Soft Goods

Field Notes Covered!

Posted on September 22, 2020 by akadventurer

Been trying to post this for a week or two. For a while now I’ve wanted to make a leather cover for the Field Notes I carry. Like, a year… or more.

But every now and then I stop carrying thrm for a while. Like this sum

mer I stopped because it was one less item that I would be touching in stores, out and about, that I couldn’t really disinfect in any way. I went to using my phone for to do lists and time cards at work(covid free zone cause no one else is there.. well, mostly), and memorizing shopping lists.
At work its been ok, except where I need to take fast notes, measurements, and layout diagrams.
And it never worked for lists.
So I’ve gone back to carrying the notebooks. And to wanting a cover to help keep them from disintegrating.
I had a cover before, got in late 2011 but it was made for a thicker Moleskine book, which I used it with for a couple years off and on. But to not be too floppy when I transitioned to field notes in 2014, it had to have at least 2, 3 better, in it. Too thick to carry easilly. Which I did do for a while.
But it became too cumbersome, and I went to naked single notebooks. And then found that the naked notebooks get torn up a lot.
After a while I went to wrapping all new Field Notes in a layer of heavy duty packing tape, to keep them more colorfast, and less fragile. But even then they can still get pretty beat up before I get through one. Especially if there is a lot of carry and little use, like this summer.
So anyway. I don’t have time to make anything. Or really to think about making anything. The old rule rings true, you can have time to do things OR money to do things. Not both.
I love the job I have, ain’t complaining. Just missing having time for other things… 😉
So anyway, I broke down and started shopping/browsing. And after A LOT of narrowing it down, I bought a couple things that normally I’d prefer to make.
I wanted simple thin leather, 3 to 4oz flexible but abrasive resistant… And real leather.
And the front and back pockets that slip over the cover on the book. Thats really hard to narrow down, so many makers do the Midori/travelers style with the elastic bands in the spine, no hold for the covers. I want to open the leather, and the notebook as one, not have to open each separate.
And Just those pockets. No credit card slot, no pen holder, no hold shut strap. And hug the notebook like second skin, not a arctic parka 3 sizes too big.
And not $100 freaking bucks…
So.. I found what I liked, then what I REALLY liked, and at a bit more than I wanted to spend (figured about $25 was good for paying a craftsman, where they profit but I don’t get gouged) I figured what the hell and did it. Was About $35.
Super glad I did!!
So it turned out to be thicker leather than I wanted. And it doesn’t hug the edges of the book as close as I’d have liked.
Its actually bigger in footprint in both thickness and area, as the old cover I had. The old cover I stopped trying to use because it was too big in pocket, and uncomfortable.
This amazingly disappears, I can’t feel it at all!!
Yeah, anyway, shut up and show pics AK, I know…
Old and new

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Inside (came with a single graph craft notebook, a pleasant surprise)

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And the outside showing why I splurged and got this. Some of you will remember a slight obsession I have with compass rose designs… Just couldn’t pass this up! Its laser engraved, and surprisingly deeply.

Here is a link to the nakers shop, if anyone is interested.

https://www.etsy.com/shop/LostSkeletonsBrandCo

The only disadvantage to using this is any of the Field Notes quarterly eddition I get, I don’t get to see the fancy covers. And since I just got several packs of special editions, I’m feeling this loss. But just because I have the cover doesn’t mean I ALWAYS have to use it.
So I think I can find a happy medium where I will still get to see the more special notebooks.

Categories: Compass Rose, EDC, Field gear, Field Notes, Journal, Leather, New Gear, Notebooks, Soft Goods, Traditional

LCP Leather, 1.0

Posted on November 5, 2019 by akadventurer

I’ve only had it about 1.5 weeks, not a lot of carry yet, so I really have no need for anything different than the pocket holster, yet.

But I’m sure a time will come when I want to belt carry it, so why not go ahead and make ond of my holsters for it?

No construction pics this time. Its the same as my last two, the first for the Bersa, then one for my Bearcat(Both can be found on the blog), this one is just scaled down slightly for the LCP.

