Dave Richardson

I have read these post with great interest and would like to say thank you for asking the question and thank you for taking the time to provide such insightful answers. If I have heard once I have heard a hundred times people say "do you know how much money you can get selling these things that you make ? At this point I can say yes I do know .......0. It is very hard to get the right product in the right market for the right price. Dave

Thank you benlilly and itch. I really like the black and silver too Tramp and I hope to do more with it

Thanks Rohn

Ive been lurking the forums here for some time, so much talent and knowledge here. I thought it time to post one of my projects and get some feedback. This hand bag is 10 oz drum dyed latigo. It is 10 x 6 x 3 open unlined interior. Made with taking along on motorcycle rides in mind. Thanks for looking and comments are welcomed Dave

Colt, Those are really nice looking covers. Im wanting to try some myself and had a couple questions...what weight leather, and are any of the pieces glued before lacing ? Dave

Quillleather, Thanks for the post ! I have made a whole new box of scrap, trying to figure out how to make a small card holder from scrap pieces. Your post is PERFECT just what I was trying to figure out ! Dave

I am trying to make a coin purse using a 4 inch metal purse frame with clasp. Whats the method for installing these when using leather for the purse material ? Also, some frames have a row of holes on the outside of the frame, do they serve a purpose or are they just decoration ? Dave

Thanks Aaron, Im going to give the loc eye needles a try. I know the pliers type punches your talking about, seems like they are aroind 50 bucks, may be something I work up to after I can keep a dang needle on the lace !!!! Ya know, ole George on the Tandy video said you can use pliers to attach the two prong to the lace OR you can use a mallet to tap it down....after looking for something larger in a mallet than the 2 lb ball peen I was using I realized you just cant hit them things hard enough to attach em ! Dave

I stand by my original statement: Round needles are for round lace, flat needles are for flat lace. I want to add one more line: Round holes are for round lace, flat holes are for flat lace.This seems so simple. I am guessing that a lot of people use way over sized holes when lacing, making it seem like the perma loc needle fits easily (holes the size of a Tandy kit for example). If I am mistaken, someone please correct me. The two prong needles are crap. The lace constantly falls off them and just make you frustrated. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Being new to leather working I have been working on small projects ( Tom Thumb style coin purse) that require lacing. I found the above two statements to be RIGHT ON !!! I am using flat 1/8 inch Tandy imperial lace. I have been drilling my holes but do not like the looks of flat lace in a round hole. And I can not keep the lace on a two prong needle. I would like to ask, are the loc eye needles still the way to go ? And to make flat holes are the lacing chisels the tool of choice and which one ? Thanks so much, Dave

I have been working on getting the right leather, right tools, right glue ect. and learning all from this blog. This is my fith attempt at a holster, I want to be able to combine carving and forming and finding it not to be an easy task. Thanks for looking, comments and suggestions are very much appreciated. Dave

Dwight, you are right on with both comments. Although the harness leather was nice to work with, come to find out it contains alot of oils since it is used for harness rigging and used in rain , snow, fluid from the horse etc. and the adhesives just would not bond. I did aquire a large bundle of veggie tan and as you stated it was a "graduation" WOW what a difference, and the weldwood contact cement works just fine. Justinicus, I gave up on finding anything at $1/lb, I just dont think its out there. I just got from my amish friend a little over 25 lb, Weaver Leather Co. veggie tan tooling in two square ft. + pieces for 45.00, Ill take that deal all day long LOL. Dave

Thanks all for the input. So much to learn........ Dave

I hope I can ask this question right......When making a pancake style holster, and just assuming its two pieces of leather, would you wet form before you stitch the two pieces together or after the two pieces are stitched together ? Dave

nice post on thread, as a beginer I am always trying to learn. I went with the nylon braided because I thought it would be strong and not rot over time. However it was like trying to get a knot in a worm ! I "borrowed " one of my wifes popuri burners, the little ceremic pots that you put a little candle in the bottom of, then a little beeswax in the top instead of popuri. I then drag the nylon through the melted wax. The waxed nylon works for me. I use a dremel for the stitch holes and for the bit I use a carbide burr. Dentist have really cool carbide and diamond burrs in more shapes and sizes then you can imagine. They only use them once then throw them out. Most dentist will save a handfull of them for you if you ask. Be carefull using the round ones for drilling holes, they tend to wander around once inside the material. Dave

I ran across this company online while browsing for a leather supplier www.brettunsvillage.com/leather anyone ever deal with them ? Dave

I have made a few knife sheaths as beginner projects and tried the weldbond contact cement as I have good luck with this stuff on other projects but not so good results with the leather. I live close to a large amish community and the leather shop offers plenty of " scrap leather" at 3.00 a pound. I get what they refer to as harness leather. Im not sure what the tanning process is but I really like the stuff. I'm gluing unfinished side to unfinished side and the contact cement seems to soak in before in dries glossy so little if any adhesive. And if you put the pieces together before the cement dries its a gooey mess. Either way the needle will push the joint apart while stitching. Dave

Hello, I have been using a few drops of super glue to hold two pieces of leather together before stitching. I know super glue hardens with time, is there a better choice of glue ? Dave

Thanks all, sounds like good advise. I think I will try to stay away from the "off the shelf" tools. Dave

Hello, I am new to leather carving and wanted to introduce myself and ask a tool question. I have been a wood carver for a few years ( Im at www.firelightcarving.com ) and a member of woodcarvers illustrated for about as long, and have answered many questions about tool choice for beginners, and once again I am the beginner ! I currently have no stamping tools nor have I done any leather carving. I am wanting to learn the floral patterns for checkbook covers, small clutch purse ect. I watched a video on Tandy's web site and ole George used 7 tools to do a basic design. Am I better off with the "vintage" tools that are found on ebay or build a set with the new ones like from Tandy ? Thanks for the input Dave