JLSleather

Other way around, actually. The outer layer is made a tad longer (NOT the inner layer shorter). I could explain that, and since it comes up so often maybe I'll just write the full version one day for everybody to see and a stack of goofs to debate and try to dismiss. When I look for "rigidity" in a belt, I mean side to side, not end to end. I'm talking about one that doesn't "roll" beneath the belt loop (usually the very back one first to go).

Well, reducing the dye will give you MORE LIQUID. As for matching, there are various levels of OCD. If you want to make belts, and you're insistent about matching, then you will likely want a splitter, or at least a very good skiver. A thousand times I've seen nice looking belts I thought were assaulted by being given a leather keeper that doesn't match. With natural (undyed) leather, the 7 or 8 oz leather you used for the body and the 4 oz (ish) leather you used for the keeper don't match. The color is not quite right, or the grain is a bit different, etc. Often, applying a finish will make the difference more obvious. Here's the 'work arounds"... There is the antique puke. Some dump that junk on everything they do -- it's purpose is to HIDE (the story goes, it's to accent, but you'll see soon enough). Some geniuses have come up with the "plan" to dye everything dark, and then claim that doesn't matter. But, you can tell, more often than not. And it's not something you have to go looking for... if it doesn't match, you'll see it. It's less obvious than on natural leather, but still .... Oh, and there ARE those who tell you that hermann oak leather is consistent across different weights and always the same. It makes a nice story, gotta give em that! But you can get different shades and textures even within the same hide. Really, if you want it to ACTUALLY match, cut the keepers from the same hide, and split it down to the proper thickness.

Yep, what he said I nearly always 'line' belts. I say nearly because I got a call from a guy who wants 6 belts NOT lined, NOT stitched, and some other stuff. With tooled belts, it adds to the finished look (and makes it lay flatter longer). If you're looking to sell them, often people will prefer a lined belt. Now, I'm not one of those 1/4" thick belt supporters. I've done them when someone asked for them, but I've also had those same people back to ask for a belt not quite so heavy. The double layer plus stitching makes a very solid belt, but 1/4" thick is more suited to towing your vehicle than carrying a firearm. Most of mine are 12 oz (7/8 + 3/4) to 14 oz (double 7). OH YEAH... I just passed up a request for a double layer belt with kydex sandwiched between the layers. I mention it here just because something like that would be one more reason to line a belt (and consider money belts also). But, I really can't be bothered to do this one, so I've recommended they contact George B. George, if you're not interested in something like this and would prefer not to be referred, just holler

If I'm going to dip it, I don't reduce it. Full strength.

I don't have a belt sander, and I get by jus' fine I used to do woodwork, back when i had the space, and a belt sander was nice. Also table saw, router, variable drill press, planer, shaper, and some hand tools (and a million billion clamps). Been thinking about getting some more room and opening a wood shop -- in which case I'll need a belt sander. BUT, back to leather craft. Cut with a SHARP knife (yes, I know it's harder to find a sharp knife now than it used to be). Save the 400 grit for sanding walnut or oak.

Yep. Still kaint cutno leather, but the trip wernt wasted!

And CERTAINLY that HB thing would do this, as long as you can spray about 20 lbs pressure consistently. Different on teh airbrush end, but I was thinking the compressor end was 1/4"? I replaced the compressor end on mine so long ago with a quick coupler, so I don't really remember that either!

I think that's probably the Paasche model H. Great, simple, single action brush - nearly indestructable. And they work great.. no reason why any work I've ever shown couldn't be done with that one. In fact, for applying finishes / top coats, I think the single action / syphon feed is better ... easier to clean!

I've made those "cobra" things ... probably because some customer saw them in a tandy catalog Some people want them lined with suede leathers. Not that it makes sense to me, but whatever.. I do it Stitch within 1/8" of the edge, no worries. OR, you might consider a 1" strap the full length, and then just add a 'pad" from teh same leather --- say like 2 1/2" wide x 9 or 10", and just line and stitch the pad (only).

