Since the locking mechanism of my Zeno watch tend to open sometimes or a lot of times, the decision of getting a replacement was on the list. After seeing the DIY guide by Wood&Faulk on sewing a Nato style watch strap I decided to give it a try. Ok, I give posting a about leather a break now.
Inspired by some great leather crafters I decided to give leather a try. Leather is such a great material in so many variations. I started to get stitches straight with a normal round awl just to find out, or better be told by Simon and Uwe that this is bullshit. Switching to the diamond shaped awl brings in another task to align the blade right. I made some progress but actually it really helped me to improve my judgement about good quality leather crafts and crap. If you actually make the experience how hard it is to master “simple looking” tasks you evaluate products differently.
My first project was to sew a dog collar for my dog, he is not too picky about stuff and a very good tester for durability. The seams hold really well so far! Then I continued to work on buckles and belts and now I did a couple of IPhone Sheaths / covers. Above you see the last one, getting better but still not in any way close to be too proud of.
I don´t own a smartphone but you can get dummies for a mold for less then 10 bucks. It´s tricky to create and to dimension the template, esp. when the leather is a thick one. Probably the most challenging thing are the curves and corners and to cut them out evenly. However you learn by your mistakes and messy results, and the goal is to develop skill by what you do. Punching holes and sewing can be meditative in some way and its nice to see something developing and done with your own hands.
HerbstspaziergangNo time for hiking recently, but a short walk in the countryside in the woods is always possible and worth it. Some nice colored leaves, the always so green moss, a corncob left behind, the panorama of the alps or the flight/landing of the bees.
Omega Bureaunadeln – Paper clipsAnother vintage find, some “Omega Bureaunadeln”. I like the simple but nice design of the box and the clips itself are really well made.
Schachenmayr Gerberei / Tannery Bad GrönenbachLately I visited the Schachenmayr Gerberei / Tannery in Bad Grönenbach to buy leather for upcoming Feinschmuck Buckles/Belts. Unluckily the rumors were right, the Schachenmayr Tannery is discontinuing to make leather, which they did since 1851. But the good news is that the machines, the knowledge and the recipes will be passed to another german based Tannery. Mr Schachenmayr will so be able to trade “his” great leather after his specifications, further to his clients.
Through a hint by a follower I came across this furniture designer / carpenter. A great and probably a very comfortable chair to grab a good book and chill. Check also the other products Phloem Studio crafts.
Herder Buckelsklingen Messer / KnifesBy being a non to sensitive guy and breaking a Herder Windmühlen Frühstücksmesser (bending it too much – like trying to drill out a shark on a flyfishing rod) I came into contact with Matthias van Reimersdahl. He is the guy you might have met, producing these great knifes live at the Manufactum Stores. He offered to make me a new one and replacing my old one. Recently not just one, two arrived one crafted with a plum wooden handle and the other had a cherry one. On his calligraphic note he mentioned enjoy the sharpness of the Buckelsklinge and not to cut myself.
They are sharp as hell and you might not find a more harmless looking knife, distributed as a breakfast knife who will let most of you blades leave behind speaking of sharpness. To even push the limits I gave one of the blades a treatment on my straight razor strop, and as you see I was able to get rid of some hair on my leg.
I have probably given close to 20 knifes to friends and my family as a present and all of those knifes turned into their No.1 kitchen knife afterward. I would rank this knife as a must have without hesitation – get one! If you regret it, I really would like to hear you point of view.
Thanks Matthias for these special knifes!
Tellason Bird Jean @ DenimhuntersCheck the guest post I did for Denimhunters about the just released Tellason Bird Raw Denim Jean for the Ladies.
I often hear “you must have time to bake your own bread” (all the time). But basically it does not take more that getting in a car, driving to a bakery, waiting in the queue and driving back. And there are other things which are also essential to me.
– the absolute knowledge what ingredients have been used (ok let´s assume you know what you bought)
– the smell in the house of fresh bread
– the joy of looking at the bread rising and darkening
– the sound of the cracking crust while the bread cools down
– the first cut trough the bread and eating it with just some butter + salt
– cutting the loaf in 4/4 and sharing at least 2/4 or 3/4 of it with your family and friends
– seeing their joy when they got a warm piece of the bread and sometimes getting something back in exchange.
Just go through the no knead bread recipe but i will describe the routine quickly how I do it.
5 minutes
– grabbing a bow, putting in the yeast, salt, water and flour, mixing it and let it rest until the next morning
1 minute
– hopefully the yeast has blown up your dough, stir it again, put in about 2 spoons of flour and turn the dough a bit (or leave it, if you want to have a shiny surface on the crust). Switch the oven to 250C and put in the pot and the cover.
1 minute
– after about 30 minutes (or up to 1hour) the pot is hot enough, throw in the dough and close it with the cover.
1 minute
– open the cover after about 45 minutes (up to 1 hour is also ok) @ 250 C, switch down to 220 C
1 minute
– after about 15 minutes or up to 25 minutes get the bread out of the oven and put the loaf out of the pot.
So it´s just about 10 minutes to prepare YOUR BREAD, Have a nice day!
FHB in Bielefeld also referred by themselves as the “Original Bielefelder” is producing since 1894, 100% of their goods in Germany. You might have spotted the craftsman doing their Walz/Waltz after their apprenticeship. This tradition is still proudly done in some crafts where you travel with minimum belongings, have to hitchhike, shall not come close to your hometown for some years and other “rules”. (check here for some more detailed info about the tradition).
Said that it´s is logic that those guys wont travel with an improper wardrobe. FHB´s aim is to provide those craftsmen with a sturdy, high quality wardrobe so they can fulfill their job and journey. A really tough Corduroy is the basic of their products. Lined with a strong canvas and tough buttons. There is no fault spottable in the construction. Another fine detail is the “Z” like sewn on buttons which stands for “Zunft”, a registered trademark of FHB. The more traditional two row jacket/sakko has 6 buttons who stand for the workdays and the vest/waistcoat underneath got 8 buttons for the work hours on every day.
When I first saw this company and their products I was happy to finally spot a german/european company who can keep up when it comes to heritage brands on the globe. This jacket is an overseen classic which will add well to a wardrobe with style. Rugged, no flimsy details, so easy to take care after and long wearing which will pay off after a while. Thanks FHB for working dedicated to maintain your standards.
Where to get FHB outside Germany?
Manufactum has some of their pants and Winkelbediende Warenmagazijn is selling FHB since 3 years. Within Germany e.g. you can order it at Zunft.de.
And last but not least a Walz/Waltz inspired song by Tom Waits.
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