Restoring a 1945 "Kartentasche" from the Swiss army - leather renovation
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- čas přidán 22. 04. 2021
- This military map pouch was made by the Swiss Master Saddler H. FREI in Busswil using thick vegtan leather.
Today we're taking it apart and rebuilding, hopefully giving it a new life :)
Leatherwork starter kit : bit.ly/3vMoC5h
Vegtan leather: bit.ly/3oEWFbu
LOXX closing mechanism: bit.ly/3BsJmCI
Utility knife: bit.ly/3ODUPlz
Strap cutter: bit.ly/3baECXD
Metal ruler: bit.ly/3znnl5E
Saddler's needles: bit.ly/3cEkzRw
Cutting mat: bit.ly/3cPxkZR
Stitching chisel: bit.ly/3bckwfq
Mallet: bit.ly/3zQaZEB
Exotic wood slicker: bit.ly/3barcuM
Edge beveler: bit.ly/3Saj26g
Thread pack: bit.ly/3PHB3qB
Fiebing's Pro Dye: bit.ly/3binI9h
Skiving knife: bit.ly/3ziSxTg
Cotton gloves: amzn.to/3eQnxzz
Alcohol burner: amzn.to/3OHZ9QX
Stitch groover: bit.ly/3oFl0hc
Tokonole: bit.ly/3Jef1cF
Thread zap: bit.ly/3OIY5Mw
Saphir renovateur: amzn.to/3zkAxI6
Saddle soap: bit.ly/3zf0N6Q
Leather protection cream: bit.ly/3vo7x19
Revolving punch: bit.ly/3BH9yJZ
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I make and restore leather products in my spare time, mostly bags, backpacks and small items like wallets and card-holders. I am still learning a ton every time I take on a new project and always appreciate feedback on my creations.
For the moment I don't take orders as I like to spend too many hours getting the finished product as good as I can : this means that if I were to sell these bags, the selling price would be way more than the bags are worth due to the hours of work involved.
As always, do let me know what you think of this video. If you have any tips or comments please let me know by dropping a comment below this video :) - Jak na to + styl
I bought this exact bag from James on Etsy and it is every bit as amazing as in the video. Getting to see how the bag came back to life is a unique experience, and for what the bag is and the efforts and time James put into restoring it what James charged me is more than reasonable. Thanks for the amazing bag and video James.
Thank you so much for your comment! I'm so pleased to hear you like the bag this much and that it's found a good new home for its new life :D
Super awesome.
Great video James.👍👍👌👌😍😍
Beautiful work James!
Thank you Teo :)
James, thank-you very much for this. I'm a leather worker and Army veteran based in London, your videos on these have inspired me to buy a couple of ratty 60's examples from Etsy and restore them, my wife already has one earmarked as a handbag!
So pleased to hear this has helped :)
Have fun crafting!
Great video. Thank you for making it.
Gorgeous restoration!
good work James! keep the content coming
Thanks Paul, will do!!
Beautiful bag.❤
Hello james! I Believe that the carrier straps are from a pair of y straps. On the round ring on the strap there should be one more strap connected to your belt on the back, the two straps used for carrying the map case now are to be used on ammo pouches. You can se d rings on ammo pouches
the traditional Swiss National Topo Maps fit great in these bags even today.
Great video James. It’s really cool to see such a great piece put back into service. I would love to find one and restore it myself. Great job on the restoration!
Thank you so much for the praise Tim, glad you enjoyed the video :)
I could get you on of these in very good condition. But they sell for 100.- chf plus shipping. if you live in North America, then the shipping has gone up sadly. it would be around 35.- chf
Hi James, I would love to get one if you have one available? Maybe we could connect on a Dm and you could send a picture. I would be excited to restore one and put it back into service as a personal bag. Thank you for you reply! I really enjoy your videos. I would use the same steps as are in your video! Very helpful and informative.
quel talent et quelle patience ! bravo superbe restauration !
Merci beaucoup David, très content que ça te plaise :)
I love this piece.
Thank you Ginny :)
The strap seems to be similiar to a ww2 french military y straps (equipment suspenders), or some other military from that time
Ah do you think this could be a mismatch from different pieces of equipment? That would explain the "homemade" adjustment cuts on the pieces.
Wish I knew what the original was supposed to look like...
@@JamesBerry i did some more research, and the strap is definetly ww2 french equipment suspenders (with the backstrap removed) :)
@@JamesBerry and it is definetly a mismatch
@@kajuslementauskas Thank you!! Any chance you could share your sources with me for future reference?
