byggyns

I use the Tandy snaps on 8-10 oz consistently & have no issue with the post length. I've used it with leather as thick as 12 oz as well. With thinner leathers- around 5-6 oz, I've had to be careful when setting to make sure I get the post flattened enough to close the snap. Thus far I haven't had to trim the post, but I could see that as necessary if I were to go down below 4 oz in thickness.

So, you only dress the internal edge, not the tapered edge aroud the outside? I don't know if I've ever talked to anyone who does it that way.

use a medium to fine grit sharpening stone hold it so the angle of the stone on the tool matches the existing angle of the edge push the tool across the stone maintaining the same angle the entire time- you do not have to press hard, the tool should slide with a little resistance rotate the tool slightly to an area you have not yet sharpened repeat steps 3 & 4 until you have fully rotated the tool to the place you started dress the inside of the punch hole with a tapered sharpening rod- lightly push the rod into the tool, rotate, repeat (some people do not do this step, but I find it helps remove any burr on the interior of the hole) here is a link to the tool I use strop the outer edge by pulling across the strop- maintain the same angle you did while sharpening, rotate, repeat You always push a cutting edge into the stone or rod when sharpening. A back & forth or circular motion is for grinding away large amounts of material- like changing the angle of the edge or removing a nick in the edge. You always pull the tool away from the cutting edge when you strop. Maintaining the correct angle is critical. The stone should also be lubricated: oil or water depending on if you are using an oil stone or a wet stone. The diamond sharpeners typically do not require lubrication. I hope this is clear enough to follow. I don't know your overall experience level with tool sharpening, so some things I may take for granted, and others I may be explaining at too basic of a level. Let me know if you need any clarification.

I would use a clamping system instead of piling weight on top. I have an improvised book press made with 3/4" plywood pieces that I clamp with C clamps. To press the leather, I would use a layer of thick scrap leather or some foam on each side to protect the wallet from the wood. Clamp it in there & wait. The benefit to using clamps is that you can easily change the clamping force. If you start to crack the wood, you've probably tightened the clamps too much.

The ones I have used have all been really heavy weight leather. I don't think using 12-14 oz would be out of line. Skive the buckle end of course. I have used some that were lined with suede and had a cushioned section in the small of the back ( the very wide portion of the belt). I've never seen any patterns, but I'm sure there are some out there. I think making a pattern yourself would be easy. Just figure our how wide the large section will be and how long, then narrow it down to a 2-1/2" or 3" strap portion. good luck & post pics of the final product

It may be too late now, but you may want to consider tuck lock clasps for a quick release option. Tandy, Ohio Travel bag, Springfield, and I'm sure many others supply these. Here's one from Tandy: http://www.tandyleatherfactory.com/en-usd/home/department/hardware/11399-619.aspx ETA: If you need adjustability, you can put an adjustment buckle higher on the flap and have the strap terminate at the bottom with the tuck lock. The way I would approach it is have the billet end with the adjustment holes sewn to the top flap- that way the tip of the billet is hanging downward, have the tuck lock on a short strap with the buckle at the other end. Of course the socket (if that's what it's called) for the tuck lock would be mounted on the bag front near the bottom.

Add me as well, please

The only issue I've had with magnets and tablets / phones is that sometimes a magnet will wake up the device or select options on a screen unintentionally. I have a set of work keys with a magnet to release secure display locks. There have been occasions where the magnet brushed against the pocket where my phone was & woke it up. It decreases battery life, but other than that, no issues.

I had planned on participating, but work at my two jobs ate up too much time this month. I'll see if I can get into the competition next month.

Fiebing's dye reducer is a mix of Ethanol (denatured alcohol) and Propanol (rubbing alcohol) acording to their MSDS. So, yes, dye reducer would work for what he is suggesting. It's also a good idea to keep that in mind for the future. You can mix your own dye reducer formula for less than $10 a quart. That's a lot less than the $20 that Tandy charges (at Elite club level). The effective differences between the two types of alcohol are not much when dealing with leather. So, using either the 90% rubbing alcohol or denatured alcohol by themselves is also an option.

A similar design is used for snow gaiters that are sold for showshoeing. Those are make of medium to heavy weight nylon. Keeping the snow out of your boots is something that these should handle easily. There are also heavier weight canvas or cordura gaiters / spats for use in brush. So again, leather would work really well. I would think that since most snakebite prevention gaiters are made of heavy Cordura Denier fabric, that 10 oz leather would do an even better job. Growing up on the Carolina coast, we had to worry a lot about snakes. Plenty of guys I knew had leather & canvas gaiters for when they went hunting. Some farmers wore them frequently in certain areas & brush conditions on the farms. It's hard to count the number of times I had encounters with snakes growing up. I always wore sturdy, high top leather boots when I was out in the wild. Between the eastern diamondbacks, cotton mouths, copperheads, and the various large non-venemous snakes, it was a pretty regular event to come across one in the spring through fall. I only once ran into a coral snake in SC, but saw a couple when I lived in FL later.

