Horween - not just cordovan ...

[alslater]

I rather like the odd directions the watch hobby takes you in - watches themselves and then also trying to find straps that are just so ..

Having found cordovan was quite the most comfortable thing ... And also one of the most horribly expensive (cf. Fagliano for JLC).. Naturally you see what else horween can do ... And it's quite a list ..

Now, as this stuff is still not particularly cheap, butchering it badly wouldn't be doing it justice - so twenty odd practice straps before I allowed myself at making this little lot ..



Top row in order (all horween names)

Tan Derby X 2, Arlington X 2, umm rust 'cowhide' X 3...

Bottom row:

Nut brown Derby, charcoal Derby X 2, red Buckaroo X 2, and oxblood coach grain..

On wear - Derby wears very comfortably but patinates at a rate of knots in tan (darkens very quickly)... The buckaroo looks not just distressed but positively terrified after a matter of a couple of weeks (LHS example worn - RHS not) .. Looking forward to trying out the coach though ... (Thick thread in all is ritza tiger, thin is French chinois). None is thicker than about 2mm..

So as the title says ... Lots to like that is not just cordovan ..

Thanks to Nick, Pete, Mike and others for showing the way though :-)

al

[animalone]

They look good

I have to admit that I'm still not won over by cordovan myself, but the Horween chromexcel and baseball glove leather straps I have are both excellent

[triumph coupe]

Looking good Al

That Tan Derby looks really nice, and I like the thought that it ages fairly quickly (I think leather always looks better with a bit of wearing in). Quite fancy trying a bit of that.

Keep at it.

[kungfugerbil]

Looking good :)

The tan derby is probably my favourite - tan straps are just my 'thing' I guess. And as long as they stay structurally intact and flexible, the more patina the better as far as I'm concerned!

That coach grain one is intriguing. If you get it mounted, a wrist shot of that would be fab :)

[khumzi]

The derby's look good to me. I have a tan briefcase that I've used for 28 years and it's aged beautifully and with character. (More than can be said for me, perhaps.) I laughed out loud in the office at the "terrified" comment. Nice work. Are you going to do edge stitching on a next batch? Do you punch the holes with a marlin-like thing before sewing?

[alslater]

The derby's look good to me. I have a tan briefcase that I've used for 28 years and it's aged beautifully and with character. (More than can be said for me, perhaps.) I laughed out loud in the office at the "terrified" comment. Nice work. Are you going to do edge stitching on a next batch? Do you punch the holes with a marlin-like thing before sewing?

Thank you kindly - the Derby ages thus :

.. And that did start off the same sort of colour as the above..

Hole wise - yep - one pointy awl for the ones stitched over the sides, and for the centre stitched it's the tool on the right - a 4x3mm stitching chisel by Seiwa - this puts down nice diamond holes which make saddle stitching a bit easier ..



.. Holes I put in then stitch - I'm taking some pics as I go with the current one, so can post that up (which works for me, but I'm not about to suggest might be chapter/verse).

.. Fully edge stitched - yes once I find something good for lining with..

cheers
al

[triumph coupe]

That horween derby really lightens when bent or stretched. I love the London tan when it's in it's bent form and it's got a superb grain / texture to it. Might be my new favourite leather

[alslater]

Woah. Now that _does_ look the business. Is that padded or just an illusion ..? I'm rather fond of the tan derby as unlined; what's on the back of this fella?
(there is supposedly a 'natural' tan as well - but I have trouble telling the difference between the two..)

al

[triumph coupe]

Thanks Al. You post inspired me to try some of the derby so I just bought a sq ft of the London Tan to try and that was the result.

It is slightly padded, yes. Lined in the same derby (your note that it ages / patinates filled me with the desire to see how it ages on both the inside and outside of a strap). What my photo doesn't show is that the strap is probably a 1/4" too short and goes through the keeper ok, but would have benefited from another 1/4" on my wrist - I didn't realise that padding the strap made a difference to how long I'd need to make it. But I am half way through making a second to correct the error :) It's a learning curve!

I didn't much like the look of the derby when it arrived (looked patchy), but once I bent it about a bit and skived it down it lightened up in colour and the grain really popped. Really easy to work with also. I really like it. Considering buying a half side if you fancied some.