Tag Archives: leather craft

Yugoslavian Military Leather belt – refurbished

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Jugoslawischer Militärgürtel Leder vintage Jugoslawischer Militärgürtel vintage used worn Army
Jugoslavian vintage leather army belt military

After some decades this Yugoslavian military leather belt needed some care

Recently a friend of mine sent me this beauty. For me this Yugoslavian Army leather belts are monuments. The leather they used and the way they saddle stitched and how, is a lecture. Its a mass produced piece a leather craftsman or a collector should take time to examine and try to understand why they did it that way.  After some decades of use and storage the linen thread just broke. So I dissembled the belt to its parts, treated the leather with neat food oil to condition it, and saddle stitched it. To give the 18/5 Barbour linen thread an more vintage look fitting the belt, I soaked it in blacktea before I put the beeswax on it.

A fine example how classic and durable design, crafted the right way and using the right materials can last decades. Such a piece is definitely worth the effort to expand its lifetime.

Another hand sewn Leather Tote Bag

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Another hand sewn Leather Tote Bag

I just finished a improved version of my leather tote bag. First of all the leather is a bit darker and has even more character. Then I extended the length of the straps a bit. The major change went trough the inner pocket. It is now out of the same material as the other bag. I added 2 loops to hold a pen and a bigger Mont Blanc pen or Kaweco (or a mini maglite) and as well a pocket for a small knife.

Thanks to my friends of Passion France to equip me with some of the nicest pocket knifes France has to offer. Not only can I offer the Douk Douk or a Sujet various knifes from Thiers, Laguiole and St-Martin are on stock now. 

On the 2nd last image you see a scar on the hide. I did choose to not hide it or cut around it. Leather is a natural material which should be treated with respect and care. The scar adds character to the bag and let us memorize that it was actually from a living creature which has its life and accidents. (since the scar is hardly a fraction of a millimeter deep, rather just on the surface, it won´t seriously harm the strength of the bag).

+++ Update October 2019 +++

More than 5 years later, I made quite a few of this bags. My leatherworkshop became my profession and passion. The bag in it´s style and concept has envolved just a bit since. To get more information an updated images please check my website – Alexander von Bronewski Manufaktur

Glückspfennig Gürtel / Lucky Penny Belt

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Glückspfennig Gürtel Handgenäht Lucky Penny Belt Glückspfennig Gürtel Handgenäht Lucky Penny BeltGlückspfennig Gürtel – Lucky Penny Belt

This time a real Glückspfennig belt. For the last one I made, I did not have a real “D-Mark”/ old german currency Pfennig in reach. But now I´m well stocked with pennies, about half a kilo of pennies are here and probably most birth years should be within it. Just ask if you want one made with your year of birth.

be-cause / feinschmuck leather workshop – ulmia ott work bench

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For a long time I´ve been watching this vintage Ulmia Ott workbench in Manfreds Garage. When I saw the restoration project of a similar Ulmia workbench @ TopHatter I finally asked him how he liked the idea of “getting rid” of this workbench. Actually he needed more space be-cause of the just bought Feinschmuck Fiat 238. So we roughly cleaned the bench, let it dry for a day and moved it into my home yesterday. This is the workspace where Feinschmucks buckles are hand sewn and turn into a belt from now on.