Leather Saddlebags From Rusty Knuckles For Harley Dyna's and Softails, Built For All Of The Lane Splitters

Rusty Knuckles custom leather saddle bags with acid etched and hand stitched Harley Davidson emblems

Creating a set of saddle bags from raw materials and building to fit a bike can be quite the challenge. For a good while now, ideas have been inked on a well thumbed page in the sketchbook as a project to get done. Luckily for us, the years of hard work and showcasing our capabilities allow for customers to spring up that want unique custom items. 

One such customer out of Pennsylvania just so happened to want a set of narrow saddle bags that would fit their softail and to be in a deep cherry color to match their bike. I presented my sketches to them for a style of bag and we hatched a plan.

These bolt on saddle bags can easily be built to fit onto any bike, its just a matter of what mounting bracket that is intended to be used. We asked the customer to pick up a set of their choosing and would attach the support slot for the bracket accordingly. They chose to pick up these Saddlemen Brackets from J&P Cycle and shipped them over.

Being the fact that we also wanted a deep color to the bags with a unique look, we picked up some extra heavyweight ox blood leather in 10 oz. Then to achieve the color choice, opted to dye it some more after a light top scuffing and air brush the edges with a black fade. Another aspect that was key was a very tight fit and profile so match the bike. Nothing too bulky for hauling groceries, but a solid set of bags that could pack your leathers, some tools, oil and any other quick essentials you might need for the road. 

Needless to say we are quite proud of these bags and working to produce a line of them now starting in deep black and full custom color options. We have one more round of prototypes to produce to work out any more bugs with brackets and hardware and will then be offering them as a new product in our online stores. Lots of options to also work in such as quick release mounting bolts and a locking option.

Check out more of our leather work

Shop our etsy store for much more of our custom leather gear

Back panel of saddle bag showing top bolt holes for fender strut and lower stitching of mounting area for bracket

Mounting the Saddlemen S4 Universal Support Brackets on our 2000 Dyna FXDX for mockup

Old saddle bag picked up from swap meet for mock up purposes

Creating working templates with design specs for some of the leather pieces to cut out

Slip through support slot for universal support brackets for easy on and off mounting

Shaving the underside and rounding over the top flap for machine stitching for top of saddle bags

Saddle Bags in mockup stage before final coats of color are to be added

Custom etched aluminum emblems that were attached by drilling and hand stitching

Top view of saddlebag to show the narrow width of the finished bag. (bag isn't fully bolted on, just in mockup stage)

Saddle bags fully finished and ready for shipping.

Chewbacca Plays Bass and Rusty Knuckles Customs Made His Guitar Strap

Chewbacca Plays Bass and Rusty Knuckles Customs Made His Guitar Strap

Star Wars‬ fun fact, Chewbacca used to play in a band at the Cantina on Bass. When things didn't jive with Chewie's style of finger slappin', the lead singer's Imperial ways got the best of him. A fit was thrown and Chewbacca being the Rebel he is, knocked him out cold and left on a starship with another infamous smuggler. We are proud to have made his bass strap and to support Rebels all across the galaxy.

Check out more of our work on Flickr

Custom Leather Belts From Rusty Knuckles Are Built To Last

Custom Leather Belts From Rusty Knuckles Are Built To Last

If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself. As our catalog of custom leather products further evolves, creating the perfect heavyweight leather belt has taken some time to fully come to fruition. We offer our belts in several styles of color and any length you need. Hell, they are even better when paired with our line of custom belt buckles. Order yours today! Our belts are cut from 10 oz leather and are built to last.

Check them out on our Etsy store

Antique Brown handmade leather belt from Rusty Knuckles

The perfect leather belt from Rusty Knuckles

Heavyweight black leather belt from Rusty Knuckles

Custom Leather Straps For A Hot Rod Gas Tank

Custom Leather Straps For A Hot Rod Gas Tank

It can be a damn good feeling to see the work you just put a lot of time and effort into go onto a vehicle to be appreciated. Big thanks to Jose of the Road Devils Car Club and specifically the all active military chapter the Devils Brigade for the project. Need some custom work done, send us an email ralph.knuckles at gmail.

Rusty Knuckles Custom Leather Banjo Straps Now A Feature Item At Banjo.com

Banjo Buck Thrailkill and a good variety of our custom straps being sent out to Banjo.com

Huge thank you to Banjo.com for our first major wholesale account with our custom banjo straps that are tried and true and now also shipping worldwide.

