SimonJester753

I actually have some of those. I bought them for this project, before my design changed, (I was going to copy a nylon harness in leather but use metal side release buckles instead of plastic). The latigo I'm using is kind of thick for these buckles. Aesthetically I don't like the way they look with regular buckles. If I didn't use conventional buckles to adjust strap length, what else could I use? Would that be what you use a conway buckle for? (I'm a complete beginner).

Yeah, I figure it's some kind of release, but, at least in one photo, it looks curved, to follow the curve of the rib cage, I suppose. I've never seen a curved snap.

I've attached 2 photos of a dog harnesses. At the angle they are shown at I can't figure out what the piece of hardware is on the side. Any ideas? Thanks.

http://www.antik-group.com/epages/es122041.sf/en_US/?ObjectPath=/Shops/es122041_REPLIKATE_DER_ANTIKE/Categories/LEDERRIEMEN Take a look at the leather shown on the page the above link takes you to. I wrote to the company and asked about the leather and got a rather vague answer: "Our Antico-leather is a product made especially for us. Leather, which has a very high proportion of wax, very thick (5.5 mm) is uniform and has no unique coloring. Our tannery produce this leather since 1524. Our 26 Saddlers have an extremely high consumption, so that we can't pursue some wholesale with the leather. Small quantities are possible. The leather straps are 210-240 cm long, depending on the skin." It seems to me that something was lost in translation. What would we call this kind of leather?

Thanks, I was doing it backwards. I was cutting the rivet, then using the domed depression to try to spread it and round it off.

Now that you mention it, the heads are different on these leather rivets. What I'm really wondering about is can I use the kind of rivet set we used in Jr. high on the rivets I now have? And if so, where do I find one? I've been googling "copper rivet set" and just coming up with the kind I've got.

I'm 52 years old. In Jr High School metal shop we built a candle holder. We used copper rivets. As I recall, they had no burr. We were joining 2 pieces of strap iron, not leather, so the burr may not have been needed. As I recall, the rivet set had 2 holes, one that easily fit over the rivet and allowed you to push the pieces you were joining down on the rivet. Then there was a smaller hole that only the tip of the rivet fit easily into. We pounded this with a hammer and the outside of the rivet got peeled and bunched up against the metal we were joining. Then we removed the rivet set and used a ball peen hammer to finish off the rivet. When done, the rivet was domed nicely. The copper rivets, burrs and sets I recently got seem to work differently. You put the burr on, set it, clip off the excess rivet shaft, then pound it with the domed section of the rivet set and a mallet. It does not seem to get finished as nicely as I remember. Does anyone remember doing it the way we did it in Jr. High?

couldn't get the new plan to load. One more try. 2-harness.pdf

He's not a big lunger, but once a pigeon popped out from under a parked car and he went off the curb after it. He hit the end of the leash when he was off the ground, and so he spun around. Normally, the easywalk harness just leads them back towards you. The dog is an Amstaf/Dalmatian mix, or so the shelter says. http://gallery.me.com/bill_vojtech#100024/Casper%20Tries%20to%20Climb%20a%20Tree Here's a revised plan, with rivets. I'm planning on solid copper rivets with burrs.

harness.pdf Here's my plan, so far. I have a few questions before I proceed. There are 2 "T" shaped junctions, one on the top piece and one on the bottom piece. How would you join them? Rivet them together or form a loop in one strap and pull the other through? Or use a metal ring for the junction? Would the harness fit more securely one way or the other? I'm thinking about moving the 2 buckles on the chest piece to the top piece. I've seen it done both ways. The advantage would be that the triangular plate becomes removable if there are no buckles on that piece. The disadvantage is that as it is now I could add some conchos to the straps that connect the top piece to the chest piece. If I switch the buckles the conchos might get covered by the strap ends. Of course, conchos might be a bit much. I'm thinking of using a metal quick release buckle instead of one regular buckle on the bottom piece, so once it's adjusted it's just snap it closed and go. Plusses and minuses?

There's a sport for dogs called skijoring, which involves being towed by a dog or dogs while cross country skiing. There are off-shoots of this sport: bikejoring, canicross, etc. People also use adult scooters for this. Also consider off-road rollerblading with your dogs. http://www.ultrapaws.com/Skijoring-Sledding-and-Canicross/products/1030/?gclid=CJTd2M29mKACFZNL2god73CMmA http://www.skates.com/Offroad-skates-s/96.htm There are also bike attachments that allow your dog to stay at your side, rather than on a long lead off the front of the bike. Here are 3 models: http://www.futurepets.com/cgi-bin/FULLPRES.exe?PARTNUM=SP63008 http://www.petexpertise.com/exercise-aids-a-tired-dog-is-less-likely-to-dig/bike-tow-leash-dog-bicycle.html http://www.amazon.com/Pyramid-Bicycle-Dog-Leash/dp/B0006514IG/ref=pd_sim_k_3

BTW, when I say "swim" I mean more like wade. There's a stream in the local park he likes to cool off in when I walk him. He can touch bottom. If I were taking him in a lake, I'd have a floatation vest/harness.

http://www.sitstay.com/dog/supplies/servlet/product_10001_10001_59915_-1_Easy+Walk+Harness%2C+SmallMedium_13273_26908_13272 I'm currently using the harness in the above link. The leash attachment at the chest helps if the dog lunges, (like when they go after a pigeon), They hit the end of the lead and they get spun around, ending the lunge. I've heard that the martingale at the attachment point can aggravate elbow problems, and my dog has enough elbow problems, so I'm not going to replicate it in leather. The harness with the breast plate is listed as a walking/tracking harness. The Agitation Harnesses have a bigger breast plate and thicker padding. This is the harness on a dog: http://www.pitbull-store.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2&products_id=3&zenid=f3b9d93f22b9f58c0044111d94c5f820 I'm figuring I'll take heavy paper or light cardboard and make a pattern and test fit it on my dog to get the rough strap lengths, then cut and fit the leather like you suggest.

