In one of the Australian Bush Craft books by Ron Edwards ( not sure which one ) it shows how to do the part on the snap and i t may show how to do the interweave. I have moved my shop and haven't found my books yet. Their still lost in a box some place.
You could try cutting slits in a couple of scrap pieces and see if that looks like the braided part.
The braids look like 2 pieces inter locked. In one picture you can see a end and it looks like they were made out of bellies with all the wrinkles. The loops around the snap were used on bridle reins the times i have seen that. You do have the full thickness of the leather where it goes through the snap.
Cut two pieces of wood on a 45 degree angle then lay the leather between the two pieces of wood. Probley need to be clamped and cut away. I think it would work haven't tried yet though.
Yan i would get rid of the speedy sticher and learn to sew with 2 needles. The speedy sticher makes a chain stich that can unravel if a stich breaks. Yan you can make patterns out of poster board or file folders first to see if the pattern will work then if you make a mistake you haven't ruined a piece of leather.
Katie you can buy a 1/2 in. half round punch and maybe one smaller than that. They would probley be the easiest to use unless you need a samller scallop. Either way i would pratice on some scrap before trying it on big piece.
Folks on here are really help full. I know i have learned lots of different ways of doing things in the short time i have been a member.
John
Pull them out. Turn the saddle upside down. Then go back under the seat jockey and it will come out next to the strainer plate. Pull it all the way through. Then pull / lift the edge of the skirt up and push it through. When you have enough through to grab ahold of pull the rest of the way. Then your ready to put the sturipps on.
Elton, that's a nice looking maul. It looks like it has a leather washer handle on it. Did you turn it on you lathe with the wood tools or did you sand it to shape on the lathe ? Nice job how ever ya did it. I like you tooling tools to.
John
Like alot of the others i use what evers handy espically if i'm working. In the house i use window cleaner and a towel. The ones i have now are 2 or 3 months old and they already have scratches on em. The microfiber cloths are nice if you can keep up with em ( probley easier for a lady to keep up with by using their purse though ). I've been wearing glasses for over 40 years and the newer ones seem to scratch worse than ones a few years ago. Never again will get plastic lens!!! The coating wore really quick and they were so scratched i could hardly see through em when i finally got new ones. Never heard of using deer hide.
John
On the side with the team ropers, i would draw a circle or a oval and tool up to that then run my border. It will be smooth line instead of choppy line unless the choppy line look is what you were going for.
Take the longest socket you have and hold it on top of your gun and see if it'll work. I don't think it will matter if it's hex shaped the whole way.
I just now took a 1/2 inch deep well socket and held it on top of my pistol and it was kinda like looking through a peep sight. Try it and see what ya think.