How to: Make a Custom Leather Briefcase from Scratch (with a Secret Stash Pocket)

Phiske, a leather craftsman and the artist behind Cachicamo Leather Works, details the steps towards making this beautiful, custom leather briefcase that is certain to last a few lifetimes. The best part? The design includes a hidden compartment in the bottom for your extra valuables and/or secret spy documents.   

Phiske says, “Leather is awesome!  Especially vegetable tanned leather.  It’s been in use for centuries, millennia, eons even.  (Are millennia and an eon the same thing?)…I love making bags and briefcases out of leather.  It’s such a beautiful, renewable resource.  Granted, large unrestricted tanneries can produce some bad chemicals, vegetable tanned leather, if properly processed, limits these.  Another cool thing about leather is that if you really take care of it, it will last.  And it looks great as it ages.  But it is also biodegradable.  So when you are old and you and your leather bag are all worn out,  you can just toss it and it will decompose.  Can’t say that about synthetic leather or any other man made products that you might use to make a briefcase.  You can even recycle the hardware too!” 

Clearly a passionate guy, and super talented. Check out the full tutorial: 

Leather Briefcase (Covert Edition) [Instructables.com]