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I'd also appreciate to have access please. Thanks!

Thanks fanninator! If you haven't sewn your 'scrapped' wallet already and provided you haven't salvaged the leather yet, you might want to try to sew it really close to the edges and it could work perfect for you. My bills stick out but they are canadian currency, and they are bigger than US bills (by about 1/4 inch or so). I'm pretty sure the 'downsized' version would work out for you.

I realised I printed the pattern smaller than it should have been at a late stage of the project (I was sooooo pissed at myself). Decided to keep on going just for the learning process. To my surprise, everything fits in the finished wallet. Bills stick out a little of the pockets but that's not so bad for a project that was supposed to be doomed from the start. The oustide is vegetable tanned goatskin, interior is veg tan calfskin, both pre-dyed, sewn at 7spi with 332 satin linen thread (campbell's). So here it is:

Hi Levi, Do you think moving the pony instead of having to lean might help? If so, I recently came across a company named panavise that makes a lot of different vise models. Some allow for the item held to rotate/swivel/lean. You could mount the vise on a workbench and and mount the pony on the vise. The vises are not cheap but it would be way cheaper than any pony already mounted on such a device (Fred Moreau makes a really nice one and there's also a seller on ebay with a similar item - both are really expensive). I hope this helps or that someone else will have a good idea for you!

Calvus, How about telling your good friend all about your work process and costs and ask her what she's willing to pay for it? You might be surprised of her answer. That way you could prevent the situation in which you ask for a lower price than what she would settle for. If her answer is unreasonable explain to her why it's unreasonable.

That's very helpful, thanks! Always had trouble getting consistent results with dying. I never thought of burnishing the leather after dying. I got to try that! Thanks again!

It's a bit harder (for me, at least) than he makes it look. Since you can't see the back of the piece you really have to guide your needle with your awl blade on the back, otherwise you will damage the leather trying to find the hole. Not a problem practice won't solve though.

Django57, There's one thing to consider with those french clams: they might be less versatile than the Dixons. I own a Blanchard clam very much like the one you showed (pretty much the same price as the one you posted if I remember correctly). Since its jaw doesn't close by itself and it is asymmetrical, it somehow forces you to use it 'horizontally' (bottom of the jaw against one thigh and other leg over the clam for pressure). The Dixon clams seem to be more versatile - you can use them either horizontally or vertically. Since I realized that I'm beginning to consider to start a clam collection.

You might want to try pva glue (white glue). It's often used by bookbinders and leatherworkers. It doesn't adhere instantly like contact cement does but it gives a fairly strong bond, is a lot less messy than contact cement (you can easily wipe most of the excess glue with a damp rag and it sands fairly easily on the edges) and doesn't have that awful solvent smell (which is a big plus in my book ) There are pva glues made specifically for leather (Tanner's bond white leathercraft cement by Fiebing's is one of them) but you can get some all-purpose glue at your local hardware shop to see if you like how it behaves before committing to a more expensive product. I think the most accessible brands in the US would be Elmer's glue-all and Titebond white glue - for which the smallest size I found were gallons... I use Lepage's all-purpose white glue, which is a repackaged Henkel product I believe. It might be closer to the Titebond as Titebond is subsidiary of Henkel. There's also a two-sided tape that Tandy sells - people seem to like it a lot. I ordered some but have yet to recieve it so I can't really comment on it...

Good to know, thanks!

Thanks for the info Tiara!

General questions: How strong/durable is fish leather? As a surface, can it resist well to abrasion or friction? How well does it resist to stretch and bending? I was thinking about using the skin I have as a lining for a wallet or something like that but I have no idea if it's an appropriate use for that leather. Also, any idea if pva glue is any good for working with fish leather and/or snake skin? @simontuntelder Funny, I didn't now fish leathers were used as an alternative to cow/horse leathers during WWII. Makes a lot of sense considering how everything was rationed, especially in Europe. @Tiara How bad are the shipping charges from atlantic leather (if you don't mind me asking)?

Bob, do you remember what shipping cost you when you got your clam from abbey?

Looks like you nailed it Tiara! It sure looks like Wolffish! Thanks for the link on leather conservation, there seems to be a lot of useful information on that page. I'll have to try that Lexol product! Thanks!

It could be some sort of eel (a huge one) but it doesn't look like anything that shows up in google with keyword 'eel'...

Hi, My father just found this skin in his stuff. He doesn't remember where he got it from. Any idea from what animal this skin might have come from? It is about 10 inches wide at the widest point, 4 inches at its narrowest. About 42 inches long. Also, with this skin there were 2 snakeskins. My dad says the skins might be over 25 years old... What should I use to condition those? And the mystery skin? Thanks!

Like Tree Reaper said, if you sand and burnish your edges, you should be able to get by with the bevelers you have. That being said, there are several types of bevelers. Flat edge and hollow edge are two of those types (There are many other styles of bevelers but I'm not familiar with them). Flat bevelers won't cut as much leather as their hollow beveler counterparts (I hope that makes sense lol). Here are links to Dixon's website with pictures of the bottom of the bevelers. http://www.josephdixon.co.uk/products/Edge_Shaves.html http://www.josephdixon.co.uk/products/Hollow_Edge_Shaves.html I believe Tandy sells both types but I'm not absolutely sure... Osborne makes many bevelers but I'm not sure they make the hollow edge ones. Maybe someone can confirm if they do or don't. Here's a link to the beveler section on Bruce Johnson's website. Lots of different styles here (and quite a bit of info on the site too). http://brucejohnsonleather.com/leather-tools-sale/leather-edge-bevelers-sale/

Is it a chrome tanned leather? Regarding thin leather - I recently stumbled upon Pergamena (a tannery specialised in bookbinding leathers but that also has a couple of lines for fine leatherwork). https://pergamena.net/shop I have not purchased leather from them yet but so far they have been helpful with all my questions and they will split leather to your specific thickness (as long as the leather allows it). I bought their swatch book - their leather looks really nice and they have a lot of color choices. They specialise in parchment and leather, from calf, goat and deer skin. Relatively small skins (5-11 s.f.), decent prices, and affordable shipping!

That's a really nice design and a really clean piece of work too! Like thefanninator, I'd like to know what's the leather you used - if it's not too much to ask?

That's really nice! Have you shrunk the grain? What's the thickness of that leather? How much leather does a tail yield? I got to say you really got me curious about beaver leather!

BUMP!!! Nigel, I can't wait to see that video! I was about to pull the trigger on a couple of irons and I saw this thread. I really hope someone will answer the call for the Vergez irons, it would be great to have an objective critique/comparison of the quality... There's no way I could express how informative, helpful and inspirational your videos are! Thanks so much for the time and hard work!

Really nice! The carving and dye job are quite impressive!

Quite nice! The choice for spi's is a matter of preference, really. Some prefer a chunkier stitch, others a more refined, sleekier stitch. 8-9-10 spi would be good ratios although you could go for either larger or finer stitches. All in all, I think your thread choice/ spi would be okay if weren't for the part where the 'snap strap' attaches to the wallet - it looks disproportionate to me. You could either use a smaller spi/thread all around and keep the wallet proportions or keep spi/thread size and go for a larger round leather part that attaches to the wallet. It would be neater IMO. Other than that, good job! (edit: i somehow posted before writng my post entirely; CURSE YOU KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS!!!)

Milton, You forgot about posting the pictures...

Wow. Just wow... I bet this will end up in a museum someday!