I did not read the whole thread, so please excuse me if this has been answered already. I noticed that the image on the stamps is cut or filed into the metal. Has anyone tried applying an acid-resistant ground and etching the design with acid? I've got a graphic arts background and I've done some etching, (many years ago).

I used plain white paper for a pattern of metal spots on a dog collar. I oiled the paper, which made it translucent and kept it from moving around.

I'm planning on making a walking harness for my dog. I've got several questions about materials and design. I bought latigo side which I'll be using for the main construction. I may want to pad it. I've seen harnesses padded with neoprene. I'm sure it's functional, but I don't like the look of it. I was thinking of elk skin or some light garment leather with some kind of padding under it. What would be a good padding material? Keep in mind it will get rained on and maybe even be submerged while swimming. The other padding option could be to line it with sheepskin. The problem with that is my dog has allergies, but I'm not sure if wool is one of them. Does anyone know of any patterns for dog harnesses? I have pictures of 2 I like. Where I'd like to change the design from the pictures shown is I'd like to add a leash attachment on the chest. I'm not sure if this style of harness would work well with the leash attaching to the chest – I don't know if it may be easy for the dog to back out of the harness. And that leads me to my final question. I've found that my dog can wiggle out of the nylon harness I now use, if it's gotten a bit loose. I want to get a short length of chain with a bolt snap on each end, to tie the harness to his collar. Do these come pre-made? If so, what are they called?

I'd love to see a how-to on both the sheath and the knife.

Sewing supply store? You might try a floor covering store. My father was a floor covering installer and used carpet thread to sew carpet. You might also try a marine supply shop for thread they sew sails with.

I'm planning on making a walking harness for my dog. I've got several questions about materials and design. I bought latigo side which I'll be using for the main construction. I may want to pad it. I've seen harnesses padded with neoprene. I'm sure it's functional, but I don't like the look of it. I was thinking of elk skin or some light garment leather with some kind of padding under it. What would be a good padding material? Keep in mind it will get rained on and maybe even be submerged while swimming. The other padding option could be to line it with sheepskin. The problem with that is my dog has allergies, but I'm not sure if wool is one of them. Does anyone know of any patterns for dog harnesses? I have pictures of 2 I like. Where I'd like to change the design from the pictures shown is I'd like to add a leash attachment on the chest. I'm not sure if this style of harness would work well with the leash attaching to the chest – I don't know if it may be easy for the dog to back out of the harness. And that leads me to my final question. I've found that my dog can wiggle out of the nylon harness I now use, if it's gotten a bit loose. I want to get a short length of chain with a bolt snap on each end, to tie the harness to his collar. Do these come pre-made? If so, what are they called?

I'm far from an expert, but I've been using Latigo leather for dog collars that might be the rubbery one you're looking for. Mink oil it and then use cream conditioner and it gets nice and soft.

I was looking to turn it inside out to see how it's done. Mine is wearing out and I was thinking of making a replacement, rather than buying it. The one I have was not stitched around the mouth, and the liner is coming off. Also, it appears that the lining material is sewn along with the leather. See picture attached.

http://www.senacases.com/apple/iphone-3g-3gs-cases/ultra-slim-pouch-sleeve/ This is a case made of thin leather. The stitching is on the inside. I assume you stitch it inside out then turn it inside out when you're done. There's a velvety lining, too. I tried, (gently) to turn my case inside out, but I was afraid I'd damage it/pop the stitches or something. Is there some trick to it?

I've been using a Black & Decker workmate 525. Its kind of small. My "stone slab" has been a 12" x12" x .25" granite floor tile. I cracked the corner off last night. I'm attaching a picture of my computer desk, which I'm thinking of making my workbench. It's a little over 8' long x 26" deep. I have cabinets mounted on the wall above it. I could mount lights under the cabinets. I realized that there's no good light in my apartment, except for the bathroom. I hate working in the dark. I could relocate my computer to another room, but I'm thinking that I could mount the screen on a wall-mounted swing arm. I like having it in the work area so that I can use online references. Should I flush mount the slab? What size should I get? As of now, I'm not doing tooling. Is it common to work standing or sitting? The height is good for sitting, but low for standing. I'm thinking a bench vise might come in handy, not necessarily for leather work, but as a general workbench tool. I'll need an anvil for setting copper rivets, and many vises come with an anvil. Any advise would be welcomed.

Thanks for all the info. I'll probably try the keen beveler. I've got a few other tool-related questions, but I'll start a new thread for them.

OK, here's a picture of the edge and of the edger. I got the edger from Tandy. I think it's a Craftool brand #4. By the way, my dog has been wearing the collar and been swimming in it a bit.