NVLeatherWorx

Just an FYI to all those who have had a starter kit in their past that had that little rinky-dink wooden headed hammer, it was intended to be used for tapping down your lace and not much more. My first tool set (and this goes way back) had that little wooden hammer and a rawhide mallet (which I still have today, over 40 years later; still have the tools as well and that little wooden hammer). As far as "useless" I would not go that far because everything in your leathercrafter toolbox has a purpose, the trick is to find out just what purpose it will serve for you. My mallet of choice though is, and always has been, rawhide and I haven't found anything to beat it yet.

I use the snaps from The Buckle Guy. Made from solid brass and have never had an issue with them yet.

They used to use leather but that was way back. Now they are just another artificial material that is semi-durable (up to about 25 washes) that are ink stamped and they do eventually fade away and pull away from the jeans. The leather that Levi's used to use was a heavily oiled/waxed (almost hot stuffed) leather and it would hold up for quite some time before it eventually started to show signs of age but nobody does anything of quality anymore; hell, they don't even make them here in the U.S. at all anymore.

Grey Ghost Graphics is where I have had my Maker Mark stamps made. He can also make just about any design that you could go after as long as you can provide him with some graphics/images that can be uploaded into his system. Not too many doing the whole old school method of design, wax cast, mould, melt wax, pour metal (you know, the whole foundry thing) anymore. Although my stamps are made of Delrin they have been taking a beating and still are just as crisp as the day I got them (had them in use now for about 4 years, going on 5).

If the item were not going to be washed/cleaned then I would suggest that the leather be of a thin suede variety and, if the maker of these things is going to be doing a large number of them, get a stamp made that can be used with a branding iron/heat transfer mechanism. The branding will last much longer than any of the other methods of marking but being made of leather it should not be subjected to water as it will stiffen, crack, and eventually fail (just like the leather tags that you find on the waist of your jeans).

From the looks of the entire thing I would say that it has all been applied using a press so the border elements that you are looking for are an integral part of the overall plate and not an individual stamp. Every impression is consistent on the depth, spacing is perfect between impressions along the border and and the edge line just below the border impressions is embossed and not cut and beveled. These types of items are typically embossed and clicked out in one smooth process so that everything has a perfect consistency to it. You may want to contact the producers of this item to see if they can help you with it.

My primary source for hardware is The Buckle Guy, they design and make their hardware in their fully owned facilities. I do also source some from Ohio Travel Bag and on the rare occasion Springfield Leather.

The best method of diluting is to use the dye reducer that @JLSleather has provided you a link to. If you opt to go a different route then you should at least use denatured alcohol; do not use any other alcohols or spirits aside from these two recommended as they can have a lasting damaging impact on the leather.

The first thing I would suggest is to find out what style of saddle it is (Roper, etc.), the seat size, and then do an internet search for saddle trees that fit your needs. There is maker of saddle trees in Idaho (can't remember their name) and they do nothing but make trees for just about everything you can think of; they typically maintain stock for standard styles and seat sizes and also do custom work when necessary to meet a customers needs.

As already noted you will get a ton of answers and tips and they all work well for those who offer them. Regarding whether or not oil/conditioning is necessary the short answer is yes and here is why: every time you touch the leather you are removing some of the natural oils that are in the fibers; every time you apply a spirit based product you are again removing some of the natural oils from the fibers. These oils need to be replenished so as to keep the leather pliable and proper but you don't need a lot of oil to do this. First, you want to make sure that you are using ONLY Pure Neatsfoot Oil, it doesn't smell and it doesn't have any additional chemicals in it like the compound versions do (those chemicals actually counteract the oil benefits and they create a much darker finished look). Only apply it in light coats, let it set for a few hours (I leave mine for at least 8 hours) and then apply again as necessary. If you do it right you will not see a noticeably darker color for your final look but if you overdo it you will see the colors as much darker and your leather will sweat oil for a very long time. I apply a light coating before I do any dyeing/staining which helps you get a more even application of the color and the pigments also tend to set a bit better; I apply another coating after it has all dried to give back some of what I have taken away from it during the process of adding color. Once all is said and done I final seal everything with a coating of my own leather conditioner (a blend of beeswax, cocoa butter, and Pure Neatsfoot Oil) so that it has a good outer seal, gets a bit more oil for conditioning, and has a protective layer to repel moisture long enough to get your leather gear in a dry and protected area. For dyes I only use Fiebing's Pro Dye (and have been using it since it was first introduced; used Fiebing's Dye ever since I started working with leather). I find that the Pro Dye has a more even coverage on first application and has a flawless coverage on the second application (both of them light to medium application). The Pro Dye also has a more consistent pigment dispersion and is a bit slower on the drying time (the spirits don't evaporate as fast as with the regular dye versions) so you get a better color set overall.

