reddevil76

By the wya, just for interest, here is the video where I learnt the stitch. Maybe the author of the video got the name of the stitch wrong. But whatever it is, it seems useful when you need to cover handles or anything like a tube which requires you to tension the material as you go along. Anyone knows the correct name of this stitch?

Thank you! I learnt something new again

Thanks for the compliments. Though I haven't got my hands on the Hermann Oaks yet, so far my correspondences with them have left a lasting positive impression of the company. Both Kelvin and Jill have been very professional and accomodating! Anyway, they have recommended me the Hermann craftsman side for my budget and needs. My only concern now is that the Herman Oak pics on their site shows a relatively darker brown color as opposed to most veg tans. I have on hand some tooling calf from Tandy which I am gonna use for making card slots. (I used to thin 5-6oz buffalo using the TLF Super Skiver for the card slots portions and ruined alot of leather in the process) My worry is that the Hermann Oak is gonna be much darker than the tooling calf I have, and the whole wallet is going to end up unintentionally 2-toned.

If you guys need camo leather for making hunting gear, please visit my thread in the sale section. I don't have any application for these. A friend who don't own a credit card asked me to order these from UK for him and when they came, he said he didn't need them. I felt absolutely let down as these were expensive stuff and being unemployed for the past 6 months, to be saddled with leather (and a large bill) which is not useful to me at a time when finances are tight is simply frustrating. To cut the story short, I really gotta move these (at a small loss) so that I can pay for some veg tan from Springfield Leather. My thread is here http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=28409 Thanks all..

Price revised to $119 shipped for 3 desert hides or $139 for 3 Woodlands hides.

Thought of trying out this Craftool 7 pc basic set that I have and tried tooling this mask 4 times today and still can't get it right. Each time, the mouth area seems more at the fore front than the rest of the face, making it look like a monkey. Somehow, I can't the upper lip to curl up like the actual mask. The way I am doing it, it looks like the demon is having a hard time taking a crap... Any advise is appreciated.

Yes sir! Masking tape it is!

This board saved me from another potential pile of junked leather. I have ordered some geometric stamps and would have gone ahead without thinking about leather stretch till i read about it here. I knew about stretch,but just that without this board, it wouldn't have occurred to me in my eagerness to start. Anyway, seems the most popular method would be to glue the leather piece to cardboard. My question is,, if the flesh side would be exposed in the final product, won't the customer see bits of glue and card board all over the flesh side?

It doesn't matter, but it does matter that you always use the same needle in front. If right needel front, then it is right front all the way. So the thread sits the same way throughout. Like the others said, there are many ways to mark a stitching line. The groover is used, only when you want the stitches to sit slightly below the surface, so that it doesn't get rubbed so much during the product's lifetime. If you are using hand tools to pre-punch stitching holes, it is very important to keep it upright so that the holes on the other side lines up too. One thing i do is to keep a firm pressure on my pricking iron before hitting it with a mallet, so that it doesn't bounce. And yeah, eyeball the angle, keep it straight down, before hitting. And always use a striking surface beneath to protect your pricking iron. I use soft wood, As I found Tandy's poundo boards too soft, and cause the pricking iron to slant as it goes down through many layers of leather.

I started in Aug 2010, made a tool bag for my bike simply because i needed it fast and couldn't wait for unpredictable shipping. I live in Singapore where an item on ebay could go for $18, and shipping costs $20 and takes 2 weeks. (imagine the shipping I pay for Tandy to ship me tools and leather ) I try to get my leather from a local shop that makes holsters and such for the local force. But they are cost conscious, so most of the buffalo leather they stock, have so much defects that it might just be worthwhile for me to ship better leather from overseas myself. But the time I work around the defects, not much leather left. And I certainly don't wish to put in days of labour for the work to be let down by poor leather. It doesn't help that all their leathers are 6-7 oz and above. I could spend half the time just skiving down the leather with the Tandy hand skiver for the card slots where it needs to be thin. Understandly, alot of leather were wasted when the skiver cut through and i had to start all over again. I found Springfield leather on this board and am now working with them to get some Hermann Oak. Can't wait! Anyway, these were made in my 3rd month, around October. I made the last black wallet in Nov and have stopped because I was out of leather and broke. I have some money from a part time trainer job coming in end of Jan. So I figured I could purchase some hides from Springfield and charge them to the card first. Regarding the herringbone stitch, I saw this on a Youtube video and followed accordingly. It could be wrong for all I know. Would you care to share some pointers? I have not tried a sewing awl as i like the stitching holes to be neat like what a pricking iron does, and besides, none of the stuff I make has load or tensile considerations.

