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blink1688

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Everything posted by blink1688

  1. blink1688
    This looks exceptional, thank you for sharing. Makes me want to get back into making some larger projects.
  2. blink1688
    I'm having some trouble identifying and locating the proper elastic. Do you have any suggestions on where to buy and what to look for?
  3. blink1688
    Looks great! I especially like the consistency in the basket weave on the back panel - Intentional or unintentional, the texturing on the back will allow a little more friction for a better grip too. Only thing I would consider doing differently is maybe burnishing some of those longer edges on the interior pockets but I could also see someone wanting those to be left raw too.
  4. blink1688
    That's awesome!
  5. blink1688
    Thank you for the suggestion. I'm practicing on an old pair my wife has that don't fit her anymore and needs a similar alteration
  6. blink1688
    I've been asked if I can help someone with three sets of boots and I'm looking for some guidance. This is my first time working on boots. Pairs 1 & 2: The owner recently recovered from a broken leg. The damage to her leg and the reduced activity has caused her leg, particularly around the calf, to become larger. She had one of the pairs custom made for her before the accident and she'd really like to keep them. For these two pairs I'm looking to learn the following: Are either of these candidates for stretching? (I'm am worried about the pair with patent leather at the top developing cracks if I attempt to stretch them -- she didn't even get a chance to use this pair before her accident) If stretching is viable, what is the best way to go about that? (I assume it would be best to refer to a shoe repair shop in this case?) Both pairs have a V-shaped relief cut along the inside of the calf (1.5" to 2" down and about 0.5" to 0.75" wide at the top) bridged with elastic. I was considering making this V longer and slightly wider. Is this a good idea? If making the V larger is the appropriate route, what type of elastic is this and where can I get some? Pair 3: The owner of this pair has a tendency to let her leg rub... a LOT. The interior lining still looks to be in good condition. I'm planning to cut away the frayed edges of the exterior leather, making a patch on the hole, and adding a reinforcement panel to both boots to make them symmetrical (only one of the boots has a hole right now). What I'm looking to learn here: What should I be wary of while making this repair? What leather is best for the job? (I am currently thinking of using lightweight black oil tanned)
  7. blink1688
    Nice work! Hope the first pair of chaps I make come out that nice. As for the shirts, would leather vests of any sort be helpful? (Sorry if that's a silly question. I haven't the slightest idea of what you have to do to round up the cattle)
  8. blink1688
    That's a cool idea. Thank you for sharing. Yes, a lot of times there's a little more graininess when the file size is reduced. Unfortunately, taking pictures in the dark is tough and tends to inherently cause graininess because the average magnitude of light hitting the photo sensor in the camera isn't necessarily enough to be above the electrical noise in the camera - I don't know that I explained that well while trying to keep it concise.
  9. blink1688
    Thank you both (@Big Sioux Saddlery, @Northmount ) for the help. Finished the repair a few weeks ago and I think it turned out well. The owner was ecstatic and started to show all her friends and she said it's working great for jumping and everything still Ended up using waxed, braided polyester
  10. blink1688
    Thank you for this thread!! I had a similar experience with a 206RB-5 practically dropping into my lap -- nobody to thank but God for this one -- and I found this thread really helpful for determining my next steps to get it set up for the work I need to get done.
  11. blink1688
    Sure, here you go. Owner specified she didn't care about aesthetics very much on this piece, just wants to make sure it's functional and gave me liberty to experiment a little. (I still intend to make it look as good as I can though). The near-side has been worn and is ready to tear in a similar way so I will be doing the same thing to both sides. The stitching shown is a test to make sure it pulls the tear together well, pulls on the strip of reinforcement leather without creating lumps in the seat, and does a good job covering it up at the same time (6-cord Barbour's I waxed with beeswax). I'll cutting the test stitching out, of course. Whatever I end up using, I'm going to make sure the color I use matches the leather more closely. I was contemplating the idea of working a thin piece of leather in and out under-over the threads to better protect some of the stitching. The stitch on the topside looks like this: || X || X || The stitch on the underside looks like this: ||| ||| ||| Not as important as abrasion resistance. My concern about UV resistance is probably just 'new-guy-trying-to-do-the-best-job-he-can paranoia' lol
  12. blink1688
    Gonna be on this quest until I find what I'm looking for but I'll share what I find as I find it in this thread: Best repository of info I've found so far: https://www.thethreadexchange.com/miva/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=Information If I can't find the summary chart I know I've seen in the past somewhere, I might be able to make a general guide from this site.
  13. blink1688
    Thank you! Not quite what I'm looking for but it's definitely useful information -- bookmarking that one
  14. blink1688
    I have an Antarés close contact saddle I've been asked to repair. In short, I'm trying to identify the best thread for the job. I need something tha's very resistant to UV and is extremely abrasion resistant. What do you recommend? There was a wonderful reference page that compared characteristics of thread types I thought I found on this site ages ago. Unfortunately, I haven't been successful in relocating it. If you know what I'm talking about, any idea where to find it? More context: The owner doesn't want to have the whole seat replaced but asked for me to repair a tear on the edge where it is sewn to the jockeys and the rider's thigh rests.
