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However you got the black lines on the white, and keeping the white clean is just great. The whole thing should make someone proud.

This is right up there with the best "how to" I've seen on this board. Many, many thanks to you Ken! Showing how to do your trademark product is just an unbelievable nice thing to do.

I don't think this has nothing to do with kydex vs. leather...it's whatever setup is used to hold on to the belt. Some of those kydex clips that hold on to the belt are made thinner than other kinds of clips to help with the concealed aspect. The same problem could be made to happen with a lot of leather holsters that use snaps or clips on the belt. There's nothing like a sewn/riveted/screwed belt loop...all them snaps and clips bother me. It does add a bit to the thickness, but for safety...

I always liked those "compass" stars. Nice job, and hope it ain't gonna be black.

Real nice roo. Don't run with it on though, it'll put your eye out...lol

Jeez, that's pretty..... I'm not sure about the black all over...maybe some painted bamboo across in the background, then wax balm, and let it age all by itself.

I like the "reversed" shadow lettering...old school.

It's things like these that shake every one out of their boxes Spider...shake 'em up...cause a little stir, it won't hurt 'em...lol

Geez, thanx again everyone. Just remember...it's just a belt....lol Collin...sure, just attribute it to Rocky River Leather Co.

Thanx for the comps guys. Hedge...that's what I do too.... Sometimes I'll just saddle soap the edge after I dye it...that works too

Bridle is a veg tan too, but it's "stuffed" up with tallows, and oils and such til it's almost bursting with the stuff. It's drum dyed so the color is deep into the leather. IMHO it's about the best belt leather you can buy. Just picking it up and feeling it will tell you, this is what leather should be.

This is a great idea...count me in too, please! When I was doing pottery, all the potters liked to exchange stuff, it was just what every one did at the fairs....walk and talk, then exchange a piece. I ended up with some nice artwork. Someday one of them might even be famous. Leatherwork has always been a sort of loner thing, what with everyone protecting their secret ways and such. I'm all for this openness and sharing. Open Source Leatherwork...lol

So..when are you going to open your shop!!!! Great job.

So, just getting used to my new 3000 sewing machine. Pretty damn terrific, is all I can say. Anywho, I made up this cc/od belt just to try it out. Like going through butter. This is made from two layers of 9/10 Bridle Side Leather I got from Zack White. Real purdy stuff. What takes time is the edge. I got it pretty good, but could have done a little better. working these edges by hand will sure enough strengthen you up!. First I dye it. Them apply some gum Trag...a lot of hand burnishing...then I rub beeswax over all that to fill in any small gaps.A final burnish then a coat of Wax Balm. It was five minutes of sewing with 277 nylon thread top and bottom. I split the billet and buckle ends back about 10 inches to get a little less bulk in front, but it's still about 1/4 in thick doubled over there. I might thin it down a little more on the next one. The rest of the belt comes out at about 3/8 in thick. I ran a stitching groove both back and front to sew into. That makes for less wear and tear on the stitches from the holster. Tooling around the internet for these shows mine to be pretty up there in quality. I didn't see any of them with the stitching in a channel. Most are made from veg tan, with the inside layer being left natural. With the drum dyed bridle layer, you shouldn't have any problem with bleeding. I finished off with just conditioner, and a buff.

Thanx skip. I wasn't told anything about that aux tension. I'll try that tomorrow, just to see. With the great telephone support from Artisan, it's a wonder Steve or anyone can remember to tell us all everything they know, gawd knows, they try though...lol

Way kewl!!! I like everything about it, even the handle. Thanx for posting all the things today. We were in need of some serious pix posting lately...lol

I haven't got any of the extras, Ed... just "my left foot"...lol. I figured before I spent a fortune the day I picked it up, I'd wait and see what I was going to actually need. Right off the bat...gotto get me some different/lots of needles/thread. The nylon thread they sent seems a bit frayable. I'll have to sherlock all the threads available. Probably get the blanket foot setup too. Next I'll see if the holster setup is worth it. I'm drooling over the French Box Rig....