I would also suggest you choose an initial direction for your learning. I think most people either focus on construction / design or tooling / design at the beginning. Basically what I mean is that some will try to get good at designing & constructing a wide range of items before they tackle the tooling and decoration of leather. Others will focus on the tooling, decorations, and artwork side while making very simple (from a construction perspective) projects. I don't know how many people try to learn both sides at once, but that is a lot of skills to practice and integrate initially. Personally, I am in the exploration phase of construction design. I try to come up with my own patterns, work out how I want to attach the hardware, what the order of assembly is, etc. The only decoration that I have even attempted yet is simple basket weave stamping.

I agree. Make more. You learn so much more by making more holsters and making some mistakes for yourself. Even if you make the mistakes that others have warned you about, you can see exactly why they gave you that advice, how you made that error & ways to avoid it in the future. Of course, it's much easier on the ego to make those mistakes when they are holsters for your own weapons. Carrying pistols in your own holsters will also give you a feel for the way a certain design feels, so you can make changes to your holster design for different carrying conditions. One mistake that I made that I had never been advised against is regarding decorative stitching around a single layer at the opening. If I ever do it again, I will have to space the stitching farther away from the edge and / or use a larger stitch size. The way I did it made the leather roll over when I burnished the edge. ETA: I also wouldn't call myself an expert. I've only made a few holsters so far, but you really do learn so much more by doing it.

I didn't realize the old sheaths did not have a welt. The modern KBar sheath I have has a welt, but I haven't handled any older ones in the recent past. Without a welt, the allowance around the outside of the blade can be smaller, which makes more sense when you look at the picture above. The pic shows very little space between the blade & the stiching. I looked for my pattern that I mentioned above, but must have thrown it out at the end of the project. I don't think that I'll ever have to make a sheath again for a blade of that shape.

I'll agree with covering the trigger on a double action revolver. That's a safety issue in my opinion. On a single action, expose it as much as you want since it's quite hard to accidentally cock the hammer and then catch the trigger on something without noticing. With the rear sight, You can cover it or not, your choice. I've made holsters both ways. I prefer the uncovered sight, but some people like that leather wrapped around it. The way the sight is kind of running into the edge on yours isn't what I would prefer. It doesn't appear you have the issue here, but something to think about in future designs is the position of the grip vs. the belt. You don't want the grip in a location where you may accidentally grab the belt with it as part of the draw stroke. That's more of an issue for low-slung holsters. I figured that one out while making a pattern for a Mexican loop style for my Ruger Blackhawk.

If you have the knife only, it should also be easy to create your own pattern. Trace the knife, lay out your welt around the blade, Figure the length you need to double over and tuck behind the hilt. Customize from there as far as location of the strap for the hilt, the slight narrowing of the belt loop area from the blade area, number of and location of rivets, etc. I did one in a similar style recently (for a very different knife). I'll try to post pics when I get home today.

I like the Idea. I also think that the coordinator should be the one who choses the next pattern- that way there is consistency of project flow. It would also be helpful to those of us with less experience if there were a step-by-step build along available. The winner from the previous month has to do a photo or video build along for the next project- to be published after that winner is selected. This would provide a detailed reference guide for any new leatherworker visiting the site. It would also cut down on construction related questions as the year progresses. People will start to grasp the construction concepts after seeing so many different projects and how they get assembled.

If you want to stamp your own, there are tags that are sold for jewlery making that are designed to be punched. You can get a set of 1/8" or smaller letter stamps to punch them.

Were you able to buy the bladder, or is it recycled from another football?

You've already been told about the chrome tanned lining, so I won't beat that horse anymore. I personally have not lined any of my holsters. Just burnishing the flesh side with some water and saddle soap does pretty well for me. Having the gun (or a blue gun) does make the fit much easier. It still is possble to mess up your stitch line spacing with the gun on hand. The last one I made for myself was just a little too tight, and makes reholstering a bit tricky. You obviously can't do any molding without it either. That being said, I like the tooling and stamping you have going on. It looks great.

It depends on the level of use, but the plating will wear off. I have a belt that was made for me about 10 years ago at an amish leather shop (well before I started doing leatherwork). The nickel plating has worn off at the underside of the buckle where the billet moves through- leaving the solid brass behind. The plating has also worn off of the top of the snaps that hold the buckle end closed, leaving the bare steel. The other belt that I have with brass plated snaps has done the same thing on the snap heads. That buckle is solid brass, so no plating to rub away there. This is, of course the wear that happens over a long period of time on the only 2 belts I ever wear. Something that isn't used as often or as hard won't have as much of a problem.

I also collect fountain pens, both vintage and modern. Most of my collection is modern, but I've started into more vintage pens. I'm going to start acquiring the tools to restore old Parker Vacumatics. I've already restored several vintage Esterbrooks.

Loden may refer to: Water-resistant material for clothing made from sheep's wool, without removing the lanolin. It is usually green and used in Austrian traditional clothing. See Loden cape.So, after reading the wiki article on Loden Cape, I'm gathering that it's lined with wool.

Yeah, card stock & a T-square or a drafting triangle to get them lined up. Another method is to make a pattern with thin paper, mark holes on one side, fold it in half and mark the other side. Then transfer the pattern to the heavier stock to make your pattern last longer.

Nice work. Good looking pen also. Parker 51?