barehandcustoms

http://www.foamonline.com/ - if you want a lot of them custom built for a production run Otherwise You can just buy large sheets of foam from numerous sources and cut it down to size yourself. You can find sheets at Walmart, Hobby Lobby, and just about every craft store. http://shop.hobbylobby.com/crafts-hobbies-and-fabric-crafts/craft-foam/craft-foam-sheets/ http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2/175-7271249-0803759?url=search-alias%3Darts-crafts&field-keywords=foam%20sheets

Wow, that looks really nice..... Like the big screw knob you used. Now I feel bad about the one I slapped together and attached to my secondary bench.

Never heard of someone actually using tiger thread in a sewing machine. Pretty sure everyone who replied is hand stitching with it.

I have seen a lot of people use line 20 snaps for thin leather accessories but it really depends on the leather you are using. Overtime you may see more stress on the leather from using the line snaps versus glove snaps. Generally speaking most glove snaps will require less force to pop open than a line 20 snap. That can be a good or bad thing depending on your product. Keep in mind that not all 3oz leathers and glove snaps are created equally. Some glove snaps require the force of a line 24 snap to pop open and some 3oz leathers have very weak grain. A line 20 snap will be the same every time though. I would cut a strip of the leather you use and stress test the line 20 snaps on it before shipping anything out.

I had this happen once and I never got the spot to blend in afterwards. I even tried soaking it in black oil dye after I gave up on being able to sell it. That spot still stuck out like a soar thumb though. Just the antique gel by itself will seal in the pores and prevent dye from penetrating evenly. If the Tuff Kote stuck together and left a bad mark then I would just cut my loses and remake them. Lesson learned.... You might get lucky and someone here has figured out the magic cure for it.

Think McMaster's is becoming one of my new favorite websites.

Thanks

http://ludlowleather.com/products/ritza25-tiger-thread Just FYI Might be cheaper then Abbey's since the shipping is only $5.70.

Sounds about right.... They are leaving out a lot of details on the listing and just banking on the Hermann Oak name. If it was Grade A then they would definitely advertise it as such to justify the price.

The high minimum order from the tannery really drivers the price down per sq ft. Most people can't drop over 2 grand to meet the minimum order though. So really not fair to compare those prices to Tandy or SLC. Granted it does seem like Tandy is charging a premium for what they have in stock. They might just be testing the water and taking another quick jab at SLC. They don't specify average SQ foot or whether its Grade A or Grade B either. Maybe Tandy is selling grade A sides? Just seems odd they would want almost 100$ more per side than SLC would for thicker drum dyed sides.

I doubt it is the strongest but I would rank it #1 on my list of best threads to work with. I keep other types of thread around the shop but always end up grabbing this stuff. It is easy to sew with, terminates well with a lighter, not over waxed, very consistent product....the list goes on and on The strongest thread I have worked with would probably be some of the twisted nylon industrial sewing machine thread. It is very bulky thread to hand sew with though.

My Suggestion Put it on a strap piece and then apply stain. See what the result is.....don't find out the hard way on the piece you are working on.

Welcome to the forum

Thank you

http://www.ebay.com/itm/400709599378?_trksid=p2059210.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT Where can I buy these by the 100s? Not regular old tee prong screws but better quality ones like you can get from Tandy?

Yup, Sometimes you just have to accept things aren't going to turn out right. If it happens a lot then I would suggest buying a pack of the thickest art paper you can find. Practice on it before you start laying a blade to leather. Generally you will find most of the flaws in your new design and save yourself some money. Your time is generally the most expensive resource involved in a project. Don't be afraid to call it quits when something just isn't going to work out right.

When I started I would buy all kinds of leather from several internet sources but I have to agree with Chief on Springfield leather. That has become the place I buy a majority of my leather from now. If you are a business they will switch you over to their wholesale pricing upon providing your tax id for no extra cost. I buy a lot of Hermann Oak from them and even though it is Grade B it tends to be better than most of the shoulders you find everywhere else. my 2 cents

It is used a lot for outdoor and horse riding gear because of its flexibility and weather resistance. High grade latigo always reminded me of English Bridle leather when I handled it. The quality can vary drastically though depending on how successful the tannery is at trapping the oil back into the hide. Good latigo leather should be soft and supple. Latigo is a dual tanning process though while most harness leathers are only tanned once. Latigo is treated in a chemical bath of chromium salts or alum and then tanned again in vegetable materials. I seriously doubt you will be able to tool it. The veg latigo is just what they decided to call it and not any different than other latigo. You can make all kinds of stuff with that roll of leather though that doesnt involve tooling.

Long as you aren't using it to cut food then you can use it. Keep in mind *most* neatsfoot oil now is just a mineral oil mixture and not actually the oil from cattle shin bones anymore. Usually its a bit of actual neatsfoot oil with a bunch of mineral oil plus who knows what as an additive. I have always used olive oil or regular vegetable cooking oil on my BK2. Never had any issues with it hurting the leather other than darkening it a bit on the inside.

http://www.amazon.com/Obenaufs-Heavy-Duty-4oz-Preserves/dp/B003SKCARK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1406146600&sr=8-1&keywords=Obenauf%27s+LP I use this stuff on almost everything. I apply Neatsfoot oil first and then put a layer of this over it. In your case though, you can apply a very thin coat of it by hand.

You could try a few light coats of Neatsfoot oil but I would stay away from applying heavy coats of oil and sun drying it. Without knowledge on how to properly do that you could end up with a big old oil soaked purse that leaves oil streaks on everything for months. I would recommend applying very light coats of Neatsfoot oil or olive oil once a day until you get the leather conditioned how you want it. In my experience people end up over doing this process so proceed slowly and apply thin coats.

It would be tricky to apply to thin leather without getting blotchy areas. You may try a light coat of Obenauf's to seal it instead. Its a dense gel and can be applied lightly so it doesn't discolor the leather but seals it.

Water down your oil dyes with rubbing alcohol to thin them out. If it is a small item then your best bet is to actually dip dye it. Just dip the piece into a bowl of the thinned out dye until you get the desired darkness. Wipe off any excess and let it dry. It will lighten up big time as it dries out and leave a nice even coat. Try it on some scrap until you get the right mix. Luckily 90% of my items are red, brown or black..... When I do light unique colors like greens and purples I always end up dip dying them. I pour a whole big bottle of rubbing alcohol into a mixing bowl and pour my dye in until I have the right color. Every time I try using wool daubers to apply those light colors they end up over lapping and looking like crap.

Tell the customer to oil their blades before storing them for months in a leather sheath..... I doubt your dye is causing the problem. To me it just sounds like two cases of improperly stored high carbon blades. Some of the expensive high carbon blades will grow a rust forest overnight if not stored properly. Ive seen Mora blades rust up in hours when I leave them wet. I might be missing something but I really don't think your sheath is the problem unless you are using some funky product not mentioned in your post.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2pcs-Pro-Groover-Stitching-Skiving-Edge-Beveller-Leathercraft-Leather-Tool-/350999288479?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item51b9301a9f Buy a set of these little bevellers. I have done that same design on a lot of journals using them. Just use the little edge bevellers to draw the stem. Darken the stems using whatever method works best for you and then dye the piece. You can buy those small flower stamps for several bucks as well.