Shortly before lockdown a friend gave me their old sewing machine knowing that I had an intention of making my own bags. I bought some cheap thread, zips and material and had a crack at making various things:

Various phone and parts bags, a tool roll and stuff sacks









Custom frame bags for my Rose which CX geometry made finding an off the shelf bag difficult - neither are waterproof but I used the half bag on part of the TCW which we turned into a road ride due to the headwind and rain and it kept most stuff pretty dry.





4(.5ish)l handlebar barrel bag - it's next to a 4l podsacs fork leg bag.







The barrel bag is great when full as it'll take a down gilet, bag of jelly babies, buff, phone and waterproof. But if you take an item out, it starts to sag. Any idea of a material or strut to put in to give it some structural rigidity? I thought of trying to put some plastic across the inner back where it would contact the headtube but I couldn't get it to stop flapping back around the headtube when nearly empty.

Very nice

Sadly my MYOG skills are severely lacking when it comes to sewing machines

I tried to make some face masks in lockdown and nearly launched the SM out of the window.

Edit:
Meant to say, could you glue in some kind of stiffener in your barrel bag, a piece of plastic milk bottle etc

Shewie wrote: ↑Thu Sep 17, 2020 11:42 am Very nice

Sadly my MYOG skills are severely lacking when it comes to sewing machines

I tried to make some face masks in lockdown and nearly launched the SM out of the window.

I did the same, I found using old T-shirt fabric was way harder than this tough ripstop-like material. Following a pattern for the phone pouch and pencil case helped take away some of the need to think too deeply about it and I could just concentrate on getting to know the machine and etc.

good works. yeah try a milk bottle or even an rectangle 2L ice cream tub cut open to get as big of a "flat" piece of plastic as possible (hopefully the where the sides meet the bottom will bend out?)

Get a set of those "a different colour for each food type" chopping boards, which are one or two mm thick.
Set of 4 for a couple of quid, from B&M - not my usual shop, but I was on a serious "hunting for stuff that can be repurposed" mission

belugabob wrote: ↑Sat Sep 19, 2020 5:06 pm Get a set of those "a different colour for each food type" chopping boards, which are one or two mm thick.
Set of 4 for a couple of quid, from B&M - not my usual shop, but I was on a serious "hunting for stuff that can be repurposed" mission

Actually went out with this express intention the other day and all I could find were thick ones or fancy wooden boards... turns out 1" of oak will stop it folding in on itself but doesn't leave much room for anything else.

AndyTheBikeGuy wrote: ↑Sat Sep 19, 2020 10:08 pm

belugabob wrote: ↑Sat Sep 19, 2020 5:06 pm Get a set of those "a different colour for each food type" chopping boards, which are one or two mm thick.
Set of 4 for a couple of quid, from B&M - not my usual shop, but I was on a serious "hunting for stuff that can be repurposed" mission

Actually went out with this express intention the other day and all I could find were thick ones or fancy wooden boards... turns out 1" of oak will stop it folding in on itself but doesn't leave much room for anything else.

https://www.argos.co.uk/product/8434984 ... lsrc=aw.ds

belugabob wrote: ↑Sun Sep 20, 2020 8:20 pm

AndyTheBikeGuy wrote: ↑Sat Sep 19, 2020 10:08 pm

belugabob wrote: ↑Sat Sep 19, 2020 5:06 pm Get a set of those "a different colour for each food type" chopping boards, which are one or two mm thick.
Set of 4 for a couple of quid, from B&M - not my usual shop, but I was on a serious "hunting for stuff that can be repurposed" mission

Actually went out with this express intention the other day and all I could find were thick ones or fancy wooden boards... turns out 1" of oak will stop it folding in on itself but doesn't leave much room for anything else.

https://www.argos.co.uk/product/8434984 ... lsrc=aw.ds

I have LDPE sheet, which is 1.5mm, it is, a softer plastic so unlike 1.0 mm HDPE, which is more rigid. So does Not drum when a loose item rattles inside. I converted an old Karrimor barbag this way..
pm me if you want add some...
LowDensityPolyEthylene.

HighDensityPolyEthylene.

I recentley used one of the Argos chopping boards foe stiffening a handlebar harness. Can confirm that they sew through no problem with my Singer 201k

Singer 201k, basic (by modern standards) straight stitch with reverse. They sew well through any thing.
The Rolls Royce of all domestics by Singer. Before zig-zag was common in the 60's.

I have one as well.... And a pfaff 701 zigzag domestic, and a commercial built on a table Pfaff 481 with thread auto trim and backstitch, needle feed (zero seam slippage but only light to medium duty).

ledburner wrote: ↑Mon Nov 09, 2020 9:50 am
I have LDPE sheet, which is 1.5mm, it is, a softer plastic so unlike 1.0 mm HDPE, which is more rigid. So does Not drum when a loose item rattles inside. I converted an old Karrimor barbag this way..
pm me if you want add some...
LowDensityPolyEthylene.

HighDensityPolyEthylene.

Thanks for the offer ledburner, I actually sorted it with some packaging plastic which worked well and was pleasing as it saved it going in the recycling.

Hi, I'm glad you. sorted it.