cgleathercraft

Welders "tack" metal together to prevent warping from heat. The same idea can be used here. Set rivets on corners first to hold them steady then work your way back and forth skipping a hole or two at a time to keep everything lined up. I wouldn't worry about it too much though if you glue the pieces together first. Also seen this happen when the rivet posts are too long for the thickness of leather. The post will actually bend to the side when setting and pull the top or bottom to one side or bunch up between rivets.

I made a mug a while back and slowly worked in beeswax by heating the leather in the oven at a low temp. Working the wax in from grain side till it soaked all the way though. Made it pretty solid as i couldn't compress the sides of the mug at all (think squeezing a pop can). Sure wouldn't want to get hit on the head with it! I've seen some videos on youtube of dipping knife sheaths in paraffin wax. don't see why it wouldn't work with a holster and beeswax. FYI used a little more than half a pound of wax to completely penetrate all the way. Mug is approximately 8 inches tall and made form 8/9 oz shoulder.

This is probably the best bit of lots of really good advice I've seen here on pricing/costing. I tend to worry about scrap and loss, but i'm just a hobbyist right now. I pull from the scrap pile if a piece suits the need before I make a fresh cut into a side or shoulder. If your concerned with scrap losing you money then put it up for sale here or on ebay. Someone will take it off your hands for the right price and will help the bottom line a lot. I'm a programmer and have 3 years of background in supply chain from a previous job. Many thousands of dollars in scrap are wasted by large companies. I've considered putting together a calculator of sorts to handle inventory similar to what I programmed before. Just haven't got around to it yet. If there is some interest in it i'll start developing it.

I've messed up a few finished items trying something new so I tend to try things out on scrap if I have the time. Hope to see a picture when its all done!

I've seen both done before in videos. I suggest doing a sample first to see which one provides the look you want.

I'd be inclined to go with brass over steel. Brass may tarnish but steel will rust. Could get just a normal press stamp made and permanently attach it to a handle. The magnesium one I got from Phillips Engraving is attached to a handle with what looks like some kind of cold weld compound. I'm thinking its some form of JB Weld but can't think of it off the top of my head. Wrap the handle in heat resistant/flame retardant tape and heat will be less of an issue for your hands. Still would recommend wearing gloves of course. Let us know what you do! I'm interested in getting something I can heat up as well! Maybe I'm over cautious but i'm not willing to put much heat to magnesium.

When ordering I always look at the shipping and check to see if it justifies the cost/weight/need of an item(s). Only once have I had to call to question the cost of shipping. They worked with me and I have never had an issue with their shipping charges since. They assured me they only charge the actual cost of shipping and I believe I have never been taken for a sucker from them (Tandy). My one and only rule for cost of shipping to me - Is that item(s) worth the cost + shipping to me. That alone will determine whether or not I order. At my stage in leather working i have not had the luxury of shipping any items. This is my hobby and I don't have any overhead associated with shipping. So I'm going to charge actual cost. If the day ever comes that I have the requirement of someone sitting down and verifying/packing/shipping my work. That extra cost WILL be factored in. At that point I will own a business. If I don't do it in the shipping costs, it will be factored into the item cost. I may not explicitly say that $2 for every item is for the person sweeping the floor, but I would have to pay their wages somehow. Not saying prices would increase with each person hired, just that the bottom line has to be taken into account. Everyone's situation is different so take it for what its worth, it's just text on a computer screen after all.

Gold Star Tool has a nice one that isn't a whole lot of money, used it on line 20 snaps and 10mm double cap rivets so far an haven't had a single issue. plan to buy several more die sets when i get a little side money.

Thanks for the replies everyone! I plan to make a 20 gauge box pattern soon and will have it up on my website. FYI I don't think I ever mentioned that the 12 gauge box fits 2 3/4 in. shells.

I will seriously look into solar when I make a house/land purchase. Doing it to a rental doesn't make much sense :/ I've heard of people powering small sheds for several (4+) hours with a kit from harbor freight and a few deep cycle marine batteries. A kit like that won't power a house by any means but it can offset some costs. Plus panels are getting cheaper. The biggest costs are the battery bank and power converter. Its hard to get a standard quote on a system unfortunately. Companies usually build a custom setup based on current and future usage. At least the one's I've seen do that. Good Luck!!!

