tomh

I recently made my first two browband head stalls. The veg tan one has the buckle too high, which I corrected on my second one, made out of latigo. I also made the browband a bit longer on the second one. I was looking for feedback on proper fit and adjustment, and how it should look in the browband/ear area when it fits right. I only had one store bought headstall that was too small in the browband to begin with, so I made it a little bigger on the first one and a bunch bigger on the second one. Thanks for looking, I appreciate any feedback.

Thanks for the input guys. I tried not buckling the legs so tight and that got rid of quite a bit of the extra flare on the sides. I thought I did re-size the pattern to my measurements, but maybe not enough. but I think that the overall effect would have been better if the side panels were closer to the edge of the fringe. Also the leg straps are still a little stiff, maybe adding to the flare by holding the chap leather out. I looked at a lot of pictures online after finishing these, and it seems most chinks side panels are further outboard than these ones are, which still means that more material would have to be removed from the inside of the leg. I will probably give these ones away, and try again! Thanks again for the insight.

I just finished my first pair of chinks, based on the Cow Camp DVD, which was great. I was real happy the way everything came out for a first time attempt until I took a picture to see how they looked on me. I am wondering if they hang funny because I left too much material between the fringe and the side panels, i.e., should I have made the fringe longer, or am I being too critical, since horseback they will probably hang just fine. if it matters the leather is cheyenne bucktan from Hide house. I am very happy with the pattern overall, as they fit and feel so much better than the store bought chinks I have. I am going to do a pair of shotguns very soon and want to learn as much from this pair of chinks as I can before I start cutting more leather. Thanks for looking and for any ideas on the way they hang when standing.

I have been using the W&C english bridal, for my sheaths, and it molds and takes the simple tooling I do, just by giving it a little soak, I don't truly case it but let it sit for a while before tooling. it takes my makers mark well too. and people like the results. I just use some skidmores on it after I am done slicking the edges. I think as funds and needs arise, I am going to switch to the dyed skirting just because I would rather not dye my pieces and would like more options for finishes. I am pretty sure this is the chesnut brown

I recently decided to broaden my horizons and offer more leather options for my knives, as I am tired of lifeless old kydex. I ceased leather work a couple years ago because I was sick of hand stitching. So I bought a Cobra 4, let it gather dust for almost a year till I needed a break from knifemaking, and started sewing scrap together till I figured it out. This sheath is my first attempt at a san carlos type border. I cut the lines with a swivel knife and lightly beveled them by rubbing a bevel stamp tool lightly on them. Which came out less than perfect. Can anyone suggest what size beader tool I would need to accomplish this effect but neater and easier? Also after I was finished I noticed I didnt do a double line on the inside border, but oh well! This sheath is hand stitched because I didnt have any black 277 thread, but I used my sewing machine to punch all the holes. I am open to any critiques, so thanks!