Orchid,
For the past few years now, I’ve been trolling the net for a really
nice, mid length leather apron. Denim is OK…but frankly nothing
beats a nice leather apron. Not only did I find one, I found a
company right here in the US that makes them in their shop. The
salesman (Mike) was very helpful & I was very impressed with the
level of customer service I found there. If any of you are
interested, here is the contact info for this company:
http://www.moonshineleather.com/leathershopaprons.cfm
Moonshine Leather Co.
P.O.Box 1652
Nashville, IN 47448-1652
Contact: Mike Katgori
(812) 988-1326
Walt Teats
American Goldworks
Great Falls, MT
Walt,
Being a jeweler for over 30 years, I too, have tried a number of
different kinds of aprons to protect me at the workbench, and keep
my clothes clean. The problem with leather aprons is that they are
thick and HOT to wear. Having worked in Arizona, Hawaii and San
Diego, all warm spots, a leather apron just isn’t practical. Several
years ago, I had a friend who manufactured aprons for the restaurant
and casino trade. I designed a jeweler-specific apron out of a flame
resistant treated cotton, and had it manufactured. It’s turned out
better than I thought, and has been selling well. I wear one whenever
I work at my bench. This apron has a catch-flap at it’s bottom edge,
to collect fallen parts or dust from the bench, and it’s
fire-resistance will not let a freshly soldered part falling into
your lap burn a hole in your apron or clothes. It’s got some other
handy features, too. It’s also breathable, so it’s comfortable for
all day wear. Check it out at Rio, Gesswein, or Stuller. I think it
out performs a leather apron, but then again, I may be partial to my
own design!
Jay Whaley
we used to get leather patches and sew them onto the canvass aprons,
right around the knee/thigh area to serve as a small table while
flex shaft carving all day on acrylic, woods, ivory, since
becomea vegan, don’t use leather or ivory anymore, spalter