TonyV

Sound like great balm recipes. I'll have ti try some. Just a quick nit-pick though, There is no such thing as "organic" beeswax. Nor organic honey, for that matter. Honey bees range 2 miles, and in some cases up to 3 miles to forage. In a circle with a 2 mile radius there is about 18,000 acres. So unless the beekeeper has total control over the organic growing practices of that entire 18,000+ acres, it can't be certified organic. I call my honey 'raw', unfiltered' honey and my beeswax is all natural. But it's not organic. If you're paying extra for wax or honey because of that "organic" label, your supplier has seen coming from a long way off.

for all that, vodka or grain alcohol would work about as well, without the extra ingredients

thanks fredk

I know a couple old cable splicers that still know how to sew cable. The 9-ply is still available but the needles are hard to come by. I hadn't thought of using it to sew leather...

lIn addition to all the above; lining a holster will protect stitching of the loop or the mouth from rubbing against the gun metal, helping to prolong the life of the stitches., or in the case of rivets, the lining protects against the gun from being rubbed against the rivets or chicago screws. On a belt, lining can conceal the stiffener layer, such as a plastic layer, which might help you use thinner leathers.

Carriage Hand Sewing Thread - 0.55 mm 100 yd (91.4 m) — Tandy Leather, Inc.

I've gone the indirect route, licked my finger first to apply the water.

Nice work! Those for your BBQ guns? As much as I love QuickDraw McGraw and Yosemite Sam, I really like that scale work on the mag pouch. What's your secret?

I use a plastic stylus for tracing patterns and folding. 2 different ends lends flexibility. A variable speed dremel has a few uses from sanding to burnishing.

looks real nice

You're excused. That's a hekuva ordeal! Makes my own look like a head cold. Glad you made it through and have my best wishes for future health. PS, don't worry about the language loss. No one here will notice. And I was promised that there is no math in leatherwork. Really, that's what they told me.

heck, the BW stamp confuses me!

dang, I never thought of kitchen leather. but I do have a few blades and some iron worth the effort. hmmmmm I like that hand cut basket weave

That's a nice rig!

Start with blue guns for the models you've been making holsters for. Certain models are ubiquitous, 1911, Glock 19, Ruger SR9, etc. Cruise the gun forums for models that are most popular in posts.

I work in an essential industry and I must go to work 5 days per week. No work from home for me. I'm also 62, COPD and a heart condition. I take safety measures as well as I'm able, nevertheless I still come into close proximity with people that have no clue what 6 ft, 2 yards, or 2 meters/metres looks like. A busy spring with plenty to do in the house and the yard, and as I was layed up over winter recovering from a surgery, I have had my fill of isolating at home and I am itching to get my camper out to the deserts of Utah with some PTO. They haven't closed down the desert yet. Plenty of isolation there. I will take my unfinished belt and finish it, and I will make a knife sheath to match. Or at least start it.

That's where the words "Hand Crafted" come in... I don't know about you, but I'm generally willing to pay more for hand crafted goods than factory junk, even if it is double stitched. that's why my favorite Leatherman tool is in a handmade sheath that cost more than the tool and the factory sheath it came with.

I haven't picked up a mallet or knife in months. Recovering from a major shoulder surgery and I'm just now feeling like trying to swing a mallet. Rain in the forecast tomorrow, so it just might be the day. FWIW the nitrile gloves ain't just to keep the Zombie Apocalypse virus off my hands, they can be used to keep the dye off my hands, too. My color shows up in my use of the American dialect So here I am, 'Social Distancing' with fellows perhaps down the street or half a world away.

It's not that loud. Of course, Big Brother insists that you always use safety equipment like safety glasses, gloves, steel toed boots, body armor, etc. just to pour the milk on your cereal in the morning. And the milk is known by the State of California to cause cancer. Don't forget your hardhat to use the restroom.

If using acids like vinegar and lemon juice increased the spotting, using oxalic acid would logically likely increase the spotting as well. If you have a piece of scrap of that same leather try experimenting with neutralizing the acid effect with baking soda or such. There is a thread with recent posts that discusses spotting like this. It seems the consensus was the problem was the quality of the leather. Sorry I can 't find that thread.

Plants are people, too! -- Wheat is murder!

The only thing that doesn't carry a Prop 65 label that I'm sure definitely needs one is the border sign when entering the State of California. Your cheapish leather is fine. JUst don't chew on it regularly.

Sweet! Next one is Atom Heart Mother, yes?

There is truth in what you say here. I can think of many examples. However, the steel is not the only factor. Heat treating is probably just as important as the alloy. Why would an old tool made of 'inferior' steel be better than a modern tool made of 'superior' steel? An experienced craftsman with decades of experience can often harden and temper 'inferior' steel by eye to a better quality than a 20-something newby can treat modern steel by punching the buttons on the automatic forge oven that he was told to punch just yesterday. That's one of the reasons why old, even antique, high quality, hand made tools are so highly prized.

Caribou, maybe? Hollow hairs. I guess any of the northern fur-bearers would work well, though, as long as it blocks the wind.