Dissonance Smithing

absolutely killed it. Thanks!

Finally got around to wet molding an AirPod case. I’ll use it for a few weeks and see how it goes. I think knits going to need a bit of double stick tape to keep the top on the lid but we’ll see.

That’s the stuff if you want to bond fabric to your leather projects. Available at almost every home center. Doesn’t discolor the fabric, and has a really strong bond.

If using indoors, you need a respirator, though. Ballpark $20 a can.

TLDR: Price will increase by around 30% effective Jan 1.

What’s driven the price increase? TLDR: Demand outstripping supply.

59% of silver demand is industrial. Increased demand for Solar power components, EVs, and AI/Datacenters has made unprecedented demands for silver.

On the supply side, silver is a byproduct of copper, lead, and zinc mining. There aren’t many pure silver mines any more, so production can’t just be ramped up. Late this year, supplies were just out.

Macroeconomics: Basically, when interest rates are cut, investors look for higher returns. 100% on silver looks very attractive. And given our state of affairs in the US, it’s a lot more certain than government bonds.

The worst part about it is that silver has always been a much more economical metal for jewelry. But at this point, brass is as expensive as silver used to be, and while it’s still cheap compared to gold, it sucks because it’s a lot less affordable now.

This is turning out all right. Goat with stiffener and skived to give the appearance of being padded, but without being padded. All machine stitched with an LR needle, which also gives the appearance hand stitching.

And finally got the sewing machine running right. Just needed a 120 needle paired up with Tex 90 thread.

Just a bit of engraving work with a 60 year old machine. The engraving plates are worth more than the actual machine itself…

This is what it’s about. Built vs bought. The promise of natural vegetable tanned leather. Put in the time and it will reward you with something that can never be bought.

Recently saw a post from another maker stating that chrome tanned leather like Togo and chèvre and even veg retanned “looks better longer.” Disrespectfully - my ass. They have their place. But the assertion that they will look better for longer is just plain wrong.

For the purpose of fashion, maybe. An item may last longer than our little consumerism reptile brains expect a bright pink wallet to last, but it won’t be as long as a wallet made from bridle or harness.

Chrome tanned leathers are great for a lot of things. They have their place. But it’s an edge case that they look better for longer than a vegetable tanned equivalent.

Up close on the lighter for .leatherworks I promise this will be the last one. But I almost can’t get over how great this turned out. But an equal amount of credit goes to for the medallion. Couldn’t have done it otherwise. Or, maybe I could have but it wouldn’t have looked nearly as good.

PSA - if you’ve ever bought a ring from me, I’m happy to resize it for you. Super easy to move it up a size. A bit more challenging to shrink it, but still doable. Just reach out and I’ll get you sorted.

This also includes a ring you may have gotten through a retailer that I made.