Ferg

The holes punched by the needle is what stretches the leather, it does close some after the leather rests. I fully agree that every belt will stretch to some extent. There are a multitude of ways to slow that process, some work better than others obviously. I think the main point is, stitching a back on the face leather does help the situation. Of course it does not stop it. ferg

I think the use of the information is being a little misunderstood. The Library has books to lend for reading. They are supported, for the most part by tax payer money of which there isn't much being distributed these days. They have to make up the shortfall in ways that may aggravate some folks but fees are one way to do it. As for the e-books that you can peruse on site without buying them........ Amazon for instance, makes money from selling a subscription to folks so they can read the book/books. If they are terribly upset because Sylvia, and others, have figured out how to beat the system, they will close that hole in the software. At that time who is the winner? Don't anyone give me the "Greed" bit. Every student has a vast amount of expenses when attending college. Books are certainly a large part of that. Soon, the printed page will be for those of us that still like to read a physical book at abysmal prices, I could go on but you get the idea. BTW: Sylvia, don't become so defensive about your method, that may show you are not quite comfortable with it either. Just my .02 ferg

It is Singer for sewing sails and leather. Perfect for auto upholstery or heavy leather work. That is all I know. Wiz can probably fill you in on the particulars. ferg

You can buy two versions of the lining polyester, one with a backing, looks and smells like faux leather glued to the poly. The other is just the poly lining. It will glue to leather or whatever you wish. You need the thin lining leather with that many card slots. You can get Kangaroo that is at most 2oz in thickness. It will make a good face leather plus you would need to use it for coin pouch. Tandy stores I checked locally had fairly high prices for the poly, I bought on-line for half price. Weird thing? It came from a Tandy Store in New Mexico. From what I can find out the poly lining is all the same. You have an uphill climb if you have to sew this stuff by hand. Take a look-see at Chaylor-Finelli site, they are in Australia, for liners/inserts. They may have a liner you can use. Springfield Leather carries the line here in USA. There is a "sort-of" tutorial for "London" wallets on You Tube. It may be helpful to you. ferg

Maybe your hands are bigger than mine. ferg

Only reason I can think of for not having them any longer than 4 1/2" , Cumbersome to hold and strike. ferg

You are going to need to do a lot better with your photo than what you have. Impossible to see anything much. The photo is pixelated. ferg

The 5 in 1 has been sold ($600) ferg

Mike, From one old geizer to another, great job!! ferg

Chris, You have learned the hard way that you give no one information about manufacturing a specific product. A number of years ago four or five of the companies we were dealing with asked if they could visit our shop to be more informed of how and what we made. Being naive about their actual purpose we said yes. Each of those companies essentially stole our ideas and the manufacturing processes. The satisfaction came a couple years later when at least one of them went "belly up" because they couldn't make any money doing what we did. Sad state of affairs, industrial espionage continues in the USA not just across the pond. ferg

The unit has been sold. ferg

Only thing I noticed, basket weave on your holster should fade into the edge. You stopped them abruptly before actually getting to the edge. You done a great job with the BW, they are interesting and equally frustrating sometimes. The belt is excellent. ferg

There are folks on here that know a lot more about various machines than I. That said, I think you should contact any one of the sewing machine companies listed on this forum. Personally I wouldn't buy a machine from Craig's List under any circumstances but that is just me. You really need a walking foot machine. ferg

Nice job. I made my jaws a little smaller in area that rests on the leather plus I glued some nice soft leather to each jaw so they wouldn't mark the piece. ferg

Cody, I noticed your quandary on the angle of the bottom. I set my block at about 30 degrees. Probably just my preference, I can see each and every tool. It is interesting how many like the larger holes to accommodate a number of tools. I don't like my tools banging against each other. I find that with drilling several different sized holes throughout the block, I can "bunch" almost all of the "Like" tools close together. In a short time you learn where you have tools you want to use. Also: I have a tendency to take several different size tools, of whatever I am doing, from the rack and lay them on the bench, easy to grab. I have absolutely no intention of taking my tools from my shop to any other venue anymore so the permanent block works for me. I bought several sets of basic tools when teaching a Sunday School class at summer camp, I don't anticipate doing that anymore. There were over 30 teenagers. Gish!!!!! ferg

Thanks for that. I am reminded of a time my men and I were building stalls in a barn for show horses. A particular mare kept wanting to bite me every time I passed in front of her. After a few times of that I noticed she had a nose covered with "bumps". I remarked to the owner that the horse had a virus. He was amazed that I would have noticed or even known that. He applied some medication and before we finished the job a few days later, she didn't try to bite me anymore. Anyone around horses knows they can laugh at you, as other animals do also. That mare was laughing or smiling, I am not sure, but she sure was happy. Have a great day! ferg

Call Paul at Leather Wranglers. Discuss your needs with him. My wife has long slender fingers like steel. I think you would need a larger barrel with adjustable length. My fingers are short and stubby. The 1/2 " suits me fine. ferg

I would like to buy a Landis model 30 splitter. Preferably a unit that needs some TLC but not a pile of junk. Might even consider a refurb if price is right. ferg

Michael, I wouldn't think that would help much. A belt contours itself to the wearers body no matter what/how you make it. I have always thought that backing up and sewing just makes a more wearable belt plus they are very attractive. ferg

I cannot speak for Barry King but Leather Wrangler SK3 is a superb knife. ferg

Cody, I realize everyone doesn't have a chunk of 4" pine 10" wide laying around but,,, that is what I used. My work table is 6' plus long so I made the tool holder the same length. Drilled a number of different sized holes in it to about 2" deep. This yielded space for 350 stamps and swivel knives plus my collection of shaped punches. Your design looks good, just a little more complicated than mine. I raised the back edge off the work table and attached a couple angle brackets to the ends and into the 3/4" panel I have for other tools on the back edge of the table. ferg

I bought as little as two shells from them. I called and talked to Nick Horween. A large part of their inventory on the shells are sold to large shoe manufacturers. I had to wait about a month if I remember correctly, for my order to arrive. They do not pursue individuals for business but do not seem to mind filling the orders. Do not always have what you are looking for color wise or size. ferg

Andrew, I have a 5 in 1 for sale. I have run 2oz. veg tanned calfskin through it with no difficulty. As in any other piece of machinery there is a learning curve, this one can be "learned" in less than half a day. BTW: My 5 in 1 is priced to sell and I will negotiate the shipping. You would have a machine that will do many things in lieu of only one. ferg

You would need to dampen the leather a little and use a modeling tool with a fairly large end. That would get most of the line. ferg

IMHO, the 277 thread is way to large for journals. 138 is about as large as I have seen and still look hand done on the lighter weight leathers. Bob Park uses a lot of #69 thread on his journals etc. ferg