smokeeater722

how wide are the straps themselves?

First time doing a front piece for a fire helmet, so I did it for my own helmet to see how it would hold up to some rough work. I want to know what you think and I'll drop the template to whoever wants it!

+1 Burnish, Burnish, Burnish! Also, Angelus dyes and acrylics hold up well to heat, steam, and smoke without cracking, peeling, or fading (I've used them for that added splash of color) . I found that when carving letters, slow is smooth, smooth is fast and the quality is exponentially better, a sharp swivel knife also helps. I use a 1/4 angled ceramic for my carving and I haven't had any issues. the stitching looks smooth and even (Good Job, that's the hard part!). For a more traditional or aesthetic look, run a 1/8" bead around the edges, bevel it inboard, groove and sink your stitches into the bead. Practice your curve techniques with the swivel knife and watch your shields come alive! Good stuff all around.

I have a template that I just made if anybody is interested. I will post pictures of the final results tonight so that you can see the product of your hard work. ~Smoke

OOH! Also, what length and width dimensions would you suggest? Once I have the dimensions I can make my own template, but as I have neither horse or halter, measurements are coming up difficult. I'm thinking that the main body should be right around 10"x 4", with attachment points right around 2" long. Your thoughts and input is GREATLY appreciated! Semper Fi, Patrick

May be a silly question, but does a bronc nose band HAVE to be lined or can I treat the back of unlined leather to reduce abrasion/moisture retention to the horse's muzzle? Many Thanks Guys! ~Patrick

I only had the faintest idea of what I was going to do, your pattern is awesome and I can't tell you how much I appreciate it! Thank you again Jack!

You, Ladies and Genteel-men, Are Awesome! You guys never fail to come through for a fella, Thank you guys so MUCH!!!!

Hey Ladies and Gents, with my current projects almost finished, I'm thinking about building a journal. I'd like to tool it, but keep it moderately rustic, but I've never done anything like this before, my plan is to make it a wrap around cover with strap closure, keeping it masculine, rustic and yet aestetically pleasing. I'm wondering what kind of paper do you use, I'd like to keep it between 5 and 6 inches wide and no more than 8 inches long as well as being able to add new reams as they get exhausted. Where do you get your paper and how do you attache them to the journal while keeping it expandable? With these details out of the way, I think I can make the rest work out. Cheers! Patrick

I've almost finished my first butt-stock wrap, I'm incorporating a wraparound sling into the design, and due to the tooling that was requested I'm going to have to throw the loops on diagonally. Should be a cool design. I'm with Tex, I used a manila folder to make the initial patterns, if you want to keep them, you can throw clear packing tape on it and it'll keep for a a good long while, make them snug as any tooling will stretch it enough to make it snug but not too tight.. I suggest keeping patterns as you just never know when your work will catch someones eye and they don't take up any space.

Thanks Guys! This will be for pistol caliber rounds and will carry a pseudo-western holster. I'm going to keep this more of a traditional belt/holster combo, so no drop/buscadero loop. Just a good, solid field rig. Regards, -Str8

I'm down. I love a dirty joke. Would you please add me?

Thanks again! How wide should I make this belt? I'm thinking about doing Ranger style buckle system so that'll be 1.5 inches, but the width of the body on the actual belt has me stuck

Thank you! Any idea what the name of this video is?

Wicked! Thanks for the quick reply!