Today I’m sharing my process and tips on how to finish vegetable tanned leather handles for your next bag making project. I recently showed them on my latest Fieldstone Tote! I sold the natural color finished leather handles in my shop for many years (I still sell other colors). Eventually, it became too labor intensive for me! I love the look of the natural leather and I hope this helps if you’re interested in finishing your own leather (veg-tan) straps for your handmade bags.

Sources and supplies:

Since I began working with leather in 2015, a lot of resources online have popped up! That’s a good thing! Leather can be really difficult to determine color online as well as being expensive (depending on the size of leather piece you’re purchasing).

Here are a couple shops I can recommend. They’re great for someone just getting started or those who make bags for craft shows, etc. There are many more shops of course! I would also recommend doing a google search for a shop that’s local to you! I only have experience with US based shops, so if you’re in another country try finding somewhere local. I’m linking the vegetable tanned leather below because it’s what I used for my handles shown in the pictures, there are many types of leathers, but vegetable tanned is very easy to work with and is usually quite economical.

• Tandy Leather
• The Leather Guy
• Weaver Leather

Leather weight

I think there’s a sweet spot for leather weight in the 5-6 oz. range. It’s a nice thickness without getting too heavy and weighing down your project. It’s also sturdy enough to hold up well over time. With anything, we all have our preferences, so you might find a different weight range that you prefer!

Basic tools:

• strap cutter (replacement blades)
• edge beveler tool (size 2)
• Tokonole
• Neatsfoot Oil (plus a rag to apply)
• rotary hole punch
• rounded end punch (1″-wide)
• small hammer (check your local hardware store)
• cutting board

Cutting the strap

• To cut the leather to width, I use a strap cutting tool. It’s a super basic tool, but I think it takes a little getting used to using especially if you’re cutting from a larger hide. I use my rotary cutter and a 4 foot metal ruler for my initial straight cut on a side of leather. Hides are 5-6 feet long or more, so you’ll need a large surface (or a clean floor) to be able to make the cut.
• After I get a straight edge I cut the straps to width using the strap cutter. It adjusts to cut up to a 4″ width.
• You could also use your rotary cutter and ruler to cut the leather. I would probably suggest having a separate rotary cutter for this purpose as it will dull the blade quicker than fabric.

Conditioning the leather

Next, for natural veg tanned leather, I oil it with Neatsfoot oil. Neatsfoot oil is fairly inexpensive. It will condition, soften, and protect the leather. You can do several coats, but keep in mind it will darken the leather. Also, with natural veg tan, it will darken over time with exposure to the sun and use. Below is a picture of a wallet I made years ago, so that hopefully gives you an idea of what the aging process will look like. If you don’t want that, you’ll want to be sure to purchase leather that has already been dyed.

Finishing the ends

This step is optional, but you can purchase strap end cutters if you prefer a rounded end (they have other shapes, too). I use a small rubber hammer with a cutting board to use the punch.

Finish the edges

• Next, I finish the edges of each strap. You can do this to any strap edge. It does depend on your leather type, a soft pliable leather is not going to be a leather where you’ll be able to do this, but any of the straps in my shop (or any vegetable tanned, English Bridle, or Traditional Harness leather) you can finish the edges using this same method. I use an edge tool to bevel the edges of each strap. This eases the sharp edge of the strap and prepares it for the next steps.
• Once the edges are beveled, I use Tocanole cream and a hand tool to burnish the edges. There are lots of ways to burish the edges (beeswax or even water), but this is the most basic with the least amount of tools needed. The Tocanole helps smooth down the leather and creates more of a sealed edge to the handle. You can also use special dyes to color the cut edges, but with veg tan you don’t need to.

Attach to your project

• After the edges are burnished, I use a punch to make the holes for the rivets and then attach them to my project. Here’s my blog post with more depth on rivets and how to attach them to your bag.
• I find that using rivets is quick and easy after you get the hang of things. You could also make/use leather “washers” that get placed on the inside part of your project. It’s especially helpful if you want extra reinforcement or have rivets that are too long for the amount of layers you have punched through.
• I only use a hand press, but you can use a hand setting tool set as well. I find that unless you’re only doing a few projects, the hand press is well worth the cost and has many other purposes for bag making other than rivets (snaps, grommets and more!). Check out KamSnaps for hand presses and related rivets and grommets.
• You could also hand-sew your handles directly on your project, or machine sew the leather into the seam of your project.

I hope that’s helpful! Let me know if you have any questions or if anything is unclear by leaving a comment on this post and I’ll be sure to reply!