Still healing and preparing...

I've just about finished Tuck's handlebar bag.  All I need to do is attach the toggles...when they are made.  Last night he tooled a few of the leather pieces I was preparing to attach to the bag.  

Here are some pictures of the (nearly) finished bag...you can see how different it is from mine.

Some close-ups of the detail...

Over the past few days I've been taking short trips on the bike to try to loosen up my knee a little.  It may be working...there is almost no pain or tightness!  I still occasionally ice it; specifically after a ride.  Thankfully, it does seem to be healing quickly, so I think we can leave soon.  I will definitely take it easy and be sure to do as much spinning in low gears as I can. 

 I'm actually glad we weren't able to leave at the beginning of the month...riding and camping in constant cold rain would have been quite miserable!  

Hang it all!

Since I will need to use the panniers soon, I must finish making them.

All that is left to do is make and attach the hanging apparatus.  

My brother bent flat steel into 8 hooks for me and drilled the screw holes...I painted them glossy black.

My dad cut flat aluminum for anchoring the hooks...

The aluminum gets sandwiched between the leather and the canvas.

I poked and punched holes in the leather for the screws to go through, carved channels for the stitching, poked all the thread holes, and wore out my fingers stitching the leather to the canvas.

Since the paint on the hooks needs to dry fully, I attached these two for demonstration's sake alone...

I am very pleased with how it looks!

Oh, I  do need to waterproof the leather before the hooks are permanently secured...

Finishing the Handlebar Bag...

Earlier this week I made two loops for the front toggles and covered their unsightly parts with small rectangles of leather.  Yesterday I drilled holes in and put finish on the toggles.  Finally, this morning I attached them with some leather cording knotted at each end.  

 The toggles on the sides of the flap will only be closed if it is stormy.  They just hold the edges down to keep rain from blowing in.

Straps and Buckles...

Today I installed the straps and buckles on one front pannier.
Before sewing them on, I prepared all four sets by gouging out the grooves for the thread and punching the holes...

 The sewing itself went pretty fast...

 Not perfectly straight...but that is ok....it will work just fine!

Buckle up!

I know this isn't directly related to my trip, but it is something I will probably be wearing...
I didn't like the buckle that came with my belt when I bought it, so I purchased a leather covered one from Standing Bear's Trading Post that needed to be put together and decorated.

 A few months later....

I wood-burned a picture of my favorite cow onto the face of the buckle.  Then I laced the front and back together over the metal base with some narrow leather lacing I bought yesterday.



Unfortunately, when I waterproofed it, the darker leather caused the design to stand out less...

At least I finally finished it!  This one is better looking than the generic one that came with the belt...and now I won't be afraid of scratching what I lean against!

Getting a handle on things...

Today I made it to M. Steffan's Sons, Inc again and acquired supplies to finish the panniers. 

One item I bought was a 40" strap of sturdy 1" leather...and 

immediately made it into a handle for the handlebar bag. 

  

 The two scissor snaps easily attach to the braided loops on either side of the bag.

It is so convenient to carry it over the shoulder when not on the bike...

It is high time these were finished!

I'm finally getting around to attaching the hanging apparatus to the panniers!  Installation was delayed because the racks were needed in order to determine the exact placement of the hooks.  

Aluminum strips will be the strong stiff anchor the hooks will be bolted to.  

Leather will surround the aluminum and secure it to the back of the pannier.  

Part of the leather strip will wrap around the aluminum rods inserted in the seams to help distribute the weight to stronger parts of the bag.

The hooks themselves need to be made, but everything else is ready.  This is the last step in making the panniers...  

More waterproofing...

A few days ago I waterproofed the first front pannier...today I treated the handlebar bag.  I didn't take pics of the pannier job, you'll just have to believe me...
Here are the details of the handlebar bag work and waterproofing.

Before treating...
I sewed leather onto both sides of the bag as channels for the metal rods that will secure it. I soaked the leather with water so I could shape it.  When dry, it was stiff and held the shape I formed it into. I braided two loops out of leather cording to enable a carrying strap to be attached or removed at the slightest whim.  I sewed them securely to the canvas, and then the leather channel covered their untidy ends.

After waterproofing...
The leather darkened significantly when waterproofed...I like the look a lot.
It also became stiffer, but that won't be a problem.

A few things I noticed with the panniers I waterproofed first:  the linseed oil takes a couple weeks to dry completely.  While it is drying it smells strongly of rancid oil...yuk!

After it dries, the canvas is very stiff....and I mean VERY stiff!

I wasn't expecting it to become so resistant to bending and folding.  I am glad it got so stiff...that will help the handlebar bag stay shaped when filled and off the bike....

I did make a rather silly mistake when storing the leftover mixture of beeswax and linseed oil...I didn't cover the container or wrap up the paintbrush, so the oil dried.  I had to pick pieces of dried linseed oil out of the melted beeswax and off the canvas when I used it next...

Well...learn from your mistakes!

Trim-work finished!

My fingers are sore, but I'm nearing the end...

I just finished sewing the leather trim onto the handlebar bag.

I am very pleased with how it looks!

The volume is 9.5L or 585 cubic inches.

Front, with flap closed...

Trim on the Handlebar Bag

Slowly, since sewing leather is a long process, the handlebar bag is nearing completion.
I'm trimming all the raw edges with the same leather I used on the panniers.  I'm also trimming all the seams.  I'm sewing the seam trim with the saddle stitch....it sure is time consuming!

Progress...

The first front pannier is nearly finished!

The front

Back view

Side and front

I had some frustrations while making it that I will try to avoid in the next one.  When cutting it out, I didn't cut the top flap wide or long enough, so it was difficult to fold and sew neatly into the shape I wanted it. Because of this, the back edges of the flap curve downward as is visible in the above photo.  It is still functional, just not as pretty, or as easy to make!

Strapping the flaps down

The buckles...
I was able to buy buckles and pre-cut leather at the leather goods store.  I just needed to sew it on...

First I marked where I wanted the stitching to be, and gouged it out with a carving tool. There is a specific tool for this task, but a curved carving tool works well. Gouging a channel for the stitching keeps it flush with the surface of the leather.

After gouging, I punched holes for the thread with an awl and mallet.  This leather is too thick to push a needle through without pre-punched holes.  

                      

The waxed linen thread that I used on the knife sheath worked well to sew the buckles and straps.  I used the saddle stitch which is very strong and looks nice. 

I sewed only the 'D' shaped part to the pannier. The two extensions of stitching proceeding towards the buckle only sewed the leather together so as to keep the buckle in place.  

The buckle being sewed to the pannier...  

Finished sewing it on!!

I also got leather straps to buckle the top flaps on the panniers down.  I bought black leather, precut by the leather lady to the correct length.  All I had to do was punch holes in them for the buckle prong to go through and then attach them to the flap.  These were sewed the same way as the buckles were.

Holes punched...                                         

 Sewed onto the flap...

The finished work...