Beehive

This was an order going back to December. I substituted a #4 for #3 that was on backorder. Following it up, next order had the #3. I received it yesterday. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with the #5. Lord does it hog off an edge. Maybe, if I made some 13-14oz armor (?). Thick holster with a welt (?).

What are you making? Just curious.

This cover took an entire 26"x11" panel. The journal is ~ 7"x10". Including pockets of about 4". The entire panel is used. $50 for the panel. Supplies needed. The bare cost to make it was about $65 bucks. Not including labor.

Thank You, Mr Herbie. Yeah, the number one works excellent removing the edge on sharp cut chrome tanned. I've also painted the edges on another piece after using the #1. Worked for me. I've thought about the Montana edgers. I simply don't work with that thin of leather. Well, I do, but I don't need a Montana edger for what I build.

No experience with their product. I usually use a regular ink pen. Not the gel pens, ink pens. I've thought about what you want to use. Erasable something. I need to get a sanding belt cleaner. It's a square bar of crepe rubber. Basically an eraser for rubber cement used on sanding belts. Harbor freight has one for about $8 bucks. I'll cut me off some sections to have on hand dealing with cleaning marks off of leather. They also are the thing to clean the modern Army boots. Like anyone does anymore. For the pen you have. Quick soak of the tip in acetone should wake it up.

I need some conditioner for chrome tanned. Any dents in the leather will come out with a little bit of conditioner and laid in the sun. It's currently 37°F in central Texas so it's not happening today. My favorite place to get conditioner for chrome tanned is O'Reilly auto parts. They have an entire isle of chrome tanned leather conditioner. "Chemical Guys" brand is good stuff. Either O'Reilly or Wal-Mart. I'm not going to Autozone.

I used the French style round edger from Ron's. Not the Montana. I'm not doing super thin leather. The #1 is just enough to remove the sharp edge. No problem using it on chrome tanned.

I'm not done except for designing how I'm going to do the end of the strap. This is 4-5oz Horween caviler. Brown and red. The edges were broke with a Ron's tools #1. Ritza .08mm thread in cigar brown and mandala .04mm thread in red. The journal is a B5. I hope you enjoy. I'll post a picture of the strap when it's done. Inside pocket with stitch line up close.

For a second, I thought the sling template looked like you were building Blackjacks (Sap). Looks good and welcome back.

If you buy the Ron's edgers. You're gonna need the whole set. The step up in sizes don't match with other makers. Ron's are standard sized and you really can't match it, trying to build a set that includes metric sizes. I bit the bullet and bought #1 to #5. I bought the #1, #2, and #4 to start. #3, and #5 are in the mail. That's if Toby the new owner has gotten the #3's back from heat treat. #3 seems to be a popular size. Back order type deal. $670 including shipping. That includes a #4 French skiver. I moved up from my own handmade tools. Of all the things to spend money on. I highly recommend the best you can get dealing with edgers.

I believe the smoking part is to keep bugs from eating it. It poisons the hide. I'm not completely sure thats the case but it rings a bell.

Today, my book cover is completed. I have to run 18" of stitch. Last time it took an hour and a half. So far, this cover has both .08mm thread and .04mm. The .08 is in Havana cigar. The .04 is red. After it's sewn. I'm going to break all the square edges with a Ron's Tools #1 edger. If you've ever wondered why a person would need a #1. I'm going to show you.

I can't find any examples of those. They look cast in a oval size made just for the belt. Probably rivet back. Can't be removed, permanent. Esty doesn't have them. Nor do any saddle maker supply I know of.

Pecan hulls. The discarded shells. Boiled in water with enough shells to infuse the water with a yellowish tea looking tone. Lots of the fabric dyes of old work. Dying wool yarn. Most are subtle tones of browns, greens, and blue. Most require a mordant.

Tip. If you're not using them while riding a horse. They are the bees knees for walking through brush that has mesquite tree saplings. While dove hunting.

If I was a strap maker. For which I'm definitely not. You guys...and gals that are. If someone walked up to me and wanted me to make a nice leather alligator strap(My favorite leather for a strap.) Holding some Rolex day-date that belonged to Grandpa. Oh No, not me. I'd tell them in a firm but fair way. Hades.. No. Too much liability.

Has anyone tried, "Gum Arabic"? Pre internet days it's what I used. It's found in the artist oil painting section. No idea what they use it for. I used it to burnish edges up until I tried the Tokonole. Tokonole is cheaper. Back when, a small bottle of gum Arabic wasn't cheap. I have examples of over 20years old that have a gum Arabic burnish.

I have a 20mm strap in blue Nubuck. Expensive for what it is. It's purely a dress band. Wearing it while going out somewhere nice. It'll last me a decade because I don't wear it that much. It also has a clasp. It's treated gently. I mowed the yard while wearing the Damasko. Lots of other stuff. Used the watch like it's meant to be. Factory strap gave up after a year.

Why? Here's why. My last leather strap was a factory Damasko strap. High quality strap for a watch with a price of about $2000. That strap lasted me approximately one year. The major wear points are where the buckle contacts the strap. The most wear it encounters is being taken off and on. How long do you wear shoes? Do they not wear out? Even the finest quality. Again for a third time. Replacing the leather strap on an expensive watch is a guarantee against the strap ripping or coming undone. I'll buy your strap. But you better give me a warranty and compensate me if the watch is lost because of your strap. Change your own straps if you want or not. I do not care. Not my watch. I'm telling YOU. I switch out MY straps regularly. Buying a fresh one....FROM YOU. Don't you want to sell me a nice fresh strap? Or do you want me going somewhere else because you swear by an old strap that has never let you personally down? It's not your watch. This is my watch. I'll buy a fresh strap anytime I want. Either sell me one or not. Because someone else will. It's too simple. I like my watch and I do not want to lose it.

If you're wearing an investment. A watch worth thousands and thousands. For security, you should be replacing a leather strap every year under constant use. I know the strap will physically last a little longer. But buying a fresh strap is insurance against not losing the watch. San Martin, Citizen, Seiko, Orient, Casio. You can get away with using a worn out strap. Two years give or take.

Here's my entire set. It's rare for me to use the 5 tine. Unless I'm designing the piece to fit a certain length of stitch line. Fishing tackle box and a camphor block. They're still wiped down with mineral oil regardless of the camphor. These are the Buckleguy jobbers. They're the in between priced. You can find much more expensive, and of course, cheaper pricking irons. I'm still learning these. I've gone from a needle in a drill press to irons. They're worth the money. If I bought them again. I'd buy the single tine, both 2 tines in 3.38 and 3.85, and two 9 tine doing the same. Both sizes. That'd be it.

This Horween sure did take a beating in my stitch pony. The stitch line has been rolled. This is what .04mm thread looks like with a majority stitch spacing of 3.85mm. It's rainy here. Picture is kinda foggy.

There's nothing you can really do besides letting it run it's course. The liner simply isn't color fast. And with the constant abrasion from the denim. Again, there's nothing you can do besides, next time, you line it with something that doesn't do that. Or don't dye it at all. It's not visible when you're wearing it. It's not been hanging in the store. Where the liner has to have color or people will think it's halfway done. My previous belt was lined with suede. And boy did it bleed. All my blue jeans had dye on them. But it was only under the belt. Not anywhere else on my pants. You couldn't see the stains when I was wearing the belt. It stopped probably a year to two years after I wore it 5-6days a week. My new belt is lined with Horween cavalier in London bus red. I'm not expecting bleed through. But we are going to found out.

One of my most expensive watches. 22mm lugs. Extremely heavy watch. Ain't no dress watch band gonna hold it. What band could you make me, that'll hold this beast? What band is going to sooth my soul from fearing it ripping a leather strap? Because I'm the customer buying your stuff. Satisfy me. Because like I said. Watch bands are no joke.

It's getting .04mm thread in red. I have a huge bobbin of it. Gonna use a john James 004 needle. Mandala Crafts is the brand. I ordered it without thinking. One thing for sure. The mandala thread is a proper red thread. Ritza thread in red looks pink. Straight up pink. Not so with Mandala. It's actually red. I'm on the down hill slope building my book cover. It took all 26" of the Horween cavalier panel. Another labor of love. No pattern, no dies, nothing but hand fitment. Total cost of this cover is about $65. Not including the labor.