JLSleather

Even I hafta admit, this gal seriously knows how to plan a gift. This was a SO cool idea.

'preciatecha Rejuvenated That old belt just SCREAMS "southwest US 1975" Yup, I'm gonna say that top layer was 9 oz.. overall it's about 1/4" thick. Lasted a good 30+ years without being sewn on the edges! Clearly machine stamped, but still woulda been a nice lookin' belt "in it's day".

Yeah, see - I'm a gimme the stuff already beveled type. But I suppose if they cut teh lace AND bevel it, then they can't sell you a beveler?

Just a replacement belt for this gal's husband on their anniversary. Old belt belonged to his Dad, so he was going to wear it, but doesn't fit. Couple things I would like to have done a bit differently, but she wanted to keep to the original design of the belt. In the end, I thought this was a very cool gift idea. Between multiple vendor issues ordering the materials for this and taking the wench wife in for shoulder surgery, this absolutely took longer than any of us would have liked. But I think he'll like it (seriously, this is a "gimme" - the belt could SUCK and he'd still love it for the IDEA of the thing). But the belt is double layer of 5/6 oz with python skin sandwiched. Dyed in Fiebing's chocolate oil dye, hit with Fiebings dark brown antique paste, then buffed and Tan-Kote'd. Buckstitch with 3/16 black lace (to suit the python background). *click to enlarge

I'm still wanting a matching leather strap But now that I see it, I gotta admit that actually does work here. Just the purist in me ...

Yup, that book worth havin. https://www.leathercraftlibrary.com/product/1119/how-to-make-holsters-by-al-stohlman And @Clintock down yer way somewheres.. makes a nice shooting iron holder - he might have some tips (tell him I sent ya .. he'll git a kick outta that). He prolly got the pattern you want already

just watched videos of some of these tools. I've owned those plastic things.. not looking for another one. They do wear quite quickly and even when new they aren't much good for cutting leather under 3 oz, and chrome tanned obviously worse than firm leather. The osborne model looks to be the most reliable (i 'get' it.. a guy can get good with any tool if he uses it enuf), but even that does nothing to bevel the edges of the lace. Bruce Cheaney got a y-tube showing how he sorta 'free hands' this process - if you can wade through all the "plugs" he does for various vendors of 'things'. Still, his process uses fairly heavy leather (he didn't say, but that latigo looks to be about 4/5 oz) and is a "feel", not a repeatable process. I mention it because viewing it could maybe give a fella an idea on how to improve on it.

That would be quite a trick considering that the lace would be less than half as wide as that tool. I don't doubt it would make the cut, but you'd need a way to reliably hold the lace straight without stretching ...

Okay, wait. I'm trying not to do [yet another] video rant (about videos) but this is how quickly the topic can get DERAILED. Maybe it's the discussions from Australia about productivity and profit currently going on, but here's one "don't" for your productivity list. @Hildebrand asks a legit question - clearly aimed at avoiding any known issues where possible. GOOD for productivity, eh? (that's rhetorical, of course it is good). And somehow, that translates to a 17 min video that doesn't mention the part until about 5:40, and only in passing, and then at 14 minutes (ish) tells you that the answer to the question is "feeling" and you might move it "a tad", and that it "just depends" ?@#!$! WAIT>. WHAT?@!? MY mistake.. while I'm having my coffee, I could (and should) have made that drawing into a pdf for the clicker die makers....

it aint that critical.

ill take that batch.. pm'n ya

nah, I mean so that the lace, instead of being this gets to be this So when I lace with it (not braid with it) it lays FLATTER (for buckstitching)

But the REAL question is, WHERE is the tool that reliably BEVELS the lace?

Is that a .45? I got a double-mag carrier, high angle, .45 single stack.... that you kin have for the postage if'n ya want it. It's got a cut in the leather, part way through top layer, which is why i used it for the prototype. Stil, very solid and usable, but i don't shoot a .45 You'd wanna cut down (or off) the sweat guard, which was aimed at the 8-round Colt.. but otherwise years of use just for buffin a bit and do the edges. Solid HO leather. downside is it got a coat of BLACK dye ...

