this post was submitted on 01 May 2026
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leathercraft

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Made my wife a case for her birding binoculars. (lemmy.world)
submitted 1 week ago by Dr_Fetus_Jackson@lemmy.world to c/leathercraft@lemmy.ca
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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.

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[–] SpacePanda@mander.xyz 10 points 1 week ago (1 children)

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.

[–] Dr_Fetus_Jackson@lemmy.world 1 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

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.

[–] SpacePanda@mander.xyz 3 points 1 week ago (1 children)

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.

[–] Dr_Fetus_Jackson@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week 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.

[–] BootyEnthusiast@lemmy.dbzer0.com 7 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Absolutely sick. Looks super good.

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

That can't be easy.

[–] Dr_Fetus_Jackson@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week 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.

[–] P00ptart@lemmy.world 3 points 1 week ago (1 children)

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

[–] Dr_Fetus_Jackson@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

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.

[–] P00ptart@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

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.

[–] Dr_Fetus_Jackson@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

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.

[–] P00ptart@lemmy.world 1 points 1 week 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