The time that this skin will need to get itself balanced out is really unknown because each hide absorbs differently. You can wife this thing down till you are blue in the face and would still be experiencing some leach effect as these hides are soaked to the core. For future projects, regardless of what they going to be, you may want to consider getting either veg-tan leather or use chrome tanned leathers. With the veg-tan you can condition it to the level that it needs to be brought to whereas your oil skin is intentionally overdone. I am willing to bet that someone in the store where you got that skin didn't understand what the outcomes would be and directed you to this leather. This is a common thread in today's retail world where the sales associate on the floor has no real experience or knowledge of the product aside from what they are told it is; used to be that everyone in a Tandy store was an experienced leather worker and knew what they were talking about and that is why Tandy lost my business a very long time ago. I know it isn't what you wanted to hear but I would recommend that you research the various types of leathers and how they are tanned so you can gain a good knowledge of them and you won't be needing to ask an inexperienced sales associate who doesn't have any knowledge.

Then just go get some vinyl strapping somewhere and use that; there is no such thing as "vegan" leather and we all know that it is just artificial materials that are not within our materials matrix. Being as you know that this is a leather forum and you work with the real thing you should know better than asking us about the garbage that we all work to replace. Sorry, but such questions are not best suited for these forums. Might I suggest that you go to your local Walmart and buy a couple of those fake belts they sell and use those.

Being as you are in Canada, I have to go with what Ferg said, Ohio Travel Bag. You can also set up a wholesale account with them if you are looking to do business level orders (which, by the way, are not high dollar order requirements).

The entire case appears to be lined with a lightweight lining leather, pigskin or lamb skin. Don't see a stitching line around the case flap so that could be an issue down the road with the lining peeling away from the main body. Although magnets are accused of causing issues with electronic devices the ones that intended for use in phone cases, such as the ones shown in the OP's images, are not strong enough to cause any issues as the more technologically advanced these devices become the more shielding that is built into the device. If there were any issue with such designs then the manufacturers would not have their own line of like items that they are selling; why would they want to ruin your experience with your new device? After all, wouldn't they rather see your payment as a satisfied and continuing customer instead? Rare earth magnets would have a helluva time with a device though and that would be something that a device owner would not soon forget.

I would like to direct you to the fact that the Eco-Flo product you are using is a water based product and water and alcohol/spirit based products don't mix well so I would say that is your problem. It isn't the alcohol/spirit based product that is the culprit here, it is the Eco garbage that you have mixed it with. Eco-Flo products are not known for colorfastness or quality let alone consistency so you would serve yourself well to find another medium to mix your Angelus with because Eco-Flo and water based are not a match made in heaven.

They are indeed great quotes. If you only knew what we keep tucked away in our little bag of tricks it would scar you for life. Just kidding. But we do have a wide range of "fix it" techniques that we all use and we all kind of create our own little collection of them which is what makes each carving and tooling crafter unique in their works and the results. There are more ways to hide a simple over-cut from a swivel knife than you can find stitching and lacing techniques alone. We also create ways to hide a flaw in the leather right in plain sight or ways to incorporate a brand into the design where it looks like you put it there instead of working around it. Carving and tooling is a class all its own and I just wish more newcomers to this craft would take an interest in it because there are not a lot of us left who do it and the risk of this knowledge being lost is a reality that we all need to be aware of. Every chance I get to pass on some of the skills and techniques of tooling to a younger crafter, I jump on it and give them enough to pique their interest; if they want more than I set them up for a series of individual lessons in the basics so they will be grounded enough to delve into the various forms and styles on their own with enough confidence and experience to tackle what they take on.

