#sgmakers

I’m constantly intrigued by how leathercraft tools have evolved over a handful of years. The craft was dominated by traditional tools. Some tools may not have been very efficient or perhaps were not designed for the modern day crafter’s needs. Fast forward to this day, numerous crafters/tool makers are creating, arguably more pragmatic yet aesthetically beautiful tools. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Here is a small overview of some traditional tools placed alongside their modern iterations. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ A few interesting general notes in my opinion: ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Classic Vergez Blanchard marking Irons and stitching irons from @sinabroks and @myura_leather . Pricking irons in the past was mainly used to just mark the leather followed by using an awl to pierce the leather to create each stitching hold. Modern day stitching irons are typically designed to pierce through the leather. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Leather knives have adopted many modern day versions of steels, these are generally more resistant to corrosion and retain a sharper edge for longer. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ The traditional curved shaped Fileteuse heads for creasing leather edges was probably the only mainstream shaped head available.(i might be mistaken here) Pictured in the top right corner, the traditional shaped head is flanked by modern day cousins such as the round head, well suited for curves and a single rod head that is perfect for sealing watch strap lug holes. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #heicrafted #handmade #handtools #handcrafted #handcraft #handstitched #handwork #leather #leatherwork #leathercraft #leathercrafttools #sgmakers #sgcrafters #craft https://www.instagram.com/p/CGRT5PUlaWJ/?igshid=1p27joqf5yovl

Hope everyone is doing well ! Been pretty busy as of late, but making steady progress on this project. Sharing another quick tip, pictured is one component of the current project being stitched up, however notice that a smaller clamp/jig is slotted into the main clamp. The narrower head allows me to hold the item without flattening the molded portions. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ www.heicrafted.com #heicrafted #handmade #handtools #handcrafted #handcraft #handstitched #handwork #leather #leatherwork #leathercraft #leathercrafttools #sgmakers #sgcrafters #craft #madeinsingapore🇸🇬 #madeinsg #museumcalf https://www.instagram.com/p/B2Qo2GeFsdm/?igshid=1fzh6x5jh73tu

Edge working on an ongoing briefcase project. Pictured is the handle edges receiving a fresh coat of edge dye. There are many ways and techniques of finishing edges. For this project, the relatively common way of building layers of edge dye is applied. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ The raw leather edges are firstly sanded down or finely trimmed with a sharp knife to level the edges. Then a layer of dye is applied and allowed to seep into the fibers of the leather. After it’s dried, the edges are sanded down or heated with a heating iron to further seal and flatten the fibers. This process is essentially repeated till a glass smooth finish is achieved. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ www.heicrafted.com #heicrafted #handmade #handtools #handcrafted #handcraft #handstitched #handwork #leather #leatherwork #leathercraft #leathercrafttools #sgmakers #sgcrafters #craft #madeinsingapore #museumcalf ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ https://www.instagram.com/p/BzhkIkGl72C/?igshid=zknno4p5fr6g

Received this pleasant surprise from Jin @sinabroks a couple of months back and would like to share my personal review of them. I’ve heard of the controversy between @ks_blade_punch and @sinabroks. This opinion of mine is purely based on my perspective of both companies as excellent tool crafters of which i appreciate their craftsmanship engineered into their tools. I look forward to more quality and innovative tools in the future. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ I love the weight and the feel of it. Every edge was beveled and gripping the iron was comfortable. The warm appearance of polished brass is exciting and i am sure these irons will take on a gorgeous patina in time. The heft provides stability while lining up the stitching teeth on leather. The teeth is very sharp and has excellent penetration that produces clean entry and exit holes. The body that holds the pricking teeth is slimmer and longer than their KS counterpart which improves visibility when lining up the iron. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ The pricking teeth width is much wider than many of the other irons i’ve tried. Stitching in thinner (832 Lin cable) thread might create a little gap on each stitch as the thread does not fill up the stitching hole as much. However, it sits very well with thicker threads (532 Lin Cable) as the extra space allows the thread to sit well into the stitching hole, keeping the threads flushed with the leather. Whereas with smaller width irons, thicker threads may sit on top of the leather and unpleasantly flatten out after being hammered down. Lastly the angle of the slant is slightly higher than KS, producing a more slanted stitching aesthetic. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ To summarise, engineered beautifully and extremely robust. The larger width teeth and higher slant angle may not be for everyone but it does it job very well. The recent teeth replacement kit by @sinabroks is brilliant, but i highly doubt these teeth would break easily under normal use. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ www.heicrafted.com #heicrafted #handmade #handtools #handcrafted #handcraft #handstitched #handwork #leather #leatherwork #leathercraft #leathercrafttools #sgmakers #sgcrafters #craft #madeinkorea https://www.instagram.com/p/BvisOKQDkdd/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=r1b8gjhp02p5