I lost a little of my preferred forward “FBI” cant, but its still fine. Small notch to clear the mag release; This way it could get pushed, but I was more woried about it being pushed with the leather over it. This way its shielded/flush with the leather.

No retention strap yet. Its a VERY tight fit right now, plenty of hold. After it breaks in and stretches some, I’ll look at adding a strap, that way the fit and length will be right.

With its inspiration, the first of them, made for the Bersa. Thatcone is beoke in, but still snug, and still works great after 3 or 4 years.(Edit; I got curious and had to check. 6 years! Made in august of 2013!)

Honestly, the LCP2 actually fit the Bersa holster rather well. It would have worked, except the strap length.

Buf it was a touch too deep, I’d end up bending up the lower tip of the holster in use, and the long strap would be annoying.

Categories: Custom, Fabrication, Field gear, Guns, Holsters, Leather, New Gear, Sewing, Soft Goods

Gloving around again.

Posted on November 1, 2019 by akadventurer

Part two, or, darn those gloves! 😉

Parg one was here;

https://ak-adventurer.net/2019/10/13/darning-leather-gloves/

Have a pair of nice heavy deer skin work gloves that I wore almost all summer. They started developing holes about a month and a half ago.

*snip*

they’re broken in, already stained– don’t have to worry what I get on them, they fit me, and are comfortable as all get out now… I’ve been missing them!

With socks its called darning. Maybe only on knit socks. Ive been saying I’m darning gloves. But they’re not knit, and darning might not apply even to knit gloves… lol.

*snip*

But at any rate, I’m enjoying it, it improves my sewing, saves some gloves, and fills some time.

I still have one big hole and one small one to patch, and two seams to re-close.

So, thus, onto the finish!

One more finger tip done;

And a thumb;

Not perfect by any means, but I think they’ll last a while again. A bonus, I’m getting better, and faster at the sewing!

I switched to a skin needle– its a cutting needle, a triangular cross section and sharp edges. Goes through the glove leather easier.

I also changed to a smaller, but stronger thread, that’s easier to sew with.

What I had before is a heavy waxed braided cotton that’s sold for leather work.

What I changed to is a braided synthetic fishing line. Designed for ice fishing, it has a high abrasion resistance, and is s 20# test. It looks likd a super fine and weak thread, but is some tough stuff! Should last a while anyway.

So there we have it. probably an hours work that took me a couple weeks.

They’re not perfect. One finger got shorter because I over trimmed. One got longer from over compensation for the previous over trimming. The last thumb I did stayed in length but got narrower/tighter,

Hahaha, Just can’t win, eh? 😉

but I have my gloves back!

Categories: Clothes, Cowboy, Damages, Field gear, GetOutdoors, Gloves, Leather, Modifications, Preparedness, Repairs, Sewing, Soft Goods

Time for a fix; or fixing time?

Posted on October 19, 2019 by akadventurer

Haven’t been able to wear my Eco-Drive chrony for a while, after I found a problem with the band.

Wore through around the under straps keeper ring. (Strap is a leather NATO style)

Technically the watch is still secured by the top strap, but I wasn’t comfortable wearing it til I got it fixed.

Took a couple months to get to where, today, I had time/wanted it enough to actually do something about it.

Some of the rest of the band is also a little rough, here is where its worn through on the bottom strap next to the spot I’m fixing. But its only through the one layer, it’ll be fine for a while though, I think.

I simply stitched the bottom strap to the top one, and trimmed off the worn loop where the ring sat.

From the back;

Got a little too far from the edge there on one side, but it works. 🙂

Side that shows;

Easy fix and all I lost at this point, is that it isn’t an easy change band anymore. I’ll have to pull the spring bars to take the watch off. No big loss really though; Except for about 2 weeks when it was new, the watch has been on this band since about this time of year in 2011. 😀

Categories: Damages, EDC, Leather, Modifications, Repairs, Sentimental, Soft Goods, Watches

Darning leather gloves?

Posted on October 13, 2019 by akadventurer

Have a pair of nice heavy deer skin work gloves that I wore almost all summer. They started developing holes about a month and a half ago.