Custom Guitar Strap for Kalyn of Coaltown Dixie

Custom Guitar Strap for Kalyn of Coaltown Dixie

Every custom strap we create and ship out is extremely important to us. Whether it be one of our clean and classy straps from our guitar or banjo line or a high end custom one. Each strap is meticulously crafted and built to last. If a piece of hardware fails and or you need some help on keeping the leather in good condition, don't hesitate to ask for help. Huge thanks to Kalyn for allowing us to craft this custom guitar strap for her and looking forward to seeing the ladies in Coaltown Dixie take the stage quite soon!

Custom Leather Camera Straps From Rusty Knuckles

Custom Leather Camera Straps From Rusty Knuckles

Every time a piece of leather is cut, new ideas come together. The resilience of the material, lends itself to a myriad of uses and ways it can be stamped, cut, stitched or lashed together. For a good while we have been plotting on some Camera Straps, as a few customers have been asking on them, along with other key items that will slowly emerge this year from us. In the back of our minds, we always try to think through what new products to offer, and ones that will also directly link back to the bands on the label. Great photos and great bands, go hand in hand. Now we can also support the photographers far and wide with the same quality leather found on our guitar straps, just reconfigured to work with most DSLR cameras. Go out and make life happen! 

Check out these camera straps and more on our Etsy page

Custom Leather Guitar Strap For A Martin Guitar, From Rusty Knuckles

Custom Leather Guitar Strap For A Martin Guitar, From Rusty Knuckles

When a custom order for a guitar strap comes in, we generally never know the full details of what type of instrument it is intended for. But when we receive photos such as this one from an elated customer, about our craftsmanship and gracing a beautiful Martin Guitar, we can't help but smile with a huge grin from ear to ear. Martin Guitars were established in 1833 and it is our goal with every custom product made to have that piece outlast it's owner and to be passed on to the next generation. We strive to keep Rusty Knuckles surging forward for decades to come.

Custom 10 Ounce Leather Belts With Your Name Carved, From Rusty Knuckles

Custom 10 Ounce Leather Belts from Rusty Knuckles

Having a good quality belt that will last for many years to come is something to spend your hard earned dollars on. The products we create for ourselves and customers are built to last, especially our leather items. These belts are made from heavy duty 10 oz vegetable tanned leather and can be custom ordered with your name or phrase embellished into them in a plethora of colors. Hit us up directly or check them out on Etsy or ralph.knuckles at gmail.com

Custom 10 Ounce Leather Belts from Rusty Knuckles for the Crude Crew

Custom 10 Ounce Leather Belts from Rusty Knuckles for the Crude Crew

Guitar Strap Giveaway - Target Shooting With A Pistol

Guitar Strap Giveaway - Target Shooting With A Pistol

For a proper introduction to our new line of Guitar Straps featuring the leather of wild hogs, we chose to give the first strap away in this style. Here is our version of the proper way to choose the winner. Thanks to everyone for the reposts, hashtags, links, etc.

Full Detail On A Custom Leather Guitar Strap

Full detail on the Cavalry horse carved into a leather guitar strap

Getting to create a full custom leather strap for our customers is truly an enjoyment. If you are in the need of custom leather work whether it be for your guitar, motorcycle or a random element, send us an email, be glad to work with ya. - Ralph.Knuckles at gmail.

Brand New Skinny Custom Leather Guitar Straps In Stock

Ox Blood leather guitar skinny in width at 1.25" by Rusty Knuckles Customs

 
Our skinny guitar strap is made out of 8 oz. leather that is tanned and softened to be an easily worn for hours upon end for superior comfort. The strap has grommet holes punched out for a variety of mounting options and adjusts from 50" inches to 60" inches, or can be adjusted to fit any particular size you need upon ordering.

Denim And Leather Brought Us All Together, Rusty Knuckles Custom Guitar Straps

Custom guitar strap made out of vintage black denim and leather with painted lettering and white stitching

"Denim and leather brought us together, it was you that set the spirit free... - Saxon". Stoked on another full custom guitar strap request for some metal brethren in the Bay Area.

Custom Guitar Strap For Harliss Sweetwater

Custom Guitar Strap For Harliss Sweetwater

Antique honey finish and custom paint job on this guitar strap for Harliss Sweetwater, the bluesy and soulful shaman of southern California.

Custom Guitar Strap To Adorn A Megath Inspired Flying V Guitar

As the orders roll in daily, we are constantly shipping merch to countries, locales and folks far and wide. One of the coolest honors that we ever receive is when we get the chance to do a custom order in which someone wants something very specific. 

On this particular strap we got an email through our Etsy store and Scotty was asking to have one of our black straps done up with antique brass hardware. We quickly emailed back to let him know that it could indeed be done and we would just have to order the right pieces for him. Really stoked to see the type of guitar he was putting it on, along with all the custom airbrush work. Honored to say the least.

