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Are you talking about the entire side? If so, It helps if you store it flat or hanging instead of rolled. Most curves come out when you case the leather...if you are casing it. Putting something heavy on it could easily mark the leather, which is probably worse than the curl. If I have areas on a side or shoulder that are curled I will normally work around it and use those pieces for smaller items. If it's what you've got to work with, cut the leather to workable sizes and dunk it in some warm water. Then, it should be workable.

I've never padded a shoulder strap. I've found that the leather breaks in and is quite comfortable. If I were going to pad one, I think I would look at neoprene. Should be able to pick it up at a fabric shop.

That exact case would be quite an undertaking. I could think of a lot easier ways to make a camera case for a beginner. The piping and all would be a bit much. The toughest part, would be making the pattern, but if you have a mechanical mind, it's not impossible. The pattern is nothing more than poster board cut out to the size of the pieces you need. Be sure to allow enough room for your stitches. It looks like the front piece is sewn on first, since the seam is on the inside of the case and then just sewn to a back piece. The lid might get a little complicated in terms of getting the measurements right. The piping is pretty much decortive anyway. They guy at your local Tandy I'm sure would go through the basics with you. If you are doing this as a one time or I want to see how it goes thing, get a single shoulder. I'd say at least 6oz. Just buy a strap, the width you want. I'd get a two prong diamond chisel, pack of needles, waxed thread, mallet, small poly board, hardware (snaps, buckle), a cheap rotary hole punch, 4oz dye of choice, 4oz top coat of choice. You'd probably have $75-$80 worth of stuff. That's bare minimum. Time wise...for a first time project, that's another story. I would suggest doing some searches on this forum to determine if it something you would like to take on. There are a few threads on making patterns, quite a few on hand sewing and dying.

Oil can be used to help color leather, but isn't a finish as the previous poster is refering. A finish is a top coat that locks in the dyes and prevents rub off. I have found neatsfoot oil to provide a even color, given the exposure to sunlight is consistent. If the only thing you are using to color the leather is oil, then you probably don't "need" a finish or top coat, but i'd put one on, if just to improve the water resistance. Applying too much oil, can break down fibers in the leather and could make impressions raise. A little oil goes a long way. I like to do a really light coat on the finish side and then oil from the flesh side if it is something I need to "soften up a bit". To answer, or attempt to answer the two tone question by the op, I think you misunderstood a little about the resist. If you are doing something two tone, dye it all one color, resist areas, then dye the other color. So, if you are doing a black belt with a green design. Dye the entire thing green. Resist only the areas that you want to stay green, then dye the rest black. The most importat part in all of this is to be sure to give everything plenty of time to dry between stages. I often get impatient and wind up smearing things. Not fun. There are a lot more on here that know a ton more than I, and I'm sure they'll chime in. Welcome!

I'm not sure I understand exactly what color you are talking about, but it sounds like a sun dyed look. If you oil it and set in the sun, it will darken quite a bit. No dye needed. It does take sometime to change, but not as long as you might think. If you have a color that is close, but it is just a bit too dark, you could simply dilute the dye until you get the look you are going for.

All of those are great pieces. Everything is very neatly done. I'm really curious about the metal inlays in the bags...what is that? Does the harley police give you any trouble over all the Willie G?

Why not just make a pattern? Making the patterns isn't very difficult. It takes a little trial and error sometimes, but not a big deal. I just draw out patterns on poster board or file folders (that may or may not of been taken from work...), cut it out, make sure all the pieces fit and adjust if needed. I've made many pattersn for bilfolds, but never for a roper wallet, but can't imagine it's any different.

Yeah, the marks on the bottom would be an issue. Do you think a cb227R cowboy would be better suited? My question with this machine is that the specs say up to 207 thread, but the description says 138. I'd like to have a rolled edge guide also.

