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StrigaMort

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Everything posted by StrigaMort

  1. StrigaMort
    Hey that's great. I had tried a couple of off the shelf products and didn't like the results. The coconut stuff goes on fairly well, although sometimes I have to apply a little heat when doing a stamped piece or whatever. If it catches a little in a groove or dip just run a hair dryer over it and it'll melt and soak in. I ran water directly on the initial test piece for a while and it repelled quite well.
  2. StrigaMort
    Nah, I appreciate your input a lot. The customer wanted all black. I had a bit more leash on this snake overlay. I dyed the back but left the edges natural. Maybe next time I'll suggest a little break in the solid colors.
  3. StrigaMort
    Went with the overlay. I need to work on this inlay business. Maybe I'll do some key chains for practice with scraps.
  4. StrigaMort
    Vinegaroon is nasty stuff! Sure does make an even black though, and no chance of rubbing off. Just be sure to neutralize in water and baking soda. Does cool shades of gray which are hard to come by. Dip dye,from what I've read, is usually a bath of straight or diluted dye that you run the item through. I'd like to hear more about it though, especially about how to keep the mess to a minimum. An open bottle of dye is scary enough, a bucket or trough? Yikes.
  5. StrigaMort
    Not sure if this helps, what you do and I do (sheath making) is quite different, but here it is anyway... I use a mix of beeswax melted in a double boiler and mixed with coconut oil. The stuff is becoming more popular and can now be found at walmart (inexpensive) and target (organic). It's really quite interesting stuff. It's a solid but melts at a very low temperature, maybe 80° or so. I aim for a ratio that yields a mix that melts under reasonable friction, but stays stable under most conditions. I don't believe coconut oil goes rancid either, in fact many people use it on their baby's rashes. I recommend picking up a jar. If you decide not to use it in your work, you'll no doubt find another use for it. Like cooking. Oh, lastly,I use this, not just on the edges, but to add weather resistance to my work. Good stuff. Bad example, but it's what I got at the moment.
  6. StrigaMort
    Meh,I'm gonna cut a whole new piece and re-do it. This time I'll leave room for stitching, make the panel under the shark larger, round the interior corners of the window and burnish better. Sucks to start over but I won't let something leave my shop that I wouldn't buy myself. I've given the customer the option for an overlay and I think it'd work nicely that way. Just waiting for the Tiger thread to arrive. I'll post the results.
  7. StrigaMort
    I enjoyed this and the other thread linked. One thing, and this may be common knowledge (the linked thread is quite old), Fiebings Pro Oil can be shipped to Cali by ST Leather. Sorry,I know it's off topic,but in case anyone didn't know...
  8. StrigaMort
    I like the overlays that I've done, but I don't like that they were snake just because I don't feel that it's durable for that kinda work. Sheaths I mean. Anyway,here's the top panel. I didn't sew the inlay and I kinda wish I had tried. I dunno, I may just re-do this.
  9. StrigaMort
    This is for a custom that has a 4" blade on a 4.5" handle. I've made about 20-25 sheaths, only two were overlays and I'm now of the mind that I'll charge less for a full overlay only because the inlay is so much more work. Glueing a skin to a leather piece and welt stitching it is super easy by comparison. Lead shot. That's brilliant. I had a heavy piece of granite on top of the work and I had thought about using a towel to give weight to the areas that aren't flush, but decided against it. I don't reload so I'd have to use sand or something, but it'd certainly be better than nothing. I'm using a top piece of 4oz on top of another 4oz with a piece of the same under the shark. The back will be 8oz. You should be proud of that stitching. I could probably fit all of my stitching ifi had your skill. I'll take some pics later so you can see what I'm up to. Thanks for your help.
  10. StrigaMort
    Very nice Mike! I appreciate the words, they definitely make sense. I like the figure too. Is that machine stitching or hand? It's beginning to look like I didn't leave enough room on the top panel for stitching both the inlay and welt. May have to just stitch the welt, all the layers and Weldwood, there's no way the inlay would ever come loose, just not sure it'll look right. Oh, what do you use for lining leather? I have a hide of 1-2oz veg tanned pig but haven't tried using it. Don't like to try too many new things at once!
  11. StrigaMort
    I tested Barge (Tandy label, Barge in small print) and Weldwood red. Both cements held very well, but the WW maintained its integrity while the fibers ofthe leather tore apart. I go with WW because it's so inexpensive and easy to find. It does dry very hard on the glass (4oz) bottle, but that's really only a problem because I refill it from a large can. I believe I'll be buying one of those Teflon coated pots. I've read good things about them. I had never heard of glue soaking through thin leather. I'm doing an inlay right now and I *really* hope that it doesn't because it'll ruin the window panel, but worse, I won't know how to deal with it. I'll report back on how it goes.
