byggyns

I just finished my first belt - for myself, and I did it in 4 sections of thread. I wear 40" pants and stand 5'7", so I have a rather short arm span for my waist size. My joints are at the buckle side, near the center on either side, and I do have a joint near the tip. I kept it a few inches back from the tip, but it's still in the billet section with the buckle holes. I overlapped one full stitch, and then took the thread on the front of the belt to the back side- a half stitch. That way, all of the thread ends are on the inside, and not visible from the outside of the belt. I cut them short & melt the ends: used poly thread. On the outside, the stitch line just appears slightly thicker at the overlapped areas.

What they are talking about is how the curve intersects with the straight sides. The curve you use should be 90 degrees of a circle. For that size of a curve, you should use a glass or can & line the straight sides of the cover up with the edges of the glass & trace the curve. It looks like you have 30 - 60 degrees of the arc, not the full 90 degrees.

Your awl should be so sharp that when you shove it into your finger, you don't feel it until you see the blood when you are putting the needle through. To prevent the blood, use an old wine cork on the back side when you are pressing the awl in. Even with a good clamp close to the stitch line, you will still get deflection. When I am doing the stitching near the opening of a sheath & am going through 5 or more layers, I have that awl sharpened & stropped extremely well. I also have to use my larger sized awl so that the hole stays open enough through all those layers to get the needles through for the doubled stitching that is needed at the beginning and ending of the stitch lines.

An idea to get rid of the annoying silver color is to do an oil blue on the bolt. Use a propane torch to heat the bolt to a nice bluish color & submerge it in some used motor oil (you can use new oil if you want, but it has little effect on the result). I would recommend using a metal can, not a plastic container for this. The oil can have a flash fire if you heat the bolt too hot, so do this outside away from flammables. If you get a flash fire, just cover the can with a metal plate & it will smother quickly. It also stinks- fire or no-, so inside isn't where you want it to happen. After the bolt cools, you should end up with a nice blue/black finish.

I used to have a Super Redhawk in .44 mag, 6-1/2" barrel. I wouldn't call it a pussycat to shoot, but it wasn't too awful. Recoil was quite managable, but you got tired of shooting it after about 3-4 cylinders.

There are also filigree blades available for swivel knives. The blade is more narrow and more angled than the angled swivel knife blades. I haven't bought any or shopped for them, so I can't point you in the direction of any specific suppliers.

Seriously, RVM45, is this the year 1990, and I missed it? Nearly every major handgun manufacturer has copied in some way the technology Glock pioneered: the trigger safety, the striker firing, or the polymer frame. Here's a list of some of the manufacturers that have copied one or more of those innovations: Smith & Wesson, Sig Sauer, H&K, Springfield Armory, Taurus, FN / Browning, Beretta, Ruger, CZ Even Kimber copied the striker firing mechanism for the Solo- they sill haven't made anything polymer framed yet. The only real argument against the Glock is that it is an ugly box shape. Possibly, you can argue that on some, the grip is uncomfortable and too square or large- which they have really remedied in the Gen 4. Calling the Glock a gun like object means that you consider the other highest selling models on the market for the past 10-15 years to be not guns either. If you are that stuck in the past, why are you even on the internet?

The amish man who made my belt 15 years ago used line 24 snaps. When I make my belts now, that's what I use on my heavy weight work belts or gun belts. For a light weight dress belt, I'd just stitch the buckle in.

As someone with generous dimension in the waist, I can confirm that a IWB holster without reinforcement will collapse at the mouth. The one I have is store bought & does not have any strip around the opening. It's a molded veg tan holster from Tagua- about 6-8 oz leather. Reholstering is a bit of a chore. As far as another option to consider for between the layers of leather at the opening, kydex is one I would look at. It comes in several thicknesses, is easily molded with a heat gun or toaster oven, and I think Springfield leather will still send you a free sample with your order.

I attended a holster making class at my local Tandy. It was $65 for 2 Saturdays. The cost really just covered the supplies we used: a single shoulder of leather, dye, needles, finish, thread- at the normally inflated Tandy prices, and we took home the left overs. I thought it was a good deal, as a decent holster costs upwards of $50, and a custom one is over $80. It was my first leather class since Boy Scouts 20 years ago. I found it very helpful. Since it did not require me to buy any tools, I could choose what tools I wanted as I moved forward. I did end up getting some Tandy tools to make more projects with that first shoulder of leather: another holster and a knife sheath. The advice to read as much as you can is certainly well founded. I have learned quite a lot reading the Stohlman books and the information on this site. Also, as far as the cost of that class, the Gold level membership was only $35 USD last year when I did it, so that would be quite a bit less than the $100 for the course. Of course, my local shop was only a 10min drive from my apartment at that time, and I wasn't working a second job, so I had the time and the distance availability. Now with 2 jobs, I barely have time to touch the sides of leather I have sitting around to have fun with any new projects.