Like most everyone, I come to the sewing machine section for advice. I'm thinking seriously about a new machine. I only know what i've read here. The Techsew 3650HD looks like a good deal on a machine. The only thing I really see lacking is a walking foot. Does anyone have any feedback on that machine? I'd be using it to mainly sew motorcycle bags (2 layers of 8oz), holsters, wallets, and belts. I've never used a leather sewing machine before. Again, like everyone else, I'm not trying to spend a fortune on a machine. My thought with this machine is that it could handle all the heavier task and I could still do some hand sewing on smaller projects until I could afford a second machine better suited for lighter leather. Unless, of course, you guys think this machine might be able to handle the lighter stuff also. I appreciate any input.

I'm sorry, but that's really funny. "yeah, it didn't fit, so i just crammed a flashlight in there to stretch it". Side note, I've got one of the Sig 1911's. Sig offers their standard 1911 and what they call a traditional with a normal size slide. You need to be sure which one the customer has. I could never get my Sig to fit in any holster I bought (before I started making my own). If I'd only known about the flashlight technique..

Hey, those look good! I'm guessing you live off campus. I'm by no means an expert, but I'll thorw my two cents in, not in a critical sense, but just something to think about. Somethings are hard to tell from the picture, but the first holster looks much longer than the weapon. The boning on both holster's looks good. I might caution about too much on the trigger guard. With holsters safety always has to be the top priority. The molding there looks a little deep for my taste. I might suggest molding deep on the front of the trigger guard only and from both sides. This is especially true for a SA. You can create a sight channel for the front sight by taping a dowel, pencil, or a piece of scrap leather to the top of the weapon, to ensure the front sight doesn't snag as you draw the weapon. An over crituqe, perhaps, but as a matter of athestics, it might look better if the stitch lines were connected. There are a lot more knowledgable guys/gals here than I, and I'm sure they will chime in.

Yeah, I thought that might be the answer. I've been putting off learning to use the awl. I guess now is as good a time to learn as any. I ordered an awl last night. Thanks for your input.

Thank you for your reply. I think i wasn't clear about the vinegaroon. I leave the piece in for an hour. I dipped it an hour after first starting to mix it. I didn't think about it being to acidic. That's a good point. I think I would up using five steel wool pads. It seems to be working well. I ordered some resolene at your sugestion. If it does in fact limit the asorption of water, I would see that as a huge benefit, that I haven't really seen discussed. Thank you for your input.

I've struggled with this on several projects, and I know there has to be an easier way. I make fork bags, for motorcycles. The end pieces are round and sewn to the body of the bag. I make my sewing holes with a chisel awl. Typically, I will make all of my stitching holes on both pieces and sew from one end to the other. I'm hand stitching. As I sew around the curve and it pulls the two pieces together, the holes will become out of line. I have to get some extreme angles with my needles by the time I get going around the curve. The sharper the curve, the more out of line the holes will become. Any ideas? What is the easiest way to get it all to line up and keep consistant stitching on cruved pieces like this.

I made my first batch of Vinegroon....That stuff is awesome, BTW. I read that it takes two weeks, which I impatiently waited for. When I first mixed it though, I stuck a piece of leather in it just to see and it truned black, after an hour of "cooking". So, my question...I'm working on a fork bag now. I didn't have a pan large enough to dip the pieces of the bag in, so I brushed the roon on with a foam brush. It worked well, but didn't soak through to the flesh side(which I'm pleased with). I also brushed on the baking soda and water mixture, then rinsed it under the sink. I let it sit to dry. When I was going to put my maker's mark on it, I wet the leather in the area I wanted to stamp...It wouldn't asorb the water. Is there something in the vinegroon that has water resistance properties? There was no top coat of any kind. Which, leads to my second question. What type of top coat, if any do you guys recommend on the roon? I have put on a coat of neatsfoot, but I'm not positive about the top coat.

So, I've been struggling a little with the concept of the liner. I get the liner should be shorter to prevent buckling, but how do you get your stitching hole to line up if you are doing it by hand. I normally sew a saddle stitch and use a diamond chisel awl (I know, I know...I'm working on learning the awl). How do you get the holes to line up?

Very clean look. The lacing looks really good. Do you find the lacing holds up as well as stitching for a bag?