immiketoo

Country covered that pretty well, especially the chat! So, another suggestion is to find a local leather guild and attend one of their meetings. You will meet leather people and get to see what people have and learn from their experiences.

Jeff, I'm convinced that its the rawhide content in the side. They are all different and sometimes they just don't get tanned properly. I have seen this a lot in cheaper leathers, not so much in HO. You'll just have to deal with it unfortunately.

That's one good looking belt! I have yet to try lacing, and it appears I'll need some more tools. Is that a Damascus fid I see?

Diesel, many people choose not to line their bible covers, but many others want a nice finished look. IMO you have several options and I am assuming you are using veg tanned leather on the outside. A nice cloth could be glued to the inside of the cover but you then have a different edging process to contend with. You could also use a very light weight (1-2 oz) cow, calfskin or pigskin liner. These will flex nicely and while there may be some wrinkles right at the fold, the book will cover it anyway. Personally, I'd use calf skin. I really love the feel of it. Good luck, post pics, and welcome to the forum! Mike

Ben, I have had the same experience with other forums (especially car forums) and we at LW actively work to make this site an environment the fosters learning and a good time. I'm glad you have noticed our efforts! Mike

use a french curve as a cutting template. If you buy a set, you're almost guaranteed to find an arc that matches. If not, it will be so close it won't really matter.

According to my friend, as long as its smooth, nick free and harder than the steel so that the steel doesn't scratch it, it works great according to him. It certainly looks easy, but you'd have to try it to know for sure. Tempered glass BTW.

Hey Randy. A friend of mine cuts on a smooth glass table. Its pretty slick.

If you want them to look old, you should dye the brilliant white stitching. It kind of glares at you.

Welcome Ben! Anywhere you start is a good place to start. There's a steepish learning curve so read a lot before cutting leather! And don't get discouraged, ever. Again, welcome and post pics of your work.

Jay, I have experienced this with several kinds of leather. Its due to the rawhide content in the leather. Almost all leather has it and HO is the best at NOT having it. The only way I have found to work around this is to replace the blade on my skiver and start fresh. For your knife that needs sharpening, I don't know what totell you except make it sharper or use a super skiver from Tandy. Hope this helps.

Kev, without pictures its gonna be hard to tell you anything of value.

Hey there those are both very different in the designs, and you can see the influence of each maker. What did you use for the finish?

Benji, WELCOME! Its great to see new leather workers. If you are anything like the rest of us, it quickly becomes a passion, or in some cases and addiction!

Wow. I wasnt expecting anything so elaborate! Or colorful. Or articulated! Nice job sir.

Nigel, I am willing to be adopted.

Or, you could use my proven method...Grow them

That is just the coolest! I'm late to the thread, but damn. Nice Job.

I really like that. And I have no idea how you did it...magic!

Hey EDC, you're the same guy that offered FREE made in USA stamps to everyone here, minus the shipping. I don't recall everyone getting all bent out of shape on that bit of shameless self promotion. I don't see why this is any different, except that maybe you called it self promotion. Listen folks, anything that helps bring our craft to the fore and makes people aware that there is an alternative to disposable plastic junk is a win in my book. And, like the Wal mart's of the world, you can choose to shop with EDC or not. WayOut Watty, why are you so upset about this? Lets keep the personal attacks to a minimum here. I'm sure you have made a spelling mistake or two in the world. And I LIKE Little mermaid:)

Nigel, I WANT one!

I'm surprised this topic has turned snippy so fast. I have often thought a leather business card would be a great way to differentiate myself from the sea of other paper crap in the world. I agree that a plain stamped piece of leather might not be appealing to you guys, but I would have thought that of anyone, leather workers would muster up a little creativity. As I read this thread, I came up with several ideas on how to make the leather card distinctive and not look cheap. Additionally, I can't imagine just handing any kind of business card to someone cold without taking the time to develop a relationship with them first. Take the time to engage the customer, talk about your stuff, show them the product slap the card in their hand. Of course, there is the debate that business cards are a polite way for a customer to say "no" and walk away from you. Anyway, it's just another way to reach out to a new customer. You don't have to use it if you don't like it.

Frank, that's the coolest western rig I've ever seen. Would you be willing to share/sell me the pattern? I want one! And I just recovered from that same flu. What a beast that bug is!

Claire, you should spray truck bed liner or something like that inside those. Then they would be waterproof!

Those are, well, beautiful!