pete

take a really thin piece of cardboard- like a cereal box-and cover it with packing tape. Now you have a smooth, shiny surfae. THEN..squish a little RUBBER cement around and put your leather on it. With good leather with a smooth back, it will stop the stretch and will leave very little rubber on the back. Get a gum rubber erasure to get the little bits that are left. I have a firm piece of cardboard from a 2x3 foot artist drawing paper easel that I have taped on one side for this, and use the other for dye and antique-ing. Used it for 2-3 years now- very little rubber cement sticks to it. pete

use RUBBER CEMENT, not contact. when you pull of the piece, put it face down and pull the backing off of the leather keeping the leather as flat as you can. Don't need much cement either. I have even used a light spray of elmers in a can with no stretch problems.

wow! you've got the patience of an oyster when it comes to the backgrounding!(maybe 'cause they are shells?)

beautiful work- as usual! tell me- all of your pieces have the same color(s) on your finish. I love it. What dyes/antiques and oils do you use. It really unique. pete

yes you do, business man....yes you do pete

definitely use Bee Natural saddle oil. It doesn't darken and is a great conditioner. You could always use Bick's #4. Won't darken either and lubes and conditions. It's my go to for every project. pete

does he like it? does it fit his horse? Is the tree in good shape? Is there cardboard fillers in between the leather? Heck- if it passes you got a great deal! $350 might cover the cost of leather and hardware to make a new one!

I use mine again for second coats, etc. throw it away if yo don't use the same color, finish, etc. scraps are cheap enough. I DO have a small cup that I keep a piece of shearling with my neat's oil though. Had it for a year or so. chuck it when it gets dirty. pete

so....when making a fully tooled holster, for example, what DO you holster makers do to tool AND bone or mould a piece? pete

nice job on the clasp assembly. very creative and attractive. pete

where are you from? raised in Sausalito myself. pete

what do you honestly think of the ergonomic swivel blade handle? really.... not just because you have one! does it make any difference? easier to carve with, learning curve? etc pete

a bit confusing on the end result from your description. please "draw" a picture of the rabbit (as shown above) and shade in the mask part. That way it will be MUCH easier to show how and where to bevel. IT CAN BE DONE!!!!! pete

Really nice work!!!!! I line with all sorts of stuff and learned just not to cement(or use rubber cement) when you START your lacing. I start on the back or bottom of projects, and when I get to the beginning again there's no problem separating the 2 pieces. Great Work!!! pete

I don't get the message either. pete

Thanks for your interest and numerous PM'S for the kits. If you want to order get ahold of my paypal partner at donr56@yahoo.com Also- check out his site at http://shop.leatherbydon.com/ You holster makers might like to see what's "flying out the door at gun shows! We sold out 2 weeks ago!! yipeeee!!!!

YES! Welcome!!! Tell me, what is the tool that you used in the 3rd picture(3 cases/bottom case)) for the background? It looks very rough and random- I really like it!!

Both of you seem surprised. Are you both saying that $40..00 is too much or not enough???? Curious-- what WOULD you two charge for a finished product?? I'm not in an affluent area here in Arkansas so I charge what the market will allow! I could get $60.00 in Eureka Springs at the boutiques and tourist shops. I saw Mexican machine stamped "sheridan" there for $60.00 3 weeks ago! I can do 3 a day(tooling) and 1 more day to finish, and I sew 1 or 2 of them that night or the next day. The liners are really nice 1-2oz pigskin. pete

I went to a gun show last weekend and sold 7 for a "show special" price of $30.00. They were all tooled. The kits went for $15.00. Again, I called it a show special.(didn't have postage to pay!!) Thank you for the compliment about the tooling. They are fairly fast to do and I really like the small designs. pete

I send brn or white waxed thread,needles(only if you need them!) 10 pattern suggestions ,and postage paid. Holes are you call. I can do $ 15.00 for five or more. I pay all.Thanks for your interest! I'll send paypal account address to you or all that are interested. (maybe I should post it here now???...Johanna?????) respectfully, pete

Oil you leather. after tooling and after it dries from the case-ing, give it a coat of evoo or neats and let that soak in(dry) I think that you are just seeing dry spots or hard spots . These can be made worse by deglazing as it REALLY dries out the leather and seals the pores.

what did you braid that mecate out of? pete

Just spoke to my partner. We can use his account as he uses it dozens of times a week. ( he makes pocket holsters, buscaderos, belts, etc, and ships worldwide) If you would like a kit please pm me and I will give you the paypay acoount. Please denote card case OR wallet, and holes or no holes. Also- I'm in the process of making wallet patterns to hold the do-re-mi as has been suggested. thanks all for your patience pete ps- I'm sending 10 pattern ideas with each kit.

To all. I DON"T HATE PAYPAL!!!!! I just never opened an account! It's that simple! I never sold things before to the public and have bought many things here from members with a check---so---I didn't know! My partner does have one so I will talk with him about adding my items. Everybody happy?!! As far as the paper money goes, I carry a money clip and carry 5-6 credit cards, license, and ss# etc in this model. I thought that it would be useful as many of my friends liked the idea too and some of my wife's friends like these to go out on the town with a minimal case for license and ccards. I COULD design and sell a money pocket if you all would like them- I just never "tested the waters" before offering these. "don't hate me because I'm stupid" (pete 2.22.13) pete

NOT TO BELABOR the point- but here are a few close-ups of some of the kits I am taking to the show. thank you for looking--pete