c2369zulu

When I see posts that say "here is my first saddle", I think of someone saying something like "here is the first car I built from scratch", or "here is the first skyscraper I designed and built" . Such a big project to take on. One day I want to have that title on one of my posts. Great job!! Thanks for sharing...........Rory

Very nice work you have done there! I am starting on a guitar strap myself which will probably only have veiner and mule foot designs, but after seeing these wonderful straps, I think I may drop leatherwork and leave it to the people that know what they are doing .........J/K...........Rory

Is the back of the second holster tooled too or just the snap straps? I really like the veiner tooling and will use it and the mule foot on a guitar strap I just started. Kind of like whats seen on Will Ghormley's "Hand of God" Rig belt. Also is the whole back the brown color? Great looking stuff, thanks for sharing!

Looks Good. I like it.

Thanks Imapeopleperson. I have only bought my elephant from Springfield Leather when they have it in stock. I have seen it recently advertised on their home page at $11.99 SF. Sometimes their exotic scrap bags will have it in there too I hear. Thanks for looking.......Rory

Based on the stitching, It appears he has lined a lot of the holsters. I wish I had time to do that many at once. Looking good.

Very nice! I love Will Ghormley's stuff. I picked up the "Hand of God" pattern pack and found out a few things: 1. I am no good at tooling. 2. I am no good at burnishing edges. 3. I never want to attempt stitching on a toe cap ever again.

Hello All. This is a bit of overkill for a knife sheath I guess, but it was fun to work on.I am trying to learn more about using elephant, using exotic leathers and doing inlays. I still need to do some finishing on the edges and belt slot. This sheath has matte cognac elephant lined with horse hide. I messed up on quite a few things that may or may not be obvious. The sewn on belt loop on the back is cowhide with no finish. I was going to use the fiebings dark brown oil dye, but here lately, the leather seems to get brittle and split or crack after using this dye. I did not have my slot punch (out of town for work for a few months), so I had to punch the slot with a hole punch and cut the sides out. I hate this method!!!!...........................Rory

They look great! Can you share a source for gator? I have been wanting to try some out...........Rory

Ok, I gave it a try and it worked out ok I guess. Hard to keep the stitch line straight with this stuff. Here is a CRKT Ringed Razel knife sheath with elephant outer and cowhide lined. I have a thing for these razels. So handy............Rory [/img][/img][/img]

Love it!!

Really like that! I too like your stamp work and design.........Rory

Thanks Blake. I kind of figured that would be the best approach. I will give it a try .................Rory

Hello All, Made this little sheath yesterday for my CRKT Ringed Razel. Nothing fancy, it is lined, no edge burnishing or tooling done. I just made this for myself to be a user/beater. I learned not to make the belt loop as wide as the sheath body because you can't easily stitch the body when the belt loop is in the way :-).....................Rory

Very nice looking!

Hello All, I picked up a few SF of elephant hide and I am starting a few projects and could use any advice you can provide on working with elephant. I want to try a typical one piece "fold over and stitch" knife sheath using elephant on the outside and a 3-4 oz veg tan as a liner. Can you use a stitching groover effectively on elephant? I am not using a sewing machine, so how is the stitching line established? ....................Rory

Thanks ST8LineGunsmith and JimBob. I myself love watching old westerns and cowboy movies. I am no where near being a cowboy, lol. Makes me want to be one though. I always enjoy seeing saddlebags in old westerns used by "the Good, the Bad and the Ugly" . Wish mine were full of those stacks of money.......

Thanks Bill and Phil. I appreciate the comments and tips!

Thanks shadowryder/LN Leather. Those were very kind words.......Rory

Hello All, Thought I would share a couple of photos of the shooter's saddlebags I recently completed. The pattern is by Will Ghormley. I did not attempt the tooling or stamping on this one. I wanted to become familiar with the process and get better at tooling before attempting to do anything fancy. I also only added the one holster on one side. Will does a great job with his patterns and I have been impressed with each pattern I have bought by him. I used Al Stohlman brand buckles for this set from Tandy. I also used the white waxed linen thread. The leather used was not premium, so there is a lot of knap on some parts. I did not care though as it was a practice run. I still really enjoy them. I still want to sand the edges a little more and maybe add a brown edge coat or something. Any recommendations?.........................Rory

Really really nice work. Thanks for posting your process and photos!!!!

I should also mention as Bruce did above, that the mats are in fact awkward and heavy.......... ;-)

Hello All. Not sure if this has been mentioned before, but the heavy duty rubber "Horse Stall Mats", sold here in the states at Tractor Supply and similar stores, make a great table top surface for your leatherwork area. They are about 3/4" thick and made of a heavy rubber and come in 4'x6' sheets. My whole table top is covered with one, so I can stab holes for stitching right on the table. I cut a smaller1.5"x4" piece from some scrap as a hand stitching backer. Not saying it couldn't happen, but I have not gotten poked with my awl yet. Helps keep leather in place when cutting too. I would not want it under an area used for tooling or other hammering tasks though........Rory

Looks a lot like a scribe used in knifemaking to mark the center lines for the blade edge........Rory