Rivet Rules

Rivets can be confusing, especially when trying to figure out whether they have a "top" and a "bottom". Truth is, they don't- they have a smooth side, and then they have the rough side where they're hammered together. Rivets should be peened- that is, hammered round or smooth with a ball head hammer- and then the smooth side can be domed if it's facing out using a dome punch. I personally like a flat rivet, because I like that the leather around it reacts to the shape. 

The rivet rule is simple- the smooth side goes on whichever side of the piece that will be making contact with the most fragile items. On saddles, the smooth side is facing in so the animal doesn't get irritated. On bags, I usually face rivets in on the front or back, where things like laptops would get scratched, and face them out on the sides and bottom, because they come into contact with skin and I don't want anyone getting scratched (even though I hammer them nice and smooth, can never be too careful). On the Brewster collection I face them in, because I think they look nice and they won't get caught on pockets. 

Here's a bag I finished today. It's about 10x12", all hand dyed black with hand brushed nickel hardware. lots of rivets in a couple different sizes, facing a couple different ways. I like using different sizes because smaller rivets just look better on smaller straps.