shtoink

There are many sizes, shapes, and types of blades for your swivel knife. Depending on how many you have, you may want to have a specific blade mounted into each knife body. I know that isn't a universally common theme, as others may only have one or two knife bodies and need to swap out the blade as needed. This is one of those things that I think I may have worked out. I am probably not the only one that came up with a design that might work for you, but the shape of the yoke and a really wide range of adjustability of the yoke height make it very friendly for a wide range of hand shapes and sizes. The only downside I see with mine is that I have a minimum size for the barrel based on the limitations of the wood and bearings that I am using. Basically, I'm stuck with a minimum size around 0.5". Working on a smaller design is on my to-do list, but I have other things to work out first.

It occurred to me only after making the original post that pictures of the broken bits might be wanted. I managed to find some of the broken bits and pieces of things that failed to work the way I wanted along the way. This is certainly not a complete collection of things that broke, just the ones that I hadn't tossed out before being encouraged that pictures would go a long way for this. Here are the pictures: As usual, these are clickable thumbnails that will open a full size image. This image is the full shot, but shows one of the wood barrels that split open, a couple of the taps that I broke multiple times, a busted up center drill, bits of brass all-thread that crapped out when trying to turn a pin for the set screw marking tool, and the chunks of steel that had drill bits or taps break off in them. This is a close up of the small chunks of drill rod that devoured my drill bits and taps. There was really no way to remove the broken tool chunks, so they just got cut off. As for the knife barrels that split, this was the only one that didn't get tossed out. I actually had a really hard time keeping that particular wood from splitting open. I think there may have been 5 or 6 that split open on me when the bearings got pressed in. I also had a couple barrels that I tried to do a brass tube insert in that failed pretty hard, too. Of the six attempts I had with that run, only two didn't get obliterated, and of those only one didn't end up all crookedly drilled and reamed. One of the other things that I was having a great deal of problems with was lining up the hole for the yoke adjustment set screw. No matter how careful I was at taking measurements, I just couldn't seem to get it lined up on and would end up having enlarge the hole quite a bit. I finally ended up making a jig to help mark those holes. I can't show you a picture of it as it is one of those little trade secrets I'd like to keep to myself. Despite all of the failures of tooling, materials, and ideas along the way, It's still feels like there is a good idea that will fill a niche market for those that want to have a unique, handmade tool. At least, once I get to the point of making them full swing. I don't want to rush it and have an unexpected shortcoming bite later on down the road. As it stands, I'm a hobbyist, one guy, and the whole process is a really big experiment and learning experience for me. Even though this is very small scale, I felt that getting the chance to see just how many unexpected things can crop up along the way in a products' inception to final design can give an excellent insight. Having not seen anything like this anywhere else is what made me want to share and part of the reason I did my best to keep it a bit generic on the details. I just hope that there are those of you that might find the "behind the scenes" stuff interesting and/or helpful.

Holy Hell! That is some amazing work!

Another option would be to modify the stud by drilling and tapping it so that something like a Chicago screw could be used to secure it. This option seems a bit better in the long run since it can be removed and attached to a replacement belt later on. It seems like a little bit of work, but the metal is soft would make it quite easy to shorten the stud, drill the appropriately sized hole, and tap it. The real question is if you want to go through all that work for the possibility of being able to reuse the hardware on a different belt at a later date.

I know that this is about as far from leather as one could get, but there are some of you here that enjoy other things, too. I am hoping that you guys enjoy it anyway. I do realize that there are plenty of you that do not enjoy punk or metal, which is the bulk of what these "guys" play, but please do not hold it against them as they are only limited by their programming. So, CompressorHead is an all robot band, however, it's the first all robot band that I have ever seen that has personality. If you live in Australia, then there might be a higher chance you've already heard of these guys, but nevertheless, they are fun to watch. It all started with the the drummer, Stickboy, who looks like a prototype of General Grievous and the creator behind it all has been adding to and refining the band since. Fingers and Bones respectively. Fingers has 78 pneumatically actuated fingers and Bones is the newest addition as the bassist. There is technically a 4th robot that hangs out under one of the symbols that bangs his head with the beat, but there is no mention of a name. The groupies of this band are aptly called Meatbags... To be honest, when I saw the first video, all I could think of was some dank bar in Futurama where Bender would frequent looking for cheap Floozie-bots.

