$$hobby

so far, all of the holsters i have made have been made using the real mccoy. i bought a box of those heavy duty large zip lock bags and use them. they hold up well and if they dont, just use another one. usually the cased leather isnt dripping wet, so water migration isnt an issue. i will say that i dont have a press, so i use my hands and a board. if i did have a press, im not sure i would use a real gun tho. i will also say tho, that some of the fancy Kimber finishs dont hold up well. so, depending on the finish, you may want to treat it a tad more carefully.

i was first exposed to leathercraft in jr HS. i dabbled in it for some projects from time to time, but it really took off after i got back into horses. i guess horses and leatherwork goes hand in hand since horses have a tendency to be hard on tack.

greetings Sno-Seal was one of the 2 water sealers we would recommend for our work boots. The other was Hubbards. as mentioned about the Sno Seal, its not that different in application from other sealers. It did wear off after some time as with others, but its just one of those things that was applied from time to time. i wouldnt worry about what you have sold your customer. from my experince, eveyone will have their own personal likes/brand that they use. im sure that your Skidmores will do just fine.

welcome, if you have any "libraries" in your area, try them. you know those buildings that houses those heavy things with lots of paper called "books". im being sarcastic here cuz alot of people are so into the www and e they forget that your tax dollars are still going to those things called "libraries". YOU pay for them, so i would use them. if you are not aware, those libraries can "order" books/CD/DVDs for you from other branches from around the country? so if your local branch doesnt have it, but another one does, they could get it for you. Its just another resource that you can use, IF you choose to do so. also, check out your local used book stores too. even the small hole in the wall ones. you never know whats on their shelf. if you have any local colleges/community colleges, try their resources too. yes, there is alot of info on here, but it doesnt compare to whats out there.

welcome, i would look in your local area for leathercraft shops and see what they have. mail order is great, but you cant feel/touch/try them so you buy sight unseen and unless youre willing to buy and maybe send back, it could cost you more $$$ then to just buy local. Tandys isnt that bad for a beginner. some of their tools arent the best, but they do work. i started with Tandys tools and have gradually moved up to others, but i will still breakout my Tandys. it will depend on what i need to do. if you have any Leathercraft trade shows in your neck of the woods, i would try there also. usually tool vendors will have their wares to examine/try and so you can get an idea on the quality and maybe try them before you buy. i will warn you tho, some or most of them are not inexpensive. with supplies i try to buy my leather local. i can see/feel/examine it for any flaws and to cherry pick which hides i like. afa hardware goes, i mix it up. i use to buy from Mast hardware until Weaver ate them up and discontinued with the Mast products. imo, Mast had better quality hardware. fortunately, i bought alot before it happened, but some of my hardware is thin in some areas. I still buy from weaver thru a shop tho. if youre going to do this as a serious hobby, when it comes to supplies like hardware, buy in quantity since the shipping will be expensive if you want 1 or 4 snaps the next time. i try to limit the varity of hardware i use/buy, but if it comes down to it, i have Oregon Leather in town that i can easily make a trip to to see if they have the hardware i dont want to buy in quantity. you can buy from EBay too, but if you dont know whats what in tools, you can end up buying broke/wornout tools and not know it. of course if the seller will take them back, it may help, but then again, whos paying for shipping back and forth. you can also try Craigslist and see what comes up. also, local garage/estate sales. also if you have any tack/leather shops, checkout their bulletin boards. some community colleges offer leatherwork courses and you can try/ask where they get their tools from too.

youre not alone. what i do now is that i dont partially wet ANY part of the leather due to what you have observed. I will DUNK the whole piece just as you would dying it. of course this is with dip dyied leather, not sprayed. btw, i think the mottled leahter looks more real whereas the all even color more artificial.

welcome, imo, those starter kits arent that bad. yes, the quality may not be there, but for the most part they do work. if you have the $$$, then buy the best you can afford. the only thing is, do you know how to take care/sharpen them? having good/expensive tools is okay, but if you dont know how to care for them, its wasted $$$. the starter kits would be a good way of learning the craft and then once you get stared, theres nothing to stop you from buying better tools. also, what you want to do in the craft will dictate what tools you will buy. it will help the others with what to suggest in terms of tools.

google is your friend. i would do some googling and see what pops up. also, check you local community colleges. also check any local leather shops. i know our Leathercrafters store has some classes/clinics. Tandys at one time did the same. go to your local tack shopes and see if they have anything going on also check their board for anything. fyi, i just learned it by doing. i started out making some leather cases for my calcuators and i made some holsters. i started out with Stohlmans "how to make holsters" and went from there. It covers saddle statiching (stitching by hand) and other things. its not horse tack, but you will need to stitch something eventually. also, it shows how to finish edges and such. i asked some horsey friends if they had anything that needed repair and was really choosy what i repaired since i knew my abilities and steered away from saddles. strap goods are somewhat easier to work on since alot of saddlers wont/dont want to deal with it. for me, it was a leanring experince and i asked if they had any "broken/discareded" stuff so i could dissect. some of the stuff i would even try to repair to see how my repair compared to the original. i also took this time to see if i could match the color of the repair since alot of tack will be used/weathered and sometimes you have to try and match the color which is a pia to do.

