jk215

The heavy oil content makes chromexcel a bit tougher to bond. I would suggest roughing up the parts your glueing by "fuzzing" or lightly skiving the edges and using rubber cement.

From what Ive read on the subject most recommend staying either horizontal or vertical but not diagonal when cutting larger pieces. I just like to keep in mind the characteristics of the certain places of the hide in regard to what Im making. If I need a good amount of flex in a section I will try to avoid using the shoulder area or if Im making a strap Ill avoid the belly because it will stretch more than a cut from the back would.

Yep thats it. Thanks!

I see this seam done on most commerically available bags (the main seams that connect the bag body parts) and cant for the life of me figure out how it is completed. Anyone know what these seams are called or how they are done?

Will also put in a good review for Goods Japan. Shipping takes a long time to the states (Im used to one day shipping from Tandy) but its worth it. Great stuff.

I dont normally make belts but I agreed to make some for a few friends and running into a problem. Know matter how well I think I mark my belt slot I ALWAYS notice I am slightly crooked AFTER punching my slot with oblong punch. I am getting very frustrated and just wondering how you guys make sure these things are centered on the belt??

This is pretty standard. Everyone Ive talked to that orders shell cordovan regularly says there is always a long wait. I just waited a month for 2 sides of chromexcel.

- Neatsfoot oil is a very widely used conditioner. It will make the leather more supple and mallable. - You will want to bevel your edge and then sand. It will start to take on a rounded appearance. Once it is decently smooth you will dampen the edge with a water/saddle soap combination. Make sure its not sopping wet, just enough to aid in the burnishing process. Nothing goes on after you finish the edge. So your process would be : 1. Bevel and sand 2. Burnish with water/saddle soap combo. 3. Dye the edge 4. Final burnish 5. Apply finish to the edge

Ive only ordered from them twice via phone and receieved each in a reasonable time frame (week or so).

Thanks for all the tips. I never thought of making the pieces a little oversized and trimming later. Ill also put these triangles I got to use!

Im interested to see if anyone has any better methods for marking/cutting even rectangles out. I have an ongoing problem of somehow misaligning my marks but very small amounts and making an uneven rectangle once its cut out. Its extremely frustrating and I end up wasting a lot of leather. Ive tried straight rulers, carpenters squares, t-squares, you name it. Please explain to me your measuring and cutting sequence like Im 5 years old. Assume their is no straight edge already and you have to mark all four sides. Thanks!

I make my belts out of english bridle and had the same problem. Its mostly the leather rubbing against the metal buckle. Make sure you give a couple real good coats of oil before assembling. That combined with some time to break in and it should quiet down. Ive been wearing this belt for about 9 months and its quieted down a lot.

Just started working with some Chromexcel and I love it except for how crappy my edges look after beveling. It seems like its tearing the edges and looks terrible. Do bevelers come in different sizes or applications (hard vs soft leather)? I dont know much about the beveler I have now since I bought it in a lot of tools. Thanks!

Ive been practicing leathercraft for about 8 months now and I still have problems with undercutting/overcutting my pieces. This leads to 2 pieces not lining up correctly when I go to glue them and always having to try to fix it at that stage. My usual process is to mark my lines with a straightedge and scratch awl and then run the knife along the straight edge to cut. Lately Ive been marking my lines and trying to cut freehand as suggested by a few others in a thread I saw. This seems like it should be a pretty straight forward process (no pun intended) and cant figure out how to improve my cuts. Im cutting with my left hand, should I be eye-ing this up from a top view, left side view, right side view? Ill try anything!

I have a like new CS Osborne 51 1/2 Draw Gauge for sale. This was purchased brand new from Mainethread.com (Description Here). I used this tool a handful of times and is obviously in great condition. Need some extra money for moving costs and I dont see myself using this tool very much in the future. Looking to get $60 shipped. Message me any questions.

Reddevil - Awesome work! I have a (possibly stupid) question regarding your pricking iron method. Are you just making holes on one piece of leather and using an awl to go through the other piece after lining up? Or do you punch holes in both pieces seperately and match them up together before sewing? Thanks!

SOLD. Dont know how to delete posts.

Just put in an order for the Sit-n-Stitch. Looks like exactly what I need.

Going to look that up right now. Thanks!

Ive been using the standard lacing pony from Tandy and its a piece of junk. Falling apart and cant even fit my longer projects in the clampable area. What do you guys use? Where did you get it? Ive seen pictures of old school saddle clamps but cant find one anywhere online.

I just read through this tutorial and not sure if I understand his process. First he pokes his holes on the face, then glues, then pokes again all the way through. After that goes to the other side and pokes back through to even it out. So hes doing a total of three rounds? Would this also apply to things like wallets?

I dont have a leather splitter but it looks like Im going to need one in the near future. Thanks for the sizing info.

Im planning out making my first belt and pretty much have my process done except for what to do with the belt loop. I notice most belts have the belt loop made out of a thinner leather. What if I only have the size leather im using for the actual belt? Any tips/methods you use for making belt loops is appreciated!

DIdnt know that about Hermann-oak thanks! I will be starting with belts. Practiced on tooling leather but wont be doing any tooling or dyeing so it seems like the best (and expensive) option.

Im looking into buying my first "back" of english bridle and wondering how I should be storing unused portions? I know its already oiled and probably doesnt dry out as much as the tooling leather but just making sure. Thanks!