shug

hi,i have a wooden strap cutter that has given me good service but i am finding the spare blades hard to find and expensive so i would appreciate suggestions for a replacement with readily available and reasonably priced blades.even better ,one that can utilise a number of different blades.also ,preferably available in the uk .thanks.

hi,i have a wooden strap cutter but find it difficult to source replacement blades so would appreciate recommendations for a new cutter with readily obtainable blades.thanks.

Thanks for reply,will go with black.

Hi all,making an infantrymans belt of the south side ,would black brown or oiled be more authentic?

Hi,how did you mould the double pouch?i want a triple mag pouch but have only moulded single pouches,i would love to know how you achieved yours.nice work by the way.

hi all,i want to make a copy of a flap holster and triple mag pouch for the Norwegian m1914 copy of the m1911a1.My query is how to achieve the multiple pouch by moulding.I usually use a wood former for pouches but this has me stumped,any advice welcomed,thanks,mark.

hi,i have just finished stitching some faux sheepskin to a padded guitar strap but it took an age,is there a technique or is it just a pig to do?

thanks,appreciate all your help thanks for your kind words.

thanks,it was scary messing with someone elses stuff so tried to keep it low key,was terrified i would destroy them!

Thanks for the help and advice, I decided on a minimal approach and have settled on using a water based dye and wax Polish and bit of wire wool to ding them up a bit. Have got some before and after pics. Thanks again.

thanks,will give it a go.looks good,like the colour

thanks for replies,would brown dye then tan polish and a light scuffing be reasonably accurate for a ww2 holster?

can you overdo the neetsfoot oil and clog up the leather or should i use progressive light coats of oil?

i would like to go with the idea of oiling and representing darkened rubbed areas but do not own an airbrush,any ideas to create a similar effect?what about dye applied sparingly with a cloth?

when i started messing with leather ,i tried pretend stuff and nearly gave up.then i discovered charity shops and found leather items i could pick apart to practise on.ebay was my next step with scrap pieces until i could sell a few things and afford a decent side of veg tan.my point is ,it is a struggle at first if funds are sparse but with a bit of improvisation and research you will achieve what for me is a very satisfying hobby.good luck.p.s. have you tried leather and stuff on ebay?they occasionally sell boxes of scrap at reasonable price.

good point,maybe minimal wear would be more accurate.perhaps i will restrict the ageing techniques to western style holsters that would have seen more use.thanks for your opinions.

thanks all for some interesting info.my friend is part of a group planning to recreate us troops present at the normandy landings and wants a holster that would look used and probably seen combat.i am also giving a brace of m3 tanker holsters the same treatment .i will try to post some photos as i go and would like your comments.thanks again

hi,a reenactor friend has asked me to age an m1916 holster to a ww2 finish.would neetsfoot oil have been used on originals and were they polished at all?any ideas would be appreciated.

sorry for not replying sooner,i like the drawing,i will try something along those lines,if you have managed any photos i would like to see them,thanks again

thanks djole,its a small more decorative axe and will not need a strong fastening.i like what you have described.that is a beautiful piece with very delicate tooling.very nice indeed.thanks again.

hi,am making a viking axe and sheath for a friend into reenactment.i am stumped over the fastening used to secure sheath over axe head,i want to use a wood toggle but am unsure how to sew the retaining thong to sheath,any ideas please?

Thanks for the tip,i will look for that book and what you say about the radii of the stitch spacing is right,i found it very offputting.thanks again.

I am making lens caps for a ww2 aldis smle rifle scope and am struggling with the stitching technique involved.i am using a curved awl but find it difficult to keep ìt tidy on the actual cap.would appreciate any tips on the subject.have included pic of one i have completed.thanks

I have been using 7_8oz leather for my holsters but am wondering if i should use a heavier hide?i would appreciate viewpoints on this,also,is the term roughout just the flesh side on the outside of the holster and what is the benefit of this?thanks.

thanks for that,i will look it up asap,i like the colour produced by vinegaroon(great word)and I do like using traditional methods .thanks again.