Wishing everyone a fruitful and wonderful new year ! May the year ahead be filled with more blessings for you and your family. Would love to take this time to thank everyone once again for the immense support, so many of you constantly inspire me and keep me driven. Thank you ! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Pictured: showcasing some tools acquired within the year and some others that have gone through we me for a few years. Many of these tools are amazing crafted by passionate craftsmen. It’s a privilege to have the opportunity to put these tools to good use. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ www.heicrafted.com ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #heicrafted #handmade #handtools #handcrafted #handcraft #handstitched #handwork #bespoke #custom #madeinsg #style #leather #leatherwork #leathercraft #leathercrafttools #menstyle #menfashion #luxurylife #sgmakers #sgcrafters #thosewhomake #craft https://www.instagram.com/p/BsF2cjMj3ia/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=11d4jycb6posr

Some daily essential tools, each and every tool is invaluable in its own function. Some tools showcased are new but I’ve gotten very comfortable with them. Notably is @chartermade_leather_studio mark 2 lap skiving knife. Makes short work of smaller project’s skiving needs that holds an immensely reassuring heft in the hand. A full review will be posted up soon ! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #heicrafted #handmade #handcrafted #bespoke #style #leather #leatherwork #leathercraft #leathercrafttools #menstyle #mensaccessories #menfashion #luxurylife #sgmakers #sgcrafters #thosewhomake #hengleong #makertools ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ www.heicrafted.com https://www.instagram.com/p/BoN3P1fjJZj/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=15xfo9iprp6gb

Horween's elusive and coveted shell cordovan in Marbled color #8 and Marbled Black. From our understanding, the varied color tones is achieved by painstakingly applying the aniline dye by hand to achieve the varied stripes in the finish. This needs to be masterfully executed by a skilled craftsman to achieve these gorgeous patterns. Synonyms with the Horween shells, the patterns aesthetically appears to change dynamic as it catches light from different angles. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Many clients have asked for marbled shell for wallet exteriors and watch straps, i’m delighted to be able to finally meet your requests with these sublime shells. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Cordovan origins :The word “cordovan” more than being the pinnacle of quality leather. Historically, it refers to a city that was the pinnacle of art, culture, and education. "Qurtuba", later called Cordoba (hence, cordovan) by the Spanish, was the capital of Islamic Iberia for around 100 years between 930 and 1030 a.d. Cordoba, was said to contain more books than all other libraries in europe put together and its Great Mosque, referred to as a miracle of art and architecture, attracts visitors from all over the world still today. Prime amongst their artistic accomplishments was the Cordobans’ renowned mastery of leather arts, specifically tanning. It appears that a combination of ideal conditions for tanning turned the countryside surrounding Cordoba into a utopia for leather production. The fact that the wealthy city of Cordoba nearby provided a vast demand for Cordobans’ high quality luxurious goods. Regardless of how Cordoba became a center for the leather trade and it had a monumental influence. It imbedded itself into the language to describe leather and leather goods, specifically shoes. The french word for shoemaker, became “cordoanier,” which, transliterated into English, means cordovan-er; someone who works with cordovan leather. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #heicrafted #handmade #handcrafted #bespoke #style #leather #leatherwork #leathercraft #leathercrafttools #menstyle #mensaccessories #menfashion #luxurylife #sgmakers #sgcrafters #thosewhomake #horween #shellcordovan #cordovan #madeinamerica #horweenleather https://www.instagram.com/p/BnahPFIFdY-/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=xxzjibqjiyzx

After the 10 point lasting is completed, its moving onto the nailing down the rest of the upper to tightly form it around the last. The first photo shows the final after nailing down the entire upper. Subsequent photos details how we reached this stage. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ (2nd photo) The heel leather is slowly tucked in and nailed down, the method of approaching this section is to create little “hills”between each nail and to continuously nail down each little “hill” across the entire heel area. I did a rather rough job here. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ (3rd photo) Working on the toe cap. The nails are removed around the toe cap area with the upper leather pulled back. The lining layer is glue onto the insole followed by the toe cap which is formed by skived down natural vegetable tan leather, wet molded onto the toe cap and glue on.⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ (4th photo) The upper is pulled and nailed down around the toe cap, applying the same methodology as the heel area. This is attempt at the toe cap. The photo following this was done by Sensei Misawa. Huge difference in workmanship here ! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ www.heicrafted.com ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #heicrafted #handmade #handtools #handcrafted #handcraft #handstitched #handwork #bespoke #custom #madeinsg #style #leather #leatherwork #leathercraft #leathercrafttools #menstyle #menfashion #luxurylife #sgmakers #sgcrafters #thosewhomake #craft