Nikki Lane Live On Conan, Wearing Rusty Knuckles Customs

Nikki Lane appearing live on Conan while sporting our custom Boot Straps

Our boot straps are getting out to folks far and wide. Nice to know that the one and only Nikki Lane is wearing hers proudly. Check her out on Conan. Might be tough to see them with the limited views of her boots, but here is a close up after her show in Chapel Hill, NC

Updated Photos To Some Of Our Custom Guitar Straps

Rusty Knuckles Dark Sienna Brown Custom Guitar Strap

Hobbies are a great pastime, so we turned ours into a full time career path. If it has something to do with Motors & Music, we are all ears. Over the years after creating one item after another, we knew that developing a signature line of goods was our game plan. Currently we are working on a slew of artist endorsement deals and bringing quite a few new acts to the table who will rep our goods. Care to get involved? ralph.knuckles at gmail dot com, lets chat.

Banjo Strap Adapters Handmade in Leather

Need a keeper for your banjo?

If you need a special adapter for your custom banjo strap, we now have ya covered. This strap keeper will allow you to connect to any banjo tension hook and especially if you want to use it as a connector to our soon to be world famous "Buckstache" straps. You keep jammin' and pickin' we'll keep sippin' and designin'! 

Imitation Can Be The Most Serious Form Of Fuckery...

Lying and thieving douchebags exist all over the map

Imitation is the sincerest form of fuckery. If yall don't mind we could use a favor from the masses. We found a fucktard on Amazon that wants to act as if they created our products and sell them at a higher price. Please contact Amazon and help to have them removed or find out their address where I can personally show up and collect payment the old fashioned way...

Have a look for yourself at our store on Etsy

Please go report this douchebag to Amazon that likes to take credit for other folks work.

Here is the real photo of our work being heisted by a fake seller on Amazon.

Hell Bent For Leather, Or A Great Custom Item Made In USA

When I ship out guitar straps they are bound up with hemp rope and a final logo tag is added

All of the leather work now being produced started in the most simple manner, I wanted a better tool bag for my motorcycle. That is not too much to ask for. Now granted there are some fantastic leather craftsmen far and wide that are superb at their job. There in was my problem. These guys command quite a bit of money as they are true craftsmen and were definitely out of my budget.

Being the student of life that I am, answers were needed for my burning questions and I decided to go the oracle. Yep, forget the Sirens that might have lived on the top of a mountain in Delphi who spoke in riddles, youtube is the modern day oracle for how to videos. Eureka, now I had a plan to hatch in order to create a leather tool bag that fit within my miniscule budget.

After weeks of pouring over leather crafter's mini documentaries and showing how to manipulate tanned hides, I figured I could plop down a few bucks and create a tool bag that would be perfect for my bike. I go into everything with that kind of attitude, as I am of the mindset that I learn more along the journey and enjoy stumbling along the path.

This started a new problem that I had not foreseen, being the ever so practical individual that I am. I really got into the leather work. So much so that I started thinking on tricking out the tool bag, thinking on new versions, belt loops, guitar straps, etc etc. Then a few customers started to trickle in after seeing my original bag. 

My first tool bag truly was nothing special and I still ride with it today. What I came to realize though is that folks really want a good story. They dig knowing who made a product and that the person will stand behind their work. As I would show them my tool bag and we would talk on the types of bags for different bikes and costs, I could envision them seeking out a solid item they could get behind and for a reasonable price.

Two years later I am still quite amazed at where the projects within the hobby of leather work have taken me and the amount of folks asking for custom items. With shipments going out weekly around the world, I can honestly say thank you to everyone that has purchased a tool bag, belt loop, guitar strap or all the other random items I have made from scratch. It's a great honor to be a manufacturer and a craftsman and to be able to stand behind the work 100%. Much of the sales come through our Etsy Store and now we are getting emails or calls directly for quite a few projects. 

Have a look at some of the latest work to get shipped out. One of the big things I will be adding this year is a free digital download card with all orders. The more music I can pass along to show that Rusty Knuckles is truly a multitude of individuals coming together, the better I will feel about all that we as a group strive to create. A high tide will float all boats and that is our core philosophy.

Brand new style of black leather 2.5" inch wide guitar strap with silver grommets

Detail hammer marks on the hand stamped copper rivets for a bag on a 1937 Knucklehead

Yep, a vintage look can easily be achieved on nickel plated brass

Detail on a custom tanned tool bag buckles and hand sewn sides

Eyelets up close and personal on a guitar strap

Logo struck into the leather guitar strap with one strike from my 3 lb hammer

Distressed brown leather guitar strap

Up close and personal with an 8 oz shoulder leather for a Guitar Strap and heavy buckle

The more I got into leatherwork the more I read about having good edges. Then I started to realize that good edge work can really make or break a piece.