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What makes you think its real dry? In other words what does it look like. There is a certain amount of flexibility to leather that is not real dry. I really do not know how to tell you how to judge. I developed a feel for it but cant explain it. Someone will come along with the perfect explanation and we will both learn. Give it a LIGHT coat oc neatsfoot oil and put it away for 24 hours. Then give it a second LIGHT coat and another 24 hours. The oil nees time to migrate throughout the leather. Most times 2 light coats is all you need. If you still feel its to dry than you can apply a third coat and again with the 24 hours. If it really is that dry take it back to Tandy if you just got it. Otherwise you might want to consider one of the conditioners like Lexol. Chances are 2 light coats of Neatsfoot oil will do the trick. Use a wool pad to apply the oil Trim the wool to about 3/4" to 1 1/4 inch in length so its not real thick. Put some oil on the wool and make one pass on a section of the leather. depending on how long your pass is you might need to add more oil for the next section or you might not. You will get the feel for it pretty quick. REMEMBER, YOU CAN ALWAYS PUT ON ANOTHER COAT. IF YOU GO TO HEAVY ITS VERY HARD TO TAKE IT OFF. Michael (the above is how I do it. I know that there are other ways to get it done. YMMV)

Try Corn starch or regular oatmeal. Both adsorb oil. It will take a few days and you need to move them around in the oatmeal/cornstarch every 12 hours or so. If you use kitty litter you want a clay kind not the type that clumps. You are going to need a LOT of what ever you choose. Going forward, Ignore any instructions that say to apply freely when it comes to oils. neats foot oil is a lot better than mink oil for leather. If you want something as dark as your straps are now I would use a dye. FYI mink oil has excellent waterproofing qualities, thats why they tell you to apply freely. Im sure there are others here that will speak in defense of mink oil but personally I stick to neatsfoot oil. Welcome to the club. Ill bet everyone of us as done something that totally messed up a project. Sometimes you can fix it sometimes you can not. The most important thing it to learn from your mistake and move on. Im sure if you pend enough time on this project you can save it. But look at how long that takes vs starting over. Hang in there. Michael

I lightly oil all my holsters. There is never a problem with it getting soft.

DO NOT get those needles. PLEASE do not. Try these instead. They make a better looking stitch. 0 is a good size to learn with. the larger the number the smaller the needle. http://www.amazon.com/Tandy-Leather-Harness-Needles-1192-10/dp/B0039VS9B4/ref=sr_1_2?s=arts-crafts&ie=UTF8&qid=1438227815&sr=1-2&keywords=harness+needles If you are using the AWL for doing hand stitching it is not the right one. You need a diamond shaped awl. I do not see any on Amazon. The mallet you have picked is not a good choice in my opinion. Try something like this http://www.amazon.com/Tandy-Leathercraft-Polymer-Stamping-3301-04/dp/B003AXNCH2/ref=sr_1_5?s=arts-crafts&ie=UTF8&qid=1438227843&sr=1-5&keywords=leather+mallet Im not a fan of the chisels. This is why I suggest a diamond awl. It lets you decide your stitch per inch. with a 4 prong or 2 prong chisel you can not change the SPI. Some people love them so its a personal opinion. Others will come along with more info on your other items. The ones I commented on are the ones that jumped out at me. Are you committed to using Amazon? Michael

Very nice. What is the, I am assuming its a pull tab, for next to the top knife?

Next time, on a scrap, oil the leather and put it in the sun for a few hours. The leather will tan and you can get the same color. As for your problem its possible that you compressed the leather near the top while you were forming it or it is just the way the leather is. Light tans are hard to do. Its why I let them tan in the sun instead. YMMV

Which one did you get from Tandy?

A few years ago I tested by volume and weight and found that by weight works better. I use 2 parts carnuba, 2 parts beeswax and 3 parts neatsfoot oil. All by weight. Rub it in and hit it with a hairdryer to melt the wax into the leather. Let set ffor a little while. 20-30 minutes, then buff. The increase in Neatsfoot oil is to make it more of a paste wax than a hard wax that needs to be heated just to spread it on the leather.

The newer Boss is cast Aluminum. Don't believe all the stories you hear about the cast iron one being better. The newer aluminum ones have some minor improvements that make them better than the cast iron ones. I have a newer Boss, 5 years old, and I have played with a cast iron one. Not enough difference between them to matter for my uses. Keep an eye on E-bay. They show up there about once a month. Michael p.s. I assume the pot metal comment was a joke.

