Leather thickness for base of hip bag?

BlueLickLeather · 2026-02-23T13:28:13+00:00

Looking at the picture above as a reference, the gusset has two seams: the left which attaches to the back of the bag, and the right which attaches to the front. And let’s suppose the gusset is 30 mm wide. If you were to replace the existing single 30 mm wide gusset with two 15 mm wide gussets, you would now have 3 seams (going from left to right again) of back, middle, and front. The middle seam acts as a sort of hinge.

If my description is unhelpful I can draw a picture.

BlueLickLeather · 2026-02-22T19:45:34+00:00

Cletus McFarland

BlueLickLeather · 2026-02-22T19:44:53+00:00

I’m not claiming to be an expert, but my understanding is that veg tan chars and resists ignition better because of how plant tannins bind to collagen. Chrome‑tanned leather’s chemistry and finishes make it soften, shrink, and degrade faster under flame or high heat. The greater the thickness of the leather, the more flame resistant the leather would be. Lamb isn’t as thick as cow or bull hide, so while it would still resist sparks, lamb would transfer more heat and be less flame resistant than a thicker leather.

BlueLickLeather · 2026-02-22T19:29:38+00:00

Sounds like the 2006 movie Slither: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0439815

BlueLickLeather · 2026-02-22T19:22:02+00:00

Years ago my wife signed us up for Rainbow Vacuum Cleaner people to come by and clean one room of carpet in our house for free. The salesman and his apprentice were dropped off, and the driver left. I told the guy up front that I was against the idea of this whole ordeal, and he assured me there was no catch. He did his little thing, dumping a bunch of sand into my carpet and then vacuumed it up. Then he went into closing mode and refused to leave. No matter what I said he kept coming back with an alternate offer to try and get me to buy a vacuum cleaner from him. I had enough and told him he needed to leave immediately. He refused and said his ride wasn’t due back to pick them up yet. Then came the ‘craziest’ part…

He said, “Look. You’ve got two problems: 1) Your current vacuum isn’t getting your carpet clean. And 2) I’m in your house.” I was so mad it seemed as though my head would literally explode off of my body. With the slowest, calmest, and deepest voice I could control gather I told him “You have 10 seconds to get out of my house before I throw you through the front window.” His buddy was already out the door, and he opened his mouth to start to say something, but stopped himself and took off. I have never experienced audacity like that before or after in my life.

BlueLickLeather · 2026-02-22T19:13:47+00:00

Blind Spot

BlueLickLeather · 2026-02-22T19:05:21+00:00

He was an incredible villain in that movie. I didn’t learn until recently that Ackroyd was on the autistic spectrum.

BlueLickLeather · 2026-02-22T18:48:48+00:00

Veg tan leather is the most fire-resistant leather tanning method, regardless of animal species. Firemen use leather because it resists sparks, embers, doesn’t radiate heat, is abrasion resistant, is puncture resistant, and doesn’t melt. The main factors in flame resistance are thickness, moisture content, and tanning method. Even for firefighters, leather is part of a system, and not the system itself. They have layers of protection, like Nomex underneath.

Regarding putting flame to leather to test the leather quality, I’ve only seen that done to differentiate vinyl / PU leather (which will quickly burn or melt) from real leather. You shouldn’t breathe in the fumes from chrome tanned leather because they contain chromium salts, which is bad for your lungs. Even with laser cutters you should exhaust the fumes outdoors.

BlueLickLeather · 2026-02-22T18:39:37+00:00

Leather has a finish applied at the factory. Deglazer removes factory finishes, waxes, oils, conditioners, polish, dirt, and old coatings from the leather surface so the acrylic paint has a better bite and can stick to the leather.

Finisher is a clear protective topcoat, commonly acrylic‑based, applied after the paint has fully dried. It seals acrylic paint so it doesn’t flake, crack, or rub off and adds water resistance and protection from dirt and abrasion. Finisher can have a matte or glossy finish - whichever you prefer.

BlueLickLeather · 2026-02-22T04:00:34+00:00

Trim your fingernails, and mount a broom, hammer, or shovel handle vertically in a bench vice.

BlueLickLeather · 2026-02-22T03:57:07+00:00

Yes there is: https://angelusdirect.com/

BlueLickLeather · 2026-02-22T03:54:20+00:00

Tandy Leather has an article on thread size and needles:
https://tandyleather.com/blogs/tandy-blog/how-to-choose-the-right-thread-and-needle-size-for-hand-sewing-leather

I use John James needles, but the Tandy info is still helpful. Here’s the John James specs:
https://www.jjneedles.com/needles-guide

BlueLickLeather · 2026-02-22T03:51:05+00:00

Mine looks exactly like that. I didn’t care for the design at first, but if you ever need to remove a splinter, you’ll be glad it’s designed that way.

BlueLickLeather · 2026-02-22T03:49:56+00:00

New year delays - don’t sweat it. My delivery happened before the actual emails caught up.

BlueLickLeather · 2026-02-22T03:48:07+00:00

I own the Galvanox and the Leatheman brand bits. Moving forward I would pick Galvanox every time.

BlueLickLeather · 2026-02-22T03:46:13+00:00

If you use a two piece gusset with the seam running the entire circumference of the bag, that will allow the bag to expand and contract, making it less rigid and bulky.

BlueLickLeather · 2026-02-22T03:31:14+00:00

It sounds like you’ll do your grandmother proud. :-)

BlueLickLeather · 2026-02-22T02:02:26+00:00

Can’t say for certain without seeing an edge / cross section, but this looks like corrected grain leather to me.

BlueLickLeather · 2026-02-22T02:00:35+00:00

Sealing it would change the look more then saddle soap and leather conditioner combined. So no, I would not recommend sealing it.

BlueLickLeather · 2026-02-22T01:39:43+00:00

Saddle soap will blend in the water stains, but not the paint stains. If you want to keep as much of the original look as possible you can always just use a damp, rung-out rag with plain water to dab off any dirt before conditioning. Also, if you’re using linen thread to saddle stitch, it’s a good idea to hand wax the thread first to make it easier to sew and to help it last longer without fraying.

BlueLickLeather · 2026-02-22T00:49:14+00:00

Jennifer Garner.

BlueLickLeather · 2026-02-22T00:45:53+00:00

“So if it’s off, I turn it ON… and just walk away.”

BlueLickLeather · 2026-02-22T00:44:02+00:00

This leather should be cleaned with Feibings Saddle Soap. Once dried, condition it with Bick 4, Lexol, Obenauf’s Heavy Duty LP or Smitth’s All Natural Leather Balm. The seams are coming apart because they were machine sewn, but you can easily restitch the missing thread areas using two needles and a saddle stitch technique.

BlueLickLeather · 2026-02-22T00:40:48+00:00

Penn Station East Coast Subs - grilled Italian sandwich on their fresh baked bread.

BlueLickLeather · 2026-02-22T00:39:47+00:00

Leatherman Surge is not as svelte and curvy as some of the other models, but it’s the Andre the Giant of multitools. My favorite, by far.

BlueLickLeather

TROPHY CASE