. I'm kicking around the idea of using it to make a couple with slightly larger dimensions (2-3 inches wider, possibly a little taller but not sure on that) for a little bit more of a 'messenger bag' look. But, not sure on that...

Fooled around with the idea of a leather version a few years ago. It's my iPad case now. Darn near a perfect fit!

http://indygear.com/cow/viewtopic.php?f ... 57&start=0" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Harry Jones wrote:Fooled around with the idea of a leather version a few years ago. It's my iPad case now. Darn near a perfect fit!

http://indygear.com/cow/viewtopic.php?f ... 57&start=0" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Whoa, that looks pretty sweet. Do you have recent pictures? I'd be curious how a stiff veg-tanned bag would look after a few years of use.

Sorry, no recent pics. Looks nearly the same as when I made it. The leather was pretty stiff originally and hasn't changed over the years. That was my intention. It provides better protection for iPods, iPads, cameras and such. For other uses I've thought about a soft leather version like yours. Looks really good! I think it would be much more comfortable to carry. I'd used a canvas butt pack as a shoulder bag for years and found it more comfortable.

Well I fiiiiinally finished the first bag. These are taking way longer and costing way more than I had anticipated, so what I've decided to do is to release a couple of small batches. Looks like there'll be a dozen total (possibly 13) of these first versions, and I plan to make them available in 3 separate batches of four bags (two each with nickel or brass hardware). HOPEFULLY I'll be able to get the first batch listed by the end of the weekend but things are not looking so great. (I would still like to make some different versions later but that'll be a while, I'll need a break after these ones are finished! )

But anyway. Here's a boring front pic of the first finished one, with nickel hardware.


I made a little album on Facebook with a few more pictures, so as to not post too many pics in the thread?
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set ... 689&type=1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Beautiful!!!

I sooo would like to get one of these bag!

I'll be in the line to acquire one.

Thank you

In all honesty though, I do have to say that the edge seams of the canvas divider were machine sewn (all the rest of it was done by hand) and, well... I'm bad at sewing machines, as it turns out, so the seams are functional but don't looks so great.

I finally finished a few. Whew! I put a listing with the link in the Bazaar, because I don't think that would be allowed in the regular forums? Anyway, man, these ended up being more challenging than I thought.

I just realized I haven't done any kind of comparison pics, so here's a quick side-by-side snapshot with a regular MK VII replica. (Note, though, that this one was made by a different manufacturer than the one I used as a reference so some of the proportions are slightly different.)

All right, so, just an FYI, I'll be having a little Labor Day sale this weekend (Friday-Monday), and it's going to include the Indy bags I have on hand.

Very nice! Please tell me you accept paypal and ship internationally.
Would you have a link to where to buy this wonderful bag?
Thanks!
FerFAL

Yeah, my shopping cart is by Paypal, so that's definitely an option (but a Paypal account is also not necessary to use their shopping cart). I do ship internationally through USPS Priority Mail international.

The sale price is going to be $150 without strap, $170 with (good through Monday only, regular prices $189.99/214.99). I'll get the price updated in a few hours, but here's the Bazaar post with more info: http://indygear.com/cow/viewtopic.php?f=40&t=52754" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Edit: Sale price is active! Have at 'em.

Just a couple of updates - the brass bags are currently sold out but there are still two with nickel (silver-colored) hardware available at the sale price, which is still good through tomorrow night.

Yesterday I started working on an oil-tanned version, but there's only going to be, probably, two of those made total. Hopefully they'll be done in a couple of weeks but I'm not sure because the leather is a little thicker and stiffer, and harder to work with. I think they'll end up looking pretty neat. It's a very dark brown leather, and it scuffs up fairly easy, but it's the kind that if you apply heat or friction, scuffs will actually clear up. (Just scuffs though, can't repair scraps or cuts. ) I'm also thinking about doing one of these with the regular brown thread, and one mostly in that thread but with contrasting white thread around the flap... inspired by the Aldens. I know some people don't like that look but I do so I'm just curious as to how it'll look on a bag.

All right, so this bag project didn't work out quite as well as I'd hoped, and neither did my store, which I decided to close after a year and a half. Ah well, at least I gave it my best shot. I do still have one bag ready to sell, just listed it in the Bazaar, if anyone is interested. I also have another half dozen which are half finished but due to work overtime and various other obligations I have no clue when I'll be able to finish them.

Anyway, I wanted to share a pic of one that I made for myself a few months back. I had a little bit of leather that was the same type as the rest but didn't match since it was a little bit darker, so I used that, with green stitching and a green strap. (I'd hoped the green dye would be darker to match my green hat better, but I can always redye it if I find something better). I know it isn't even remotely screen accurate but personally, I really dig the brown & green combo.

Not fond of the green strap, but I LOVE the leather.

Oildale Jones wrote:Not fond of the green strap, but I LOVE the leather.

Haha, yeah, I figured it wouldn't be a popular choice which is why I never made any others like that.

Woah, green used to be my favorite color.


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