I bought the older Tandy pony about 5 years ago and its fine. This one https://www.tandyleather.com/en-usd/search/searchresults/3133-00.aspx looked ok in the store. A little expensive but looked sturdy. Springfield leather has the same one for 10.00 less but you pay shipping. http://springfieldleather.com/32886/Stitching-Horse%2COriginal/ I see nothing wrong with the above model. The $29.00 model from Tandy is for not as good. Its mainly for lacing but would work if you put some leather inside the jaws to cover the wood. It all depends on your budget. Personally if I had to buy another one Id get the $99.00 from Tandy and be done with the searching. YMMV

Well I called Tippman and ordered the parts. Shipping was more than the cost of the parts Installed them today and it works great. I love my Boss. As for mechanically inclined grand kids. The girls father is a Master Mechanic and they have their own set of play tools that they use to help Daddy. Like my kids did, this girls will grow up knowing how to fix anything.

Make sure you let each coat of dye dry completely, then buff it until no more dye comes off. Then and only then put the next coat of dye on.

Mine is similar to the above information but I use 50% Neetsfoot oil, 25% bees wax and 25% carnuba wax. Work it in and use a little heat then rub well.

I always dye the leather as one of the last steps. form, tool then dye. Thats how I do it anyway. YMMV.

I have 2 granddaughters, twins that are 2 and a half. Their Father is an ASC Master Mechanic. I mention this because they are always playing with plastic tools and "fixing" things. The other day, while they were over here, they decided to "fix" Pop-Pop's Boss. I was presented, quite proudly, with the stitch adjustment screw, "Here Pop-Pop, I fixed it". I hugged her and thanked her and reminded her that she was not supposed to play with Pop-Pop's sewing machine. Finally had a chance to look at it today and its missing the spring, washer and stop that normally sit behind the screw. Anyone had any experience with this part of the Boss. Its 4 years old and worked flawlessly until now. Without the additional parts it will only do 4 SPI. And movement on the screw causes the needle to hit the shuttle mechanism. Is this something I could easily fix, if I had the parts or should I send it to Tippman? How could I get mad at someone this cute?

If its easy to fix I fix it since its a prototype. If its going to be a PIA then I dump it in the oops box and start again with an adjusted pattern. This is what prototyping is all about.

+1 on the leather lined jaws. Place the smooth side so it holds the leather and you will be good to go. Start with less tension than you think you need. If the project moves add a little more. It's something you develop a feel for.

Thanks for the information.

There are many ways to accomplish the same thing. I always use NeetsFoot oil on my belts, in fact all my leather. Avoid heavy coats when applying. 2 light coats are better. I have never had a problem with the leather stretching due to the oil. Maybe over oiling might cause this. Something is needed to replenish the oils/fats in the leather that are lost during the making of the belt, wetting the leather, etc. NeetsFoot or Olive oil are what I use. FYI, I never use Neetsfoot COMPOUND on my leather products. Neetsfoot compound contains mineral oil or other petroleum-based material that is not good for the leather. The EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil) vs Neetsfoot oil vs a lot of other stuff was covered here in this post. The thing to remember is to use whatever you do use sparingly. Oils will spread as they sit so only cover one side with a light coat. Let that soak in over night and then put another light coat on and let it soak in again. I use resoline on my belts most of the times and it works great. I also use a mixture of Neetsfoot oil, bees wax and carnuba wax as a finish that works really well also. The only reason I do not do it all the time is that it is more labor intensive to apply so I use it for the more expensive things I make. Part of the justification for charging more for the product is the hand rubbed finish. YMMV

I apply the 'roon last, after its tooled, stamped, molded. It does make it harder to stamp/tool/mold/ after its applied/ I use a dip method to get good coverage. Make sure to oil it after it dries. Also make sure to neutralize the 'roon with a baking soda wash. I wait about 5 minutes after applying the 'roon then dip in a baking soda/water bath. Then let it dry over night and give it a light coat of neetsfoot oil. The color deepens to a rich black with the oil and it needs it after all the dipping in 'roon and baking soda.

Since you have a willingness to seek help you will do just fine. Welcome to the active side.

Just lightly coat the smooth side. Let it sit over night and give it another LIGHT coat. Too much oil just makes the belt leave oil on your pants. The oil will spread to the back side as it sets over night.

Well done. The black looks great.

Damn nice rig.

Tha above 2 posts are logical and make sense. Unfortunately we live in a country that is highly litigious and CYA has become the norm. Everyone does what they want to do in this matter. There are good points on both sides of the fence.