welcome, i have many of books on leathercraft, but what ive found is that the best book is experience. i will assume you have horses in your area so.... look for some local barns in your area and go and introduce yourself and what you are planning to do. make sure to call before you drop in since some barns are private or the managers/instructors are busy with students/horses. once there, i would ask if they have any broke/no longer use tack for you to keep/examine and dissect. dissecting tack is a great way of learning how it was made and especially where they fail since you will sometimes see common themes where tack breaks. also, look for some local tack shops and see if they have any broken/not wanted tack. then there are local "tack sales", garage/house/farm/flea market sales too. but i wouldnt pay or if needed, pay as little as possible for broke or worn out tack. i think you will find the book by Sohlman "how to make holsters" is a good book on saddle stitching with lots of pictures and good info on making rolled items. It isnt a bridle/tack making book, but the principles are the same especially when it comes to hand stitching if you plan on doing it by hand. once you get into it, then you will have more questions, but thats what this board is all about. good luck.

i can empathize with you on this. I was using the same setup as you and have had good luck with the setting. But some of my latest projects have had some snaps fail. I finally decided to buy a bench mounted hand press and i like it alot. more work to swap out dies, but so far i havent had a snap fail...knock on wood. one catch tho, is that you cant set both of the (one way) snaps using the standard dies. i forget which one, but one side wont fit. the proper dies are more expensive and i think i will buy a set in a few months, so for now, i do as much by the hand press and the rest by hand. also, dont get rid of the system you are using now. most presses have a limited throat/depth you can put the work into.

i got ahold of some sole leather. its about 1/4 inch thick and imo, holds up better. But its a PIA to punch thru, so i broke out my dremel. It also doesnt take dye too well, so several applications maybe required.

take a look at weavers cat again. look under the snap #017 and see if it fits your specs.

R, To me the pic is hard to tell what the top part looks like,but im going to take a stab at it.++ It looks like those fasteners used on older WW2 style ammo belts/pouches? If so, Seattle Fabrics has them, and they use the nomenclature "lift the dot fasteners" but im thinking you should be able to find a euopean supplier? i tried to attach a pic, but no go.

welcome. i think you will find this place a gold mine of info.

welcome. i know what you mean by getting burned out on this, so its my main reason for NOT doing it as a job, but as a hobby. good luck on your work.

I think i would go the KISS route and steer away from any cast items even in SS. Im sure the cast SS halter squares are fine, but if youre going to be in the boonies, i would keep the hardware as simple as possilbe. you maynot have a choice on a halter bulkle, but there are other options too. I think if you can find some SS welded rings, you would be okay. I dont know about having them made since Weaver sells them. If you have any Nautical store in your area (i doubt it), they would carry SS hardware too. If you have any True Value Hardware stores i would check there. We have a couple that carry some odd/neat stuff. another place to look is some of the outdoor/climbing outfitters. If it has to do with climbing, its safety rated and should have been tested or made to certain specs.

thank you for the notice. but its only one part of the set. also, Weaver quit selling to me a long time ago, so i buy thru another shop. i think its easier to just sell it,. if not it goes into my misc sewing parts box.

j, check you message box. r

Personally, i wouldnt take possession of the gun. once you do, you are responsibe for it and possible for anything that may happen afterwards. you should be willing to pay for anything that maybe wrong once the owner takes it back. even if you have a liability form, it doenst relase you from negligance, if they can proove it. it maybe a hobby now, but you should think about what youre going to do the next time and after that. if it was me, i would be looking for an blue gun X frame.

im not familiar with HF machine, but as the Jordan stated already they arent known for quality. since you are beginning in this, you should think of the tools/equipment you buy as "investments" in your job/hobby. yes, you can buy less expensive tools/equipment but they may not hold up or last in the long run. if all you want to do is to sew a few projects, then it maybe worth it to buy the less expensive ones. if you want to spend more time/$$$ on this hobby then i would save your pennies and buy a decent machine. if you have little/no experiece with sewing machines, i would opt to buy a NIB one or one that comes with SERVICE since you will be asking alot of questions once you get it home and from time to time calling for help. also, if you can, try to test drive different machines. If you know what you are going to sew, bring sample materials and thread and do some test sewing. to me its the best way to find out if the machine will handle what you want to do. you can buy used machines too, but unless you are willing to spend $$$ to have it serviced if it needs it, you maybe throwing more $$ into it. also, unless you know what to look for in a machine, you could get ripped off.

welcome, im sure you will be able to get some answers around here.

greetings. it looks like you really dont need any help with your work. im curious, do you buy or make the "hardware" on your tack? also imo, for some authenticity, you need to have some flys on the horse and maybe some green spots on his coat?

check out Seattlefabrics.com they have the "durable dot" snaps. iirc, they are the same size as the "pull the dots" i got some SS from them. they sell em by the set so order as many as you want.

welcome An English person living in France. whats next? im sure youre having fun over there. LOL you can try the vids/Dvds and books to make your saddles. i havent tried it, but i learned most of my limited leather skills(?) by book and alot of doing. you can also try: > buying/scrounging/begging old/beatup/broke saddles and reverse engineer/dissect/repair them. it would be a great way of looking/seeing how they are constructed and determine what broke/failed in them. > at one time Tandy? offered western saddle making kits. im not sure if they or anyone else still does, but it would be a possible way of making one. i think the best point for a kit is that the materials would be already cut? and hopefully, you could concentrate on the assembly/relationship/tooling of the parts. cheers and good luck.

admin: if this is in the wrong place, feel free to move to appropriate location. I have a NIW Harness Makers Outside Double Toe Pressor foot for an Adler 205. It still in the wrapper. It was purchased from Weaver, P/n 65-2920 and is not needed, so im selling it. Im selling it for $ 28.00 USD, Shipping including. CONUS Sales only. any questions, feel free to ask. many thanks.