If It is 2 pieces, and there is no way to tell with the perspective of the picture, then I would mold the inner, then mold the outer layer over it, then glue them together. If you were to laminate the two first, I think you would get lots of wrinkling inside the corners. You don't have to have a press, just a simple plywood mold would do. Flat base, positive part of the mold screwed to it. Then a negative cut with enough gap around the positive to allow for the thickness of the leather. thoroughly soak the leather, clamp the negative down to the base around the positive & let it dry. Trim off the flanged area around the perimeter off and edge burnish. The mold peices should have the corners rounded off & be thoroughly sanded. A lot of people like to use wood filler on their molds to give it an even smoother surface. I'm not sure that just using a creaser would be enough to get that kind of shape.

As far as the Tandy alternatives, I have an Osborne 5/8" slot / bag punch that I got in an eBay lot. It was still new in the shipping edge coating. After a little initial sharpening, it works great. Not having used a Tandy punch, except for a punching a pair of 1 3/4" belt slots during a holster making class, I'd say the Osborne is better built, but I don't know how the edge longevity compares. I still haven't used my Osborne 1 1/2" round strap end punch from the same lot, but I also have no experience with other brands to compare that to. After starting with the interchangable tip mini-punch set for round holes, I got the set of round drive punches from Harbor freight. They work fine, but took a lot of initial shaping / sharpening of the edge. Cheap tools are cheap for a reason. I also have the Tandy oval drive punch for doing holes on the billet of belts. That required no initial sharpening & hasn't needed any yet. I had a whole response written about why using a softer surface to punch holes on is better. It was a TL;DR type of post. I think if you try a poly board, wood block, or poundo board under your punches, you will see the edge of your current tools last longer.

You could try buying kids shoes at yard sales or thrift shops. Tear them apart to get measurements. That way you would have an accurate size number to use with your patterns.

You want to avoid granite for any punch tools. Even through the scrap leather, the surface is going to be too hard. It does not disperse the energy of the strike like other surfaces do. That's why it's great for tooling. Get an end-grain wooden or poly cutting board for under your punches. I use a cheap poly board with one layer of scrap leather over it and don't have any issues- from under 1/8" to 1/2" holes. A lot of folks use a section of hardwood log as their base for punching holes and using stitching chisels.

Another place for patterns that I have heard positive reviews of, but not personally used is: http://www.bighousedaddy.com/ Check out their stuff to see if they may have one that works for what you want. ETA: If you have any leather supplier close, go by to actually put hands on different leather types. Although I may not buy a lot of leather from Tandy, I have one close by, so I can feel what different types of leather are like. I can also drive a little farther away & get some better stuff from Weaver Leather.

A briefcase is a pretty ambitious first project. I won't say it can't be done, but you will likely be happier with your result if you build a few smaller items to practice stitching, setting rivets, cutting straps, attaching buckles, setting snaps, dying, finishing, etc. I'd suggest starting with things like a wallet, notebook cover, & belt. The amount of hand stitching you do on a double layer belt will really give you practice on stitching. I've already made several holsters, knife sheaths, notebook covers, and a belt, and am just to the place where I feel I could probably tackle a briefcase or messanger bag. For ideas of what people have used, check out the threads in the bags & purses sections. There are also tons of patterns for various bags in the pattern section Luggage, Briefcases, Satchels: http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showforum=99 Purses, Belts Wallets: http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showforum=67 As far as leather, the weight & type will depend on your intended purpose. If you want to add tooling, you will have to use veg tan. If not, oil tan, latigo, veg re-tan, and several others could be used. Most firm cases will be from 4 oz and up. Thinner leathers will result in a bag more prone to collapsing and not standing up by itself. I've seen some cases made from 8-9 oz, but that is thicker than I would probably use. I use that weight for holsters. For quantity, you will need at least a double shoulder for most bags, and depending on the size & design, you may need an entire side.

