Spencer G

Those look good. Do you cut the fringe by hand, or do you have some contraption for it?

My brother has a Bryan Neubert string cutter and it bevels on the top. He is very happy with it, and has turned out some pretty nice gear. He also likes it because you can make very small adjustments so you can get the exact size of string you want. Bryan's number is 530-233-3582. I believe it runs around $400 but am not sure.

Alright David, another Nikon DSLR user! I have the D80, although I got it for my photography other than leather work, such as the picture that is my avatar. You will definitely want a tripod. If you don't plan to use it extensively, then you can probably get by with one of the cheap ones. If, however, you find yourself using it a lot, upgrading to one with a nice ball-head will save a good deal of frustration. A really handy feature to look for in a camera is the option of getting a remote shutter release so that you don't even have to touch the camera in order to take a picture. The next best option is a short self-timer. Both work fine, and will result in sharper photos. Spencer

Thanks again for all of the advice. Since the guy commissioning the belt is a friend, I'll see if he really wants loops, even with all their disadvantages.

Thanks Bill for the pictures, that's a very interesting way to stitch without the need to worry about finishing off so many ends. I hadn't thought of doing it that way, but now that I've seen it, it definatly seems like the best method. Did you come up with it yourself? If so, do you mind if I use it? Thanks again, Spencer

So does Tandy Leather Factory. Sorry about the double post, little computer hic-up.

Thank you all for the advise and the vote of confidence from Rayban. Another question is, which do you prefer sewing the loops completely on top like in the picture Rayban posted, or punching slots and going through the leather for each loop? And what are the reasons that you prefer what you prefer? Spencer

I am making a holster and gun belt for a .22 Colt Frontier Scout, and the commissioner wants cartridge loops on the belt. I've never done cartridge loops, and a .22 shell is pretty small so this is going to be a challenge. I have done some bit of practicing and I think I'll be able to pull it off, but I was was just wondering if any of you seasoned gun rig makers had any tip, cautionary remarks, prophecies of doom, or anything else that you would like to impart. Spencer

I'm a very raw beginer compared to a lot of guys out there, but I have been able to get by with all craftool stamps that weren't designed for Sheridan. They aren't ideal, and I'm sure that my work would be better if I had better quality, but for starters they work. However, if you spend money on only one thing, let it be your swivel knife blade. Maybe not everybody will agree with me, but your carving expierence will probably be a lot better if you by a high quality steel blade. The tool that you will use the most, besides the mallet or maul, will be the beveler so choose wisely. The beveler that I use is barely adaquate and is my greatest source of frustration. Hide Crafters has a line of "Sheridan Style Tools", but I havn't tried any of them. Has anyone out there had experiance with them? Chan Geer's book is definatly worth the money at twice the price. The blind leading the blind, Spencer

Good job. It might look nice if you stiched along the edges of the straps running across the front. Just since all the rest of the edges are sewn, it wouldn't hurt to do those too. They look great though.

Too cool!

That's really cool, nice job!

My brother braids lots of rawhide, and he says, "I have a Hansen that works pretty well, but I don't care for the way it bevels. My all time favorite string cutter is the Bryan Neubert Rawhide String Cutter. Bryan is an excellent rawhider, and has spent lots of time perfecting this design. His website www.bryanneubert.com and it has his phone number. He is on the road right now, but should be back in a little over a week. For skiving, I use the one from Weaver. I like the Neubert cutter better than the Hansen because you can see the top of your strings when you bevel them, so you can see how much you are taking off. It is also easier to make super fine adjustments, and is more compact." Good Luck, Spencer and David

Thanks

Very nice!

Functionality is always good. It does look a little big. A good job on the antique finish and you have nice, even stitches.

I don't braid much, but my brother does. He has both of the videos by Bryan Neubert and they are very good, especialy for visual learners. If in addition to the simple ones, you want to learn some of the more complicated buttons, they are the way to go. Good luck.

Those look very well done.

Thanks for the kind words, and for the website from craftsman827. Unfortunately, the motif of my grandparents apartment is not at all western, but even so we were able to find a place for my creation. And even though, having not seen the steps involved, they probably didn't fully appreciate it, they did like it a lot. I started carving last January when for my birthday, I got the set of seven basic tools from Tandy and Bob Likewise's book. Since then, I've branched out into doing belts, wallets, holsters, a couple handbags, and various other things. A couple months ago, I convinced my brother to help out in the investment of a used Ferdinand 400 sewing machine, so now I can really get cooking! Eventually I hope to do at least a saddle for me and maybe more depending on how much time with which I find myself. Thanks again for the comments, Spencer

Thanks to both of you. It does take a long time, but I enjoy it. The dificult part is to get my school work done instead of my leather work.

I made this clock for my grandmother's 90th birthday. I got the idea and pattern out of the Sheridan Style Carving book by Bob Likewise. The clock face came from Lee Vally Tools, and the frame is solid oak. The total time involved was about 17 hours. The only two things with which I'm unhappy are: 1) the finish cuts, I don't really have a good blade for these and know that they could have been better, and 2) one of the elements of Sheridan is having the tip of the thumbprints fade out very quickly, I did this on some of the flowers, but not all. Any other comments are welcome. Spencer

Those look very nice. What did you charge?

Kaw, I have been selling knives for a couple years, and know a little bit about them. I have seen quite a few top quality custom and production knives, and have even tried making a couple of my own; but I have never seen anything like that. Totally awesome and unique! Top notch braiding. Well done. Spencer

That looks great. Very nice and even basket weave. Just one question on the design, is it meant exclusively for a phone without an antennae, or is it tall enough that that becomes irrelevant? Spencer

That looks great. I really like the braiding around the horn, a nice touch. Did you braid the reata as well?