m29: The Horse Bit

A horse bit makes a good handle. It was made to be gripped.

The bit

The handle is an actual horse bit, wrapped in stitched leather, with steel rings at each end. On a horse, Wikipedia explains, the mouthpiece sits in the mouth and the rings are where the reins attach. Here the rings take a hand instead. The case is natural vegetable tanned leather in a rounded saddle shape with two front buckles.

A clock lock and a cross body strap

A nickel clock lock closes the front, the combination lock that sets like a clock. The case also has a cross body strap, adjustable, with a 20 inch drop.

Saddle tan inside

The lining is tan sheepskin suede. I made the case in late 2023, so the natural leather may have built some patina since these photos.

What the leather will do

Natural vegetable tanned leather carries no dye. Tanner Bates, a UK leather company describes patina as the leather taking on skin oils, sunlight and moisture and darkening in stages.

Size

10 x 7 x 4 inches, hand saddle stitched.

The bench

I photographed the parts on a worn workbench, the handle in my hand, the strap and the bit rings laid out.

How it is made

The clock lock is one of my high-end handmade locks, made by hand in Italy; it sets like a clock, so the combination is a time you can remember.

The suede is real: see the suede lining page for why I use it instead of microsuede, and the care page for how to look after it.

Veg tan is covered in Bridle Leather vs. Vegetable-Tanned: What the Difference Means in Your Hands and on my care page.

The seams are hand stitched; see The Saddle Stitch Explained: Hand-Sewing Leather Step by Step for the method.