I was doing some searching around on the subject since I have several bits that need bridles made for them and a one-ear bridle the might need to be remade entirely. While on my search, I ran across some really good information on the subject of measuring the bridle parts and your horse they are to be made for. I realize that part of this information is listed above, but having a good pictorial reference is very indispensable for those of us that are visual learners. So, here they are... How to measure your horse for individual bridal parts: This one has a PDF that you can download. How to Translate Horse Measurements to Bridle Parts: This one also has a PDF that you can download. Bridal sizing guide: This one provides a decent average for horse/pony sizes if you plan to be making bridals and halters that aren't earmarked for a specific animal.

It's an unusual bunch in here and a bit chaotic at times, but there are many that very knowledgeable and very willing to help. I guessing from you initial visit to the chat room, that you've at least experienced the unusual and chaotic nature it can have when others come in to blow off steam and/or ask serious questions at the same time. It's a little like trying to herd cats at times in there, but the ability to get your questions answered quickly and from multiple sources is a real boon. Welcome to the forum and don't forget to embrace the crazy!

I am really digging this case. Thanks for posting the plethora of images of the progress.

In an effort for completeness, I managed to get some reasonable pictures of the bevels on my ceramic blades. This wasn't, altogether, easy since I still do not have a dedicated macro lens yet. The pictures I did get, I feel, manage to capture the condition of the blade right out of the package, and I have the blade that I used to test out polishing of the ceramic blades explained above for comparison. Hopefully this clears up a few of the details with points I covered in the posts above. In these two shots, you can clearly see how rough the condition of that bevel is. Not very pretty and will cause a good deal of drag and crud to build up on the blade. Also, depending on the blade, some of those lines can run at different angles. It just depends on what blade and who was running the equipment, I guess. As usual, these are clickable thumbnails that will open up a full sized picture. This is the side-by-side comparison to show what the blades can look like before and after addressing the condition right out of the packaging. The last image, I was attempting to capture the reflection of the unpolished blade on the bevel of the polished blade. It's easier to make out when you open it up to full size.

I have to agree, It's highly dependent on many things and is one of the most common questions asked here. It's truly up to you how far you want to go with the designs. There are some programs for the computer that help with layout and drawing, but it's still very possible that a pencil and paper will work for you as well. I have heard of people here using Inkscape, GIMP, Illustrator, or even CorelDRAW. This is, by far, not a complete list. Some are free others, not so much. It just depends on your skills and budget. The amount of detail you want to add is up to you. It can range from just simple swivel knife cuts to extremely elaborate works of art with a myriad of option in between. There is something to be said for the simple carvings, but those won't always fit the project well. I depends on the skills and time you want to invest. As for the tools, there is a beginners list for tools that will help you get an idea of what you might need/want. Once again, it's dependent upon your budget and what direction you go with the projects you do. It's also possible that you can get your tools and supplies in a piecemeal manner. There's no need to buy everything all at once and I've heard more than a few times about other members here who still have tools that have either not been used yet or only get used on rare occasions. Another note on tools, there are some that can actually be made or modified from other items. It just depends on your skills and how you want to go about that one. I personally enjoy making tools myself, but there are others' that would rather just buy the tool they want/need and get to work. It makes sense to buy the tools if your business depends on you using said tools, but for a hobbyist it can be fun to experiment with what may or may not work.

No problem. I like to mix it up a bit now and then. I'm just glad you were able to decipher the gibberish with that last post. No idea what caused that malformed sentence to come forth from my fingertips.

I did try to something more useful right after the jokes...

Maybe it doubled as a knife to cut and serve up your roasted meats... Slice, poke, serve. All joking aside, it's possible that it may have been used to score the leather or even open holes in the leather a little bit. Obviously, just pure speculation.

