camano ridge

The short blade has less flex then longer ones. It is just personal preference. I make knife sheaths another items that can be 3/4" of an inch or more and I have no problem making my holes with the shorter blade. Again it is the only one I use and it works fine for me.

I agree with Treed woman will benefit more from a curved belt then men will because of body types. You have to look at the pupose and the way the different belt work. A Buscadero belt (curved type is designed to form around the hips, they are usually wider the a standard 2 1/2" gun belt. The buscadero has the loops below the main belt body for the holsters. When the Buscadero is put on it will form to the hips basically hugging the hips the holster will hang down when tie downs are used this will bring the holster in against the body and the grips of the revolvers will be out away from the body facilitating an easy draw. On a straight gun belt it is usually worn a little higher the top edge of the belt usually just below bottom of the pant belt the holsters ride on the belt not drop down loops so they ride higher. If you take and make a standard gun belt curved when you put it on it will try to form to the body with the holsters on the belt the holsters will tend to want to point away from the body at the bottom and will bring the grips of the revolver in against the body which in most cases will tend to hamper the draw. On less you are a guy with an hour glass figure.

Buckeyeguy, this is the Tandy awl that I use http://www.tandyleather.com/en-usd/search/searchresults/3318-01.aspx This is the awl blade I use http://www.tandyleather.com/en-usd/search/searchresults/3319-05.aspx I have used this set up for over 5 years. I make several holsters and belts a month and everything I do is hand stitched. I only use that awl, and I have another of the same blade chucked in a garage sale drill press that i use when I am doing belts. The awl blade will take a little polishing on a stone but once you have done that you should be good to go. I have not found a need to get the pro series. You can see my work on facebook https://www.facebook.com/CamanoRidgeCustomLeather?fref=ts or my pinterest page https://www.pinterest.com/kreimans/camano-ridge-custom-leather/ everything you see on those pages were hand sewn using the Tandy awl. There are lots of awls out there and they all have good an bad points. However if that is the one you can afford it should work for your needs.

Ok, if you are going to Tandy, you do not want a scratch all you want a Diamond awl (the blade has a diamond profile) A diamond profile gives you the best hole for stitching it will also go through thicker leather (if sharp) easier then a scratch all. A scratch awl is round you only have a fine point at the end to pierce the leather then you have to force the rest of the shaft through to open the hole. Also while you are at Tandy get a piece of bees wax. Rub the blade of the awl on the bees wax you will find it goes through the leather easier. If the blade starts to drag rub it on the bees was again.

I agree with the above if it is a recent purchase they should replace it. If not and you want to stay with that awl, fill the hole with epoxy and force the blade back in as deep as you can. If you have to buy a new one I would recommend the one with a ferule this will allow you to change awl blades when needed. Whether you stay with the old awl or get a new one you will need to sharpen the blade. Even new ones from Tandy do not come sharp enough.

Place a gun behind your belt in the small of the back and position it with the grip down now try to draw it without sweeping your kidney or other body parts with the muzzle.

Bunkhouse has the largest selection in resin molds of western revolvers including a walker. There is also Denex (Collectors Armory) I am a dealer for them and I can provide you a far better price then there on line price if any one needs one feel free to contact me.

Mike, I am not admin but I can kind of answer your concern. It is not you personally, it is the fact that it is a help wanted add. I have been on these forums for longer then you and it did the same thing to me. I can't find where it says it now but it is a kind of safe guard.

George, sent you a PM

AndyL is correct it coming up with a login page.

Regimental Quartermasters has two sizes http://www.regtqm.com/Finial-or-stud-p/diy-101.htm, Also Blockade runners has them, however I find there shipping cost to be high and they only have one size. http://www.blockaderunner.com/Catalog/catpg27.htm

What thickness of leather did you use, what part of the hide, neck, belly, back etc. Tray dampening a piece and fold it see if you get the same result. Is this Tandy hide, HO etc. Show us a picture.

Bruno, looks good. Matching cuffs look good to.

Looks pretty good can't wait to see it on the belt.