I often have a difficult time finding the proper equipment name for that period, let alone picture I can reference x)
Thanks again for your help :)
@@JamesBerry www.etsy.com/au/listing/643657226/swiss-army-brown-leather-bag-1945-swiss
Here i found a similiar bag, i think its a same type of bag, but a bit different model
hello there. I am Swiss an my grandfather was actually using one of these while he was serving. I never hold one of these bags in my hands but i there was some sort of attachment for the "weird" ring (3:15) in the middle of the straps. in that way one could have used it as a backpack. i am not a 100% sure if every model was built that way or even were meant to be a backpack. but that is what i heard from stories. there are many of these flying around in swiss fleemarketsites. mayby you´ll find an other one.
Nice video, thanks.
Want to restore my fathers army map-case(same as yours), which is in pretty bad condithion.
What kind of alcohol exactly have you used, what kind of saddle soap exactly have you used?
Thanks and best , Rolf from Switzerland
Beautiful work! It looks like someone scratched the initials "RD" into the top right of the back
Thank you! Yes it seems that's the case but unfortunately I have no idea who that was...
excelente !
Thank you :)
Ive got exact bag from 50. My have original belt attached into back side of bag (22mm wide). It's interesting because I do not have mounting holes drilled on the sides but back side. Yours do not have any holes at the back side. It means they had two belt mounting systems.
Thanks for your message, I'm always curious to hear about the variations in these bags!
I wouldn't be surprised if they had different versions of this bag for different uses, or maybe it evolved over the years and was adapted... or maybe the user themselves modified the bag to suit their specific needs.
Anyhow, great to read yours is still in use :D
Nice video! Actually the R stamp is the mark that the inspector of the army would give a bag if it was qualified. These bags were made bij civil saddlers and they had to meet the standard of the army. The sling I think is from the same time period, but not belonging to this bag. I have only seen these bags with a very slim strap (adjusted to the back and not to the sides), or with no strap at all.
Thank you so much for the message, it's so hard to find relevant information on these bags especially as I don't speak German and a lot of the official documents are in German.
If you have any sources I can dive into I would love it if you could share these with me :)
Someone has tentatively identified the straps as belonging to French military harness straps...
Hi! Can you restore a vintage suede bag? thanks!
I don't think that's dirt coming off with the alcohol, I think that's dye
At 3:26 the strap looks to have a bit of mold on the piece where it gets narrower...what did you do to treat that part? Anything in addition to the rest of the process? Thanks, great work btw!
The mold wasn't too bad and came off easily when scratched with a blade. I then cleaned it up with alcohol to make sure there was none left.
Thanks for your message, glad you like it :)
If you want to blacken steel parts, try Birchwood Superblue.
Thanks for the tip, I did not know that :)
"Block of wood in intieor to hold spickes of map dividers "!
Thanks Barry for the comment and help identifying these!
What exactly do you mean by map dividers?
@@JamesBerry "Hey james!Map dividers, used for plotting maps distance ect. same as a compass except two spikes on it"!
May I ask how long you left the Renovateur on before brushing or wiping?
I usually leave it for about 5 to 10 minutes depending on how much I use and how dry the piece was.
@@JamesBerry Much obliged!
Could of used Brasso on the hardware.
Hi! Might be a dumb question- is box stitching basically just saddle stitching for box shaped edges?
Better late than never...yes, essentially. A box stitch will go through at least one of the panels at an angle, or both depending on if they are butted (one overlapping the edge of the other) or mitered (both cut at 45 degrees to create a corner.) As with normal seams, however, there are other stitches that can be used besides the traditional saddle stitch.
@@PickledAmericano thank you! Very helpful!
great job. I wanted to mention that if you have trouble finding the cream used you can also use Skidmore's which is essential the same thing. as far as oils like you said neetsfoot oil is most common but a lot of saddle makers swear by extra virgin alive oil. you said that cooking oils can go rancid which is true, though all oils including neetsfoot goes rancid if over applied. my experience with using evoo it to just wipe on and rub it in, then wipe off any excess. don't apply to heavily. I've used it before without any problems but I do prefer neatsfoot oil and Skidmores.
Thanks for this, I did not know of Skidmore cream but will keep an eye out for it so I can test it out!
True, all oils can go rancid if over-applied. I've always stayed clear of extra virgin olive oil though but it's certainly better than leaving the leather to dry out :)
Thanks for your message!
I second the Skidmore's product. I use it and it's excellent.
I would never use olive oil on my leather.
Don't know why you completely un-stitched every piece as it appeared that most of the main seams where in pretty good condition.
The only ones that should have been replaced were the high stress ones.
Just my opinion. And would have saved you a lot of stitching work.
Absolutely amazing restoration but please please please stop talking. Wow you talk wa to much. Please don’t
Hahah thanks Craig for your message, please feel free to mute the video and listen to whatever you would prefer in the background.
i watch this video mute and listen to podcast. you can mute this video. why karen so weird. KAREN