JLSleather

I make the liner 1/4" shorter than the outside (side to side). Assuming by "bi-fold" you mean the second row here, with the fish and eagle (what I call a "billfold").

Ideally, buy the leather already looking good on teh back. Second, split it so that it looks good on the back (cut out the fuzzy). Or, line it as suggested.

Now you're getting to the heart of the issue. "Out of fashion" is dependent on what someone ELSE thinks... not the user's own opinion. In fact, many (I personally think MOST) people in this country (not JUST this one) don't even HAVE an opinion or a "style" of their own --- just do what the other guy is doing so I won't get any 'bad press'. Puppets, who do things without knowing why they do them. My wife still has a bit of that, though nothing like in teh past. If you do things simply because "that's the way we always did it", your life is not YOURS. Just food for thought... Plus, I had to get on the computer and order some replacement tools. Plus, I have no "boss" who I'm cheating out of a day's work. And plus, I've already done more this morning than some will "do" (accomplish) all week

Uhh.. yeah, that's what I said. People came to this country from .. a lot of places. "Settled" on teh land of others, which they decided constituted ownership. Other words, these "founding fathers' decided that since they can't take it back from us, that makes it ours (no change there in a couple hundred years). And they had children, and called them "US citizens". ANd wrote laws, stating that anyone born here was AUTO a US citizen. Now, people move here, claim some ground, and have babies. The babies are US citizens by constitutional law. So, the problem then? By statute. Written by those who want it that way. Not rocket science there... Note that the country was "founded" because where these people came from they were NOT the ones "in power" and writing the rules. They couldn't "take back" land (or rights) which were taken from them, so tehy moved here and did the same thing to others. Not seeing the "great" just yet ...

And.. at teh station this morning, top of the rack is yesterdays newspaper from another town... whinin' "equal rights" for "the GLFQN community", or whatever they's callin that now. See, I'm all for EQUAL rights, but not EXTRA rights. "Gay" couple (their word, not mine) in OH wants to sue a catholic church for refusing to do the marriage ceremony. Hel LO>.... I thought only catholics could be married in a catholic church (and sometimes, only those who are members of THAT parish). I'm not catholic, so no offense intended if I got something wrong in there. EQUAL: You know, as in "all men are created equal". This of course was a farce, since teh people who WROTE that (supposedly wehn america was "great") had slaves and were actively killing off teh natives on teh land they were "claiming". But the theory was a good one, and certainly it has been marketed extensively. EQUAL: as in ... "you, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that one shall not steal, do you steal?"

Gettin' a bit behind around here.. tha'sa nuther one I been "meanin to" get at. Ran into a feller up this way got 30 guns (yeah, I don't know why, either.. but still...)... So, howsa boutit fellas? ANybody with a 30S?

Well, this certainly has veered a bit Skipping the flowery speeches, you change an area by changing individuals (meaning, yourself). To "fix" any problem, you need to first identify the problem. In fact, if teh intent isn't to "fix" anything, then the topic is more noise much like the other things blamed for ... whatever isn't "great" in america. Let's take the example of "illegal" immigrants, just for example: I've personally met a number of "illegal" immigrants. I scoff at the term, really. These boys (and a few girls) came looking for work. They were willing to do the work, not just show up for a 'job' that pays them whether they did anything or not. In fact, they freely stated (more than once occasion) that they didn't expect to be paid until the work was done and satisfactory. They just wanted to feed their families, and were willing to work to do it. This - of course - is the SAME thing YOUR family did (unless of course you are native to this area, which is gonna be maybe 1 in 10,000?). I don't blame them one bit.. in fact: I think "americans' could take a lesson here. Got a job? Do you accept money, even though you haven't done anything? How many are on the forums here, while at their "job", because 'my boss is okay with it'. Well, WHAT is it your boss is okay with? You mean he doesn't mind paying you money to do something not related to his business? Is that what he (or she) is okay with? Here's a thought.. instead of 'shame', how bout we discuss PERSONAL INTEGRITY? ANybody remember that stuff? But instead of actually DOING MY JOB (which would make "illegals" unnecessary) we prefer to make it "illegal" for others to do exactly what we did. Yeah, you read that correctly. So, where does change start? I can control my house, and my yard.... Stop blaming 'the other guy' and do something beneficial -- So, WHY do people think "illegal" immigrants are a problem, anyway? Because they "take jobs" from "us"? Largely, the jobs these people work are the ones that employers had trouble filling! I personally employed a hispanic young man (born and raised in Houston, aka US CITIZEN) who was an honest hard-workin' kid. Now owns his own business, and doing pretty well. But that guy up the street sure wanted to know why I hired them "aliens" (just a note here.. get your story straight before opening the mouth.. you'll look better that way). And I reminded him that I had offered that job to him TWICE, but he didn't want it. Wait.. it's because they're often desperate and willing to work for LESS money than "americans". This is often true -- and I say with a straight face that there have been times when I could use the cash and have worked for less than I would have liked. When I was younger, I once walked onto a construction site and asked about work. Guy siad they paid $7 per hour, which I knew wouldn't pay enough to replace the clothes I was going to ruin. So I told him I'd work TODAY for $7/hr, and tomorrow when he knew what I could do -- we gotta renegotiate (which we did). But what is the incentive for the people who allow them to work here? ("them" turns my stomach, but I'm using that word here to make the point). Employers: this is a no brainer, really. If I have employees, do I want someone who shows up EVERY day, doesn't whine about time off, actually DOES the work I'm paying him to do (not texting and cheeping, or whatever they do now), helps his co-workers (knowing it helps him to help the next guy), and hasn't asked for "light duty" because he's 40 pounds over weight, etc.... Govt: Every day, BILLIONS of dollars are paid to "undocumented" workers. Money is sent in to state and federal taxes, and social security (sometimes removed from checks written, sometimes sent in by the employer to cover up for checks NOT written). ANd it's all money the NOBODY CLAIMS back at the end of the year. BILLIONS of dollars sent to the federal government that NOBODY claims a refund on. Need that explained more?

