Tool Cobber caught up with Matt from RMK Leather Works to find out a bit more about their high quality leather products and business.
First up Matt, can you give us a brief intro into what you do at RMK Leather Works
This is my seventh year on the tools full-time. I started making knife sheaths and bushcraft pouches and other leather products like that. Everything else has branched off from there.
We got into EDC (Everyday Carry), like tool pouches and leather items, leather products that I’m personally interested in. Then we branched into gun leather, and now, a whole lot of quality leather work and accessories.
We’re really refining what we’re working on now.
So you’ve been doing leatherwork for seven years. That’s pretty cool, what got you started?
I was mining in Western Australia and my dad was living in Queensland, and I went to visit him. I didn’t get to see him very often, so visiting family was always exciting.
At the time, I was really into hunting and shooting, and I wanted to make an ammo pouch and a belt. My dad has always done a bit of leather craft.
He had a bike accident, so he had a lot of time in bed in the hospital. To keep his hands busy, he would make bags and whatnot. So, yeah, leather craft has always been around in my family.
We spent the afternoon making the things that I wanted and loved. You could spend a couple of hours making something that would last a lifetime, if you look after the items of course.
So that’s where it started. I was taught the basics by my dad, like saddle stitching and template designing, etc. Everything else was self-taught, and trial and error.
Here we are now, after all that, seven years down the track.
RMK’s focus is to really polish and refine our existing products before we move into any new leather products.
What’s the main range of products RMK Leather Works makes at the moment?
So, there’s the EDC gear, your pouches and holsters, they’re probably the best sellers. Plus, wallets, belts, and we make badge wallets for the police, ambulance and prisons.
We also do gun leather products, such as butt stocks, ammo belts, slides, ammo pouches and patches and accessories.
Not much goes to waste. We make the most out of the materials, using everything we can is very important to us. We either sell the leather scraps to creative people, who make jewellery and other small items. Or we donate it to schools.
Is there a particular type of leather you use over others, or do you use a variety?
Ah, like veg tan is king, and always will be. It’s the best. But I don’t discriminate. I really think that chrome tan leathers have their purpose, and I’ve done a whole lot of experimenting over the years with different types of leather.
So, it’s between your vegetable tan, chrome tan, and this combination, which is sort of like a pathway point between the two.
Name a couple of your favourite tools or tools you have to use on a day-to-day basis
Sewing machines.
Being a guy, I never thought I would get into sewing machines. When I started, I was hand sewing all my leather work. I invested in a sewing machine, and then I was scared of it.
It sat there for about six months because, at the time, I was only making sheaths. To get a sheath up to the point where you’re about to sew involves a lot of work. I knew if I did it by hand, I wouldn’t mess it up. But with the machine, I was pretty much guaranteed to mess up my first couple.
But that’s what you have to do to learn, you learn from your mistakes.
And now I love to sew. So sewing machines are definitely up there.
Then, our presses.
All the presses we have are absolute game-changers. I feel like that was the tipping point between being a hobbyist and then going into a business — investing in a press and all the doors open.
And, then there are your hand tools.
I enjoy, or still enjoy, beveling edges, not so much burnishing, but I do put pride into burnishing, and a lot of time.
The Japanese-style skiving knives I really like for hand cutting leather. That’s something that I’ve only really started using in the last year or so. I used to use a box cutter, like a utility Stanley knife to cut leathers, but the Japanese skiving knives are the way to go, much more control.
Where can people get hold of your products?
We only sell through our website RMKleatherworks.com.au or you can visit us at an Expo. We do the Brisbane Knife Show and the Sydney Knife Show, and we’ll be doing the SSAA SHOT Expo that’s coming up in October.
Do you do custom orders as well?
Not so much. There’s a whole other side of our business that’s business-to-business and promotional products. We make our own stamps in-house. Creating a lot of leather work for businesses and brand promotion. So that’s the sort of custom aspect of our business.
Do you ship overseas?
Yeah, we send international orders pretty much every week. I don’t advertise overseas, people just see our products, either on social media or just word of mouth or whatever.
We send a fair bit to America, Canada, and Europe. Singapore is another popular one that seems to have a thriving EDC community. They love their leather patches as well.
Any final tips?
Yeah, look after your leather products and they will last you a long time.
Make sure you check your pockets before you put a wash on, you don’t want those wallets going through the wash.
And, keep an eye out. We do have some new products coming up.
We’ve redesigned our pancake holsters, and the new version of our bifold wallets fits USD and Canadian bills.
Check out the latest range of quality leather products from Matt and his team at RMKleatherworks.com.au.
