midwestislander

Very nicely done. I like it a lot. The folded edges make it quality.

You might look at the Nov/Dec 2017 issue of LeatherCrafter and Saddlers Journal. Slickbald who has a leather shop in Colorado has a tutorial on making Braces (suspenders)

When I dye a wallet exterior I usually use a rag/towel to apply, not oversaturating it, then blot on paper towel. Multicoats. On the inside, do the same thing, though with a drier rag, multicoats going "with the grain. This way I can dye outside brown, tan, mahogany (my favorite) and black inside.

Pfaff 345 H3 Industrial Leather sewing machine. Treadle conversion, table mounted with dual thread spool mount, and light. Leather shop owner retired. Must be picked up in Ottumwa Iowa. $1250.00 Pictures available, can email or text and will load when I learn how. Will have to read instructions or when Joanna tells me how.

Very nice design and working.

Nice, lots of work and nice detail.

I have lined the tobacco and "other smoking" pouches with 1.5 oz calfskin, lambskin, and goatskin, for the part where the smoking material was going to be.

Pretty cool. You should get bored more often.

I built my workbench to be slightly higher than waist high. This way, operations that were done standing would be comfortable. I first started using a barstool (nicely padded) for sitting, but found a rolling stool with adjustable height (spin it up, spin it down).I have an overhead shop light and also 2 lamps ( I like LED with flexible necks) that I can maneuver for best light. Most often used one on each side to eliminate shadows. As stated by others, As stated by others, right height for your footrest is one of the most important features for me. Good lighting eliminates unnecessary bending and straining and eyestrain.

Looks to me like you pretty much have it down. Good looking pieces.

Beautiful. Color is subtle and stitching is superb.

Thank you.

Stunning pieces. Beautiful detailing.

Very beautiful. Your tooling is so crisp.

That piece is embossed, either plate or roller. A 3D stamp will do certain parts of a design, but you will not be able to integrate them smoothly into a total design. Check out the forum section on Tooling and Stamping here, as well as do a search on :How do I do That" forum. Just find a picture you like, (learn how to) make a pattern, get some basic tools, (the forums will give you an idea of what to start with, and go for it.

Depends on what you are making. For me, wallets, holsters, cases all differ in the order depending on the end-product and/or the effect you are trying to achieve. many times, it's cut, dye, glue, sand edges, groove, stitch, edge, burnish apply finish. on some products, there are some parts that will need the edges finished before assembly because there will be no access to those edges. You will have to plan the process before starting. Just think it out, draw it out on cardboard as a mock-up before using good leather. I have had many an "oh sh*t" moment in the middle of a project. Then you have to step back a try to think of how you can (1) salvage the piece if possible, and/or (2) not make the mistake again on a similar piece. Good luck. Just dive in! I have destroyed many cereal boxes and poster boards doing mock-ups to make sure my process was going to work.

I wish my first wallet looked that good! or the second.

Very nice, and especially the use/polishing of the antler.

Welcome Neil. If you've been lurking, you already know what a great and useful place this site is.

Congratulations, Bob. You have helped me and so many others by unselfishly sharing your knowledge. Your talent and craftsmanship give us a goal to aim for.

I have done something similar on my dyed wallets, etc., using what I would call dry burnishing. I take a towel or t-shirt material that I have used for applying dye of a darker color that has dried, moisten it slightly, dab it on a paper towel so I know it is not too wet, then lightly burnish the area that I want to be shaded. To increase the shading, I burnish more, not necessarily adding more dye to the cloth.

I like it. they look very nice.

Very impressive looking holster. Nice design, tooling and stitching.

And then a tank bib to keep the flow. looks good. bet that was a challenge.

That is beautiful, detailed molding. How are you getting the detail?