CountryStyle

Well since I'm a cheapo and didn't want to buy a pre made tool rack, I came up with this one. Had a target giftcard, and went down there and bought this magnetic knife holding strip ($17). Put a box together with scrap wood in the garage to hold it at a 45 degree angle and voila. Someday I might get fancy and put another strip on top of that one to double the holding space. If I do that I might have to make bigger feet to prevent it from tipping over. Anywho, this holds the important stamps and a couple of swivels, at an angle that makes the heads easy to see.

That is fantastic. I need to make one for my Kindle Fire. Any suggestions for me? I assume the outer cover is all one piece of leather, just tooled to look like different patches of metal? Great work. I've been thinking of doing this for some time, just couldn't work up the courage to do it.

I tested out some Minwax red mahogany color on a piece of scrap and had great results, very rich dark color. I didnt dip it in the stain, I just brushed some on with a foam brush. I think I'll be using minwax stain quite often in the future. See attachment.

Yeah the problem is, we live in Northwest Arkansas! No supply places close. Springfield leather is about 2.5 hours away, someday I'll make the trip up there...

Yes there are many tools on ebay, and I agree, the stamp sets get out of control! It seems like there are a lot of people who go to ebay to purchase tools, this can drive the price up. Someday when i do have a large chunk of change I plan on getting competitive on a Lot on ebay.

Thank you!

Hello everyone. I am a beginner to leatherwork, and I am having so much friggin' fun! I wanted to post a thread about some of the things I've discovered that I'm sure apply to all beginners. 1. Tools. They are expensive, this is no secret. My tool purchasing budget is literally $0, and this makes it difficult to get the things I need. So what I have done is use craigslist, and have had much success. I posted ads in the "items wanted category" and the "Barter" category (titled: "trade your leatherworking tools for my???") Since I don't have any money to buy tools, I have been able to trade things for them. For example, I acquired a Tandy starter set the other day for a couple bags of fertilizer I had stored in the garage. I also traded my Xbox 360 for a very nice set of tools and supplies. This is a fun and cost effective way of attaining tools. With that being said, don't get discouraged if you don't get flooded with emails about tools, they aren't very common, but they are out there. A lot of what I have found is people who wanted to get into the craft, bought some things, and then stored them in a closet somewhere. Also, some people have inherited them and have no interest in using them. 2. Patterns, aids, tracing patterns, etc. If you are like me, you have searched the web pretty thoroughly looking for free patterns, only to find there are VERY few... The truth is, people like to make money off of there patterns, and if you want some good material, your going to have to pay for it. One great resource I found is www.leathercraftlibrary.com. They have digital downloads for sale at a fraction of the cost of purchasing a book. You can print individual pages to use only the patterns you want. I purchased a belt pattern book for like $4, and am very happy with what I got. (and I am a very cheap person, I almost never buy things online, especially information.) Just some tips for us new guys, hope this is helpful.

Hey everyone, here are some pictures of a wallet and a belt I'm working on. The wallet was my first attempt ever at carving and tooling, and the belt my second. They are a little rough in places, but I'm happy with my progress. Also the staining on the wallet is uneven, but honestly I like it like that! I actually haven't even assembled the wallet, it was more for practice than anything. I prefer roper style wallets, which will be one of my next projects.

Thanks Dan!

Thanks Pete!

That is rediculously awesome!

Nice belts, but I like your tools! Someday I'll have a tool setup like that. They are just so dang expensive!

Here is a Bible cover that I made. I did not do the hand tooling and carving, but I put the cover together. I made it out of an Old West brand handbag that I found at a consignment shop. Paid $7 for it and they go for upwards of $200. Anyways I took it apart and stitched it together into this cover, and I am quite pleased with it.

Howdy Oli! Thank you Pete! Yes I am near Fayetteville, about 15 minutes north of there.

That holster is pretty darn good for a beginner, I'm impressed! I'm a beginner myself and my first projects didn't come out that well. Great job!

Hello all, I am a new member, and new leatherworker. I live in Northwest Arkansas, but am originally from the Panhandle of Texas. I am 26 years old, and I have just recently started working with leather. I have wanted to learn how to work with leather for some time now. I'm the kind of guy who likes to figure things out, and take on new challenges. I like country and western style, old and new. The reason I finally started was because I got tired of flimsy cell phone belt cases, and couldn't afford the nice leather ones. I had been saving the leather from my old western and work boots, so it was sitting in my closet. I stumbled upon a how to blog about making cell phone cases, and I just grabbed my stuff and got started. I was very happy with what I was able to do with few tools and even less leather working knowledge, and this inspired me to go ahead and start other projects and begin acquiring more tools. I will post what I have done so far, and any critiques/recommendations are welcome. Thanks for reading, I look forward to interacting with and learning from you all. Pictures: 1. my cell phone case, I know it has rough edges, but this was made from an old pair of western boots. 2. Bible cover, I did trim the edges on this more, and this was made from a pair of wolverine workboots. 3. My first holster, this is before trimming 4. The holster again, after some trimming and a failed attempt at molding.