I’ve mentioned before that I’m not a fan of the leather covered G21 hardware on the Brogues, probably because I’ve seen too many of them looking ratty with leather the leather stained or partially worn off of the giant studs.
Still I wondered what was under the leather. Was it some cheapo tarnished metal, plastic, the same studs as on G21 bags, or what? I searched for an exceedingly ratty and stud-worn Brogues bag, hopefully for cheap, to try to manually remove the leather off of the studs. But then I found one where the leather had already been stripped and I jumped.
To my delight, the hardware under the leather cover is a glorious shiny smooth silver stud. They really are beautiful and high quality studs. I can’t fathom why Bal bought these lovely studs and proceeded to cover them, because they’re the best! I like them a 10000 times more than the standards G21 and G12 hardware because I prefer a solid, smooth surface.
The black city with the leather already removed was a bit of a sloppy job, leaving a ring of jagged leather peaking out from the bottom of each stripped stud. That really bothered me.
I set out to clean up the excess leather still remaining under each stud, and removed leather from the studs on the back of the City that were still intact.
The bad news is that this is an arduous and dangerous mission. Didn’t help that I improvised with what little tools I had. A proper leather worker would have a trunk full of leather specific tools for the task. I made do with eyebrow scissors, a utility knife, q-tips and acetone. I did manage to punch at least 4 very painful holes in my hands in the process.
I’m still not finished, but I couldn’t be happier with the results. I see many more Brogues in my future. I’ve discovered a whole new Moto style!