I may be seeing something different than you. I've used that stuff a couple of times (had to give it a chance, I suppose) and I thought it was supposed to be thick! Once, though, my buddy got a weird result with a Fiebings acrylic product. He contacted Fiebings, who told him they thought it had been allowed to get cold - "near freeze" - (maybe on a UPS truck?). They just sent him a replacement bottle. Personally, if i had one bottle was "bad", prolly just pitch it and forget it. But multiple bottles from teh same supplier, I'd be saying something.

Yep. Likely should have just done this from the start But, I wasn't making holsters for a good while, 'til m' buddy Robert got me doin 'em again.

You talkin' antique stain, antique dye, or antique finish? Not that I would know much about any of the above, other than that I know they are NOT the same product.

Guess maybe I'll add 'dummy' guns to the mix of what I'm sendin' out. Hafta check on how that goes north of the border (MN), but today I talked with the folks at Ring's, got the straight answer on "dealer" pricing ($39 ea). Maybe set up somethin' where a fella (er a gal) could buy the dummy gun and save on the holster pattern? Maybe git that chubby girl to help with the shippin' o' stuff ...

Yep.. is this a geographical thing ? I remember firing that guy ... maybe 10 years ago. Told him I like to see what I'm getting for my money. And this check here I'm handing you is the FOURTH time I'm paying you and can't put my finger on just what you're being paid FOR. So, do tell me ... point to SOMETHING that YOU did, and I'll get over it and on about the business. In fact, SHOW ME what I paid for WITH THIS CHECK, and I'll not only drop it, but I'll throw in dinner and a movie for you and your wife. He couldn't point. As for labor costs -- TOO MANY people see skilled leather people talking abouit $30 per hour and up, so they price theirs the same way. But some may be old enough to remember the "wage gap" for women. Or minorities. Or homosexuals. Or whatever it is this week. And the slogan became "equal pay for equal work". Which I'm ALL FOR, personaly. But if you want the same wage as teh experienced, talented crafter, then do the same work - and I mean do it AS WELL as that guy.

You mention multiple why-tube videos, but say you can't "learn this from a computer" (I agree, you can't). But I don't think we're talking about the same thing any more. While I would agree that people aren't used to seeing skilled work, my position is that it DOESN"T MATTER WHY. If your work "sucks", then it really makes no difference whether it's done "by hand" or with machines. And I disagree that you can't tell quality from the product ... in fact, that's the only place you can tell. We've all seen acres of hand made poop.. all the time. The fact that it's "handmade" doesn't make it better than it is. This is just one reason FOR the increase in manufactured stuff -- if the 'crafted' is poop, then WHY would I buy it .. much less pay more for it!?$??!?!

NOW you're getting there. It's one thing to not want to pay for real quality and workmanship. We're WAY beyond that. People want cheap and fast, because they INTEND to replace after a short time. Many aren't interested in a product that will last for years, since they are terrified that their "friends" will have something different soon and they'll want to follow along ... Blame at least some of this on teh crafter, though. Long speeches about "handmade" attached to something poorly done with low-grade materials, and viola -- people who think "handmade" means flaws and errors coupled with higher prices.

Your "made in america" myth was present even back then. The railroad you refer to was largely built by Chinese and Irish immigrants

I use an 11 oz rawhide mallet for tooling. Not sure how the rubber would work at all, but with rawhide, 11 oz is plenty.

I stitch the pockets. Using 42 or 69 thread, and a little thought, you can actually make the thread part of the design. The pockets are made with taffeta. For this one, the leather is 1 1/2 oz kidskin.

