rmr

Go to a local Tandy store or get on line and look up a laether supply store( there are numerous ones that advertise on this site- all are good). Buy all the paperback books from Al Stohlman : how to hand stitch, definitly get the one on tools and their care ( one of my best referrences) and all 3 books on making cases, as well as the one on staining leather. Read these several times and your well on your way. Buy a piece of inexpensive veg tan leather and practice. As you read the book- make a list of tools you will need and want. You can start very basic and over 2-3 years you will gradually acquire a bunch of tools- some you use every day- some for just special situations. Constantly look over this site- there are lots of great people with a wealth of experience that will answer questions willingfully for you, read what others have posted and you will learn lots!!!! Good luck Anyway my 2 cents worth Bob R

I recently recieved in the mail from JW Hulme CO ( WWW.JWHULMEco.com ) , a catolog advertising numerous products they make using a 8-9oz distressed brown leather they call " Ameican Heritage Series". It has a disting grain to it- almost looks like bison- but Im not sure Does anyone know who their supplier is and/or where a side of this leather can be purchased?? It looks awesome especially for sporting products like gun cases Thanks Bob R

I recently recieved in the mail from JW Hulme CO ( WWW.JWHULMEco.com ) , a catolog advertising numerous products they make using a 8-9oz distressed brown leather they call " Ameican Heritage Series". It has a disting grain to it- almost looks like bison- but Im not sure Does anyone know who their supplier is and/or where a side of this leather can be purchased?? It looks awesome especially for sporting products like gun cases Thanks Bob R

is the 3-M product from a fabric store- or is this a hardware store product?? Thanks Bob R

Thanks everyone for your input- all these options are better than what I have been doing Bob R

Im looking for a used, in good shape, splitter. Would really like to find a 12" Deitz splitter- I have tried to contact the gentleman in ID who made them but have never been able to get a hold of him. A Landis or American hand crank splitter would also be considered Thanks BR

Im looking for a used, in good shape, splitter. Would really like to find a 12" Deitz splitter- I have tried to contact the gentleman in ID who made them but have never been able to get a hold of him. A Landis or American hand crank splitter would also be considered Thanks BR

I have 2 seperate questions pertaining to glues. 1) what do you use for a "glue pot" ????? I use a fair amount of Barge contact cement to hold pieces of leather together while its being sewed. After opening/closing the can ( with applicator brush) umpteen times- the lid starts to develope a crust/scum of glue around it- making it harder and harder to open each subsequent time, as well as get a good seal when closing can. From my standpoint- its hard to be careful and tidy when using the thick barge cement- seems to get everywhere. I periodically try the best I can to clean around the male and female portion of the lid with cement thinner- it does OK but not always great, and I find Im not getting a tight seal when I close lid and the glue inside the container gets even thicker and developes a scum on the top. I have been spraying a small squirt of Blow O2 in the container prior to closing which helps some. So my question- does anyone have a great answer for a storage container for barge cement that will not only hold the glue but hold the applicator brush without all the issues Im having- or is this as good as it gets?????? 2) I make shotgun cases and line them with wool fleece from Weaver. I have been using barge contact cement to attach the backing of the fleece to inside of the leathercase. Its always real thick and not always easy to put that much barge cement on that large of a surface area of leather- any other sugestions???? I have thought about using Weldwood contact cement I have seen at Home Depot- it seems a lot thiner and would be quicker and easier to apply to a large surface area- but Im concerned when it dies it will be stiff and not flexible like the barge contact cement. Thanks Bob R

This is the latest shotgun case I just finished. About half of the sewing was by hand( curved places) and the rest with my new Cobra 4 sewing machine- it sure has made life easier. Bob R

