Not In My Box | The Fitness and Coaching Podcast · Caffeine and Kilos | Fitness and Coaching Culture w/ Danny Lehr

Episode 166 - featuring Onyx Weightlifting's founder Danny Ear

·48 min·3 clips

Danny Ear started Onyx by cutting nylon webbing from REI and asking, "How do I get this in red leather?"

1. Not In My Box | The Fitness and Coaching Podcast episode 166 centers on Danny Ear and Onyx Weightlifting's leather gear, meet culture, and a new collaboration. 2. Danny Ear appears as the founder of Onyx Weightlifting, and the hosts frame him as a weightlifter turned leather maker whose products are used in the sport. 3. The episode asks how a lifter who knew nothing about leather built wrist wraps, straps, and belts that fit weightlifters better than generic gear. 4. Danny says he had been weightlifting for about four years before starting Onyx and began by cutting nylon webbing from REI for teammates. 5. He explains that he wanted the gear in red leather, so he bought tools and leather from a local hobby shop and started learning dye work. 6. Danny describes early experiments with black-on-top and red-on-bottom dyeing that went wrong when the leather touched dye on the paper. 7. He says he eventually stopped dyeing pieces himself and instead began sourcing finished leather from distributors and tanneries. 8. The reason for that shift was to focus on turning leather into usable products rather than spending time on top coats and dye mistakes. 9. Danny says the leather wraps mold to the wrist with sweat, form a custom cuff, and stay softer than bulky cloth wraps. 10. He also points out that the Velcro closure gives a more consistent fit than the string-and-tuck style used on many cloth wrist wraps. 11. Danny explains that the wraps are meant to sit in the wrist bend so athletes can keep their elbows up without fighting their equipment. 12. He says he learned a lot from a neighbor seamstress and later from Arnold, a third-generation leather maker whose family has worked in leather for decades. 13. Arnold still helps by cutting blanks with a larger machine, and Danny says he calls him whenever he needs advice on construction or material choices. 14. Danny describes the craft side of leatherwork as repeated sanding, beveling, and burnishing to chase a mirror finish on wallets and smaller goods. 15. He notes that chrome-tan leather is harder to burnish than veg-tan leather because the tanning ingredients leave visible fibers. 16. The shop setup matters too, because Danny says everyone at Onyx is a weightlifter, including Josh, Alana, Manny, and Jerry. 17. The gym and shop share the same building, with the office, lounge, leather side, and training hall visible from a window in the attic space. 18. Danny says the facility hosts three meets a year, including a winter Onyx meet, and the layout lets spectators watch warmups and the competition from the same space. 19. Listeners who care about weightlifting gear, meet organization, and small sport brands will get the most from this episode. 20. Listeners looking for a quick entertainment segment without product talk may skip it.

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from Not In My Box | The Fitness and Coaching Podcast