RavenAus

Great news Bob, now take it easy for a few weeks!

Your workmanship far exceeds the quality of that suede Fantastic shoes!

Ah, I see what you mean about the clasp too. I'd be tempted to try cutting the bottom of the ring section on the clasp off so I could get them to fit that way, or I have seen some of this style which only have a U shape at the bottom, but as it is, yeah not moch you can do with them without an additional strap section.

Best answer for the ring stud is Threadlock. You can get it in any hardware store, B&Q, Wickes, Homebase, even Wilko's will have it (Can you tell I'm from England originally? ). Just put a small amount on the threads, do the stud up and leave it overnight and it should be bombproof

No, not swapping the whole strap round, just attaching the clasps the other way is all, so the swing part is on the case and the catch is on the strap, the rest of the case as is. That way you have gravity working for you rather than against It would also mean that there's less metalwork on the strap when you open it. I do love the design though and I've just got some of those button studs with the rings in to experiment - I missed them the first time round, they look great!

Nice design I'd swap the swing clasps over so they swing down rather than up, but other than that it looks great.

I image searched your pic in google, that's the one that came up

https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/151358470/spread-eyelet-rivets-studs-setter-tools?ref=listing-18

So unless you work with a lot of chrometan it's pointless then. Hmm, don't think I'll bother!

Macca, I knew there was a reason I didn't want to get into saddlery Well, that and the fact that ALL the other leatherworkers in southeast QLD seem to be in that field so the market is a tad crowded For my customers that small a stitch is a disadvantage - they don't believe it's hand stitched. I've actually had better sales with less spi as people can 'see' it's hand stitched. For some of the Steampunk and Dystopian pieces I've been asked to deliberately make the stitching ragged, like it was done with just "a sharp knife and a needle" as one customer wanted. Mostly I use the diamond point iron though.

What is it you actually want to do David? I use a stitching iron (diamond hole type like Tandys) to punch holes through. If I just want an impression and will use an awl, I use an overstitching wheel. I don't use an iron to make marks

Down to terminology then Macca. It's what I use, I don't worry about the correct term I just want a decent, fast and easy stitching hole. David, that's what I use an overstitch wheel for. Lightly case if you want a good deep impression and run the overstitcher down the line. No worries. I want holes, I punch em in with the iron or I use the awl. Iron's faster

10 spi - well THAR'S yer problem! Seriously, people do 10 spi? Way too much time on their hands I want to sew that fine I'll use a machine. 6 or 7 spi is fine in a press.

I use an arbor press all the time with mine. As long as the leather isn't too thick it's fine. I don't sew at high SPI and I can see there'd be issues with that, but for what I do, no worries See Ian Atkinsons video here, about 1:05 in. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0EL7K2NhYs Just see Bobs answer and yeah, my press is a big old 3 ton model I got from work when they were closing a section. Sometimes I wish it were smaller but hey, it works!

Sounds great, how much?

Congratulations on reaching your funding goal. I hope to see more from you in the future.

There is one? Do you have information on it?

Hope you recover fast man!

Thanks for that, man

... "Keep paddling, I hear banjo's!" Is about all I know about them

Not sure on the function you need the strap for but if it were me and I couldn't just do another strap and use that one somewhere else, I'd cut a new loop and attach it to the strap in a way that looked decorative enough to look like I meant it Of course, it depends on the forces you're going to put on the strap.

This has got me thinking, can I get a decent piece of rawhide to make my own? I've always preferred the larger striking area of other heads to those of the round maul, I miss enough with my little hammer, the mistakes I could make with a curved surface don't bear thinking about

Another method is to use something like a piece of canvas or denim to burnish the edges, it works remarkably well.

Of course it's a lot easier to get the gun in question to make your own patterns in the US. Over here, you have to have a firearms licence even for airsoft and handguns are not allowed off the range. I get asked for a holster here, it's guess, hope and ask.

A treadle I can handle, it's the one-handed sewing I find difficult.