Halitech

wet form using 3-4 oz veg tanned leather and be very careful not to get the water inside the phone

I had a buddy make mine for free but Studio-n on here makes them. I ordered 2 stamps and the quality was spot on and the price is good

Cut the arc you want out of a thick card stock then use green painters tape to hold it in place and use that as your guide

You say the d ring section is on top of the collar but the way I'm looking at it, the d ring is behind the main part of the collar and you have the added piece on the back of the collar to hold it in place. Personally, great idea and one I've used numerous times myself. However, 5 rivets and stitching on each side looks like overkill to me. I would have only used 2 rivets on each side, especially since the buckle end will have to actually let go before the d ring can come off. Other then that, great job.

the metal screen would probably work better in the middle then the washer and yeah, get it at least 10mm (3/8" for our SAE members) and add the washer to the top and I bet it would last longer. Think I'll give it a shot on Monday when the stores are open that I can get to as well

might not be the "right" way of doing things but if it's going to be a 1 time use stamp, makes more sense then spending 50.00 on a custom stamp. Maybe if you had made it thicker and added a washer in the middle, it may have lasted longer, especially if you used a press instead of a hammer

looks great and would be a shame to hide it in a pocket

just wondering, does it have a belt loop on the back or is it more for carrying in your pocket?

I'm booked into 6 shows this upcoming fall season and the most expensive one is 40.00 for an 8' table. All set up, tables, chairs are provided and I just need to show up with my stuff and put it on the table.

Since you know the "customer" will be outgrowing the belt, you could get a little fancy and put the initials as Dwight suggested then split the length in 3 sections and put the child's birthday on it or mom and dad's initials then when he is done wearing it, it could be put away as a keep sake to show his future wife when he gets older

if you had a pic of what you are working with it may help us come up with ideas. pics of front and back would be helpful

you need to do all wet forming/molding before you apply your top coat (in this case, resolene)

My only suggestion would be to stitch close to the edge around the area where the leather will rub on the d ring and then rivet the end up in place.

toss the speedy stitcher and get some proper needles and go watch nigel armitage saddle stitch on youtube. If you want to tool or stamp, your only option is veg tanned. The others won't absorb water so you can't tool them. Far as brand, if tandy is close, get the mid grade stuff from them since you are starting out. If not, see who is close or check the companies above and see what the shipping is like to you

The best thing is you are here, you are asking questions and you are trying to learn. That will help you a lot down the road. Probably the reason you are having an issue with burnishing is because the leather you are using is probably chrome tanned which will not absorb water/gum trag/etc so you can't burnish it. The black you are using looks like some lamb that I have here. It's great for a liner and even for making a complete wallet interior but you have to get creative with the edges. Even thin veg tanned can be a challenge to burnish properly. A suggestion for your stitching, use a straight edge and "mark" a line by pressing into the leather a bit. Then go to the kitchen and grab a fork. Yes you read that right, a fork. Press the tines into the leather to mark where each stitch hole should be. It won't be as accurate as stitching irons or an over stitch wheel but will be closer then eyeballing it.

I won't say it's up to the military standards like the phone is but it will probably outlast the guy that bought it

Thanks kiwi. The back stitches aren't as nice as I'd have liked but 1/2" of leather is a bugger to get through, especially when you can't lay it flat due to the belt loop

just to toss ideas out to you, maybe if you had the top bar be adjustable from both ends you could have something more usable with all the sizesand only have to make 2 pieces instead of the 4 like tandy is using. I think that would be more sturdy then their.

Been doing mainly coffee sleeves lately so this was a nice change of pace. Local businessman approached me a few days ago and he wanted a phone case for his Sonim XP7 phone. For those that don't know, the XP7 is a military grade phone designed to withstand a tank running over it lol The customer is stucco and stone installer so he needed a case that was tough and would protect his phone. He also wanted a pocket for carrying 3x5 index cards. This is what I came up with. All constructed with 9oz veg tanned leather except the liner covering the snap on the inside. Hand stitching 27oz of leather was not fun but I managed to do it.

I agree, yours is better if you only use 1 size stamps. I'm not sure how well their adjustable one will stand up to use over time though Personally, I put down a long piece of green painters tape and line up my letters with that. May be low tech but it works for me

Looks great Colt and I'm sure he will be very happy with it

usually you go stain, antique then finish though, not antique, stain then finish

Doesn't matter if you are dying or not dying, you need to finish it with something. If you aren't dying it, a light coat of supershene may be all you need which will prevent most waterstains but still allow it to develop it's natural patina. If you want to give it an "artificial" patina, apply a coat of snowproof then melt it in with a hair dryer or heat gun. Test on a piece of scrap first to make sure it turns out the way you want

I use Maine Thread and it doesn't look like anything I've gotten from them. Chances are it's commercial only and something for a heavy duty machine if it's a mass produced wallet

you could also lace the edges with Mexican round braid instead of sewing. It will cover the edge and hold it together. Not sure if it will give you the look you want but it's an option