gearsmithy

been working on a set of meideval "horse armor" for my chop. Planing on doing lots of stringray inlays. The hard part is getting the patterns to fit properly. haven't had much time to work on it but i think it would look pretty cool.

I'm with Grumpy, after you oil it, throw some pecards on it. Puts a nice natural shine on the piece

Barge contact cement from Ace hardware. that stuff is nuts!

Mockup? I think it looks cool just like that!

I do mine like Beez, somtimes I use 2 straps just in case. I like to do pigskin lining as well.

I like it. I would've opted for tooled bones on the front but I kinda like the color. How'd you get that color Kev?

Not sure if it's period correct but IMO, copper rivets are the most durable.

I made mine out of spare high-density polyetheylene (I use it to make plastic shells for my motorcycle accessories), graphing paper, a drill bit and soldering iron. you can fabricate it just like metal. total cost: $0

They both have their place. The round definitely has more strength than the slot, but slots make for quicker lacing jobs (if you have a 3-4 slot chisel). if your braid requires that you go back through the hole like a mexican round braid then a round hole is the only way to go. For simple cordovan braids I prefer slots because it gives you a cleaner edge. In any case if the joint is under stress you should go with a punched hole. You can close the gaps left in the leather from hole punches by lightly wetting the edge after lacing, this will tighten up the seam and make for a nicer edge. For a bible cover I imagine you could get away with slot, depending of course on the braid you're doing.

I found a recipe online for homemade desalter. Basically just water and white wine vinegar. I might give that a try first and if it doesn't work I'll spring for the commercial stuff. I'll post some before and after pics too

bummer! I hate it when that happens. You can always dye the whole thing black.

Just got a new pair of boots and I accidentally walked through a salted snow bank with them. Anyone got any tricks to get the salt off?

you can find it all over the place on line. I get mine from small parts (http://www.smallparts.com/)

I used to spread rubber cement on with an old credit card on both the leather and the carboard before casing. Now I rarely even cement my workpiece to the cardboard. With smaller pieces it helps to move the piece around when tooling and keep it from stretching but with larger one's there really isn't a need for it. Make sure you're using the cardboard that has a shiny side. It repels water better than the rouge side, otherwise it can get soggy if you opt for the "soak and wait" casing method.

That's pretty good for your first attempt. You should've seen my first piece. I felt like a pig on skates making it and the craftsmanship looked like it was done with a lawnmower.