Justin, you have been given good information on where to get tools. You don't have to have a pre set package of tools. All though the starter set pretty much has what you need to get started. You were also told to call Kevin at Springfield leather. He will not treat you like a 13 year old kid, he will treat you like a customer and will answer questions and make suggestions. Also on there website is ask Kevin, it is where you can ask questions on line and you will get answers. Get some leather or a wallet kit a few basic tools, and get to work. You can't really begin to understand a lot of it until you start to do it. If you need a list of basic leather tools, do a search on these forums, it has been discussed many times and there have been many lists made.

Justin, if you have only been looking into leather work the last 3 days, I assume that is since your first post. Don't give up just yet. I have been doing leather work for 40 years and still occasionally feel like throwing something across the room (please don't throw anything). What I want you to do is take a deep breath pick a project you want to do then let us know and we will walk you through the basics answering your questions as you go. If you are not sure of what a certain term means ask. If you have started a project and are having trouble with it post a picture and tell us what you are having trouble with. You have already been told to look up you tube videos for what ever project you want to do. There are other videos such as from Ian Atkins and Niegel Armitage that will help. Do not worry if your first project does not go well. Over the years I have accumulated a box of projects that did not go well. They are learning experiences. So do the best to describe the problem you are having now to the best of your ability and we will see if we can figure it out. Don't worry about getting the terminology right. Some of us even understand technical terms like thing-a-ma-jig and doo hicky.

Well you see something new everyday on here. http://www.ronstools.com/assorted_leather_tools.pdf of course at $79.00 you can buy a couple of pocket knives and $4.00 Harbor Freight pliers

Are you referring to a bleed knot used in leather like pictured below. I have not seen pliers specific for that or pliers called blood knot pliers. In fishing there is a blood knot and there is what is called a blood knot tool for tying the blood knot. Here is a tutorial on doing a bleed knot. http://www.deepwatertack.co.uk/html/bleed_knots.html Basically you need something sharp to poke a hole and a pair of needle nose pliers can come in handy.

If you have not done any leather projects yet, I strongly recommend doing a few projects before you go for a machine of any kind. Doing a few projects will tell you if you really want to do leather and it will tell you what kind of projects you really want to do. It will also give you a better idea of what kind of stitcher or sewing machine you want. Even a Boss is a serious investment around 12-$1400.00 new. You will need to make a couple of hundred dollar investment in leather and some basic tools before you are even ready to stitch anything.

David, the size of gusset is going to vary depending on project so to find a pattern someone else has for a project you want to do might be difficult. I think you are looking for a formula for figuring the accordion gusset. This thread may help. http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=54491

You can find you tube videos on all of those projects to help you get started. You also might want to take a trip to Tandy's if there is one that you can get to. They have some kits for wallets, knife sheaths etc. that will give you a starting point and enough of a taste to know if you want to pursue this further. Also most Tandy's have classes that may help you get started. There are also books by Al Stohlman and others on tools and there uses. Al Stohmans Making Cases Vol 1 has some knife sheaths in it as well as a great deal of useful information. On these forums if you go to the Patterns and Templates forum you will find many patterns on different wallets as well as many other projects. If you want to do a project from scratch without a kit, pick a project let us know what you want to do and we can coach you along the way. The price for this help is for you to post a picture of your projects as you make them. we all enjoy seeing other projects and we can offer helpful hints to make the next one even better.

JubWub, what kind of information are you looking for? Are there particular project you want to start working on. A good place to look is you tube, type in the topic and look for videos. There are videos on projects as well as just how to use different tools swivel knife etc. ON these forums there are many how to's just use the search box at the top of the page.

If you do a search on pinterest for Medicine pouch or medicine bag you will find a lot of variations as well as some patterns. They can be made pretty simply. Decide the height and width, it can be made out of one or two pieces if one piece figure the front length a little bit for the bottom bend then the length of the back which would be the same as the front add to the back enough length to create a flap. Add together for total length needed. cut your piece fold so that the grain side faces each other and the flesh side is on the out side. Stitch the side seams and then turn the sac inside out so that the grain side is now on the outside.

Your irregular surface is commonly called pebble grained. Springfield leather has several shades of pink. Here is one example, just do a search on Springfields site for pink leather. http://springfieldleather.com/25660/Side%2CCow%2CMetallic%2CHotPink%2CSqFt/ Also check out Hide House I think I have seen pink leather there before as well.

Mine runs at 3500 rpm and does just fine. I have a friend who has one that turns at 1750 and it does a good job as well.