Since I was welding that day, it meant finger burns (yes we had dedicated welding gloves, but generally I don’t bother with them, they’re a heavy leather gauntlet that allows no dexterity at all.)

My jobsite fix that day was a quick wrap (double layer glue to glue on the holes so it didn’t stick to me!) of gorilla tape over the finger tips.

I gotta say I’m impressed, after a month of work, and you have to remember I’ve been working in a crawl space most of the time so its not just work wear, but crawling wear too, that tape was scuffed and a bit softer, but still stuck, solid, holeless… I HATE duct tape with a passion because it never stays on anything even duct work, but this stuff was great!

But anyway, 3 more holes later and I grabbed a new pair of gloves. I have no idea what the old ones cost, they were a gift, the second pair out of a two pack a friend got. And I can’t shop where they came from(costco) so a direct replacement is impossible.

But the replacement I got at Home Depot was $25 a pair.

I’m sure the Costco ones probably cost less than that, and about 6 months on a pair before they wear out isn’t bad for good quality, real leather, all leather gloves.

But at prices like that I’d still like to prolong their life if possible. And besides, they’re broken in, already stained– don’t have to worry what I get on them, they fit me, and are comfortable as all get out now… I’ve been missing them!

With socks its called darning. Maybe only on knit socks. Ive been saying I’m darning gloves. But they’re not knit, and darning might not apply even to knit gloves… lol.

So, thus, I sat down with some scrap leather, needle and thread, and have been slowly fixing them in my spare time the last few days.

This has worked well so far, a couple seams resewn, and one finger tip I cut out the holed area and patched. Some of it I’ve just whip stiched on the outside, some thing I’ve turned them inside out to have the seams on the inside like original.

It has ironically been kinda hard on my hands. For a while now any hand sewing I do, or similar work that takes a good grip on small tools, and fine motor skills, has made my hands go numb while doing it.

Add to that some muscle damage and inflammation that I have right now in my shoulders/arm pits and lower arms that has been doing a carpal tunnel like effect of a piched nerve or restrictions in blood flow; making my hands tingling or numb over most of the past week anyway;

It makes this extremely slow, somewhat frustrating, and sort of painful to do.

But at any rate, I’m enjoying it, it improves my sewing, saves some gloves, and fills some time.

I still have one big hole and one small one to patch, and two seams to re-close.

Categories: Alaska-Life, Clothes, Cowboy, Damages, EDC, Field gear, Leather, MacGyver, Modifications, Recycle, Repairs, Sentimental, Sewing, Soft Goods, Summertime, Welding

Denim case for a folding buck saw.

Posted on September 28, 2018 by akadventurer

When taking my buck saw out for some work yesterday, I remembered I was going to make a case for it from a canvas painters tarp I’d gotten.

I’d cut up a pair of old jeans for making char cloth a few weeks ago, had a lot left on hand, had it out for another idea yesterday, so it was on hand.

Liked the idea of denim better than the canvas tarp.

Legs are great lengths of material, but a bit short on that pair I cut up because of worn cuffs and where I cut them before.

Had a brand new pair I can’t wear (bought 2 years ago when losing weight fast, could almost get into them. Got hurt and gained weight last winter, I garantee I can’t get into them now). So that’s how I ended up with a fancy, clean, spanking new denim saw case!

Cut a leg off, split about 1/3 and a taper off one side, sewed up what was left.

By hand. “Cheated” to get it straight and even. Pinned the edge/seam allowance where I wanted it, then clamped it up in my 2′ long wood workers vise on the bench, held just below the stich line. Think of it as a Loooonnng stitching pony like used for leather work. Worked a real treat!

Not the nicest stitches in the world, but they work!

Voila, a bag!

Sewed the old top end shut to form the bottom, leaving the hemmed cuff end as my new top. Figured the wide hem to be hollow, can run a draw cord through it. Forgot to do it before stitching the side…

1/16″ brass rod, loop bent in end to pull the 550 cord, bent in a loop, and I fished it through the hem. Little tight at the existing side seam, but I got it with come cutting fishing and finagling the rod through!