Prototype: Camera Strap

I finally bought my first dSLR earlier in the week, very excited! Bad and out of focus photo in this blog will be a history! The camera was supplied with a decent neck strap, it's good for hanging the camera around the neck but I much prefer to have the camera on my hand hence the preference for a wrist strap. The supplied strap is definitely too long to be a proper and comfortable wrist strap.

I decided to build myself a leather wrist strap for the camera. The leather will need to be thick to match the largish camera body, decided to use the 4mm Bridle leather. I was, at one point, undecided between buckle or string/thread attachment, but decided to go with string for simpler look albeit the safety aspect that the buckle will provide. For strength I use 6 ply linen thread, the thicker thread also gives a robust visual.

At this stage I'm still researching for the best string/thread to use for the wrist strap. I'm not fully convinced with linen thread, while it has a strong breaking point, due to it being a natural thread, it doesn't resist abrasion like a synthetic thread does. More on this later.

Some photos of the completed camera strap:

Mounted on a Canon G12

Mounted on a white Pentax K-r

Stitching details

Worn on wrist

Project: Messenger Bag

It takes 6,215 centimeters square of leather, 10 meters of leather-edge thinned and smoothed out, 700 stitching holes, 13 meters of stitching thread and 32 rivets to complete this project.

I was approached by Michael via email to build him a Messenger bag. He explained to me his great interest in Vegetable Tanned leather and must have a bag made from this leather. He liked the look of the Laptop Bag prototype and wanted a similar style for the messenger bag that he has envisioned. He's quite particular on the style and even drew sketches using a computer program which is fantastic! After many exchanges of emails, we finally settled on the design, dimensions and other details.

The bag is constructed from 4mm (10oz) bark tanned bridle leather. I procured the leather from a tannery located in the Ballarat region of Victoria. The tannery supplied the leather during gold rush in the area back in 1800s. The leather itself is beautiful, lots of character showing in the leather. It has a slightly different tint from the other vegetable-tanned leather I have bought before, possibly due to the differences in tanning material. It's a tough leather to cut but also very supple and easily mold-able. It's the perfect foundation for the project.

The bag is to have two internal pockets with closure and a couple of pen holders. To retain the 'cleanliness' look on the exterior of the bag, a divider is utilised for the pockets and pen holders. Other than the divider, the bag's interior is raw.

As per the laptop bag prototype, a wrap around straps with handle is also incorporated into the design. We decided to do without buckles, a stud closure is used instead. A buckle however is used for the shoulder straps, which is attached on the side of the bag.

Double cap rivets is placed strategically throughout the bag for durability and longevity purpose. They will also help preserve the stitching thread from excessive wear.

It has been a rich experience with this project from start to finish. Learned new techniques that I never imagined could work. The bag itself is fantastic, the thick leather gives the bag real structure and presence. It has the casual tone of a messenger bag and the formality of a briefcase. I would love to see the patina developed in this bag.

It was sad to see the bag packed up and sent away. I would proudly wear it as my daily bag, however it's destined to be with it's deserving owner.

As always, photos of the completed bag: