dirtclod

What alot of companies seem to forget is their are ALOT more small business's than their are big and mega business's. In the last 20 plus years i have had places tell me up front they didn't want a small business ordering from them. That they wanted at least a 5 side per order some were a 10 side order. Then their were the ones that said if you don't order at least a MAGIC amount that they decide on you would no longer be able to buy from them. Well in the last 20 years alot of those companies have gone out of business. I bought from Weaver back when they first started. But the Weaver family owned it then. It wouldn't surprise me to see this new bunch go out of business in a few years espically if they try cut the small business's out. They will miss the millions that the small business's would of spent. If they want to take their marbles and decide who gets to play that's fine their lots of other places that will be glad to have the business.

i use a 22 ounce maul for my stamping, rivet setting and hole hole punching i generally give the stamps two licks one to set it and another to finish it up. I have a 2 pound maul but i don't care for it. I want to get a 14 ounce maul for tooling.

Steven do you have any of the new skirting that is the golden color? The russet i guess you would call it is to dark when i oil it for what i want to make. They are big nice clean sides.

If you have a shoe repair shop close. Go by ask about buying a awl from them. Most shoe shops use a needle and awl machine. Or they do around here anyway. Or you could ask supply house like Campbell Randall about getting some.

Nice holsters !!

If you have just got it. I would let the maker know and see if they would make you another tree or replace that one. I don't think you will be able to get the twist out of the tree.

Howard i tried the tubing flare and it didn't work very good. I can't remember why it didn't work to good. I made one out of some hardwood and it worked better than the tubing flare. Then a guy came by my shop and he the metal one and i bought it. It works a thousand times better than either one of the others.

Nice really nice !!!!

I buy the 3M glue at a parts store and a couple of times at wal mart in the car parts section. Tell you want to look at headliner glue.

Fletch when theirs a big picture go over the right side and just above the close sign theirs a box that looks like a floppy disk. Click on that and you get a smaller picture. Nice job on your billfold.

I do the same as Pete, but i get the little coke bottles and drill about 1/4 inch hole in mine. Oh one other thing get the liner or as much of it as you can out of the top because it will come loose from the glue. One of them full will last for a long time plus i put some thinner in the bottle and let it set a couple of days before i use it if your glue is sort of thick

It sounds like your saddle has a Ralide plastic tree. They are injection molded.

I use the same size thread and sew at 6 or 7 stiches to the inch anymore is to many for that size thread. Long stiches make things look cheap IMO.

I generally wrap my things in a paper towel and put bubble wrap around that. If the box is to big i put a piece or two of newspaper for a filler just enough to fill the box but not packed because after a pound they charge by the pound they charge by the ounce and that can add up pretty quick. i guess you could try blowing up a plastic bag to fill and any dead space. Best thing is to keep it at a pound or less if you can.

Go over to www.usps.com sign up and you can get free boxes from the post office. Plus you can print your postage and get free delivery conformation. As long as you keep the weight 1 pound or under i think it's $4.85 to send anywhere in the U.S. . Over a pound it depends on the weight and where you need to send it. It will get there in 2 to 3 days.

I did have things mixed up and i was thinking about the bracers. Sorry about that.

I think if you hold a piece of poster board around your arm where ever you want them to go to then mark it. Or you could take a strip of leather and go around your arm where you want to start and end and make a mark on the leather and you have the top and bottom measurements. Make the paper pattern a little bigger than you really need to allow for thickness of the leather and you have your pattern. Ought to work.

I think if you hold a piece of poster board around your arm where ever you want them to go to then mark it. Make the pattern a little bigger than you really need to allow for thickness of the leather and you have your pattern. Ought to work.

Your dog is going to be looking sharp for sure. Nice job.

I sew with no groove.

Nice work !

You can get clicker pads from Weaver i think.

I have a pro 2000 Juki from Ferdco http://www.ferdco.com/ that i have had for 15 or 16 years, broke a spring one time and that was easy to fix. But their between 5000.00 and 5500.00 for a new one. And i had a American straight needle good machine but your really limited on what you can sew as far as width sense it has a 3 or 4 inch deep throat. Those two are the only heavy machines i personally have used or owned. Call all of the sewing machine dealers and talk to them see what they have and who you feel comfortable with. But be ready to spend a few thousand dollars for a new machine though.

You don't want that machine for a few different reasons. 1 It won't sew over 5/16 of a inch thick in canvas and probley less in leather. 2 Are you going to be able to get parts for it when something wears out or tears up? I bet your out of luck on the parts. 3 Get a cylinder arm / deep throat machine of some sort that will sew at least 3/4 of a inch 1 inch is better. Your not going to buy a machine that will do what you need for $1500.00 either unless you really find a bargin and i would want to sew what i was going to make on it before i put my money down. Good luck in your search.

10 to 12 ounce or if you want them real thick 13 to 15 ounce skirting leather.