Hilly

Welcome to Leatherworker.net, Cross8! Things are a little quiet around here right now because of the big show in Sheridan. Looking forward to seeing some photos of your work! Hilly

I agree, a portable walking foot machine is what you need. They have the "oomph" to tackle stuff like upholstery leather and heavy canvas. They are really not suited to light weight materials, and really won't sew heavy leather without expensive modifications like a servo motor and speed reducer. They are also light enough to be portable, as they don't come with the flatbed table to work on, but they are still quite heavy to carry around. You will probably want a very sturdy table to set your machine on in your apartment. I think most of them will handle thread sizes 69 - 92? Whatever you decide on, buy the best that you can afford to buy, and have fun using it.

Ya never know, Troy. They could be walking down a street in your neighborhood. Seriously, this is my deer rifle. It's also my new plinker. We're going out shooting targets at 500yds. today. I'll let you know how I do.

I was considering talking to a silversmith and asking for some engraved silver rivets. I'm sure they'd cost an arm and leg, but for something very special, it might be worth it.

I talked to Bog Douglas' wife the other day. She said that all their tools are packed up, ready to go to Sheridan. Although you may get through on the phone, don't expect much till after the show in Sheridan, as they are VERY busy at the moment. I'm sure the wait will be worth it, though.

The thing I have found with the one piece awl you get from Tandy (actually a C.S.Osborne or an Osborne clone) is that the fixed blade tends to pull out of the haft. I've bought a few of those, and was disappointed each time. I've spend as much on those crummy awls as I would have spent on a Bob Douglas awl that I would have been happy with. And for what it's worth, the awls you get from Bob Douglas don't need a tune up out of the box like the Tandy or Osborne awls do. It's also true that you will experience some sticker shock with the Douglas tools, but remember that you get what you pay for.

Tandy makes a hair tool. Check out Yaklady's wild boar carving. She did a fantastic job on this one! Scroll down to the 5th message.

A foot operated slicker? Never seen nor heard of anything like that. You could try something like put the slicker on the rear wheel of a 10 speed bike? You'd have a 10 speed slicker! Or put it on a wool spinning wheel, and treadle as fast as you'd like? Sorry, double bubble came early...

Yes, properly casing your leather before you carve your design has a lot to do with it. Too wet, and the lines sort of swell shut. Too dry, and it's hard to carve. The depth to which you carve determines how deeply you can bevel. Ideally, you should be cutting about half the depth of your leather. Also, the order in which you bevel has a lot of affect on the look of depth. Always bevel the nearest items first, and the farthest away stuff the last.

Click me Here's a link to a site that sells what you are looking for. If you want an idea of the weight of the thread, order a sample card for a couple of dollars. This will show you all the colors and weights so you don't have any doubts.

That method would absolutely work, but wouldn't it be more fun to skin the damn cat that peed on the boots, and use the cat fur to line them????

Even going to the store in your state and getting to know the manager does not guarantee that you will get decent leather when you place a phone or internet order. I have found the best way to get decent leather from Tandy without going there to hand pick it is to call Clay Miller (from these message boards) at the Rapid City, S.D. store, and have him hand pick for you. He will ship anywhere in the U.S., and you don't have to worry about getting crappy leather. I have done this a number of times, and have never been disappointed when I order this way. I trust his judgment in picking decent leather. When it comes to veg tan leather, usually, you need to get the better quality stuff from Tandy to be happy, anyway. Just my .02. Hilly

Great job, Tim!

I'm not one to post many photos, but thought I'd share this with y'all. This is the first thing I ever made out of leather. It's a set of stock wraps for my husband's DPMS rifle. I really don't like it all that much because he wanted it to attach via velcro, but he's the customer... DPMS was owned by Panther Arms, hence the panther. This wrap is for my hunting rifle - a DPMS LR-308L. This one fastens with lace.

Very nice. Looks like you've been very busy! I've often thought about doing something somewhat similar. I was thinking of making a bunch of key fobs, pony tail holders, and other small items, decorate them with cat or dog paw prints, and sell them at the vet's offices around town. I was going to donate all the profits to the Humane society in my county. I was thinking of using a small artificial Christmas tree as my display. I just thought it would be a great way to use up scraps that I would normally not use for anything, and help out some needy animals at the same time.

Blasphemy! Forgive him Ed, for he knows not what he says!

I had that same problem till I switched to a slightly larger bargrounder. For some reason, I find the larger size easier to work with and get decent results. Check out Barry King's bargrounders. They come in many sizes.

Hey Ed, do you think you could maybe make some ugly mauls for a change? I'm gonna die of dehydration from DROOLING over those mauls! I really REALLY LOVE the ones with with Tagua Ivory rings and Satinwood spacers! Hope you start building them in a 32oz version soon!

Wonderful work! Nice to see someone actually do this. I have been thinking of doing something like this for a while now (the reason I started doing leatherwork). Thanks for the inspiration!

Very nice checkbook, Ed. It almost feel strange to not see a lot of color in your work this time. I'm glad you found a little time to relax a little and do some tooling after putting in all the hard work making those gorgeous mauls of yours. Take a number, Joel. I'm waiting for a 32oz maul!

No, I hate that plastic look! Thanks for the heads up on that. Looks like I may have to figure out a way to make that wrap easily removable. The forearm stock is a tubular piece of some type of carbon mesh (surrounds the free-floating barrel.)

Of course he cleans it! Isn't that what a husband is for??? He cleans my muzzle loader for me, too!

Anyone?

You can saddle stitch those by hand. The edges of the leathers needs to be mitered (skived) into 45 degree angles. There also used to be a boxing attachment you could get for your machine, but those seem to be a thing of the past unless you buy a incredibly expensive machine.

I am making a wrap for the forearm stock of my hunting rifle. My husband keeps telling me that he's worried that the oil he uses in cleaning/maintaining the gun may stain my leather wrap. Is there something I can use to seal the leather against oil?