After sending in my last post on looking for companies to splitt larger sections of leather- I have been doing some resaerch of leather splitter machines. I know virtually nothing about any of theses. I already have a old osborne type which works grat for lap skiving. I would like a machine that using a hand crank I can splitt sections 8-10" wide down to a thickness I desire. I see alot written about the Landis and American splitters- but it seems these are all old refurbished. Is there a reputable source out there for these- Im concerned with some of the ones I have seen- look like they have been used hard, rusty and who knows what else wrong. I'm afraid to get one sight unseen than end up spending a small fortune to get iy working with new parts.... I noticed Weaver has one. Does anyone out there have any experience with the weaver product- is it reliable, does it work well...... The one thing I like about the weaver one is its new and I suspect would be easire to get serviced and parts Thanks Bob R

Thanks Bob R

I make shotgun cases and assorted bags/pouches for accesories. I generally use 6-7 oz Latigo sides. I currently have a project - a shooting bag to hold accerories that I want to add front and side pockets. The 6-7oz latigo leather seems too thick for these components. I have a hand splitter which is OK for pieces up to 4-6" wide. If I need to splitt larger sections ( say 10-12 " wide) down to a 3-4-5 oz thinkness- are there companies out there that sections of a hide can be sent to - to have it splitt to the desired thickness I want. I get leather from Weaver and they will only splitt sections 4" or narrower- which doesnt help me at all for this project. Any other sugestions are welcomed Thanks in advance Bob R

I make shotgun cases and assorted bags/pouches for accesories. I generally use 6-7 oz Latigo sides. I currently have a project - a shooting bag to hold accerories that I want to add front and side pockets. The 6-7oz latigo leather seems too thick for these components. I have a hand splitter which is OK for pieces up to 4-6" wide. If I need to splitt larger sections ( say 10-12 " wide) down to a 3-4-5 oz thinkness- are there companies out there that sections of a hide can be sent to - to have it splitt to the desired thickness I want. I get leather from Weaver and they will only splitt sections 4" or narrower- which doesnt help me at all for this project. Any other sugestions are welcomed Thanks in advance Bob R

Thanks Art- that

ThanKs for the reply. When I have used veg tanned leather and dyed it with an oil based dye-I have usually put a top coat on ( maybe I dont need to- but that is what someone told me to do). So I wasnt sure what I should put - if anything- on Latigo. Should I gust leave as is and after the neatffot oil dries- just buff and Im Done??? RMR

I have just finished a shotgun case made from Latigo leather. I have placed neatsfoot oil on it to help soften it a little. Im not sure what I should use to finish latigo-This is the first time I have used it. I dont want a high gloss look, and would rather it look rustic. Any recommendations or comments would be appreciated Thanks RMR

Thank you for that description. I have done that for several other reasons- just didnt have a name attached to it- Thanks RMR

Barra Thanks - sounds like great advice. Where do you get tack ties??? I have never heard of those before RMR

Thank you RMR

Im somewhat new to using a sewing machine to sew a gusset on a shotgun shell pouch. What Im referring to as a gusset is at the side of the pouch where Im sewing a one flat piece of leather ( the front, bottom and back of the pouch) to the side piece which is curved and a folded in (the gusset). Will this best be done using a stirup plate on the machine???? Any tricks to hold the leather in this curved/folded in position while trying to accomplish this - the leather Im using is Latigo so it cant be cased to make it mold into the shape I want ( Im thinking about placing some neatsfoot oil on it to make it more supple and sewing it while its still "wet") - and I suspect glue wont hold it in this position either. So do you just hold it with brute forece and get it sewn together as fast as possible ?????? Thanks for any tips RMR

Bruce- thanks for the insight- do you use any type of jij to hold the blade while sharpening?? I use one when I sharpen plane blades but havnt been able to find one that will hold a thick and wide a piece of metal as this 8" skiver blade. RMR

yes that is the same as a box stitch.

I currently make fitten breakdown gun cases and fishing rod cases and use a box stitch on the lids. I do this by hand- and have for several years. Does anyone use their machine to box stitch lids? I know there are jijs to use but I havnt heard anyone talking about how sucessful they are. Or has anyone out there tried and can tell me how they did it and did it work out OK or not Thanks RMR