Splitting leather
H&B London was started by Stephen Brister who likes to make his products in the UK so that he can retain close control of their manufacture. I introduced you to his cuff links in a previous post here.
I've also seen Stephen's wallets and was very impressed by the care and workmanship that goes into them. They improve in appearance with age; a sign of the best quality leather products.
A selection of wallets; that on the right has become polished with wear
I asked Stephen to tell me how the high quality finish to these wallets is achieved. Below I tell you how you can take advantage of a special offer for Grey Fox readers:
The Process of Making an H&B Wallet
Leather
One of the most important decisions when making a wallet is the choice of leather. At H&B London we invest in the finest Italian vegetable tanned leather cured over sixty days using centuries old techniques. Vegetable tanning is an artisan tradition that produces leather of peerless quality, which is strong and supple. We value it because the leather develops a distinctive patina as it ages, giving a unique character to each wallet.
Leather used to make the wallets
Cutting
The Cutter selects the skins and hand cuts the thirty-two separate pieces needed to make one of our billfolds. The Cutter needs a thorough understanding of the good as well as the bad parts of the skin. For example, all leathers naturally stretch across the shoulders of the animal, rather than from head to tail. So an experienced craftsman will cut the pockets in the direction they stretch less, to increase the wallet’s durability.
Skiving
H&B London wallets are “turned edge” construction, which means the leather needs to be thinned down at the edges. A tool called an angle skive is used to thin the leather by removing the flesh side towards the edge. Only by thinning the edges can the craftsman create a slim and even turn.
Skiving
Making Pockets
The credit card slots are formed by placing one pocket on top of another and stitching them together through the silk. This stitch line creates the depth of the pocket. The pocket is trimmed, bound and stitched. Now all the parts are assembled together and trimmed ready for the cover to be fitted.
Making Pockets
The Turnover
Fitting the cover is a crucial part of the process. Our craftsmen are some of the last in the country to use the traditional method of “turning on tin” so that our turned edges are narrow and perfectly even on all sides. When checking the quality of wallet a good test is the width of the turnover and position of the stitching. A well-crafted wallet should have a narrow turnover with the stitching positioned centrally. A poorly crafted wallet will have a wider turnover, allowing a greater margin of error, and crooked stitching.
A poorly-made wallet with crooked stitching
Pleating Corners
The corners are another key test of craftsmanship. Sharp right-angled corners are a sure sign of poor workmanship. If you can see a diagonal cut then the wallet has been made quickly and cheaply. Corners of a high quality wallet should be thinned down, pleated in to a rounded corner and then stitched in place. Our craftsmen use bone tools to pleat the corners so as to avoid tearing the leather. No cuts should be made to the leather as it weakens the wallet.
Finishing
Finally, the wallet is given to the Finisher, whose first job is to apply the H&B London logo using a solid brass die. The die is heated up and pushed in to the leather using the right amount of pressure and dwell time. This requires experience and precision as the leather can easily be damaged during this process rendering the wallet unfit for sale.
Once a sharp impression is made, it is filled with three coats of 23 1/3 carat gold. The wallet is then buffed, wrapped in tissue paper and packaged in one of our gift boxes.
Finished Wallet
If you would like to take advantage of Stephen's exclusive offer to Grey Fox readers of 25% off his products, please visit his website and quote the code greyfox. The offer lasts from today (26th December 2013) and expires 6th January 2014. Grey Fox is not benefiting in any way from this offer.
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