Camera Case Like A Brick

Perhaps it's because of the complicated assembly process, or perhaps it's because I've been working on this case in every spare moment for the past 2-3 weeks.  Whichever the reason, I just finished the assembly yesterday and now when I look at it I'm still not sure how everything was pulled together.  The structure's simple enough to explain: 5 plates of interlocking 9 oz latigo wrapped up in 5 oz latigo.  The trick is that each of those plates is pressed against another plate so that the whole structure is under pressure and an integral whole.  Once it's all assembled it's rock solid but getting it to that point required some MC Escher-ish thinking and contorting.

Not content to be left out of the complexity, the shoulder strap was an unexpected challenge.  It started out a 3/4" veg-tan strap that needed to be stained to match the latigo.  I figured out that some ancient Ox Blood stain at the back of my closet happened to be the perfect color for it.  Unfortunately the stain had spoiled during its long storage (probably best measured in decades).  The straps still managed to come out ok but the shoulder pad turned into a rigid slab that cracked when bent.  As it happened I'd used up the last of the ox blood stain anyway so I cut to the chase and cut a second pad out of the same latigo used to wrap the case.

For all the toil, sweat, and blood shed the result's turned out pretty nice.  It's got a good heft and feel to it.  I get the feeling you could probably drop it off a four story building and it'd just bounce off the pavement.