ramrod

i guess i'll take a shot at this. my personal preference is unwaxed for belts. i use polyester machine thread in all of my stitching. i have occasionally used the tandy waxed thread, but i found that there was way too much wax on it. it got gummy and ended up on the leather at the stitch holes. i also had a lot on the needle hole when i ran the thread through the eye. now, that having been said, i guess i could have tried harder to remove the excess wax before stitching -but i didn't really try to. that is an option. YMMV if you try the waxed thread. edit: on the other hand, you could always get the unwaxed and drag it through a cake of beeswax. or not.

how's this for a pic? i actually got thses from alvin farrier supply. they have a few more aprons to look at.

pretty neat item. it's like a looong pair of gauntlet gloves - without the fingers. the ones with the zippers are really trick. notice the construction - looks like you would make these from basically a tapered tube with a hole in the side of it for the thumb.

i'd like to purchase a spool. let me know how you'd like payment - paypal, check......

what is the inlay on that bag? nice looking stuff!

ray - have you ever thought about doing a tutorial on making these? i think it would be really cool to see the process.

you could mix feibings scarlet together with yellow.....or cranberry together with yellow. i've gotten a beautiful orange with either combo. you have to get the proportions right. a tiny amount of yellow to start with. you'll have to expirement.

well, the heading says it all. i recently curved a couple of my needles and realized that they're soft as butter. i know i read somewhere on here how to retemper them - and i did a search, but i can't find any info. i'm not sure whether to heat and let cool....or heat and quench....what color to heat to. HELP! beacuse i can't sew with them as they are now.

wow! i'm glad i asked. looks like it's 3 cord for hand stitching for me. thank you, wiz.

when i use the lok eye needles, i will skive and taper the lace. then i'll push the point of a small razor knife through the lace where the little barbs will contact it. that way, the barbs will penetrate the lace completely and make the perfect hold. i've also used a pair of pliers to squeeze the needle and that will also set those barbs. it makes a nice little snap sound when they seat.

i was under the impression that 5 or 6 cord linen was about the same as #69 polyester. i use the polyester exclusively in hand sewing, but, like i said, i'd like to find the same size in linen. wiz, you're saying that the 3 cord linen is actually LARGER than #69 poly? (if i understand that correctly)

same thing in syracuse. i was surprised one day to see that Robin was no longer working at the store. she was great. the current manager, while helpful, has been a bit pushy and leaning towards overly helpful. but, he got me what i wanted. it's hard to believe that a well established company like tandy would cause their own turnover. turnover is usually the last thing a company wants - especially on a scale like this..

thank you, scary. that was the link i was looking for. NOW it's in "my favorites".

i don't know how i missed this thread before. what a great bunch of info, wiz. i never knew what i didn't know about linen thread! not to hijack the OP's thread, but what would be an equivilant thread size (in linen) to #69 polyester? i'd like to buy some linen thread, but i don't want to be sewing with something the size of rope if i get it wrong.

small world, lawrence. must be something wrong with your relatives to stick around here while you went west. LOL doug - now, there are some jaws! nice find for 2 bucks. bear - i think you're on the right track with the staves. plus, you have plenty of length to make them as long as you want. i hope you can get something made. i still feel bad about the price of that pony.

A few weeks ago, i saw in someone's thread a link to a supplier of metal belt keepers. i thought i put the link in "my favorites" but i didn't (banging head on desk). i also just finished a search for them, but i didn't find nything. can anyone help? who posted that link?

i was close by there last week - but not close enough. do a search for barn house antiques in lansing n.y. it's on old peruville road. there is a number listed.

i totally agree with this! i have often thought about the florals on a holster or a saddle where the object itself is viewed as being masculine, but the decoration is feminine. it's really a dichotomy. as for the shoes shown, i love (and own) a pair of wingtips. i think they're beautifully designed even if perhaps they are a bit "frilly". now, having said that, i totally appreciate the design and work that has gone into a beautifully made holster or saddle. but my taste is a bit more industrial. o.k......hijack over. that is a beautiful design, edvin.

holy crap! that looks fabulous. nice job! what did you use for leather on the new one? also, was there a form inside of the old handle that you could reuse?

nice looking flask....how many ounces in volume is it? question: slow guy here........if you fill the flask to the top with melted wax, i'm assuming that in 3 minutes it won't cool completely. does it mean that you pour off the excess? is the purpose of the wax treatment to avoid any fluids from soaking into the flask? if so, how long does this "waterproofing" last? also.....what kind of a stopper are you using?

this is a great thread.....i found out the hard way about belt length. i knew to ALWAYS measure the person or get their existing belt and use that. HOWEVER, i was making a belt for a friend and i kept bugging him to get me his old belt so i could measure it - or at least measure his waist himelf. he was dragging his feet about the whole matter, and he finally said "just make it a 36. i'm a 36". O.K. says i. so, i made the belt 36" from the base of the buckle to the middle hole of a 5 hole belt. i give it to him, he tries it on and it seems a bit tight. well, later on comes a knock at my door. "tim, i was wondering if you could put another hole in this belt". well now....so much for your 36" waist, huh? it made me mad because the additional hole ruined the look of the belt. moral: ALWAYS get a measurement first. refuse to build the belt otherwise.

i tried the feibings black oil dye for the first time a few weeks ago. i love this stuff! it penetrated very well and seemed to cover on the first coat. but more to my liking was the fact that it didn't come off on your hands when it dried. no bleeding at all. i really wouldn't go back to sprit dye (for black, anyway.)

it probably won't dull your awl blade if you slide it on the wood of the jaws. but ( going strictly from memory here) i think that stohlman (in his book) says to NOT rest the blade on the jaws. i can only imagine that he probably wrote that because of aggie's comment - "it maks you rely on the jaws as your only guide".

wow! talk about contributing on your first post!! this is a really cool idea. 12 bucks?! very well done on the cheap.

tiny....lots of 'em. machine if you can. i couldn't imagine sewing them by hand.