My great grandfather was a professional meat cutter / butcher for his whole life. That was in the days before they even used the metal mesh gloves much less the new kevlar ones. Each of his hands were essentially one big scar. He stopped cutting himself when he put his knives down for the last time after his second stroke- when he was in his late 70's. He taught my grandfather & father, who then taught me, how to maintain razor sharp knives and how to minimize, but not eliminate cuts while working.

The only time I've seen a curved slot serve a functional purpose was on a 3 slot pancake holster I bought before I started leatherworking. The front slot was curved so that there wouldn't be any binding from using either of the rear 2 slots: either vertical or the 20 degree cant positions. This could probably be accomplished by just making a slightly larger front slot, but this way the slot stayed smaller and more snug on the belt, yet was able to accommodate either position.

Magnets do not function extremely well with stainless steel. They don't hold on as well as with carbon or mild steel. Depending on the stainless alloy, they sometimes don't hang on much at all. I would agree that rubber is the way to go - perhaps a thin shoe sole material. I'd go with a chrome tanned or oil tanned leather.

That is a great use for some small scraps. I like the design and execution.

I'm wondering about the non-stitched corners / edges. Did you just use edge paint on the folded grain side or did you sand or edge bevel them before the paint? It is another great creation that you've come up with.

What type of dye are you using? I know that my local hobby store sells a few different kinds. If you are using the EcoFlo all-in-one, which is what I see the most of at Hobby Lobby, then you won't get much (or any) penetration from the oil because the all-in-one has a sealer as well as the dye in it. If you are using Fiebings spirit dyes, you should be able to get oil into the leather after dying. I usually dye and oil before I cut out my patterns, so I don't have to worry about any size changes. The exception is when I'm doing tooling & need to dye after cutting & tooling. Some people moisten leather before dying. It helps to even out the dye application and maintain the moisture level in the leather. I've even heard of oiling the leather prior to dying, but have not tried that one personally. I also agree with Monica about the leather you use. In my experience, better leather stays more supple. Some leather also has a "pasted" flesh side. The paste can resist water (more difficult for wet forming) and oil penetration on the back side.

If you will be using the stitching punches / chisels, you should have a 2 prong in addition to the 4 prong. The 2 prong will allow you to work around curves more easily. I find that I don't use the 4 prong much. I use the 2 prong and 6 or 8 prong (some smaller stitch lengths are available in 8) much more often.

I think dry brushing would be the first thing I would try. Dye your base color- a light shade like a tan. Then use your dark brown or another dark color with a dry brush technique. You can vary the intensity of the dark color by diluting it to give you multiple shades in the grain.

Is it possible? Yes it is. Is it a little too ambitious for a first project? Probably. I would suggest your first attempt be a solid color- straight from the bottle color, just to familiarize yourself with the procedure and the materials. You can get the color effect you want, but I don't think you will be able to get it with only the eco-flo dyes. They are water based, so they will bleed in the leather. You cannot use a mask or resist with them. Also, you didn't specify if you wanted to use the Eco-flo professional waterstain or the standard Eco-Flo dyes. I've used the pro waterstain multiple times, and it gives a great color-fast result. For getting the correct color: mix the dyes off the leather. Applying layers of different colors may work for some colors, but not with black. It will just stay black. Mix up some blue with a very small amount of black, then increase the black to a level you like. Use small 1 in square test pieces at each ratio. It does not take much black to darken any other color. Measure the amounts of the dyes exactly. You want to be able to scale up your ratio to a large enough volume for the entire piece. Also, make sure to wear gloves when working with the pro-waterstain. I didn't on my first knife sheath & have a nice finger print of a lighter shade where the dye didn't soak in as much in one spot. To add a light colored design after you've dyed the leather a dark color, I suggest acrylic leather paint. Angelus makes them. Many people also use regular acrylic paints from the art or craft store. The paint stays on the surface rather than soaking into the leather. It is probably the most reliable way to get a good contrast with a white design on dark dyed leather. After dying and painting, you can use resolene. I have never gotten a plastic looking result with it. The grain tends to look smoother, but still like natural leather. I thin it 50/50 with distilled water, then apply in multiple thin coats. Do a lot of reading about the various kinds of dyes, antiques and finishes in the dedicated sub-forum. It will definitely save you some headaches with experimenting, but you will still have to try things out before you get the result you want. The biggest lesson to learn with dyes and finishes is patience. You have to let them dry thoroughly before moving to the next step. That sometimes means doing 30 min of work, then setting it aside to dry for 24 hours before you get to touch it again.