fountain pen

by Tony Thomas After my success making a traveler's notebook out of heavy felt, I decided to make a few more out of leather using the popular Ray Blake method . For the first one, I used some vegetable-tanned tooling leather (highly recommended) from my local  Tandy Leather .  The piece was only a bit larger than the 6" x 9" I needed to make the notebook.  It was a fairly thin piece at around 4 oz. (approx 4/64").   I also bought a small punch to create the holes.  After cutting the leather, punching the holes, trimming the corners, threading the elastic cords, and applying a bit of oil, here is what I came up with in about 20 minutes: After living with the notebook for a week or so, I decided to make a second notebook out of heavier tooling leather I found on eBay ( DC Leather ).  It was a about 8.5 oz. (almost 9/64").   I also bought some dye ( Angelus ) for both notebooks to give them a more finished look.  The heavier leather was a bit more ch...

by Tony Thomas I was a bit bored today so I decided to try and put together an inexpensive traveler's notebook similar to the familiar Midori.  A "Po-Dori", you could call it. So, I headed off to the local craft store to see what materials I could find.  I discovered a 9" x 12" piece of stiff felt for a buck and 3 yards of green bungee cord for about $1.60.  The materials used are far from optimal but they are cheap and durable. Total cost: less than $3 with tax.  Plus, I have enough materials left over to make a smaller one if I so desire. I used Ray Blake's video on You Tube to provide the instruction needed to make it.  You can watch that video here .  Total construction time: about 15-20 minutes. In any case, it turned out OK and it works! I also made a short video on the way it turned out here . My "Po-Dori" with Clairefontaine 9 x 14 cm and Rhodia 7.5 x 12 cm notebooks installed.

by Tony Thomas Not too long ago, I ordered a custom leather notebook cover for my favorite Clairefontaine Classic staple-bound notebook (6.5" x 8.25") from Hidebound Leather .   They turned it around quickly and it has become an important part of my EDC.  Hidebound does all kinds of leather products including book and Bible covers, journals, sketchbooks and more.  They also offer a series of Rhodia pad covers .  Their prices are reasonable and their quality and service are top notch.  I heartily recommend them! http://www.hideboundleather.com/