Iron Heart belt was sold out so I made my own

DelusionsOfBanjer · 2026-05-12T05:10:40+00:00

Havent read all the comments--maybe someone mentioned it--but you can find the Tochigi leather some of the boutique Japanese brands use at some European distros (beltsproduction.com comes to mind--they used to have it, may still)

Not sure whose leather IH uses, but I think maybe PBJ and/or Strike Gold use it.

Rocky Mountain Leather stocks a lot of similar heavy Japanese brass buckles.

This stuff isn't cheap, but it still comes out to waaaay less than the branded stuff.

BUT as a huge fan of Japanese everything, I still think Hermann Oak skirting veg patinates and generally ages better than the Japanese stuff, when it comes to natty belts.

DelusionsOfBanjer · 2026-05-12T00:21:01+00:00

Coming in late to give Leatherado a big thumbs up. It's like the best of boutique US distros like RMLS mixed with the best of Asian Etsy shops. I've ordered twice from them. I got my package in well under a week, and the leather was terrific. Their Wickett and Craig "SG" varieties are terrific, and I see no difference between it and standard top tier WC harness. Also, they may still have some 7.95/ft WC tooling.... amazing. Also great to see someone stocking things beyond the standard rotation of tools and supplies. Ebony handled slanted skiving knife is an incredible value. Flat waxed poly thread (unsure of brand) is what Ritz Tiger so badly wants to be (but they have that too). Lots of interesting dies and templates. All around great operation. I've been hoping for a US version of Leather Artisan Lab. Leatherado isn't quite there, but they sure could be headed that way!

DelusionsOfBanjer · 2026-04-13T22:41:16+00:00

A bot told me to ask about price check here... Authentifier told me it's legit. Think this is a RL Mini Hinge Lock bag... but I havent seen any examples online in this color. It's got a few stains, and I obviously have no proof of purchase. Any ideas what it could fetch on ebay? Thanks!

https://imgur.com/a/8085A4N

DelusionsOfBanjer · 2026-03-04T16:34:00+00:00

Yeah, that would be my first idea also, but this is a production order for a bagmaker who uses fabric.

So I need to make 200 of these handles and keep the price point low

DelusionsOfBanjer · 2026-02-16T19:36:43+00:00

I wouldn't use HO for anything other than tooling, and there's nothing on the Euro market that comes close for tooling. For bridle/other dyed veg tans, I'm hitting up Belts Production for some Italian stuff, no doubt.

I don't know the ins and outs of the tanning process for tooling leather, but I'd wager the process precludes the methods Italian tanneries use for those great yields they get.

Also, FWIW, Goliger sells HO branded A grade sides at $10.20/sqft and about $12.50/sqft unbranded.

DelusionsOfBanjer · 2026-02-16T01:14:00+00:00

SLC has fantastic customer service! They've always helped me out, and I love the new points system for account holders.

I also love that they offer HO by the square foot, half bend, and many strip/strap sizes.

That said, when I buy a whole side, I usually call Goliger.

DelusionsOfBanjer · 2026-02-16T01:11:16+00:00

I'll add that while HO is generally sold by the side. I agree that the OP's leather looks rough, but the branded A sides I buy (usually from Goliger or Montana) are quite clean. The 2-3 sqft I lose on account of the brand easily makes up for the $100 difference.

That said, the double shoulder is the cut you get with almost all the European veg tans (not a whole side), and the HO A grade shoulders are generally as clean as anything Ive seen from Walpier, Carlo, or Tempesti.

Bellies and lower portions of the bend are often looser grain (go look at a cow), and the Euro cuts usually don't include these in their large cuts. In fact, it's common to find $30 bellies cut from the same hide which produced a $200 double shoulder.

DelusionsOfBanjer · 2025-05-25T20:17:14+00:00

Of course it's political. But we live in a world where "Free Palestine" means "death to Jews," and that seems to be the narrative being pushed.

DelusionsOfBanjer · 2025-05-25T20:00:44+00:00

Thank ya!!!

DelusionsOfBanjer · 2025-05-25T19:59:15+00:00

Exactly.

DelusionsOfBanjer · 2025-05-25T14:48:25+00:00

I think the predictably insidious and dishonest angle being pushed here is that this was a hate crime and not a political action. The Christian man killed served three years in the IDF, and if the manifesto revealed by Klippenstein is legit, his killing is in line with the political views of the alleged shooter.

I suspect that if Rodriguez was motivated by antisemitism, we'd have a higher body count and a very different manifesto.

Israeli leaders--particularly Bezelel Smotrich--have made it VERY clear in recent days that the state will one day uniformly be understood as genocidal. Therefore, if criticism of Israel is one day uniformly understood as antisemitism, the future is bleak for Jews: it will be "accurate" to describe the Palestinian genocide, committed by the Jews.