And even though it may not look like it, this was MUCH more difficult than the the rose ..

I did this one 5 or 6 years ago. Someone was talking about rose patterns, and they had this one from stohlmans Inverted Carving book. There used to be a tutorial of sorts on this site, but maybe not any more (?). This is not carved at all... just a piece of 3/4 royal meadow tooling leather, some fiebing's red, green, and brown, and a sheet of paper.

Oh, keep in mind that "painting" with leather dye is not the same as painting with some other types of color. Stohlman's book Pictorial Carving has some great info in there about coloring leather. Ever see Bob Ross? He does a lot of landscapes. With oil or acrylics, you just paint the background, then paint trees or mountains or birds right over top of the background. The new "layer" covers the old layer, so the brown tree covers the blue lake water, makes it look like the tree is in front. And if you're making aspen trees (mostly white) you do the same thing. But with leather dye, that wont work. I could give you the whole speech, but the short version is, if you want aspen trees in front of a blue lake in leather dye, then you need to NOT paint the tree area wit the blue. So, you can almost think of coloring leather as the negatives of your photos.

Seriously.. I've seen some STUNNING things done with a $39.95 single action airbrush, an x-acto knife, and some sheets of paper. I mean STUNNING ...

"Custom" is misused to no end. I've seen pricing all over the scale. And I've seen "reasons" for pricing that struck me as anything from absolutely correct to basically insane. I had a guy take two colored pieces of leather ($12), stitch together - edge- burnish, and list it for sale at $100. It's a piece of light brown leather, with stitches. Punch a couple holes, and call it a guitar strap, and tell a neato story about how it was hand stitched uphill both ways. Well, okay.. if someone is willing to give you that, no difference to me. But you charge that because you decided to. Just don't bitch when someone else makes a "guitar strap" from the same leather, machine stitch it, and list it for $29.99 (and someone WILL) because they get to decide what to do with theirs. And yes, it DOES throw off the scale. I've seen belts very nicely tooled, sold for under $50, which I think is a LOT of work for $50. And I've seen a web site by people I personally think maybe are crazy. "Tooled" belt (in quotes because I'm not impressed with what they call tooling) start at like $250. Then it's 'extra' for a buckle, looks like mostly around $30 for various buckles, which I KNOW I can get for under $10 each. Dye the background is extra. Stain the belt is extra.. Blahblahblah... and soon you have a $450-500 "tooled" belt (it doesn't look any better with the extra). I looked at that site SEVERAL times, I guess trying to figure out if those people are really stupid, or if they just think maybe I'M that stupid. In the end, you'll decide what you want to charge, and people will decide what they want to pay. I don't pay ANYBODY based on time. I look at the article I'm getting - and decide if it's worth the price or not. If things were priced by TIME, then the SLOW guy would earn more, which is ridiculous -- I don't offer a REWARD for being slow. Further compound that with those 'marketing' sensitive boogers who run around telling the naive that if you RAISE the prices, then people will think it's worth more. ANd further complicate it by the fact that there really ARE some people who will think that. Fortunately, I'm not sucked into all that. When I get people say ;; "Hey, yer stuff looks nice -- how come it's $20 LESS than this, or that" I basically give them a slightly diplomatic version of 'ya kaint fix stupid". I can't set that other guy's price, and I don't let it concern me. Michael specifically mentioned holsters, so using those as an example.. I know that a pancake holster for most semi-autos will use about 1 foot of leather (some a bit more, some a bit less). Using the VERY BEST vegetable tanned leathers (including shipping charges for the hide and cutting waste), couple snaps, bit of dye/finish, and some thread, that STILL under $20, and many holsters would cost half of that to make. Say one guy sit down at the bench, work up a shape he likes (give it a fancy name if you feel the need, but that's all it is.. a shape), and prices the finished holster at $100. He went through 3 pencils and a whole eraser. Took him 6 hours. Next guy spends a few bucks for that guy's pattern, sits at the bench, makes a holster the same design. Prices the holster at $100 because he sees what the other guy charges. Took him 2.5 hours. Holster looks nice and fits good. Another guy buys leather already dyed, clicks the parts out in seconds, glue and stitch with a monster machine. Prices the holster at $82, because he sees others at $100, and he wants attention. Takes him an hour. Holster looks nice and fits good. And the last guy buys leather already dyed, clicks the parts out in seconds, glue and stitch with a monster machine. Prices the holster at $39, simply because he CAN. He knows he's only being paid $20 for that holster, and after he pays for the electricity for the machine and the shop rag to clean up the dye and finish, he only "makes" $10 each. BUT, he does the math and knows he can sell 1000 of em a month (which is 6 figure income, just for doing a simple thing over and over). Holster looks nice and fits good. Which would YOU buy?

