TonyV

lf it were me, I would decide that this is now a practice piece. Looks like I could carefully trim off the overhang witha very sharp knife, then very carefully sand it as smooth as I could. Will take some patience. Then I would slick the edge and decide if it warranted any more judicious sanding. You might get away with trimming and sanding, but you might not. I would anticipate having to make it again, learning from my mistake. Next time cut the edges together, as if they were 1 piece. Leaving a little bit of extra trim space and gluing them together, then making the final cut of both pieces gives a great result. Then make your stitch groove, chisel and sew.

I recently experimented a little bit with molding Crazy Horse leather because my brother wants a pancake holster made of a piece I have. I found that soaking it in hot tap water for a few minutes worked ok. NOt splendid results, but serviceable. Takes longer to dry and the finish appears to fade. I applied NFO and the finish was fairly well restored. Another little experiment was to dry it in the oven at 180F . It came out real hard, but still felt waxy. Definitely not as easily moldable as plain veg, but if you don't expect exactly the same results as regular veg, it can be done. Experiment with your technique before building a project.

I don't worry about it. The copper rivets I use won't get enough verdi gris to worry about. With handling and use, the minor amounts of corrosion gets brushed off. The only time that I have seen big amounts of corrosion on metallic trim on leather is when an article was left wet in a close up container for an extended time. Not to mention; when I topcoat my projects, the rivets and snaps get a coat of the finish. And ain't veg tan leather tanned with tannic acid ?

It may be the leather that's the problem. If you have fibrous leather that's gummng up your very sharp blades, I think it's not very good leather. But, we work with what we have. All I can say is make sure your blade is well-stropped, work on a hard surface and use patience.

yeah, hobbies are like that. Spend a couple hundred bucks on tools and supplies and build it myself with amateurish results because I don't want to spend 50 bucks for a professionally made whatever-it-is. But at least I have the pride of DIY!

I don't need another holster, but I'm making one for myself regardless. Treat yourself

If only I had a horse...

That looks like rust damage combined with physical abuse to me. Your most important tool will be patience. I used to have an old Barlow knife with similar damage. I got it sharpened to the point that I could use it, somewhat, but I could never get out all the edge damage. It would be tempting to use a grinder to get to a new edge profile, but that could easily overheat the steel unless you know how to keep it cool. Some file work might be in store before you break out the stones. I wish you luck! It could prove to be a worthwhile project. At the very least, an interesting wall hanger.

My daughter bought a rolling sharpener for her kitchen knives. They work ok for those, certainly better than nothing. Quick and easy, which should give wise people a clue. Sharpening is a learned skill. For leather workers it's an important skill to learn. I'm still not all that great, but I'm better at hand sharpening than these things will do.

I bought a bag of scraps several years ago which included some sheepskin pieces. I had no use for the sheepskin bits at the time until I realized they make great applicators for dyes, NSF and finishes.

I like to use clear packing tape to laminate the pattern and trace it on cased leather. Taped paper won't tear even on wet leather and I can reuse it several times (especially nice when it's a design I drew myself). I dont have a ball point stylus, so I use a dried-out deadsville ball point pen that I've had for years. Lead pencils can cut the tape and paper and ink pens leave a mess that can spread to the leather.

Yeah, 'simple' doesn't always equal 'easy'. The basic steps are simple enough, but leatherwork can be as simple or as complicated as we make it. Time spent practicing new skills and techniques is never wasted time. I have a box full of scraps that I've kept from my practice of cutting, tooling, sewing, dyeing, edging etc. I don't know why I keep that stuff because I rarely find a re-use for these pieces. But at least I can see where I've improved, as well as where I need to practice a whole lot more. Now, time for me to practice making a holster pattern.

have you tried slip-joint pliers? What type of glue? White glue? Contact cement, water based or other?

to get a deep black I will use a base coat of dark blue, let it dry, then top coat of Fiebings Pro black. This combo makes for a deep rich black. For a milder antique-looking black, I prefer home made vinegarroon. Any dye job I do gets a light coat of NF on top, dry for 24 hrs, then buffed.

You can round the corners if you wish. Modify it any way you like and make it your own. Change the dimensions, rearrange pockets, sew th long line. It's your template now, do what you want. I think those top corners might look better radiused.

You need both. Definitely. But a 12 oz requires less work to use IMO.

Nice! I've tried that same pattern with mules foot stamp but I'm not nearly that good.

I dye 1st, then NF to refresh the leather from the drying effect of the dye. The oil acts like a resist, so I would wait another day or so, then try re-dyeing it by hand. I don't know if you can save it as smoothly as you want to, but you have a learning opportunity here.

yes, that's a bit pricier than the Craftool tools. But Barry King has a strong, well-earned reputation for very high quality and excellent results. As for whether to antique or not, totally your choice. Use a couple practice pieces to determine what it looks like with or without antique.

I sometimes pull the needles out through the layers at the last stitch, tie a square knot very close and tuck it in between the layers, then tap the leather to make the knot disappear. It's invisible, there is no glue and square knot is unlikely to come undone. It doesn't work on all projects, but a sheath is a good candidate.

I like your idea of saving the rawhide. That's some tough stuff. Whacking a shader with a 120 y.o. mallet sounds like fun. OTH, if you do decide to replace any rawhide pieces, you could use some rawhide dog treats. Moisten it in water just until it's pliable, but don't soak it too much, you don't want it soggy (sort of like casing leather) then cut to shape, remembering that it will shrink as it dries. You should be able to restore any damaged pieces that way. But either way, I think the rawhide stack might benefit from some glue or shellac.

Nice quiver, and a great start. Now comes the bow case, wrist guard, finger tabs or gloves and any decorative or other functional items you heart desires. Leather fletching, perhaps?

Envious Recovering from shoulder surgery, I won't be able to lift a long gun for a few months. I did take a grouse with my .22LR revolver a couple weeks ago tho.

Brands, cuts and bruises all give leather a certain character which some people admire., while others abhor. To each his own, utilize the scars to good effect and you will come closer to pleasing most of them. Chrisash, ear tags have been used in N. America for decades. And branding has not been totally abolished in Europe. Tatooing inside the lip is also used here, as well as RFID chips, especially on high value stock. Ear notching is still used on some stock, as well.

Nice patina! A well-used article was much appreciated by your late MIL. Please accept my condolences as well. I made a similar cup for my daughter for her graduation. The box stitch was a learning experience.