from its new owner:

Steve is a gifted craftsman who takes pride in his work. I’ve purchased 4-5 items from him ….some for myself, some as gifts for family and friends. Everyone is thrilled with the product and very impressed with the workmanship. I’ll be back – JOHN

Nothing like a happy customer! Yay!

The Low Riddah

The Brassy Trail Hound is a fob chain setup that was well received by its new owner: It had some cool manta ray, brass concho and one piece D, a fantastic brass chain from Japan

I absolutely love this it’s such a different piece. Just super cool! Thank you! – PMLYNN

Now that’s what I like to hear!

the brassy trail hound

VISIT MY ETSY STORE, please!

This is a unique, one of a kind belt/key/wallet chain fob. You can attach wallet chains, key rings or other stuff to it, it’s a nice change from the “norm”, if there is such a fobby thing. The solid brass clasp is tough and cool.

This Fob has a one of a kind 1982 vintage penny domed concho that you will not see anywhere else. The fob is fully lined and glued, then stitched – this stinker will last a lifetime and look perfect as they age., This is a nice looking accessory for your belt , up to 1.75″ wide- different enough to be noticed, cool enough to be distinctive. if you wear a chain wallet – this is a good consideration This is riveted shut, no snap.

I hang my keys from the clasp – these fobs are handy.
This skangler is accessorized being brown/earth in color and surrounded by brass washers and a copper spacer.
The wire has been silver soldered making is super strong,

I also make knife and tool sheaths from heavy weight vegetable tanned cowhide. I’ve made guitar straps, leashes and wristbands – all with a different look and design as your commonly used to seeing. If you’re looking for something you don’t see, ask. I am always up for a challenge, within reason.

You can buy this piece here<<

The Chickn Heart Skanlger is a keychain dangler, or a fob dangler, or whatever the hell you want it to be kind of dangler.

This is a unique piece.

It is made by me, using all hand tools.
The wire is thick and tough, the skulls tough, the bead tough, the soldering work solid.
As is true with all of my work, it is built to last.

It is 3 3/4″ long, it is made of: heavy gauge copper wire, brass washers, stone skulls, and a crazy
brass/copper African bead of indeterminate age or precise origin, but guaranteed to be of very limited availability.

You can buy the Skangler here<<<

Steve had to have a Knipper too…. it was my pleasure to make one for this good friend!

Every year for the past 5 or so, a small group of friends get together to celebrate one of our friends, Wally who was snatched away waaaay too soon. Thi is a little taste of what the day was like…. great!  A wonderful celebration of Wally , his friends and family.

This Fob has a one of a kind 1981 vintage nickel domed concho that you will not see anywhere else.
The fob is fully lined and glued, then stitched – these stinkers will last a lifetime and look perfect as they age.,
This is a nice looking accessory for your belt , up to 1.75″ wide- different enough to be noticed, cool enough to be distinctive. if you wear a chain wallet – this is a good consideration
This is riveted shut, no snap.

I hang my keys from the clasp – these fobs are handy.
This skangler is accessorized being white in color and surrounded by brass washers and a aluminum spacer.
The wire has been silver soldered making is super strong,

BUY IT HERE

The Bronze Brass Ho Bead is a bead.

This is a unique piece.
It is made by me, using all hand tools. It is hung on Camo paracord.
As is true with all of my work, it is built to last.

It is 3 5/8″ long, it is made of: a brass center bead and bronze beads on the outside, the whole mess is silver soldered together…
This is a nice piece for your keychain, which is what i use mine for.
I’ve seen folks attache them to leather jackets, back packs – in all kinds of creative ways.

You can buy this unique accessory right here<<

Do with your what you will, but be sure to send me a pic.

Follow me on Instagram: steveb_leatherworks

When brother Andy, a hard working (outside) kinda man saw my Knipper, he wanted one. Told me straight out, I want one. It took awhile for him to come up with the scratch, but I stashed one of the original Stag horn Knippers away for him. Well, payday came, overtime in hand – and Andy got his Knipper – wears it everyday. This is one thick, tough sheath, and the way I set it up, it hugs your belt super tight and strongly!

