JDFred

The one I make the side with the buckle for the adjustment is 15”. The part with the slit is 36”. You can use a 3/4” or a 5/8” strap width. Start the holes for the buckle about 2-3” from the end and put hole about an inch apart. The slit for the ears starts about a foot from the ends and is about a foot long. I cut the slit about 1/4” wide and make the strap on either side of the slit the same size as the rest of the strap. You can offset the slit to make a dee shape if you like and you can scallop the ends where the bit attaches for a finished look. The first one I made I just took a 3/4” strap and punch 2 small holes on each end of where the slit would be and cut a slit between them. All the other measurements for buckles and holes I approximated from other head stalls I had. But that one because of how narrow the straps are on either side of the slit leave no room for buck stitching or tooling. Hope this helps and good luck

In my mind oiling and conditioning are the same I know they are not but both are preventive maintenance. I have some mink oil I’ll try that. Neatsfoot oil is my preferred oil for things. I ended up with some neatsfoot compound somehow, not sure if that is ok or not I’ve heard some different opinions on the stuff. It smells like kerosene to me. Had a friend that makes saddles tell me it’s ok the smell kinda keeps rodents away, but 100% neatsfoot is better. That is more in a tack room setting not so much for boots that get kept in the house. My thought was animals react different to different things in life was not sure if that affected the leather in some similar way. Thanks for the help.

I have a pair of elephant boots that I’ve had for awhile, and I think I need to oil them. They are starting to get a little stiff, but they limber up after a couple minutes wear. Not sure what to use, I’m not worried if it darkens them some as these are my riding boots, I live in far west Texas and I like them for their toughness against the mesquite and other assorted sticker bushes. This is my first time around exotic leather so I’m worried I’ll break them somehow. Any advice is appreciated.

In your last picture were making a stand alone loop to slide your tab through? If that is the case it would become bulky. I mocked up what I described earlier forgive the sloppy stitching.

I looked at google (so it has to be true) a magnet can affect the strip on a credit card with long enough exposure; however chips in cards don’t seem to be affected. You could maybe try cutting two slots it the wallet for the strap to go thru and eliminate the need for hardware. You could put some decorative stitching around the slots to make them look nice.

Have you considered a magnet closure instead of snap? The only down side is at this point you would have to disassemble the wallet to get the magnets where they go.

Here is the first set of spur straps I’ve made. It’s also my first for hair on and doing an inlay. Is there anything to improve or to not to do?

chuck123wapati is right about buying tools to fit patterns you'll end up with more useable tools to start with. The Tandy craftaids are good for learning and they give you the stamp numbers you need for that pattern. The stamp numbers aren't just Tandy's numbers they are the same for most manufactures. I second DieselTech on the Pro Leather Carvers. I've bought from them before, and as soon as my wife says ok I've got another order for them, just type the stamp number in their search bar and it'll come up. I favor the Craft Japan, but they have several different brands.

Thanks for the help I think I gonna get the stylus type for the convenience factor. I’ve found if something is easier to use you’re more likely to use it. Thanks again.

I’m trying to learn some floral carving, so I got a couple Tandy Craftaids. I was seeing which tools I had and what I was lacking, a hair blade for the swivel knife was one of my deficiencies. I found blades (1/8” and 1/16”) for a swivel knife, but I also found from Tandy a hair blade stylus looking tool with the same sizes. I’m not sure which way to go as I’ve never used this tool. The blades for the swivel knife seem like you would get a better impression as you apply more down pressure; however the stylus has the advantage of not having to change blades to change sizes. So any input would be appreciated. Thanks.