H&B London show how their wallets are made - and an exclusive 25% off for Grey Fox readers

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. 

H&B London cufflinks - how they are beautifully made in England

H&B London was started by Stephen Brister whose vision is to create in the UK luxury products for men. When I met Stephen recently it was clear that he is passionate about the skills and care needed to create a high quality product. He showed me some of his leather goods and silver cuff links and it was clear that he understands the design and manufacturing process intimately. Like many, he likes to make in the UK so that he can retain close control of the manufacturing process. 

Stephen's cuff links combine designs that are classic yet modern and are different enough to demand serious consideration when cuff links are so often very derivative in design.

I asked Stephen to tell me how his cuff links and wallets are made. These topics will be covered in two posts over the next couple of weeks, starting here with cuff links. To find out more, or to order H&B's products, visit H&B's website here.

How We Make Our Cufflinks by Stephen Brister of H&B London

Each design starts life as a pencil sketch. A rough model is then made from clay to give a clearer idea of how the piece will look. Once all the dimensions have been finalised a 3D computer model is created.

Computer 3D model

A physical model is then printed using the latest 3D printing technology and employed to create a metal master. A mould is formed from the metal master by surrounding it with vulcanized rubber and placing it in a kiln. Once cooled, the mould is cut open and the master removed. It is then resealed and injected with hot wax to create perfect copies.

Cutting the Mould

The waxes are then attached to a central stem, a process called spruing or treeing up. The tree is placed in to a cylindrical flask and filled with a paste called investment mixture. The flasks are placed in to a kiln and left until the mould has set properly and the wax has drained away.

Treeing up

Once the wax has drained away the flask is placed under a crucible. Pellets of Sterling Silver are added to the white hot crucible where they are melted at a carefully calibrated temperature. The molten silver is then injected in to the flask below, where it is left to cool down.

Pouring raw metal into the crucible

Once the flask has cooled, the metal tree is removed and each piece is detached and individually finished.

Filing the item at the bench

This involves filing and sanding each cufflink to remove cast marks and any remnants of the tree.

Sanding the item at the bench

Once the piece has been finished, the back must be soldered in place by hand.

Soldering the back into position

Each cufflink is then polished before being given its signature brushed finish by hand.

Polishing

Finally, each pair is placed in an H&B London gift box before being given to the customer.

Cufflinks in Gift Box

Photo Grey Fox