The Beady Skunk Skanlger is a keychain dangler, or a fob dangler, or whatever the hell you want it to be kind of dangler.

This is a unique piece.

It is made by me, using all hand tools. The wire is thick and tough, the skulls tough, the bead tough.
As is true with all of my work, it is built to last.

It is 3 1/8″ long, it is made of: heavy gauge copper wire, brass washers, stone skulls, and a crazy brass/copper African bead of indeterminate age or precise origin, but guaranteed to be of very limited availability.

The wire is twisted around itself and sliver soldered, so it is strong, the pieces are loose enough to rotate.

This is a nice piece for your keychain, which is what i use mine for.
I’ve seen folks attache them to leather jackets, back packs – in all kinds of creative ways.

Do with your what you will, but be sure to send me a pic.

Follow me on Instagram: steveb_leatherworks

This is the Carved Knipper.
It’s a collaboration.
The Sheath is made by me, the beautiful blade, by Terry Knipscheid, a super talented and wonderful man, located in MN.

I had this idea for a EDC – every day carry -sized blade and knew of Terry through some work he’d done for me (making me some work blades), so we got to talking and this was the result.

The steel on the Knipper is the usual killer stuff that Terry uses.. I don’t have anymore tech info that that, but can get it if you want…
The scales on the blade is black Micarta, beautiful and durable.

The sheath I wrapped it in is some 10oz, very heavy veg tan leather, my usual fare.
The design that i carved is a one-off, and the colors are cool and will pop and become more apparent over time with wear.
I made the brass bead on the leather lace that allows the blade to be drawn …

The sheath is held to your belt (up to 1.75″ wide) belt by a latigo strip that is installed into the sheath with a combo of stitching and glue.

This is heirloom quality and will never wear out, or fall off your belt.

I never know if I will be able to get more of these made, so if you like it, snag it.
This is the first time I’ve even had one long enough to put it on ETSY… check out what one of my customers said about the Knipper:

BUY THE CARVED KNIPPER HERE<<<

Steve,
Just wanted to drop you a note to let you know how happy I am with my Knipper.
It is awesome. Perfect size, shape, fit and finish.
As expected, you totally rocked the sheath.
The stain is exactly what I was looking for, and of course you came through.
It’s now my favorite knife, and I am kind of a knife guy.
Bottom line.the knife, sheath, bead work together perfectly, and form the ideal EDC package.
Thanks again not only for your artistry, but also for having the eye to pull it all together
Thanks again
John P

The Knipper is pretty badass. Terry Knipscheid makes the blades for me,  and I wrap them in one of my sheaths, make a bead and offer them almost exclusively on Instagram. If you’d like one, let me know .

How’s this, for a limited time during November 2015 I will be offering
> a 20% discounted from all sales of more than $100.(only items in my store, not custom work)
Go to ETSY, shop, put what you want in your cart.
Go check out and enter: NOV2015

If you were thinking of getting something, go and get it.
I am not sure when I will end this sale, but I do know that it wont last long!

Chad wanted a big Fin that would accept bills in a graceful way – unfolded. I adapted the setup Ive been using in my Longbone wallets and made it fit a bigger Fin. it worked great and will be my new “from now on” setup, I was that happy with it.

The Snoof is a construction of my own design, riffed off of an old standard turn of the century coin purse. The outside is a great super mellow natural veg tan, which i left alone -unusual for me. This is one clean unit.

What is this?
its the Low Riddah
a long bone wallet

the long bone is a big wallet. it holds a lot of stuff.

This is a unique, one of a kind unit. Its made of veg tan leather.  Its heavily decorated with a combo of textures, patterns and carving, never to be duplicated. The colors are insane and as it ages, they will really start to pop. The thread is a beautiful blue, you are not going to see anywhere.