Could lightly scratch a guideline and freehand it....Possible but very (and I mean very) difficult. +1 for using some form of straight edge.

echoing what everyone else said on vapors. I wouldn't recommend air brushing without a vent hood, respirator, and lots of breathing room. I made the mistake of air brushing a few pieces black...turned tissues black for over a week.

^^^ The most accurate statement regarding finishes and techniques I've ever read.

I place smaller items over a floor vent in the winter for a couple of days. Works well without driving up the electric/gas bill. Otherwise throw them in from of a fan for a few hours to a couple of days in the summer.

You should be able to upload files to your posts There is a size restriction so if you can't get it to go that may be an issue. I can help in that case. I had planned on having a variety of options available. JPG and PDF files would be included, plus the illustrator source file and any other type that gets requested.

Vector images do not lose resolution as they are resized. so a template can be resized to 100x its original size and everything will remain in perspective. I have a sample uploaded here as a PDF file titled "12 Gauge Shotshell Box"

Would anyone be interested in requesting templates or measurements be vectored out and then made available for purchase? I recently vectored up an idea I had and uploaded it here as a PDF (I would make both/multiple formats available). I didn't really expect it to get a whole lot of downloads so when it hit 60+ I was really pleased to know that I had made something of value If there is enough interest I would take anything that people would like vectored up and then make it available for purchase for $1 or so on my website. I would not expect anyone to pay an unreasonable price for a pattern and I feel that $10+ for a most pattern packs out there is a little high when i'll only use one pattern every once in a while. Most items would be $1 - $2 with more complex items maybe $3 (something with a lot of detail). I am not interested in copyrighting anyone else's patterns or ideas just looking to make it worth my time to make it available to everyone. Thoughts?

The title says it all. Intended for a range bag while skeet/trap shooting. Make your own loops to attach it to your belt, then add a larger pouch on the outside for spent casings. I made this pattern on my own time and free will. Feel free to share! I have an illustrator file that is too large to be uploaded. Feel free to PM me an email and I'll send it out! 12GaugeShotHolder.pdf

Might want to look into heat embossing with a stamp if your worried about stains from water. This also depends on the type of leather. I haven't tried it yet but will soon. There are many good threads here on it. I bought mine from Phillips Engraving. They were very helpful with the design. I sent a basic vector image of what I wanted and had them add in the text with the right font. It looks great and stamps well into veg tanned leather. Its made from magnesium so I'll have to be extremely careful heating it up. Magnesium will burn at 800 degrees. Someone on here pointed the actual temperature out to me. You wouldn't want it anywhere near that temperature anyway.

I went with Squarespace and haven't had any major issues. I recommend it to anyone looking to make a website. especially if they have no coding experience. SEO takes time and there are a lot of factors. Google has some good documentation on it. It will take way more time getting the website noticed than building it. 2 biggest suggestions: Patience & Research

If the stamp is metal, verify that it is safe to heat it first. Mine is magnesium and if I would heat it too much it could burst into flames. Sounds funny in theory, but in reality I like where I live.

I used the Tandy Pro Waterstain and had a horrible time with cracking. keep making test pieces to find a good method of oiling and staining but none have came out 100% crack free yet.

I'm in the same position with not enough space. I keep it rolled as tightly as it was shipped or a little looser (is that a word?). An 8/9 oz double shoulder was about 6-8 inches in diameter. I don't remember for sure since its been a while since I've ordered leather. A full side of 4-5oz was shipped rolled up to be less than 6inches in diameter. It keeps trying to roll up on me when cutting so I lay it out flat on the living room floor for a while before cutting. If I had the room I would only roll up what I wasn't actively using.

If your ever having trouble bending the pins on the spots when setting with the setter handle (I destroyed several spots and almost a belt). Get the spot position exactly where it needs to be with the pins stuck just enough to hold still in the leather. Then use the setter handle by holding onto the sleeve only. Haven't bent the pins on a spot since. Probably not the best way to do it but it has saved me many spots and just as many headaches.