Thanks Dan. Same here, I love the classics and the traditionals, but trying to kick it up a notch for a more unique look. I think will make it less than 3mm for the casual watches, this thickness maybe more suitable with field or sport watches...

I encountered this more than once, not FAC but other poly and linen threads. But I think first you need to check if your needle went through the exact center of the thread, it will give you strongest hold, and second is when pulling, I grab the part right behind the knots ( not use the needles themselves to pull ). It helped, in my case.

Thanks Phil. Will take that note for next project. I have several tails, some are really soft, but some ( HCP alligator ) are quite firm and sturdy for both grain side and fiber on the flesh side ( guess this is the one you are talking about ), so maybe firm or soft its the tanning technique 🤔.

You meant this Ted?

You have to let the bag comes to you, don't force it 😆.

Thank you. I sharpened it in advance of every new projects ( as guided ), firm leather is just much easier to do, really soft leather usually got rolled or stuck on the upper guide. I am still trying to figure that out before I use expensive leathers with it. P/S : I had butterflies in my stomach seeing you skive ostrich in the course though.

Beautiful bag Dunn, I am thinking to make it with some greyish shrunken calf as well. Perhaps you can share more with us more details, such as : - Who is the maker of exterior shrunken calf? - What is you used for interior lining? - The inconvenience you had with Sedgwick English Bridle or other difficulties you experienced when making it? Maybe @Phillips can shed some light on the matter and how to avoid it. I am also wondering if shrunken calf is the right leather for this kind of bag which requires an ability to resist frictions during traveling. Hope I can learn a thing or two from you before making mine.

Stunning Cristian! The cylinder body would protect the cigars better when we travel, I saw this kind of humidor before just not the one for traveling. Color matching is spot on, I love the brown one! Some questions though : - What is the cylinder made of? Wood or leather? You mentioned lining it with Cedar. - Is the humidor air-tight with just leather and zipper to keep the lid close? I assumed that you have monitored it for sometime. I will definitely attempt it in the future when I master more techniques. However, in my personal view, I will have lighter and cutter compartments made more practical in a way to not effect the cylinder body as a whole. P/S : To be honest, I was paying attention to the Esplendidos more than the humidors themselves, those are splendid smoke 😍

@Cristian h-less Great, I'll follow your post then. I'm also studying the humidor for travel, the one you have mind. This one I wanted for outdoor activities . Thanks you for sharing it.

Hi Cristian, Yes I know some of the good artisans after I got into this craft. Most are very talented, with shop quality leathergoods, but sadly its too late for me to go back, my budget is for tools now :))). I was wondering your first question as well, and in my opinion it has several reasons for it : (1) background : most Asia countries, especially South East Asia are developing countries, a big portion of our population are working with agriculture, or manual labor works, so handcraft just fit right in naturally, ( 2 ) handsize : it is just easier for us to working with little parts and all the tiny details, (3) working ethnic & income : in general, handcrafts are time-consuming with little gain, but Asians' pricing can be much better for similar product with the same working hours of Americans or Europeans, so people don't find it tedious patiently crafting handmade goods. Therefore some copied product are even better than the original brand product because it was made by hands with lots of efforts ( for example : I had LV and a few other brand leathergoods but the edge paint was never glass-like pretty, I think it is simply not worth it for them brands to spend that much time on an edge, but the artisan can ), (4) easy access to China goods : you have to tip your hat to them, they can make anything or copy anything with competitive price, lots of jigs came from them to make our work easier. The fours above just came up top of my head, I would love to discuss further about it if anyone have more insights on the matter. There isn't any leatherwork school here as I know of. If one is interested, one can apply at some specific workshops and get trained. How are things working there? I am afraid I would need more details on the subject before I can share my view. And I fancied a Peter James case for my cigars, now I know it is not that difficult to make, I just need to design mine 😅 :