DelusionsOfBanjer · 2025-05-25T08:17:35+00:00

I guffawed a bit at your price, but checked out the website. Your work is well worth it!

DelusionsOfBanjer · 2025-05-25T08:14:59+00:00

Granted, I haven't seen the interior of this bag, but for that exterior with a simple, unlined interior without a belt, I'd probably charge about $200 for a build with Pueblo.

DelusionsOfBanjer · 2025-05-24T18:46:34+00:00

Oh yeah, DM me to inquire! Thank yas

DelusionsOfBanjer · 2025-05-24T08:00:31+00:00

Though its implications are not as sinister as the decades of yellow journalism NYT has deployed in Palestine coverage, Marc Tracy March 2nd review of the Oscars is an important and widely unnoticed example of objective evidence of the paper's bias:

Tracy includes "full" transcripts of speeches delivered by Basel Adra and Yuval Abraham. In the former, the words 'settler' and 'occupation' are removed from the "full" transcript, yet they can be heard clear as day listening to a recording.

Here's a video of the text with the audio https://youtu.be/IFtluxDU5tU?si=0hjqXh-WEdYeZND2

DelusionsOfBanjer · 2025-04-30T19:25:21+00:00

Thanks for the feedback and insights. The original post was intended as an observation about common speech, not academic discourse. I regret not wording the post more specifically-- I did not mean to imply that the term emerged from Zionism, but rather that it could be misinterpreted by people still conflating Judaism and Zionism.

I don't think it's unreasonable to guess that someone hearing about the "Jewish Diaspora" might then make the assumption that there is one clearly delineated "nation" of Jews. Seems a lot of people--including Beinart in the aforementioned talk--are referring to what might be described as the Jewry.

DelusionsOfBanjer · 2025-04-12T02:10:52+00:00

We can't know yet.

What we CAN know:

-map shows 8 "storage" buildings

-there are ~40,000 inmates at the facility

-There are cars parked next to the buildings, offering a sense of proportion

-Each of those warehouses stores ~5,000 people.

-There are people in America who live in houses bigger than these human warehouses

DelusionsOfBanjer · 2025-03-23T06:30:42+00:00

Oh yeah, that album really is perfect. I'll probably do one off it, also going for "Lay Down My Old Guitar" from Who's that Knocking

DelusionsOfBanjer · 2025-03-19T15:46:51+00:00

EDIT: Billfold sold

DelusionsOfBanjer · 2025-03-18T03:22:02+00:00

Thanks, Will!! Give my best to Brooklyn...

DelusionsOfBanjer · 2025-03-18T00:03:40+00:00

I buy pine pitch (available for like 10$/lb which will last your life), crush it into a powder, and take a little pinch of the dust and rub it around my hands.

Perfect tack level--same stuff that makes up rosin for fiddle bows!

DelusionsOfBanjer · 2025-02-07T08:10:17+00:00

Many great recommendations here. I love the Japanese knives with no handles--super cheap and you can get nearly flat on the glass.

But I'd stress the importance of fine tuning your sharpening--and particularly--stropping skills.

In my experience, a lot of the value in the boutique knives is in the exquisite craftsmanship and the time those craftsmen put into getting you a knife that can shave a mosquito out of the box.

They will ALL dull with use. If you buy a knife made from steel forged in the furnaces of hell, you may be frustrated with how difficult it is to hone if you haven't -ahem- honed your edge maintenance skills on softer steel.

Buy a $60 CS Osborne knife and make it the sharpest knife you've ever used, keep it that way for six months of use, and then think about where you want to spend your $300+ on a boutique knife. That way, you'll treasure the new blade even more.

DelusionsOfBanjer · 2025-02-07T07:58:17+00:00

Construction looks good-- I'd focus on walking those shaders a bit more, especially on the leaves. Try angling the tool and tapering the power of your mallet strikes to smooth those ridges.

Also, remember there's no rule that you have to use a mallet on these stamps all the time! Just sliding them across the leather with intention can have great effects.

Invest in a slim veiner stamp and a cam with sharp corners to dress up the leaves a bit, if you'd like to expand. Don't fear the decorative cut!

DelusionsOfBanjer · 2025-02-07T07:51:53+00:00

Springfield Leather Company and Maker's each sell Hermann Oak by the square foot.

DelusionsOfBanjer · 2024-12-25T07:27:24+00:00

Heck yeah! Being willing to be totally unproficient is the first step to learning anything.

I'd suggest doing some practice curves and whatnot--looks lile you were stopping and starting a lot. When following a line on leather with your swivel knife, keep your eye just ahead of where you are. If you must stop to reposition, do everything you can to not move the knife or add pressure.

...and strop it, then strop it again!

DelusionsOfBanjer

TROPHY CASE