Made my wife a case for her birding binoculars.

6 months ago by Dr_Fetus_Jackson to c/leathercraft

I travel a lot for work and take my tools with me to give me something to do at night instead of drinking and staring at the walls too much. This really is where the hobby has come into its own.

The Nikons came with a case, but it was haphazard at best. I watched a YouTube video and thought I could do it better. The leather is the same pull up bison I made the wine tote from that I posted last week and this project taught me how to do box and butt stitching. Not bad for a few quiet nights in a Hilton.

SpacePanda 11 points 6 months ago

Thats bad ass looks very nice! Maybe line it with wool for more protection. Not to give you more work lol can't imagine the amount of time this took.

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Dr_Fetus_Jackson 1 point 6 months ago

Thank you!

I didn't think of that! I might do that on another set in the future!

I will say it's rather stiff because I double layered all sides. When making it, I also made the dimensions rather tight so that you can open the binos up a bit and remove any leeway they may have to move around inside.

Here's how well it fits.

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SpacePanda 3 points 6 months ago

They do fit in their very well. Wool probably isnt nessasary with how well those fit. I was thinking it would be more loose. You really did do a great job with that.

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Dr_Fetus_Jackson 2 points 6 months ago

I appreciate that!

Here's the templates I drew up for it. I started a little on the larger side, and adjusted as I went.

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BootyEnthusiast 7 points 6 months ago

Absolutely sick. Looks super good.

How do you deal with cleanup while working in a hotel room though?

That can't be easy.

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Dr_Fetus_Jackson 2 points 6 months ago

Thank you!!

Believe it, or not, it wasn't that bad. Really, it kinda ensures that after each step, I straighten up after myself and kept everything as orderly as possible.

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bandywillow 4 points 6 months ago

@Dr_Fetus_Jackson that's an amazing bit of leather-craft. I truly appreciate a good photo of a crafter's studio space

Artistic space with a short-haired border collie sitting below the table

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Dr_Fetus_Jackson 3 points 6 months ago

You don't know how much I appreciate the compliment, mang! Thank you!!👊

The best thing, for me, about this hobby is how it meshes with my travel for work. I can figure something like this out in a hotel room and come home after a few weeks and get into some heavier sessions where I can integrate tools that are too large to travel.

Your set up is awesome! I love that you have a place for el doggo! I'll be adding that to my space soon!!

Speaking of, I just reset my workspace at my home shop a few weekends ago and I think it came together out nicely!

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P00ptart 3 points 6 months ago

Hey that looks great! It actually looks a lot like the case for my grandpa's binos that got handed down to me.

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Dr_Fetus_Jackson 2 points 6 months ago

Thank you!!

Due to my inexperience with binoculars, I didn't know that it's a classic case style for them. I mean, it makes sense, but WTF do I know about binos?! I'm an IT guy. 🤣

After I had completed the project and I returned to my home office, I found out my office had a set of old school ones that are built like a tank. I wish I would've known that before the project, it would've saved some time on understanding the development of the case I made. That said, I did love the challenge.

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P00ptart 2 points 6 months ago

That's funny that you naturally came up with the same overall design. It makes sense though as making it horizontal would require forming material.

Edit: if you're also a wood worker you could make one look really fancy that way but man, that'd be a lot of work.

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Dr_Fetus_Jackson 2 points 6 months ago

Being fair, after deciding I could do better than the factory case, I got the initial build plan idea from an ASMR video reel on YT. It taught me a lot of technique for making a 3D objects. Things like the double laying, box and butt stitching, and how to balance the weight so it sits nicely on a strap looped on your shoulder.

I'm a little bit of an autodidact and a visual context learner. If I can see it, I can figure it out. Reels will tell you a lot, but they don't give you the nuance, feel, or properties of the materials you're dealing with. For me, that's the real allure. After seeing the case in my office, I got to see how my mind took something similar and translated and interpreted it with my own flair.

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P00ptart 1 point 6 months ago

Hey that's cool. I wish I had the patience for that. ADHD says I would start something, mess up a stitch or something and never touch it again. Lol

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thenextguy 1 point 6 months ago

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