cgleathercraft

I'm on the fence with using only glue. it would work for a dress belt I imagine where there isn't much stress and it's more for looks. Carrying a firearm is going to put more stress on a belt that will make it pull and stretch differently. Glue, IMHO, is only temporary. Hence, if it gets glue, i stitch around the edge. Now if my britches were falling off and I was forced to make a decision, I'd just go with the single ply 12oz. Hope this helps I'm not a lawyer, nor do I play one on TV lol, so go with your best judgement.

wouldn't chafing fuel work? can get it at most big box stores.

Keep all the scrap you can, that half inch wide piece that is 3 inches long may not be much but it works as a welt! There does come a point to clean the scrap box out, but throwing all the scrap will have you cutting fresh leather for small barely seen parts that scrap is better suited for. A good workbench makes everything easier. Its not a small change, I know, but a few small improvements on an existing workbench could make it a great one! If you use a carpet/razor knife - strop the blade - it makes an enormous difference. Just because it came straight out of the package and can hit bone faster than you can feel it doesn't make it sharp. Practice, practice, practice... I have lots of that stuff laying around, even more found the trash can! lol

I currently CC with a single layer of 8oz...so.....it can be done, but I wouldn't sell it for CC. As soon as I can i'm making a new one with a minimum thickness of 12oz (two 6's double or a 8oz backed with 4oz). It will last longer, resist stretch, and be more comfortable.

Pocket knife sheaths, cell phone cases, Cast Iron pan handle cover (gonna make a couple of these for myself), archer arm guards (if archery is popular in your area)...anything that can fit in a pocket/purse/belt

Its a two piece grommet and the picture shows the finished side and not the side that was rolled down. Here is what they look like: http://www.tandyleather.com/en-usd/search/searchresults/1285-01.aspx I whipped one of these up for my nightstand and used a rivet instead. Could also use a snap so it could lay flat in a travel bag.

may pick the drill kit. have to get a few things off the bench first. Thanks for the info!

Thank you! I'll give them a call.

Try giving it a stir. Could also be from a lack of tanins to react with in the leather. Brew some black tea (strong as possible) and add it to the roon. I get a nice dark black most of the time. Some pieces need a little longer soak or some oil before they get completely black.

A little blue loctite will keep them held. I've also used superglue in a pinch. As for getting them tight. anything that's a little tacky and lots of pressure like Dwight.

Is it difficult to change the plugs? I assume just snip the old one off and hook up one from the local hardware store, right?

Here is where I bought mine http://www.abbeyengland.com/Store/tabid/77/CategoryID/202/Category2ID/27/List/1/Level/2/ProductID/68933/language/en-GB/Default.aspx

FWIW add another to the vacuum sealer crowd. to save $ on the bags use the rolls and cut them a foot or two longer than you need. that way when you cut it open your only cutting off a couple inches and can reuse the same bag till it's too small to fit everything inside. instead of 2 disposable bags out of 2 feet you can probably get 5+

Tiger thread ordered from Abbey England. 1.0mm for 90% of what I do. The other 10% = whatever looks good.

I've heard of thumb tacks being soldered onto the back of conchos then bending the pin over on the back side of the leather. Slip a tiny flat washer under the pin and solder the bent pin to the washer. If your comfortable with a soldering iron it should hold just fine. The one i saw was a lapel pin re-purposed to go on a keychain and looked pretty good!

Will the drill kit work in america? The plugs look different.

4 different projects on my bench right now. two should be done this weekend and the others by next weekend. I don't do multiples of a single item so it's start one project - get to a stopping point (drying) - start on the next one. Chief does it right though. cut out multiples so they are ready when requested. I don't get enough orders to justify doing it that way but it's a good way to do it. I keep my patterns for holsters though.

Putting a feeler out to see if anyone has a few extras stashed away that they would be willing to part with. Looking to get a minimum of 2 of each size of needle/awl and a few bobbins. Thanks!

Very Nice!! The pictures showing the progress on the edges between the front/bottom/back and the gusset are the best representation of the steps that I've seen yet.

It has arrived! getting it in the house was a pain. re-strung it gave it some oil and turned it by hand a bit to make sure everything was going to work ok. makes some nice stitches. Waiting for the manual to get here before I plug it in and ramp it up. Also need to buy hooks, awls, and some extra bobbins. The lube pot is missing the heater so using thread wax is probably out of the question. Is there another kind of thread lube i could use? or is it really needed at all? once i get everything working on it i'm going to make a flat plate for it any other recommendations on sizing the flat plate?

I'll be doing one exactly like this later this summer. I'd be interested in some pictures from whoever takes on the project.

If we just look at charging for your work - By the hour for random, special pieces, and design work. For multiples of a single item with the same or near same tooling; the work can be done on a flat rate of per piece or by x number of pieces per hour. As for contracting out work - I'd love to be busy enough to hire someone to take a portion of the work. They would get the basic time consuming jobs(cutting, stitching, edging, finishing) of stock items while I did the custom work.

Sold, Thank you everyone!

Sold, Pending Payment.

bump - every reasonable offer considered