I don't line my wallets so I only glue a thin line along the stitching/lacing edges and that is it. There really is no reason to put a lining in a wallet unless you have tooled the outer back (by which I mean carved and tooled or full body stamped, not the simple stuff). The only reason that a lining has ever been included in a wallet is to cover up the flesh side of the tooling back because, if you were following directions, you had applied some rubber cement to the leather and attached to a piece of cardboard or some other heavy material to prevent stretching while you tooled it. So, with that said, I will only install a lining when it is a necessity to protect the contents from being damaged by residual adhesives from the tooling process; not many people want tooled wallets nowadays so it is a rare time indeed when I have to attach a lining. When I do install a lining the entire piece is glued down so as to prevent against the lining creating an awkward bulge when it is fully opened. To make sure that you don't create excessive wrinkles in the lining you should cut it slightly smaller in length than the outer back and then slightly bend your leather while fitting the two pieces together; let the glue dry overnight before you do any more manipulation of the back.

Most welcome my friend. Can't wait to see what you add to the mix either.

For the .8 I will go with either 8 or 9 spi and for the 1.0 I will go with either 7 or 8 spi. I look at each piece and visualize whether it would look better with a nice tight stitch or slightly longer and then just go with it.

As @Northmount and @fredk quickly identified, these are spring pouch hardware that you just have to put together. Typically they are already assembled.

I use 1.0 for all of the main stitching lines (wallet edges, outer edges on handbags, belts, etc.) and the .8 for all of the interior work. I was using what would equate to a 1.4 when doing saddles but have long since left that part of the trade behind. The U.S. manufacturer has indicated to Gary that they can make the exact same type of thread as he was getting from the German factory (which, by the way, was one of the former designers behind the Ritza 25 Tiger Thread line; when I tested their product for him I found it to be exactly like Tiger thread aside from the wax content was quite a bit less).

When it comes to waste you are actually the one in total control of that. First thing to understand that your waste starts with the quality/grade of leather that you are purchasing so if you are going cheaper then the amount of waste is going to be greater because the cheaper leathers have more scars, bite, brands, etc. that can take away precious profit. The next thing that will impact waste is how you lay out your templates for cutting - the farther apart they are the more that you will be leaving in between. The industry average is suggested to be no more than 15% of a hide/side/skin should be waste, I have mine down to about 5% but I buy the cleanest sides (and hand pick them myself from the source) and I lay out every piece I cut on a very tight line so that I am not leaving money on the floor or seeing it find its way into the garbage. This stuff costs a pretty penny and I will damned if I am giving any more than I need to for the cost of garbage service. On your comment about being a dude who loves to can/cook! I do my own canning and I am a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America so I know what you mean. I love to cook, can, smoke my own meats, make my own sausages, etc. and so on; oh, I bake too and am pretty darned handy at candy making as well.

The last I spoke with Gary was about a week ago and he was still in the process of getting the original supplier to work out some issues with his desire to include a .6 thread to the line (I have been testing the threads for him so we have been keeping in touch). He did mention though that they were starting to renegotiate the color scheme and he was not really thrilled with that one. He also let me know that he has begun conversation with other potential manufacturers (one here in the U.S.) and that he would be getting back on that one. Kind of been hoping for an update as well but he is putting all of his time into this to get it right before he launches.

It sounds like the snap fell off because the post was not quite set properly. If you are using a hand setter then you can experience this problem easily if you are new to using them. If this is the case you want to make sure that you don't pound on the setter hard when trying to set the posts, instead you want to rotate and roll the setter while you are also hitting the head of the setter. It takes practice but if you don't get the right forming of the post inside the cap/button it won't hold it together. Also, if you hit the setter too hard and you are just trying to treat the snap like the other styles you will only push the post down through the cap/button and it won't be set at all; it might work for a couple of times but it will pull off. As far as going at it with a screw, you may be able to find something at a local Tandy store but it will be geared for use with a Concho for sure.

And that just about sums it up. Could not have made a better selection to drive this topic home.