amh421

Thanks for the feedback- I dropped the price... Yeah the table has been worked over lol, but I'll leave the pics as they are for now.

I posted this belt on the forum last year sometime- I'm finally ready to sell it... It's listed on eBay here: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Handmade-Tooled-Carved-Western-Belt-Herman-Oak-Leather-USA-/221821175575? I wanted to keep it, as it's my first completed project, but it doesn't fit me... I didn't intend on keeping it anyway and I don't want to give it away! Am I crazy ask $145 for it?? Anyone interested- make an offer!

Wow, really nice!

Thanks for the tips LeatherWorx- the leather I used is definitely Herman Oaks. My family owns a business that sells leather, so I know the good from the bad. I hear ya on that being a factor in the outcome of people's work, that's definitely true, but not the issue here.Thanks for pointing that out I used Fiebling's Sheridan Brown paste. I think I just didn't do it correctly, I messed up somewhere in the drying/buffing process. And I applied the balm before the antiquing wasn't 100% dried. I wiped out the patchy spot and it looks like the top pic now. I think I'll just call it good. The other thing, in my stamping, I didn't use a textured shader in the flower petals and I should have used the checked beveler MORE in the flower center, so that the paste had more to stick to. On my first project i posted, the antiquing turned out way better - on that one I used a lined pear shader in the petals and used the modeler enhance it. This one here, I mainly used the modeler in the flowers, rather than a textured shader. Live and learn I'll be sure to put some texture in the petals so it'll stick better next time. Fanninator- I know it's supposed to be in the cut lines and background lol but I'd like it to be where the petals meet the flower center and in the petals also. But like I said above, I think that problem goes back to my stamping. Thanks for the video post! I'll do another post when it's complete. Thanks guys!

I would suggest to use English Kip leather, which is calf skin. It comes in a 1.5-2oz, which makes beautiful interiors. Then go to the 3oz on the exterior. These are vegetable tanned leathers and can be died and sealed. Stitching on smaller projects should be about 7 count per inch, which tends to look better and makes sewing easier. Glue your pieces together before stitching. Keep a cup of water close by to dampen the leather as you're sewing it. That allows the string to pull deeper into it. Use twisted nylon string. Stewart Manufacturing has good string. Be mindful that on thin leathers, as you're pulling your string, you can get a "curtain rod" effect, so keep it smoothed out as you go. Keep practicing and doing- your work looks good! You have good potential!

I've antiqued leather before, but I can't figure out why this looks so patchy... I went over it once, and buffed it off and this is how it looked. So, I thought I should do it again, maybe I didn't use enough or something. I used it again and it looked a little better, but still somewhat patchy. So, finally, I decided "it is what it is" and went ahead and finished with Leather Balm/Atom Wax (which I've used before), then a few days later I noticed that the antique finish was flaking off. Like, flaking in a way that the original color of the leather was showing through. I ran over it with some wool and pretty soon, my counter top was covered in dry, antique flakes! I've never experienced this before... then I decided to try and take the balm off and re-do it, so I went over it with saddle soap, which removed the balm pretty well. However, now the antiquing isn't in the places I'd like it to be, it's only in the cut lines and background: So, I decided to try again. I put the antiquing over a spot, let it dry, and buffed it off- and it looks the EXACT same as it did the first time I did it- patchy! Especially in the flower petals: What am I doing wrong? * I just realized this should've been posted under another catergory... sorry guys, still trying to figure the forum out. :/

Very cool! Thanks for the extra pics!

Great idea on the "never ending" awl - do you mind if I share it with a few customers? We're an Osborne and Tandy dealer and I get a lot of customers that prefer the Speedy Stitcher simply because you can wind more thread on it's spool vs the small spools for the Osborne stitcher.... but then they say that hand-winding the thread onto the spool is a pain and it's so much easier to simply switch out the spool on the Osborne stitcher... lol I guess ya can't satisfy everyone I prefer an awl and 2 harness needles, so I don't have much experience using either stitcher, therefore I can't recommend anything from personal experience... but that's a smart idea.

Wow- verrryy nice.

Hey can I get in also?

WOW! This is really, reaaaallly nice! I love the color stain- watered down, eh? I'll have to remember that:) Nice job!

Wow this is a really good idea for a sheath... it would make a good backsheath (done the opposite direction for right hand) maybe something to take hunting. I saw a sheath similar to this one time, one my brother in law made- it was for a folding pocket knife though, the top end was open, and it had a small opening on the back end so you could push the pocket knife out of the sheath... kind hard to explain without a picture... but it had two open belt loops (like yours) so it sat almost parallel to/on the belt. I thought it would be way more handy than the usual folding knife sheath that sits perpendicular on the belt. My pocket knife grew legs and walked off at work the other day... I guess I should try to make one for myself lol. Really nice work though, nice stitching- I like the brand incorporated into the tooling. Good job!

Wow! REAAAAALLLY nice!

Grommet setters maybe? But the one with the yellow on it looks like a snap setter... probably light weight snaps- like garment snaps. The one top with the extra arm- does that little whole go all the way through it? And is there some kind of lip in between the arm and the plier? It looks like a little flat piece there. I'd point if I could lol.