  15. blink1688
    Thanks for the heads up! Do you prefer to make a straight edge? (well.. I guess I don't really mean straight but I hope you get my meaning)
  16. blink1688
    Haha, I saw the first couple pictures and wondered "Hmmm I wonder what the surprise could be...". After reading your original post and started scrolling... Whoah! They weren't kidding. Looks great! I better be careful, if my wife sees, she's gonna want one like it and I don't have a sewing machine yet lol
  17. blink1688
    I second that! Everyone sharing here makes this a great place for new ideas and things that'll sometimes make you go "Wow, I wonder how they do that." Looks like a warm hat and deep enough to keep your ears toasty too
  18. blink1688
    Very nice. I really like seeing the transformation as you painted and finished it.
  19. blink1688
    I've taken the leap to commit to making leatherwork my full-time gig. The first major step was to learn how to make saddles (just western for now) Finished saddle making school with Pete Harry from Pembroke, KY at the beginning of the month. Now that I'm back, I've opened up my business to building western saddles and do saddle repairs (in addition to all the other things I've made over the years). Now to get TLLeatherworks (Tree of Life Leatherworks) out there in social media. Already got a few repair jobs in
  20. blink1688
    Thanks for the tip. I'll check it out and see what they have. Is the pre-waxed thread from them any better than what you get from Tandy? With Tandy, I've had some bad experiences with pre-waxed thread which has left me a little unsettle -- the 25yrd spools from Tandy have had weird lumps/inconsistencies and weak spots in them on more than one occasion. I finally got around to ordering a big spool of Barbour's 6-strand and been really happy with it -- it's very consistent takes the wax well. I've been going through quite a bit of thread recently since I was asked to make/repair a few triple-stitch halters which I've done completely saddlestitch. One thing I like about having the unwaxed thread is that I can make the ends taper much better then dye it whatever color I want/need before waxing.
  21. blink1688
    My goodness, thank you for this post. It may be 6 years old but I found it very helpful.
  22. blink1688
    Thanks. I babysat it on-and-off for about 30min to an hour while the drying process started and went over the edges a few times. The wooden blocks (pine, hand-shaped with files from a planed board) used for the forming seemed to help draw moisture from the leather more quickly. I did have a bit of a surprise that I had to fix after drying... when removing the c-clamp holding down the bone folder, I discovered one of the most vivid "MADE IN TAIWAN" stamps I've ever seen and it was imprinted on my work. I forgot about that mark on the bone folder when I put the clamps down >.< Luckily, super-saturating the leather on that spot and rubbing it with a modeling spoon did a really good job of making it disappear.
  23. blink1688
    One thing you might consider is slicking your leather before you mold/shape the leather. You can also slightly harder the leather to mitigate some of the stretchiness. (I'm assuming you're using veg tanned) The hardening process is pretty short and straightforward: When soaking the leather to do the molding/shaping, use warmer water. The warmer the water, the more the leather will harden/stiffen. You'll need to experiment with different temp water to get a feel for how much your leather will harden/stiffen with various temp -- each hide will respond slightly different. I used to have a lot of questions about the slicking process and I'm still experimenting to learn how to do it better but here's what I've learned so far: When you get the piece wet for the molding/shaping, before you begin molding, you can lay the piece on a hard flat surface and use a rounded and smoothed flat edge of a heavy piece of glass or hardwood block/plank to press/squeeze the excess water out of the leather. Doing this compresses the leather fibers, smooths the grain by closing pours and flattening irregularities, can slightly stiffen the leather, and (most importantly for you) pre-stretches the leather. Btw, slicking veg tanned leather, as part of your casing process (see Hidepounder's post on casing, if needed), is also a GREAT way to improve consistency in how the leather behaves and responds for carving, stamping, and dying. I'm hopeful that some of the more experienced folks will chime-in to clarify and expand my explanation. Good luck and make sure to post pictures of the final product!
  24. blink1688
    @Rolandranch Ahh, don't know why I didn't think of using the swivel knife. I'll give that a try next time. I almost always use the stitching groover. @Dun Nope, I haven't ever used a negative mold. I just get the leather wet enough that it feels like clay and use a bone folder and the rounder end of a wooden hand-held burnisher to smooth the curves. @JLSleather Thank you. That makes sense. I can think of a few projects where that approach would be helpful. Luckily, the calculators will most likely stay the same for years. Do you use micro velcro? For the elastic, what do you use and how do you attach it? @savagesupplyco Thank you. What address were you intending to link to? The link in you post just lead back to this page.
  25. blink1688
    Looks pretty good to me. As already stated, it'll probably only get better with age. What are the ratios in your magic sauce?
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