This is a wallet that can hold all of the cards, bills and paper that is associated with modern life., with a bit of “steveb” style to it. The wallet is comfortable (it 8oz, not my usual excessive 10-12!), somewhat lightweight and flexible. it fits in a jeans pocket (a portion sticks above the pocket) and a cool brass shackle lets you attach a chain if you wish, or your keys.

The snap closure billet has a 1981 vintage penny that snaps it closed, but is placed high enough up on the wallet to not be a pain in the ass to take in and out of your pocket. firmly in your pocket.

This unit is lined with dyed deerskin that one of my customers donated to the cause (thanks Boomer) that is well seasoned and aged, good stuff.

This measures 7.25″ long and 4 inches wide – big
There are slots for cards, flaps for organizing and securing bills – this is a unit setup for duty.

I have happy customers, please take a look:

http://steveb.biz/notes/

for more general info:

http://steveb.biz/info.html

follow me on Instagram

https://instagram.com/steveb_leatherworks/

Bob got himself a nice dash set for his FXR. Held on by brass bolts, it wont go anywhere and two plys that are glued and stitched, guarantee it will last. Far out.

I love getting emails like this after a long week. Thanks for the kind words John, I am really happy you like your Knipper. This blade/sheath combo is designed for exactly what you are using it for: every day carry. Very Cool! Thanks a lot for letting me know you are happy. I wish more of my customers did (hint hint)!

Steve,
Just wanted to drop you a note to let you know how happy I am with my Knipper. It is awesome. Perfect size, shape, fit and finish. As expected,
you totally rocked the sheath. The stain is exactly what I was looking for, and of course you came through. It’s now my favorite knife, and I am kind of a knife guy. Bottom line.the knife, sheath, bead work together perfectly, and form the ideal EDC package.
Thanks again not only for your artistry, but also for having the eye to pull it all together
Thanks again
John P

Steve
Got my wallet today. That thing is bad ass! Can’t wait to start getting it broke in.
I really appreciate your quick turn around. 
I’ll be getting ahold of you soon to get a couple more items.
Thank You 
Bryan r

Hijinx Apparel Jay has one of my wallets – its been in his pocket for quite some time.
He’s been very happy with it.
thanks Jay

I have been offering, on a very limited basis a sheath/blade combo called the Knipper. For the most part, I only show these on Instagram, where they get scooped up pretty quickly. I have been working with a great guy and bladesmith by the name of Terry Knipschied, he makes the blades, I make the sheath and bead. This first round of blades has stag handles and came out really good.

The entire blade is 5″ long, and is a real utility blade, this is an everyday carry item, small and inconspicuous.

So, I love getting these notes back from customers, really is nice and affirms I am on the right path, insofar as design and holding the line on quality. I am also starting to work with metal a little. My weak entree into metalworking are the beads I am pairing up with the Knipper blades: copper, brass and bronze.

This note comes from MarkG, a longtime, repeat customer whose gotten wallets, belts and now a blade from me. Thanks Mark!

Hey, Steve  Guess what came yesterday? You’re the man!! As usual any package from you never disappoints. The knife is sweet and the sheath is perfect, both color and design. Thank you for the great work, your work is truly addictive and will be hearing from me soon :)   Mark G.

The Knipper

Summer is well underway. I like Summer, the weather is nice, the bikes beckon, we BBQ, we go to the beach, we eat, drink and be merry, we go to the pool, whatever,  and the shop is hot.

For me, a hot shop is tougher to work in than a cold shop. I can always warm up, not so when it comes to cooling down. Once I’ve reached nuclear operating temperatures, it takes me some time before temperatures return to the “land of the living” zone. So I spend less time in the shop, unless I have a custom order, or need to work on one of my machines.

I’ve not adapted my brief bag concept to a Women’s shoulder bag, that was on the agenda, I’ve not done a few things – Summer is not a good time for me to focus. Honestly, I’d rather just hang out. But that lazy bones way ‘o life is done with, at least for the short term – I have some work to do.

