Colt W Knight

Wow.

I have problems with my hands. I have essential tremors, and I think because of those I grip things really hard and bang my hands a lot. They took some serious abuse when I worked as a Strip Mine mechanic. I am going to have to quit leather work if I don't get a machine. My hands just cant take hand sewing guitar straps, and I don't want to make half-ass guitar straps.

Now that is a serious belt! I am jonesing for a real leather sewing machine. I am hesitant to buy a smaller one in fear Ill still want a bigger one later, but I really can't afford a big one. Do you use an edge guide, or free hand guide the stitches?

I own 5 pistols, and I don't have a real holster for any of them. Nice work.

Thank you.

Thank you.

8 ounce double shoulder back and flaps. Lined with upholstery leather. The upholstery leather was on sale at Tandy for 39$ for a whole hide. A lot of leather in one of those. Hand stitched, and I carved the bull from a picture I traced.

Inspiring! The second one is phenomenal.

Top notch! Love those six guns

A photoalbum isn't a difficult construction. There are a million ways to do one, but I think as beginner, you would want to stick with something simple. 1. Goto the store and purchase a basic photoalbum, ( just a cover with the photo pages) that you like the inside pages of. 2. You will want to make a leather cover you slip the photoalbum cover into. 3. Cut a single piece of leather big enough to wrap around the front and back. Make sure to give yourself enough extra that the binder will slip in after sewing. a.tool the outside b. dye the outside c.If you want to get fancy, glue in a leather liner 4. cut the inside flaps for front and back cover a. tool if desired b. dye c. burnish inside edges 5. Sew the two together 6. sand the perimeter flush 7. burnish the edges 8. apply edge finish As an example, here is an appointment book I made using the same construction. Same principle would apply to a photoalbum. I made one side shorter so it would be easier to change notebooks. For A photoalbum, I would make both sides full length. Here is a leather portfolio I constructed.

I have been seriously looking at bigger machines. Those Cobra 4s look like the ticket, but they are pricey at near 3000$.

McMaster-Carr is a great place to buy raw material like GUMP mentioned. I build guitars, and I save a lot of money making my own pickguards from scratch by purchasing the raw materials from McMaster-Carr. Here is a sample of round stock high impact plastic http://www.mcmaster.com/#standard-plastic-rods/=s70r49

Impressive

I used a diamond shaped pricking iron/awl ( I don't know the technical term for it)

That is a nice sheath. Super clean.

I think there is credit card fee to, right?

Good thread, I am going to have to start ordering online as well. The local Tandy store hides are getting worse and worse. One of the local stores was offering "managers specials", and when they came in I would go cherry pick the 3-4 hides out of 50 or 75 that were nice quality. Last shipment they got was crapola. I couldn't find one decent hide amongst them all.

The fellow at my local gun store swears by horse hide. It gets HOT here in Tucson, and he tells me that the horse hide wont absorb the sweat like bull hide.

I use a groover and a pricking iron. I run the groover over the leather twice so it make a nice deep groove. Here are some pictures of machine stitch and hand stitch with a pricking iron

I really need to make a stitching pony. When I recently got into leather work, I had no intentions on making as many guitar straps and portfolios as I have been lately. Originally, I bought some leather to make custom guitar straps for folks who bought my hand built guitars. At the time, I basically refused to do any hand stitching. Then I got on this forum and realized I had to step my game up on guitar straps. Went down hill from there. Now I have a fortune in leather tools, and I am getting a lot of orders for leather work, which is pretty nice. I guess I should get on that stitching pony. I also need to make one of those hand straps for pushing the needle through the leather. Thanks for the compliments everyone.

I ordered some Al Stohlman books and tracing paper from Tandy Online once, and the local store folded the books and tracing paper roll to get it to fit into a smaller box. I am guessing so they could make some money off the shipping. I was pissed off. I got several yards of wrinkled up tracing paper.

I have been learning the hardway. Just recently picked up a few Al Stohlman books. Those things are a wealth of useable knowledge. Wish I would have gotten them a long time ago.

Just finished this leather notebook portfolio. It is going to be auctioned off at the Arizona Cattle Growers Association Cattlemens College this summer. It is made from 7 ounce veg tan leather with a deer skin liner. The pen holder is red lambskin. I have made several of these with a few different designs, and folks seem to like them. I am currently working on my PhD, and serving as the University's feedlot manager. I go to a lot of meetings and make a lot of notes when working cattle. These heavy duty portfolios just hold up and work better than the vinyl ones you buy at the office supply store. Still need to press it flat, hand stitching the edges usually puts a bend in the leather. I don't use a fancy stitching vice/pony. Just do it on the couch watching TV. I have to say, hand stitching these guys really sucks, but my old singer wont sew more than 7-8 ounce leather.

Looking good.