Process and Materials
We use Wicket & Craig Leather in Curwensville, PA for our leather goods. They have been established since 1867 and are one of the leading producers of North American vegetable tanned leather using only top quality North American steer hides. We hand cut our leather products using patterns, or stamp-out with press & dies. Belts are cut from complete hides. Edges are beveled and burnished with organic beeswax for a sealed smooth finish. Dyeing of leather is done in studio by us. We customize our dyes to achieve the exact color we prefer. All our leather products are hand rubbed with our proprietary leather conditioner before they leave the studio to protect and seal.
We hand stitch our leather products with waxed high strength synthetic thread (Made in Maine) used in sail construction. We first hand scribe our stitch line, then prick the holes for the stitching with a fine gauge iron and diamond awl. We use the locking saddle style stitch which is extremely durable and superior to machine stitch in this application.
We work with a local New England foundry to cast some of our solid brass hardware pieces. They use the lost wax cast process in this production. We make our own molds and they cast the pieces for us. We source other companies in the USA for our other solid brass hardware. The chain comes from Pennsylvania, grommets from New Jersey and so on. We use only top quality solid brass (not plated) in our construction. Rivets and grommets are set by hand, cast pieces are sanded/tumbled/polished all by hand in the studio.
The line we use to braid our snap shackle pulls and lanyards is made from high strength rigging line used for sailing and made in Southern Massachusetts. We hand braid and heat seal the ends of every one, in studio.
In studio we custom blend our leather conditioner comprised of organic beeswax, essential oils and other ingredients in a neatsfoot oil base. Use the conditioner to keep your leather piece looking good and supple, protecting it from stains and preserving the life of it. The balm also works well for chapped hands, and smells great too !
Each piece that leaves the studio is hand numbered stamped to track year and production.