I''m guessin' that many holes punched together would make it very difficult to get teh leather off the punch without deformation / stretching.

While I agree tha's not so lucky, if he's out the prison, way ya hear bout summa them boys, he may not mind gointa lunch witcha! Tha's a riot. Get it? Prison... riot ....

AND .... the point is that though that gal is just a tad chubby healthy, I conclude that NOT EVERYTHING from Tandy is sub-par

I'd be more interested in knowing how wide are the billet ends (kaint bleeve nobody done alredy asked that)????

Oh, as for Tandy .... There's a shop a little better than an hour from here. Usedta be called "The Leather Factory" years ago. I ordered there ALL THE TIME, no problems. I'd just send em a order form (anybody remember those paper things with lines on 'em?) and in a few days I'd have exactly what I need Worst case, if I ordered a dbl shoulder o' 9/10 oz and wrote 12 feet, they might call me and say all they got is 14 footers. Yeah, fine... whatever. And it would arrive and be about 95% useable leather, very little trim. Now .. it's "Tandy Leather Factory" and .. well.... not so much. Still, that litttle dark haired gal is both cute and knowledgeable, so ya GOTTA go SOMETIMES. Maybe just to decide you already got what you need, and did she already have lunch ... ? Ahhh... I'm gittin soft.. finding the up side to everything

If you're cutting 13-15 oz leather consistently, then maybe git the round knife. More blade in the cut theoretically means less labor. But like Art mentions, then you also have the 'down time' of sharpening. With a utility knife (the one I use I found at an auto parts store years ago) you just pitch the blade and go. Yer out a quarter er so ... I cut 10 oz leather with it all the time. Gonna go out on a limb here and say bout the only benefit I've seen in those curved "skife" skivers is that it binds the blade in place, much like a pancake holster holds a pistol. I got one 100 years ago, and I use it just because I'm used to it -- not necessarily that they're that wonderful. There are a LOT of ways to end up with the same thing. While I won't buy something so cheap i have to FORCE it to do the job, I also don't buy things just cuz I kin, which I think is often the case with round knives. Saddle maker likely got several uses for one. Most others buying one... as you suggested ... simply because someone told them they need one.

I bought one of those little tools about a year ago to spray finishes. One day, I really MUST get an air hose that fits it The ones on the Paasche brushes are different (which I used to know, guess I forgot). That airbrush should be fine for a LOT of work. You know, proper combination of masks n stencils....

If you're hand stitching, then I WOULD get the groover. And a diamond awl. I like an overstitch wheel for marking stitch spacing (no punches). I've never owned a round knife -- for the type projects you're describing, you won't need one too. Stanley utility knife is $5 and cuts like butter. I keep a #11 x-acto around too. What's a v-tool? You mean a gouge? Might help for notebooks n such. And the burnisher is never a bad idea.

Don't kid yourself... you can get cheap junk LOTS of places

I picked up some bowl thingies at walmart... sealed lids. Rubbermaid? Or something like that. I pour the dye in (quarts, but they'd probably hold gallons if you want), dip whatever I'm working on, then put the lid on the 'barrel'. Simple. And they stack, so not eating up shop space. No, I dont have a picture of them... just any 'tupperware' type thing.. I just checked to make sure they have a good seal (don't want the reducer evaporating out).