Colt W Knight

I started making personalized straps for the guitars I build for customers. Adds a nice touch to a custom guitar.

Would love to see a picture that!

I came to leather work after building guitars, so I felt a tremendous since of gratification after completing leather crafts because its relatively quick compared to building an entire guitar. The best part is if you buy a whole side or double shoulder of leather, mistakes are cheap! I find that I have to challenge myself each build to do something more "complicated" or "involved", and that is how I continue to learn and progress. But don't get me wrong, take your time and enjoy like others have said.

You do good work. Very inspirational.

I'd recommend checking out GALCO gun leather. They have a lot of holster styles and great pictures. That will give you a good idea of the most popular styles and how they are worn concealed.

Outstanding thread. I have been wanting to build a Waylon inspired guitar for a while now. Quick question - about how much lace do you need for a tele?

Oh sorry, I misunderstood your question. Are you wanting to buy in bulk, or just one? Regards, Colt

I have never seen a factory Martin guitar with a strap button on the headstock. Do you have a picture or a link? I can tell you where to get your buttons if I know which one you want.

Love that leather cover! I am a big Waylon fan, and I plan on making a cover whenever my leather skills are up to par. I have built between 40-50 electric guitars from scratch, and most of them were Tele style. Regards, Colt

I can put (3) 30 round PMags in this bag along with the riffle. 1 just above the barrel, and 2 above the buttstock.

I used contact cement to hold the sheepskin to the shoulder leather. I left about a 2" perimeter area unglued so I could stuff a zipper in there. Then I trimmed the skin even around the edge, and beveled the wool as to not get stuck in the zipper. I fretted about stitching the zipper in for a while. First, I couldn't find the zipper I wanted in the length I needed. I ended up buying a sleeping bag zipper. Secondly, I didn't know how I was going to keep the zipper even while stitching. Thirdly, I was afraid I would spend hours stitching, and it wouldn't line up properly. Fourth, I was afraid the zipper would get in a bind around all my curners. Fifth, how the heck am I going to find the hole under all the wool? Turns out I worried for nothing. Non of these were any trouble at all. I was very pleased with my results

Something that I haven't a clue about - Art/tooling/carving. Please forgive my crude artwork and skills. This is actually the first thing I have ever tooled into leather that wasn't just stamps. I used a ruler and a beer cap to draw the flower, and free handed the leaves. Added my initials Dyed the rest with Fiebings British Tan. I learned a lot of lessons about dyeing doing this large surface area that I never encountered with guitar strap and holster sized projects. I like how it turned out though. It looks like a Hereford bull.

I am not a fan of plush lining or synthetic lambs wool, so I bought the real thing. No fuzzies with real wool. I hate fuzzies, and I especially don't want fuzzies in my M4. I was sure how the two pieces of leather would mate up, so I cut the wool larger. I was worried that when I fold the leather like a taco, that the inside would protrude on the outside and wreak havoc on my whole setup. Two firsts for me. 1) stitching - The jerk at Tandy lied to me about the HD needles I supposedely bought. Ended up breaking all of them. Went back, talked to someone who knew what they were doing, and got some what he called "harness needles" which worked perfect. 2) Handles Place for carry strap attachment. In hind sight, I wish I would have sew in some brass D rings

Fit test I was a little worried about the handle area So I added a little more material. Just taped on some wings and recut Cut out the leather, and rechecked fit Bought this tool for this project. Wow, it works nice I have never stitched leather before, and I have some limiting hand tremors that tend to prevent me from doing a lot of repeated/tedius hand work. I liked the idea of these punches I saw at the store, and bought a set.

Perimeter marking. I decided 1.5" would give me enough room for the rifle to slide in easily, but still fit in the bag securely. I know straight lines are easier, but why make something custom if your are going to go generic. Expensive drafting tool... I find these utility knives cut pretty well with new blades

I can admit freely that I have no idea how I am suppose to do this, and I have never had any training or tutorial books on the subject. Please bare with my mistakes. Shipping paper has worked for me when drawing out rough templates. Rough outline Getting an idea about how much width to allow for on this bag My highly technical centerline method

Hello All, I am new to this forum, and to be quite honest, leatherwork. Growing up in a horse family, I have always loved leather, especially saddles. As a teenager, I made several crude knife holsters and even a few pistol holsters, but nothing worth bragging about. When I was working on my undergraduate degree, I didn't have time for hobbies, and I didn't get to make much of anything. Afterwards, I got back into wood working, and started building guitars. As a resutl, I decided to start working with leather again to make leather straps with my customers names. Now that I am in graduate school, I don't have the time to build a lot of guitars, but Tucson has two leather stores. I have been getting some ideas, and I want to pursue this leather working hobby further. My first undertaking, making a nice range bag for new Colt M4. Commercial range bags were all a foot too long, and designed for "mall ninjas" and "suburban commandos" with pockets for 37 magazines, and webbings for securing all your zombie killing accessories.