Thanx John, it's good to know I wasn't the only one! The problem seems to have gone for today. I ripped out the bad stitching in the concealed carry belt I was doing, and restitched. I won't be able to use this as a sample cause, you can easily see the overstitches, etc, but for the record I'm showing the pic. As a side note: This is from a bridle side I had. I skived/split both ends, so the belt isn't too heavy in front, but I didn't skive back far enough on the buckle side this time...too much of a hurry to run the new machine. I also didn't feather it back from the skive, so it's kinda abrupt when it gets back to full belt leather... You can see the at the backstitching the parts I repaired. Tomorrow, I'll give a go at making a proper gun platform.

Spoke with Steve at Artisan....Good Man! It was actually not something I or the machine did that was wrong. The 3000 comes shipped with a 25 needle and 277 thread. The combination is perfect for 3/8 and above leathers. What I had been attempting even with two layers fell within the 1/4 inch zone. Depending on the type of leather, the climate, and quark resistance this becomes a grey zone for the needle and thread mentioned above. Steve's recommendation was to use a 24 needle, and go for 207 thread on the bobbin for this 1/4 inch depth. Well, I don't have either the 24 or the 207 right here, but we talked a bit further, and Steve explained how to begin the setup on tension. I'll repeat it here for any other wayward warriors.... Loosen both the upper (aux) and lower (main) tension screws until they no longer touch the spring (just before they fall off actually) then tighten enough to just touch the spring again. Sew a few scraps. I did that and found the knot almost on the bottom of the leather, so...according to manual, you tighten incrementally until the knot appears right. I did that, and it worked right fine on the 1/4 inches. Thanx to Luke and Art for trying to help out. That's why this place is the best on the net!! I'm still gonna have to go find that old lady to help across the street, even if she don't want to go....LOL

Thanx Art. That should help in the figgerin'. In their manual the "lower tension" is the Main tension screw. It says finer adjustments are made from the "top" or aux screw. My floor is littered with practice pieces. They were mostly good, but the second I try and make something, it goes loopy....must be I've used up all my karma over the years....lol. Gonna have to help some old lady across the street today, and build up a few points.... Well...back to more experimenting, until the time zone gets on my side. I'll follow up with results a little bit later.

It's too early for me on the East Coast to call Artisan, so I'll ask here first. Just set up my Toro 3000, and getting familiar with it. It was apparently set up for multiple layers when I first got it. It was working fine through 3-4 layers of belt leather, then I got the brilliant idea to set it for one layer. I made adjustments to the main tension screw, and fine tuned it with the aux one. Every practice piece worked and looked fine, then when I went to actually make something, the tension seems to have a mind of it's own. I'm sure it's me, and what I did to the original setup. Reading the small pamphlet said that if the top stitch showed the knot to loosen the main tension, which I did, until the screw ran out of thread, and fell off the spring. There wasn't much room to loosen there. Long story short, I played around untill the scrap pieces showed correctly. Then went to make...The results are in the Pic. It starts off right, then on the top you can see the tension lapses for a good three inches, then comes back..... If anyone has a clue, let me know. Also, if anyone knows how to start the tension screws at the correct first setting (i.e like a carb you would screw it all the way in, and then come out a half turn, or something like that).

I find myself just opening the Artisan website to gaze at the 3000. I ordered mine almost 4 weeks ago, and it's getting to feel like I may never see one in person.

lots of people sell these, but a quick at my fingertips..... http://www.eleatherworks.com/home.php?cat=664

I still have a cake of it from the 70s. It's made as best as I can figger by the Luth and Company , Germany. Do a google for "yankee polish" wax. I have seen a similar black burnishing wax at Zack White's. It felt and rubbed the same as Yankee. For the record don't use this on belt edges etc. It rubs off leaving a black streak over time.

Grind beans in my 30 year old Waring, four scoops of Eight o'clock into my Bunn, and 30 secs later Black Coffee...all day. I set my Bunn with one of them timers, so it shuts off after 8pm, and starts up at 4am. I've tried every machine under the sun...from $20 Mr. Coffee...to $300 Espressos...none finer than the Bunn.