Hand Riveting Craft of Hardware on Shebag Mini Kelly 2 (Perlage / Solid Hand Riveting). Shebag is professional at bag making, we would like to share our craftmanship.

All load-bearing hardware fittings on handcrafted Shebag Mini Kelly II (19cm) are secured with hand-hammered solid brass rivets, commonly referred to as hand-set solid rivets within the industry. Differing from hollow tubular rivets and threaded screws used on ordinary leather goods, this technique originates from the traditional Hermès saddle leatherworking craft, and serves as a key detail distinguishing high-end replicas from mass-produced generic versions.

The rivets adopted by Shebag are made from solid brass blanks rather than hollow tubular rivets, sharing the same brass base material as turnlocks and D-rings. While the outer surfaces of hardware are plated with gold or palladium, the rivets themselves receive no additional plating, so their tails will naturally darken through oxidation over prolonged use.

Shebag uses one-piece solid cylindrical rivets without female rivets or threads, making them non-detachable. Each rivet features a prefabricated flat round head exposed on turnlock plates and D-ring bases. After the rivet shaft penetrates the leather, craftsmen hammer the tail end to forge a mushroom-shaped rivet head for permanent fastening.

A critical point: authentic pieces do not employ screws to fasten turnlocks and D-rings. Any turnlock plate secured by four removable screws does not follow the original craftsmanship.

This hand riveting technique is applied to specific positions across the Mini Kelly 2. Four rivets are fitted on the front flap turnlock base, which draw the most attention. Two rivets are installed on each side for D-ring and handle bases, amounting to four rivets in total. Four bottom feet studs on the base of the bag also adopt the same solid hand riveting method. Hardware on the shoulder strap constitutes separate components and is not covered under this bag body riveting system.

The complete workshop workflow adopted by Shebag starts with leather pretreatment, an extremely vital step. The leather at each rivet position undergoes local skiving to reduce the stacked thickness of multiple leather layers and avoid bulging on the leather surface once rivets are tightened. Box calf reinforcement patches are added to the inner layer to distribute tension. Given the compact size of the Mini Kelly and concentrated stress on D-rings, these reinforcement patches are essential to stop rivets from tearing the leather. Precise holes are punched with a diameter slightly smaller than the rivet shaft to create a tight fit and prevent loosening.

Next comes alignment and assembly. Hardware pieces are placed face down on a dedicated anvil, leather layers are aligned and stacked, and solid rivets are threaded from the outside inward through hardware holes, leather and reinforcement patches.

Hand forging and riveting represents the core riveting procedure. An appropriate length of rivet shaft is left protruding from the reverse side of the leather. Craftsmen tap vertically using a special curved punch and leatherworker’s hammer, avoiding heavy, violent striking. Rotational tapping proceeds gradually to compress and spread the end of the solid brass shaft, forming a smooth rounded mushroom rivet tail naturally. Vertical alignment is adjusted continuously during tapping to ensure front rivet heads sit flush against hardware panels without raised edges.