Ahhh... The dreaded Goldfish Syndrome. I have a similar issue when present with shiny objects. I don't smoke a pipe, but found a couple of very cool looking pipes while second hand shopping that might be fun to make a holder for. I'll be watching how things progress with this thread with interest.

Does this topic make anyone else think of Bob Marley? Not that this is very helpful or anything... On the buffalo, I believe that it's a tougher leather to tool than cow, but not as tough as horse butt.

One thing to keep in mind is that these are going to be neodymium magnets are are very capable of ruining the strips on any kind of card you may have. These things are extremely strong. It won't be the magnet just being near your cards, but the act of passing them through the field they produce that can ruin the cards. Myth Busters had some fun with that subject. I'm not trying to say you shouldn't use them, but it's something to keep in mind if they are going to be placed near where a wallet will be pulled in/out of a pocket or something similar.

My first guess would be the condition of the cutting edge. That looks more like it's grabbing and tearing than cutting.

I just wanted to make sure you got your question answered, which is difficult if the right eyes never see it.

There is a area that is meant for exactly this kind of question in the Saddles Section of the forum. Just follow the link and you'll see the Saddle Construction area.

To really give a good assessment, I think that pictures would be very helpful in this case. Aside from that, it doesn't sound like you were given the wrong tools and possibly the wrong leather. I would not have spent any money until after my questions were answered on subject. 11 SPI seems wrong, but it can depend on what you are trying to do. You might be able to get away with that many stitches per inch on some thinner leather, but certainly not with the thicker stuff/ On the needles, some can be sharps and others not. I have some that look like really thick sewing needles and others that look flat. If you are pulling a thick thread through the leather, the needle type would be more appropriate and if you are using lace, then you need a different type. As far as the leather goes, I can't say much without some pictures. From your description, though, it doesn't sound good. Scrap is good for practice, but you'll eventually want to make something bigger than those scrap pieces can provide. Also, you generate your own scrap pieces when you start cutting out your patterns. It might be worthwhile to see how much shipping would be from some online dealers to where you are. That way you can go by the recommendations from those in here or from a reputable dealer and not have to worry about being swindled by some crazy shop owner. There are some good threads in here on what tools are good for getting started. It'll take a little bit of searching and reading, but it'll be free, which is a whole lot cheaper than getting the wrong stuff because you just don't know yet. There are even some articles on making your own tools or decent substitutes until such time that a proper one can be obtained. I personally got lucky and inherited the majority of my tools from my grandfather, however there are quite a few in that mix that I have not even used yet because the need has never presented itself. Basically, there are plenty of tools that can be skipped until they are actually needed depending on the projects you want to do. The point I am trying to get at is that you can build on your tool collection slowly, as you need them, and more reading through the topics in here on that subject can help you narrow that list down. The topic of leather types can get quite complicated, too. But they all boil down to some basic types. The good news, all that information is in here and it just takes some searching and reading. I just hope that I was enough help and that you don't give up on this. It can be very discouraging to be mislead by someone like that and I know all too well how it feels.

This may not come as much of a surprise to many, but is still worth bringing up. After some chatting about leather dust created on projects with some of the regulars in the chat room a little while back, I couldn't get it out of my head. There was one thing that kept nagging my mind and I finally decided to put some research into it. It didn't take long to find and I was a bit surprised at just how serious a matter it has the potential to be. It's the possibility of nasal and lung cancer from exposure to the carcinogens in the dust created from sanding, grinding, and buffing leather. The solution is a simple one: Dust masks. During my searches, it was mentioned on one site that there was about 10 times fewer articles on leather crafting hazards than wood working hazards. That should not be much of a surprise, though. There aren't as many people working with leather as there are with wood. I know that I am guilty of failing to observe the use of dust masks and many an occasion, I just had no idea just how risky it actually was. As with everything else carcinogenic, it may or may not affect you quickly. There are plenty of smokers out there who never develop a smoking related cancer after 40+ years at it, but on the opposite end of the spectrum there are those that develop a cancer within a few years of starting. Bottom line, you just never know if and when it can happen, but it can't hurt to err on the side of caution and wear some protective gear when you do things that put you at risk for these sorts of things. This isn't scare tactic of any type. I'm not trying to make anyone stop messing with their leather or prevent anyone from starting. I just wanted to bring the potential risk, and a solution, to the attention of those that may not know. Dust masks are the way to go. If you'd like to read a little more information on the subject, I have a link here and here. The other option is to use my original search terms and look around for yourself. "leather dust carcinogen" Once again, this isn't to scare anyone, only educate with the risks and provide a solution for prevention.