Las year, I invested in some quality, custom maker, bench knives. I got the pieces from Terry Knipschield and was really happy with them. These precious pieces are the kind of blades you don’t have to sharpen, simply strop. I’d been looking for a bladesmith to collaborate with with a project I had in mind, but it turned out to be a pain in the butt , depending on other people, and so I went to Terry and told him what I wanted to do.

I thought my ask was pretty simple – I wanted a very small 5″ long , very high quality, totally usable, everyday carry, subtle,  scaled down fixed blade, with some interesting natural scales. Terry thought for a minute and then came back with a “yes, I can do that as a matter of fact”, and shared he already had blanks he could use. Luckily for me, a person had come to him some time back wanting a run of  small blades. Terry started the run, cut a few blades – but the person had disappeared, and so the blanks sat in a drawer…

I’ve learned that shop knives need scales of man made material that simply wont shrink or react. Not so with sheath knives, and so I asked Terry what he had in stock. He had an idea and the material to make these extra special, he had some small pieces of Stag horn that was decades old that would do it. He made one up, a prototype, shipped it to me and I loved it.  I showed it to a few people and wound up selling it off of my belt; this was in January. I called Terry and asked for the rest of the 5 blanks to be made into the knife/sheath combo,  I was calling the “Knipper”.

6 months later the 5, 5″ long blades are done (no one should ever complain about my turnaround times), and they look great, just as good as the prototype. Already, without trying to sell them,  3 of the 5 are spoken for, so If you are up for one of these limited edition sets: Sheath, Blade and Bead, let me know!

The sheath is made from some very thick 10-12oz veg tan, it’s tooled, wet formed, sewn, glued; and I use a piece of Latigo to tidy up and strengthen the belt loop. This sewn in belt loop holds the blade TIGHT to your body. It’s an heirloom kind of setup, made to last and to wear.

And that’s right, in special circumstances like these, I am making my own beads (copper & brass) to go on a leather thong (no paracord), so you can get to this unit, as I make the sheath deep.

Thanks Terry, and thanks to my great customers!

The Knipper

Hello All:
I’ve been busy in the shop, working on some new things and trying to mix it up a bit. While I love making wallets, belts, and some of the other goodies that you’ll find in my ETSY Store – I felt like I needed a new challenge. I want to avoid getting stale and predictable.

Being a NYC native and former commuter, I love bags. Shoulder bags, gym bags, messenger bags, briefs, computer cases, etc. You get the picture. If there is a special bag for a specific usage, I have identified, I get it – or in this case, make it. There is a pile of black Cordura balistic material in my bag closet. TUMI is the brand I favor, for its strength, timeless design and utility. Patagonia, North face and Osprey gear is pretty good also.

On public transpo, I try and travel light. My every day carry in a shoulder bag is my 11″ MacBook Air, a Moleskine journal, my keys, a set of headphones, a charger cable and my iPad. Pretty simple. If its raining I throw in a small collapsible Totes umbrella.

Not being on the train much and trying to simplify, I carry less these days. I decided to apply some of my ideas to a bag. Keeping it small enough so I wouldn’t be tempted to take stuff I don’t need… was a challenge. How much space is enough?

Many templates and mockups later, I came up with a bag design, that can be modified if needed, to be more masculine, more feminine, taller or deeper. I made one, the initial prototype for myself and started using it when going out to meetings. That’s the bag I am showing here.

Details:
Beautiful tanned leather, accented by veg tan pieces
Latigo shoulder strap, with built in comfort pad
hand carry handle
secure, easy to use flap closure
inside pocket with pen loops
inside key keeper leash
brass & copper hardware
latigo (red) accents
snap close back pocket for magazines or papers
Size…. I can make them any size.

I am up for making a small run, a limited number of bags similar to this.
If you’d like one, please let me know, as we can work out the details.
And ladies – a few tweaks and this can be a great purse type unit… just saying.

SALE>spend $150+ @ my ETSY store and get 20% off,
code SpringSale2015.        Running until: 5/3

Kits Belt