Jordan

Welcome Yona, it has been a long time since I visited the Chopper Build forum, kinda redirected myself into leather, great looking seats, there are a couple others on this site that also do beautiful seats, off hand, one is David who does seats for SPS who's lacing is superb, and Gremlin visits once in awhile. Again welcome and enjoy all the great information on leatherworking. Jordan

I would scathe right back at them! If they advertise free then whatever it is should be free. Some people just don't get it, but if it is any consolation I am impressed with your designs and work. Jordan

If you do a search there are other threads that address your question. In reading them I found that it is possible to damage a firearm with too much pressure. The butt area where you slide in a magazine is vulnerable as just a slight bend will not allow smooth extraction or installation. I have used vacuum food saver machine with good results other than a slight diamond pattern of the bags being imprinted into the leather which does smooth out most of the time with boning And a dummy gun is a good way to go unless they do not make the correct model. Some have made wood molds also but I am not a carver so I haven't tried that yet. This one I did for my bersa and made a belt to match awhile back.

Yes I was watching his dvd the other day and all his tools looked like shrooms. LOL works for him!

There are a few custom makers out there and they have been discussed at length elsewhere in the forum, I am sure a search would bring up a bunch of info for you. I only own Tandy Craftools so I can't comment on others, other that to say they are too expensive for me to afford. I have heard that they (tandy) are in the process of redesign and quality improvements on their stamps so maybe we will see some improvements soon. My main complaint is the flaking of the finish and the crispness of the stamped image. Hope this info helps a bit. Jordan

I showed a tandy roll to my father-in-law a machinist, and he said it was cast bronze not all brass. Whatever metal is used the iron content will react with wet leather turning it black. Something to do with the tanning chemicals and reaction to iron.

The only craftool I have bent when laid next to another looked like a different type of metal. Maybe a bad casting run, looked like pot metal and it did bend while using it at an angle.

I have one, I don't have much experience with it due to time constraints and lazyness but it is a nice solid machine and has sewn everything I have thrown at it so far. I am still experimenting with setup and sewing speeds so can't really comment on that area.

One thing I have noticed while people watching, super wide, thicker belts to an observant person in a public place usually indicates a concealed carry along with those oh so obvious shiny clips or extra loops, LOL. So I guess my point is that a happy medium must be decided on by the customer as to how wide and heavy they want the belt. It seems that one and a half inches is about the right width and the weights listed above should be sufficient. Anything skinnier than an inch and a quarter would tend to twist with the weapon weight and anything wider than an inch and a half would be too bulky. Open carry is a completely different animal. I personally like a belt that fills the pant loops and has a good amount of heft, at least 8/9 in thickness, not really a problem as most of the other observant people out there are likely carrying concealed too..... Jordan Just my opinion and observation though.

Hope they turned out well for you, mine are still wearing well. The only change I would make is wider heel cup or upright straps or whatever they are called, for stability of the back of the sandals.

I would advise against it, they tend to slip a stitch or two if you forget to open doors for them or neglect to pay for dinner and a movie.

Unfortunately they do not make a blue gun for a bersa 380 to my knowledge I think you could use a Walther PPK to get the general size for the holster and the wet form it with the real thing upon delivery.

I got it, probably only due to my warped sense of humor though :poofan: seems to sum it up.

Circle of life, Now if we could find a bunch of tourists with money..........LOL

Found this interesting take on copying others work today. If you're concerned about copying another person's design, keep in mind what Maloof said in his book "Sam Maloof, Woodworker" when asked about those who copy his furniture: "This reminds me of an anecdote about Hamada, the Japanese potter. When someone asked Hamada if imitations of his work bothered him, he replied, 'When I'm dead, people will think that all of my bad things were made by the other potter, and they will think that all of his good things were made by me.' "

Always give credit where it is deserved because it is the right thing to do, but that is also easy to overlook for some, if their motives are less than honourable. And always document or otherwise make it known that you have done something brand new, as long as you are sure it has never been done before. Knock off's are the bain of any product made, leather or otherwise. Not a whole lot to be done about it as the lazy will always find the easy way to profit. Just my opinion on the matter. BTW, You do excellent work and buyers will notice the difference.

I have found my stitching is straighter if I make sure to always stitch the same ie. always put the left needle through first then the right one on every stitch. Or visa versa if it more comfortable for you. Also whatever snugness on the stitches must remain consistent throughout, not so much as to pucker the leather but not so loose either. Kind of a feel you get with practice. I found it is harder to get good results the smaller an item is, so watch bands are tough for me to do. Good luck and hope this helped. Jordan

Used to be fun when the kids were young now it is a real PITA trying to control the puppies who even bark when they hear a doorbell on the television. Also in this state the powers that be change the holidays based on whether they fall on a Sunday. Heck, they changed the 4th of July a couple of times here too! I am waiting for the day they change Christmas, that will really tick me off!

I had a couple of old broken-down laptops laying around so I went to a computer shop and bought a couple of those aluminium cases with the usb cable hookups for about $8 bucks each, took the drives out, installed them and recycled the rest. They work great.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ALL US OCTOBERANS! LOL time flys when you are having fun:banana:

A photograph would be helpful to see the problem. It sounded like your second post indicated a second problem ie. ragged edges? A little H20 an edger and a slicker to apply friction will smooth out and compress the edges. As far as a straight cut, the strap cutter with a sharp blade and practice is the way to go.

Welcome back, have some Lefse and a cup of coffee for me.

I like it, straight to the point not a lot of dodads and fluff and good photos. It should serve you well. Jordan

WOW I thought my glasses broke. LOL. Real nice braiding, I got a book awhile back but have not gotten up the nerve to try any of it yet. Eventually It will be nice to have a leather handhold area on my walkin stick. Jordan

I like the design on the 1st one. I have tried to draw something like it but I can't get the perspective to look right. Guess practice is in order. LOL