  12. StrigaMort
    Thanks. I don't know why I wrote 1.4mm up there, the thread is 1mm. I went ahead and bought some Ritza. 8mm I'm not sure if it'll look any smaller, but I want to go 6 or 7spi around the window and 5 for the welt. I also bought a shark hide and will be using that. Shark is really nice, not at all rough like I thought.
  13. StrigaMort
    I was just looking at that brass handled knife last night. Looks nice. I did a little test cutting with a couple of the carvers I mentioned before. The pic got oriented weird but the top knife in the pic did quite well around corners. The long straight bladed knife cut as well as a box cutter but a box cutter is far less expensive.
  14. StrigaMort
    I have a Harbor Freight wing divider and I knew it was junk when I bought it, I just needed something at the moment. The fit & finish is terrible and I pretty much won't use it. So I've been on the lookout for something nice. I'm unimpressed with the stuff I've found at Hobby Lobby, Sears, HD, etc... Then, the other day, I saw a video where the person was using what looked to be a very high end, heavy, polished and just generally very nice divider. Where can I get a top quality divider? I'd like the very best if possible. A couple of options would be nice if they exist. Thanks, Anthony
  15. StrigaMort
    Before I got back into leather I did a lot of wood carving. I have several custom carvers. They have ergonomic handles and, naturally, very sharp blades of various design. I'm considering repurposing them to see how they act as leather cutting blades. A big part of me balks at the thought but they are just sitting there and were expensive. Some would make terrible knives,you can tell just by looking at them, but some may be excellent for the job. I'll report back with my findings,but if you're interested, they are hand made from Deepwoods Ventures.
  16. StrigaMort
    I'm going to be starting inlay work with smooth snake skins. I'm okay with patterns and making the leather windows, but I'm not sure about the best way to sew the skin to the leather. For sewing my typical 8oz I use the following- Stitch groover Over stitch wheel (usually 5spi, but I have 6 and 7spi wheels) Drill press with a large (unsure of size) needle chucked up Then I groove the back and sew using 1.4 Ritza waxed thread and 00 John James harness needles. I'm thinking that the groover and 7spi wheel will be fine. I need to know which thread and needles I should be using. Do you use waxed thread? I'll need a freehand groover so I'll already be ordering, just need advice on what else to order. Source might help too. Lastly,will the sewing materials be the same when sewing, say, shark, gator, ray? I really need advice here so anything will be appreciated. Thanks. Oh,I make knife sheaths if that matters.
  17. StrigaMort
    This is a great thread. Aside from the earlier rudeness, it's been a great resource. I bought some good leather that I'd have had to buy a lot more of just to try and made a friend in the process. As for my scraps, I've been making small rounds that I put my stamp on. I need some of those little ball chains to attach them to my sheaths. The customer can toss them or use them for a key chain.
  18. StrigaMort
    Thanks for the replies. I haven't tried it because I ended up buying the Preval and didn't really care for it. I figure if I don't like that, I won't like a spray bottle. Next stop is a full airbrush setup.
  19. StrigaMort
    Certainly not perfect, but I really needed a mark. My shop is called Omega Leather.
  20. StrigaMort
    Anyone have a couple of feet of 4oz veg tanned I'd be happy to pay you for it. Shoot me an email if you'd like.
  21. StrigaMort
    Nice work Richard. Great choice in steel too. Are you a member at BladeForums? If so, what's your screen name? If not, you should consider joining. A lot of the guys would appreciate your work. I use the same SN there and post frequently in the Sheath forum.
  22. StrigaMort
    This was exactly the info I needed as well. I contacted RJF, and Goliger is fairly near. Thanks!
  23. StrigaMort
    Interesting. Someone (anonymous of course) sent an email. I'll just say that they greatly disapproved with my post above. Since I cannot reply to your email, and because I know you're reading... It wasn't my intention to come across as a leech. I'm sure my feelings are on the same page as the OP in seeing a waste by simply disposing of the scraps. If I'm way out of line here, forgive me. I don't ask for help, or anything typically, however, I'm coming from a community of knife makers, the normal position is to help one another as much as is reasonable. I still believe that the usual person in leather work is cut from the same cloth, we are all craftsmen and women. Maybe posting my email was a mistake. Anyway, my apologies to anyone I may have offended. Wasn't my intention.
  24. StrigaMort
    Edited to remove an apparent act of greed.
  25. StrigaMort
    Points? Great stuff guys. Definitely a good idea to include a clause. My friend got a sheath back recently because the owner had been inserting the knife in the wrong way! He is making a new sheath for the guy, but that would normally not be covered as I understand it. I think knife sheaths are at the high end when it comes to possible failure. Even if the sheath is constructed correctly using high quality materials, it still has to deal with a pretty rough life. A limited lifetime warranty sounds perfect. Thanks for the advice.
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