m18: Matte Black Knuckles, Blue Inside
Black English bridle leather, yellow thread, and a steel handle that is not coming off.
Black, with yellow on top
The body is black English bridle leather. The stitching is yellow, and I chose it for one reason: on black, yellow makes the hand saddle stitching stand out. Every stitch is there to be looked at.
A saddle stitch uses one length of thread with a needle at each end, and both needles pass through the same hole from opposite sides. Tanner Bates, a UK leather company points out that each stitch ends up independent, so one broken stitch does not unravel the row the way a machine lockstitch can. That is why I do it by hand, and why I want you to see it.
A handle that stays
The handle is real steel knuckles in matte black, and it is not removable. An aluminum bar sits under it, attached permanently, and stitching across the bottom covers the bar. Nothing about it is meant to come apart.
A lock that works like a clock
The round silver lock is custom made for me in Italy: nickel over solid brass. Two dials set the combination, the way you set the hands on a clock. I get these clock locks custom made in Italy.
Blue inside
Open the flap and the lining is electric blue suede, the same blue as the lining of the shoulder strap. The blue is a sample lining.
Size and strap
10 x 7 x 4 inches, with a mobile slip pocket and an adjustable shoulder strap with a 20 inch drop. Hand saddle stitched.
In the workshop
On the workbench next to a red m17, and on the mannequin.
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.
The bridle leather is described on my leather page, and the journal explains it in What English Bridle Leather Actually Is, and Why Briefcases Are Cut From It.
The seams are hand stitched; see The Saddle Stitch Explained: Hand-Sewing Leather Step by Step for the method.