Cut a little more than twice the width of teh web strap. Lay leather grain side down on table. Mark center line of web strap. Lay web down the center of leather (a little rubber cement help keep it in place, or contact cement if you're using that. Fold ibe side up over the web, trim on center line of webbing. Fold other side of leather up, trim to fit flush with other leather, butt joint. Sew both sides maybe 1/8" in from the center... no sewing on the edges. Look nice, match the bag, and be solid. No rough edge. like this (not my artwork).. only with teh webbing INSIDE the leather. Trim to a nice tight butt joint on the center line, sew each side the center line.. dun Depending on how you gonna attach, fella could make it a couple inches "too long", then fold teh ends over some rings or dees, BEFORE folding teh sides in, and that end would get covered too.

I don't do very many of these, but I don't shun them either. Gonna soon design one for a fella with a Sig P938. Personally, I would put that gun in a POCKET holster, but he carries how HE carries.... so I'll lay out something and see what he thinks about that. Basically, a SOB holster is just a upside down cross-draw ... sorta Note teh Stohlman book on holsters (which is quite good even though not long) is available as a free download, I think. Check out leathercraftlibrary.com

How about leather wrapped around webbing? All the strength and stretch resistance of the manufactured but without killin' the look of the bag.

Back up the boat for a second, one ROOT issue I see ALL the time - "crafters" seem to have no concept of the cost of the goods they make. How was that leather you ordered? "Good... better'n some. Not as good as that one thing".. this is not quantifiable, and not useful from a cost /benefit standpoint. And many seem to have no idea what their goods are actually worth. They see an item for sale, lessay fer $100. So with virtually no regard for comparison of quality, longevity, or skill, they decide that $100 is "market value" (which they heard somewhere once) and mark their version of it at $100. And it shouldn't need to be said, but it always does. You need to THINK. Think about TIME, INCIDENTALS, and BULLSpIT. INCIDENTALS? LIke my printer quit today without warning. Not a major issue, but I have a few things to do that require the printer. Dead in the water... empty sails. it's realy the time, AND, I recently had a ZOO of an experience with a retailer. I ordered some stuff, not even a large qty of stuff. ANd I got one item the sales gal didn't have sufficient information on (not her fault, but still it's an issue) and one item NOT EVEN what I asked for, and one the right item but CLEARLY substandard quality and unacceptable. Now, give em some credit, they made good on those problems (or, rather, are in the process of doing so). But that's a business owner, probably the manager, and several of their employees, and myself, all spending WAY too much time on something this small. So the loss is TIME, but maybe it's in "incidentals"... TIME. In addtion to the above, there's a reverse side of the coin. There has to be some knowledge of WHY you use time the way you do. What's right for one may not be for another. But I often see the SAME people talking about comparison shopping for HOURS to save $20, and going on about sharpening their very cosmetic tools, then insisting that their time is valuable - it's "money". Again, each his own, but if I'm making $60/hour, WHY would I want to sharpen a blade for half an hour ($30) when I can pay someone $20 to get it back ALREADY sharp, and use that 1/2 hour for something else. Money in the bank, I would think. And.. the BULLSpIT: You know, I'm gonna skip this section. YOU know it, I know it, the person DOING it knows it. Recognize it. Call it what it is, act accordingly. COUPLE quick stories since I'm killing this time waiting on printer stuff anyway... One sweet pea of a crafter got mad at ME cuz I pointed out that sewing around a piece of leather and calling it a 'hand made guitar strap' doesn't make it worth $100 -- no matter how many times you get on instagram and say "hand sewn". It's just not. Lighter, but still relevant, side .... Gal walks in the butcher shop, says she needs hamburger. Butcher "that'll be $4" Gal : "WHAT? $4 fer hamburger? The guy across the street sells it to me for $3/lb!". Butcher: "then go across the street and buy it." Gal "I can't, they're out right now". Butcher: Oh, well they're charging TOO MUCH then.. When WE"RE out it's only TWO dollars. So, how many think they know what that's about? Beat it yerself... I'm off to check on printer 'stuff'..

Where in PA? Wickett-Craig tannery is out there... I'd be there about every other saturday if i was close

Uh... where's the mag carrier ta matchit?

THIS IS the reason I always recommend cutting the loops from the same leather as the holster body, even if you have to split it to right weight. Still, should be easy enough to dye those loops to the belt color Looks good.

For less than the cost of the bench splitter, you can get the leather split for you before it arrives. Wickett-Craig and Hermann Oak will do that free of charge.

Well, we are in the holster pattern thread I got it covered within these walls - I'm good ta go. Just thought maybe if some you boys 'n' gals was using PS or IL, might want a copy of this digital graph paper I use. No matter... it's very basic (but useful) stuff that anybody could do (and maybe already did).