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Also, if anyone has any feedback about the weight of leather. I'm thinking of 4oz... Does that sound about right?

I believe so. I know it shares the same properties as the color changing.

If it's vinyl, you could just use a vinyl dye. Auto detailers use it to dye seats and carpet. Should be able to find it online or at a professional auto detail supplier. If you find it local, they should be able to match to what you are looking for. Most car dealers use vendors for this sort of stuff. You might could just stop by a dealer and ask who their interior guy is.

I've made several seats. I've only used veg tanned before. I'm considering using an Oil (chrome) tanned leather to recover a extra seat I have. It is a traditional padded seat. I'm also thinking of using it to make a vest. I've only used an oil tanned leather once before for a messenger bag. I'm curious about your experiences with in in these applications. I appreciate any input and feedback. Thanks!

David, what's a header blade? I think a gouge tool would be the way to go. They are adjustable, so you could vary the depth and therefore the width of the lines. Personally, I would simply antique it. I've never used paints though.

I hold projects together with clamps, at the suggestion of someone else on the forum. I use small binder clips for smaller projects and larger clamps I got at lowes for larger ones. If I understand your issue, you are sewing, and the inside piece slides out between the fold? If that is the case, you could always cut the gusset and then sew the three pieces together, and then finish the edge.

I don't think you can burnish Chrome tanned leather. An edge coat or a rolled edge is about the only real choices, from what I understand. I work nearly entirely with Veg. A dyed through shoulder could be veg tanned. Ask whoever you are buying from. Case leather? I assume you are refering to cased leather. Cased leather is veg tanned leather that has been wet and allowed to return to a near natural color. Basically, the moister is in the middle of the leather. This is a step in carving leather, not a type you buy. The type of leather you use really comes down to what you are wanting to make. I personally wouldn't make a wallet with chrome tanned leather. Not that you can't and that it wouldn't be nice, it's just not really my style of wallet. If I were, I would do as the other member suggested and roll the edge. The easiest, though, if you want a burnished edge on your wallets is to simply get veg tanned leather.

Okay, that's pretty awesome, Dwight. I think you are right, hanging it looks like the way to go. I might hang mine a little different. I think your idea is better than mine, but it might be more than work than I want to do. I got a wall hanger system from lowes yesterday. I got a rod shelf thing that attaches to it. It has three rods, kind of like a hanging rod in a closet. I I'm going to make hangers with a swivel to hang the leather from those rods. I figured I'd take some fabric and make a curtain to go around it, to keep the sun off of it. Doing the wall hanging system, I can use it to store a lot of other items also. I'll let you know how it comes out once I get it done. Thank you guys for your input!

So, I'm looking for some ideas. I'm wanting to build a shelf / storage system for leather. Does anyone have any pictures of what they use? I'm wanting to build a shelf to store the leather flat. I was thinking of adding some side "stations" to it. I was thinking a place to set up a small sewing machine, or the like. I'm thinking of just building it from 2x4 and plywood. I'm just having touble visualizing it.

Try this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikoKfgm2SMw

Does the glue form the outside edge, or the stitches?

I know, and certainly agree. I guess what I am asking is what is the best practice to be certain I don't.

Okay, so, I need a little input. I'm making this large card carrier. It has a gusset with the seams on the inside. The issue I'm having is that the stitches appear uneven when it is fliped inside out and some of the stitches show. How do you get a nice tight straight looking line? I believe my issue is coming from the glue line and the stitches pulling a little loose when it is flipped inside out, but I'm not 100% sure. The first one I did, I didn't skive the edges. The one I'm working on now, I've skived about 1/4" in (It's 2oz veg tan). I used my machine on the first one with 207 thread. I'm not sure about the stitches per inch. Should the glue line create the line, or the stitches? I was thinking maybe a thinner thread (69) with more stithces per inch as one option. Any ideas or input is welcome.

I've been trying to find more info on zippers also. I've never used them, but want to make my son his first book bag for school. Any recommendations on what type zippers to use? I found this site, that I thought you all might find useful. https://www.qualityzipper.com/order/images/ValuableZipperInformation.pdf

I have a guy that's asked me to make some boots for his girlfriend. I don't make boots. I'm a wallet and bag kind of guy. He has a picture of what he wants. It appears to be a custom pair that someone else has made. Anyway, if anyone is interested in this, I'd gladly pass your name and information along to him.

It's been a while since this was posted, but... I do not have any printable templates. Just take some poster board and cut it out. It's really not that difficult. Start with the gussets. I take the diameter or depth of the bag and then add for the fold to stitch. Then, measure around the gusset and add your overlap for the main body piece. Making the template yourself, also lets you see where you might have issues putting everything together.

I've had request to do initials on a finished product before. I cut letters with a swivel knife and "filled" it in with a wood burner. It actually came out pretty nice.

If you have or can pick up a blue gun, just have him send you the laser off the weapon. Attach it to the blue gun, wrap it like a real weapon, and go from there. If you don't have a blue gun, there's an ASP on ebay. http://www.ebay.com/itm/ASP-Red-Training-Gun-Browng-Hi-Power-7314-/350976946212?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item51b7db3024

That is exactly what I was looking for Jason. Thank you!

This is a little off topic, though not completely. I see people on etsy and the like that are making the actual chains for wallets. How do you do that? Does anyone have any sources or info on the process. I've done a few round braid chains, but nothing with metal, as of yet. I have the premade chain links where you just cut the chain to length and attach your end pieces, but that's not really the same. Any info would be helpful.

No way that is your first holster! Great job. Looks very clean with crisp lines. Very impressive.

I agree with dwight about the quality of leather. I normally don't do anything to the flesh sides of straps. The one excpetion is on motorcycle bags. I will dye the back side, rub them down with gum trangnathum (however you spell that) and pull them over my burnishing stick. then I use the same top coat and sealers I use on the finished side. I only finish those because they are going to get wet. I really don't know if that process helps with water or not, but in my mind it does.

I've done them both ways. I actually prefer one design that covers both sides. I think a lot of it depends on how much tooling you'll be doing and the weight of the leather. I try to limit the tooling over the spine if I can, but don't think it's a huge deal. I typically use 8oz for the outside. It might weaken the leather some, but it's not like it's load bearing...its a wallet. The pictures below are of the last one I did (I got to play with my new airbrush)