I got 2 of those wheel, one floral and one rope. Just about gave up on them. They don't roll smoothly. If you apply light pressure, you don't get a nice print. If you apply more pressure, the wheel kinda rolls, hickety hack, and the tendency to go off-course at that point is very high. I tried placing a wooden ruler to guide it, and no go, it goes wherever it wanna go. And the rope wheel came too tight to fit into the tool, I had to file the sides to make it fit, and by the time it could fit, part of the rope got filed off.

True for the clips. I've managed to source for clips easily. I wouldn't want to self make these hooks though.. finishing would not be nice, and unfinished ends must tear user clothing and complaints arise..

I have seen these brass hooks used as part of a wallet chain, to hook onto the belt. I seem unable to find them, the only places I have seen are either Japanese sites or Japanese sellers on Ebay. Prices were too high if you are looking at it as a craft supply piece. I know Bangkok has them cheap, but I don't think I will be going there anytime soon.

I've just used Ohio Travel Bag. For my needs, they set up an order for me through their affiliate site. very prompt service. For wallet chains, most of the time I braid them out of leather though.

More pics. last batch of pics

Wallets I made the 2 top down flap ones just as I was starting out. They are my 3rd and 4th wallet. At that time, I was using the smallest size Al Stohlman hole punch for making stitching holes. Which looking back, is still too big to look nice. The latest one, the black veg tan, I made stitching holes using a pricking iron made of carbon steel, which I bought off Ebay. This is my 7th attempt at a wallet. On hindsight, I could have made the left card slot bigger so that card sits deeper. Belts I made the Maori pattern up on paper and transfer it to the belt then worked on it using a beveler and backgrounder. Then this and a plain belt is treat to some sponge work with Eco-flo bison brown dye. Baby Mocs Did some models using paper before attempting on suede. Model patterns were way off as paper is hard and doesn't come close to suede. Anyway, decided to trim as I go, and finally got this on my 3rd attempt. Just in time for my newborn nephew. But after looking at the prices online for suede baby mocs, decided next time, it is better to buy than to make. Zippo Saw a Youtube video on herringbone stitch method. Mainly used for covering handles with leather. But I didn't have anything with a handle to cover, so my Zippo became the guinea pig. Suede Pouch Just messing around on a lazy afternoon with some bone beads.

That's an idea

But when you back stitch, you still have 2 ends to deal with. Do you still burn them?

Instead of cutting 2 ends, and burning them off. I looped both ends together, and burn into one. But it still leaves an ugly one. Is there any hidden method where no ends can be seen? I tried stuffing this one end into the stitch hole with a blunt awl, but to no avail.

You guys are the best!

Thanks Kate for the tip

I've seen these used to connect a wallet chain to a biker wallet. However, I can't seem to find these not matter how much I ebayed or googled. I've seen fanciful silver / brass ones that cost US$12-$19 per piece on Ebay, made in Thailand. But I need to buy about 30-50, so I definitely need cheap, simple ones. Any ideaS?

Hi Kate, I just bought some 2.5 oz calf skin off Tandy. This is my first time looking at calf skin, and it seems pretty thin to use on a biker wallet. You mention it's your preference. I saddled stitch almost everything, as I do not have a sewing machine. Previously, I used 4-5oz veg tan for my biker wallets, and even then, the tension of the saddle stitch "crumples" the edges a bit. How is this thin calf skin going to take the saddle stitch? Hope you can share some experience.

Desert Print, 0.6mm thick, $135 for THREE hides shipped anywhere in the US. Size of hide can be seen from the picture (12 inch ruler placed for reference) Woodlands Print, 1mm thick, $157 for THREE hides shipped anywhere in the US. Size of hide can be seen from the picture (12 inch ruler placed for reference) Please contact me at maverick_motorcycling@email.com , regards Dylan