As far as I know, the Olympus cameras still use the XD memory cards and you'd need to get a card reader. Unless I am incorrect and they have switched to SD cards. My laptop, and the last several, have an SD card reader built in. For some reason, the newer SDHC cards don't work on mine, and I still end up needing a card reader. My vote is for the card reader, since the transfer speeds will generally be faster than plugging the camera in to the computer.

I wasn't thinking that full control over post deletion should be given to a general member. What I had in mind was the ability to delete a post for a short window of time, if it did not have any posts following it, or if it was something like an accidental duplicate post. As far as editing old posts, it'd be good housekeeping. I see plenty of sullied up threads because image links no longer work and they have to be added in further down the line. It gets pretty ugly and makes for a difficult read. Not to mention, it's not clear what people are quoting about with earlier posts being broken. Maybe the image cleanup and such should be left up to a moderator and there could be one mod per section or something. Bottom line, limiting the general members from altering old posts has brought about its own problems. I just did some digging around in the forum over at IP.Board and it appears that there aren't the opens for control over deletion that I had thought there would be. I know it exists in other PHP driven forum packages. I saw a few posts with questions similar to what I had in mind, but there hasn't been anything implemented like that, as of yet. The closest thing I saw reference to, was something called "Hide" which acted as a soft delete and required moderator interaction beyond that point. It wasn't clear if it was forum wide or not, as the discussions went into greater detail than I could follow without having an actual moderator control panel in front of me. Art, I do see your point and agree to a certain extent, but we aren't all delete crazy people here. Maybe the option for that "middle ground" of control for us general members will eventually show up and the way the forum handles post deletion will evolve, who knows. Either way, I still like the idea of being able to fix grammar and spelling, reword, add/alter image links, and similar non-destructive edits to my posts.

I know that there is currently a short window of time to be able to go back and edit a post you made, but it would really be nice to have that window of time made longer. I will do my best to explain why I think this would be a good idea. I had quite a few reasons, but most seemed kind of trivial, so I boiled it down to these three. I have no doubt that others might find some very compelling reasons that had not occurred to me. First Reason: Say you come back the next day and found spelling or grammar errors you want to clear up. Maybe you wanted to alter a certain passage in your post some way to better convey your original idea. I've personally had this happen and find it frustrating. Second Reason: Maybe you had some steps to a tutorial you provided and found that, for some reason, these steps were in error or needed some slight modification. It'd be a lot less confusing to alter the original post than to add one with the desired information further down the thread. Third Reason: This might be the biggest reason. Lets say that you made a tutorial or some other post that was image heavy and something happened that made those links not work anymore. Maybe you needed to move your images to another provider or switched domains, whatever the reason, your links no longer work for the original post. This makes that post useless unless you can go back and edit it. It'd save a lot of work and you wouldn't need to clutter up the thread with a duplicate post further into the thread. I think what this boils down to is that the window for the edit option should be open indefinitely for the original poster. It may not be needed in plenty of cases, but the option to go back and perform any necessary house keeping is very convenient. Fixing silly grammar and spelling mistakes or even the links to images in and old thread that was stickied long ago makes for less clutter overall. At least, that's my theory on it. On a side note, it'd be very nice to be able to delete a thread that you may have written that is now pointless and adds no useful content to the forum.

I think WinterBear is right. If you look through the rest of the items that seller has, you can see that there are several others adorned with things normally found plugging up the superfluous holes someone into body modification might typically have.