LESS industry would be a good idea actually. Species driven to extinction polar ice disappearing (seriously, this is not a 'test') millions of acres of woodland "cleared" (destroyed) to make more ethanol fuel streams and rivers often cant sustain fish, and some of which can hold fish that can't be safely eaten in any quantity the New Zealand "they" now reports that the air quailty is so poor that cycling to work is no longer a health benefit and all for what...so some genius can carry the latest phone... and use it to sell you some more things you don't need ...

If I remember rightly, ... HO is about $1.45 more for backs than for sides. As a rule, sides are 25 feet and backs are 18-19 feet, so the side costs about $25 more than the backs. So, if you have use for the belly leather, then sides would work. I personally don't have much use for bellies, so might as well save teh $25 - ordering 10 backs is a difference of $250 for leather it would take me a while to find use for. At any rate, backs at HO (A-grade) will generally run about $185 each (as of Oct 2016). At W/C, it's similar, though their skirting does cost a bit more than HO. Ordering drum dyed colors is 15¢ more, and backs are "about" $1.50 more per foot. I say about because on their newly revised site I don't see the breakdown any more, and I also don't see it on my last couple of invoices (which state the total square footage, but no mention of price per foot). Sides there have been running 25-26 feet. And as a rule, backs are a bit more money than at HO. Almost without fail, you'll have good solid leather at the spine, firmest in the butt. This makes the bend the best part of the cow hide (you could say, high on teh hog, only it's usually cow). Going "down" the hide toward the belly, the leather gets less firm as you get lower on the hide. Still, if you don't have at least 24" wide of good solid leather, you need a new supplier. HO backs are often 28-30" wide from spine to the cut edge where the belly used to be. The bottom edge is still okay, but not as good as the spine edge. If instead you go from the butt end forward (toward the head), the leather is generally quite good for 60", sometimes more. But about 60", you start running into "shoulder wrinkles", which run vertically (90° to teh spine) toward the belly area. Note that on a double shoulder that some like to use, these wrinkles show "the long way". But this type of wrinkle isn't generally detrimental to the strength of the leather project (yeah- a test of the tensile strength will be a bit different, but minimal for what we do). Unless they're quite prominent, I dont worry about these. Still, for me- this puts the shoulder down to #3 on the Jeff desirability list (behind bends, then backs). Common to see me cutting belts from the bend and holsters from the shoulder (where I can cut around those wrinkles mostly) so the belt and holster are from teh same hide. But further up is the neck which, I admit, I often just cut off and pitch before i get any further. Even on great leather, the neck is generally not. Bellies I can sometimes use in the lighter weights - say 4/5 or thinner - but I don't order generally them above.

This was my thought, too. Perhaps we just need attention? I'm like the last one to recommend leathermachine.co, most likely, but a guy who has ALL of what you need and is located half an hour from you seems like a no-brainer. And I got like $4 I'd bet that if you place an order for three machines, someone will respond. Customer service should be positively angelic, since i doubt they would want a bad report from someone just up the street from them ...

In the end, and by way of an actual recommendation, Wickett & Craig is in PA. Great leather. It's going to be more money "up front" since you'll need to buy a whole side, but you'll be getting the real stuff, and saving money by not paying multiple shipping charges. Their dyed skirting is quite nice, and their tooling leather forms and dyes well. NOTE that the bellies are inexpensive, and since you mention "bang for the buck" I will add that belly leather is not suitable for projects which need to be firm.

See, now aint that fun?! Red - we done seen yer rigs around here... and I like 'em. Never made one like that, but then I dont sass (much) Still, the word comes to mind when I see your work is 'solid'. LD: Clean lines and consistent color.. what's not ta like?!@#!? And RA - I gotta have my bullets the other way, otherwise I could function in that. Still, 'all croc' woulda been kinda cool ...

That's some true stuff right cheeer ↑ If it was "okay", and now it's not -- I check the needle. Not always the problem,but since it's the easiest "fix", silly not to check it. I know a guy (who shall not be named here ) who fussed and fiddled with tensions and thread for an hour when a new needle would have solved the trouble And the BRAND of thread can make a difference, too. I have some shades of brown in 277 from one place that are just fine running a #24 needle. When I use the brown from another place, also 277, I need to use a #25 needle, since the #24 just has fits (stitch for a while, boooger for a while, etc)...

I found one - but thanks for the offer.. 'preciate ya!

I buy "A" grade hides from HO and "standard" grade at Wickett & Craig - the best available at each place. The price difference between "A" and "B" is pennies per foot, so the "top of the line" costs only $10 more per side (40¢ per foot x 25 feet). I dont' see the point of less quality leather just to save $10 A big point is, teh HO leather dyes quite well. I've seen some leather from Tandy that looked fine, and even tooled fairly well, UNTIL you tried to dye it - then the difference became obvious.