keplerts

What is the minimum number of sides you have to buy direct from Hermann Oak? I would imagine ten sides or more. That is a large financial out lay.

1" is pretty good.

I think OTB has them. And I can't remember if Weaver Leather has them or not.

I get mine frow Weaver Leather at about $14 a gallon.

Wow, very, very nice! Love the back side pattern. What stamp is it?

Thanks for the complements. It was a fun project and the leather was actually pretty nice to work with.

Malabar, I used 6-7 oz double shoulder from Tandy. The straps are held on with chicago screws. The strap to carry the knife vertical is held on with snaps.

Thanks. I'm not a fan of skulls either but the customer was very pleased! The pistol was heavy.

First time making one of these. Kind of fun but challenging. Another Christmas project. Leather: 6 - 7 oz Oak leaf double shoulder from Tandy Finish: Eco Flo Mahogany gel antique. Resolene final. Edges finished with Fiebings Edge kote Hand sewn with braided cord from Tandy.

Recent Christmas project. Molded iphone 6 case. Leather: 6-7oz Oak leaf double shoulder from Tandy Fiebings Pro oil black dye Hand sewn.

Pistol: Ruger Red Hawk 44 mag with 7 1/2 " barrel Leather: 9-10 oz Oak leaf double shoulder from Tandy Finish: RTC Sheridan Resist, With Eco flow Briar Brown Hi-lite Hand stitched with braided cord from tandy. Customer wanted natural color leather with a skull. Not my style but it is what he wanted. Comments and critiques welcome.

I buy the little "make up" sponges you find in the cosmetic section at Walmart. Then I just tilt the edge kote bottle to put a little on the sponge and the just slowly wipe along the edge of the leather. Pretty simple.

I bought a side of Hermann Oak a few months ago is a 7-8 oz. It was super clean, larger and looked wonderful. Cutting it was a nightmare! The leather is unbelievably tough. A utility knife with a new blade had to make several passes to cut it. It really was a pain to work with. I have been putting off making a set of saddle bags for a guy because it is so hard to work with. Stamping was also a pain. The Chahin leahter I have bought in the past was wonderful to work with. Cut like butter, dyed and stamped great.

Really, really, NICE! Your work is impeccable!

Tandy usually carries them. Have you tried there??

There are some folks that use bellies for economy horse halters.

Very nice job! Really improving. What did you finish it with and how??

I an interested in that as well. The book by John Hopper has some info on it but it is far from detailed enough for me to follow. I wish Al would have been able to complete more books on saddle making and repairs!

Yes, leather work does keep up laying awake in bed quit often. One night I figured out how I was going to stitch an arrow quiver together end to end with a toe plug. Did it by hand. Wished I could just sleep though.

Do you/can you sew through the bag stiffener? Or, do you put you stitches along the edge? Not sure if you sew thru it or around it?

Tandy Leather has some of their craft oak sides on sale right now. I believe their 2-3 oz side is $79. I bought a piece last week and it is actually pretty nice.

Is there a lot of knife drag when using it on the stall mat? If I try to cut on my poundo board I get a lot of knife drag. Also, are the stall mats smooth or ribbed?

That is called a wither strap. And I would be interested in knowing what the "normal" length is tip-to-tip before the buckles are added.

Thanks for sharing the templates JLSleather!

Not sure who wrote the book, but, Proleptic.net has a halter making booklet that looks pretty good. Might want to check that one out.