electrathon

The hidden part is you have to click on "more reply options" to find the browse button.

Double loop two tone lace. It is really almost identical to normal double loop lacing, but you go back and forth between two laces instead of just one.

The exceptions that I know of are things that the lace comes in from two directions (bike seats with surface lace, Mexican round braid, etc). To me it looks tacky to have the gaposis around the lace that round holes cause. I hear a lot of comments about the leather will tear out with slits, but I feel this is only in rare to extreme cases. When sewing with a leather needle (or awl hand sewing) you are punching slits and to my knowledge there is not a lot of worry that the leather will tear out from sewing with slits.

Red, I know that water produces a very nice edge. When I have experimented around water produced some of the best edges. But, they do not seem to last. A few minutes after they are done they look awesome, a little while later they are so/so. Then they do not seem to hold up. I have never tried to varnish them to see if it helps it hold up, this might be the answer. I do agree it would be great if everyone posted a pic of the edges they got with each product. Aaron

The issue is that you are trying to sew the elastic to the back. You will have very little stretch this way. My recommendation is to use wide elastic and sew it just like your pic. Cut three slots in the wallet and slide the elastic into the slots. Fold the elastic into the center and glue it in the center only. You will have elastic stretch this way, and it will be secured.

What are you using for sand?

My Makarov is my favorite carry gun.

The horse goods stores sell Fiebings bar soap. Or any drug store has glycerin soap.

If I am hand sanding it is totally different. The trick I have found with the belt sander is that it needs to cut with almost no pressure.

DMT plates are solid and do not have the holes filled with plastic like the cheaper plates do. They are also very flat. Diamond plates also will not gouge if you stay in one spot too long. I always use simple green as a lubricant on my stores. It keeps the stone from loading up and keeps the cutting edge cool as you are sharpening. As to grit, I finish with my 1000 grit diamond plate, then go on to green rouge.

I find that any finer and it burnished instead of sanding. Less than a brand new belt and the same.

I never use finer than 60 grit, usually use 36.

Brand new belt on your belt sander, about 60 grit or courser. Use a soft touch.

DMT diamond plates. Go to Leather Wranglers and read about sharpening.

For contact I don't think you will find anything stronger than Rennia. Cobblers use it to glue soles on shoes, and it holds without sewing. It does smell bad though.

I prefer glycerine bar soap too. Might just be that is more what I am used to though.

The pig Tandy sells will work and it is pretty cheap.

I have to back you on this. Damascus is really cool, very pretty too. But from the perspective of "I want the best knife to cut with" Damascus is not the best choice. Aaron

I use both Barbours and Tiger thread, often times depending on my mood. Barbours is basically string. Tiger is basically braided cord. If you have trouble with piercing your thread as you are sewing, stay away from Tiger thread. Linen is not as likely to lasy in outdoor environments.

Everything in this post was great info but I have a specific suggestion along the lines of this one. Find a mom nearby whose kids are in school and hire her for a few hours a day to assist you. No leather knowledge needed, just have her do what you tell her to do, dying, burnishing etc. I know a guy that ran a machine shop this way. He was a very skilled machinist. He set the machines up and told the moms to hit the stop control, turn lever and repeat. Ran a large shop this way for years.

I have a few different Japanese ones, very happy with them and they were not expensive.

Read the info on Leather Wranglers site about sharpening. Paul is the guy when it comes to scary sharp knives.

Overall I like it but, there is an eye sucker. The fibers on the rope are running the wrong direction, and they are not consistent into the direction throughout the carving.

The only leather that you want is veg tanned. Most veg tanned cow is not colored, some is. Whatever you decide to do, buying a leather that gives you a inferior to unusable outcome just to avoid buying a $5 bottle of dye seems sort of odd.

I decided it was time to step up and slow down my Pfaff before I mess up something else. Turned the pully out of a chunk of alluminum. The support was made form a scrap of steel I had in the scrap pie Powdercoated the bracket gray. Found a couple bearings in the shop. Just need to mount it and get a shorter belt(s). Other than the belts, I have no money into this.