TwinOaks

As far as the Tandy pieces go, I think that would qualify as 'raw materials'. To use their EXACT pattern for a template, with no alterations at all might be pushing the envelope a bit. But, if you change it a little, like putting a snap closure on it instead of velcro, well I think it's altered enough- if you're using your design. Or maybe you stitch it instead of riveting it- still, you changed it. You definitely need to read the legalities of it, perhaps talk to an attourney that specalizes in copyright laws. After all, I'm not a lawyer, and there's lots going on these days that doesn't jive with my ideas of "The way things should be". Mike

Nice work on the belts, they look very well done. Here in Alabama, we can wear our belts openly, or covered with a shirt, jacket, or whatever. We don't even have to have a permit to wear a belt concealed. When we wear it outside the pants, most folks don't even notice....'cept maybe when somebody grabs ahold of it to hike up their britches.

As posted in another thread on this same topic, I've done some experimenting with this concoction. Taking a sample of the 'vinegaroon', I added straight baking soda, and then a baking soda solution ( better reaction time when it's in solution) to the mix. There was almost NO reaction between the two. This leads me to think that all of the acid had been reduced (used up) in the reaction with the metal. As it's been sitting over a month, there is no more reaction to the metal, meaning that the conversion to ferric acetate is probably complete, having more iron than the acetic acid could cosume. Also noted is that the ferric acetate seems to drive the tallows in the leather to the surface, leaving a fairly waterproof finish on it's own. I treated with Aussie and rubbed it in well, just to try to force some of the oils and tallows back into the leather's core. The leather still held it's shape (holster in 'more vinegaroon questions') and hardened as I expected it to. Mike

??....!

Yep, you'd have to seriously question what size mallet they were using!

Shorts I HOPE you're talking about a teensy tiny anvil. I'd sure hate to hear that someone blew a gut trying to put adhesive pads under their 258 pounder!!!! LOL

Start here. This is the original thread on the subject, and should get you started.

Hi Daydreamer, and welcome to Leatherworker.net. re: your flipflop idea... You definitely have an interesting idea. I suggest a little further market analysis on the demand for such an item. Another consideration is going to be the quantity you need to buy from the cheap Chinese manufacturer. You may be looking at an order of several thousand pairs of flip flops before you realize the discount you envision. If you can't get a small enough order at wholesale, you're almost at the same point as if you bought them retail then marked up the price. As far as the covering, instead of disassembling, covering, and reassembling, see if you can get the soles only. Then you can cut out one of the steps in your labor.

OOOOooohhhhh!!! I love these new fangled high tech gadgets so much!!!! What's a car and where can I get one?

It would harden it, but I think it'd probably not be in a shape you intended. The way I harden the leather, which is not 'armour grade', but stiff enough to resist shape change, is to speed dry it using a combination of convection oven and hair dryer. Also, a little wax wouldn't hurt things, but personally I prefer a lighty oiled holster to a heavily waxed one. Keep in mind the thickness will also play a large role in the stiffness of the leather. Thicker is stiffer, thinner is easier to mold, but not quite as sturdy.

Check out Myriam's dog leash tutorial. There she instructs how to make a braid around a core, which is effectively what you'd be doing- using the lever as the core. Good luck, and don't forget the pics.

I'd go with craftpersons, but I'm afraid Freak would feel left out.

Interesting find! My guess is that it's probably a knife. The photo doesn't clearly show whether the edge is knapped all the way, but I do notice the lack of a notch. That is where the spear haft would be lashed at. Either way, AWESOME thing to find.

ahhhh, thank you!!!! I've been missing these.

This one was made while the vinegaroon was 'brewing'. Since I made it, and due to the exceptional results, I'll only be using it for anything needing a black finish. Thanks for the suggestions, I'll put them to use with the other colored projects on which I'm working.

The oil dyes aren't the thing that imparts a particular feel to the leather. Oil dyes are used for their better than average penetration and colorfastness. The final top coat finish will really determine the feel, and the softness of the leather is going to be greatly affected by the type of tanning (we'll presume veg. tan), and the conditioners applied to the leather. As an example- I made a belt for my dad, using a Tandy belt blank. The grain side was tooled, dyed (spirit dye) and sealed with neat-lac. From the flesh side, we hand rubbed in A LOT of carnuba cream. The carnuba is a conditioner, and since it has waxes in it, helps protect the leather as well. Before the CC, I could hold the belt about 6 inches from the end, and it wouldn't flop over. The leather was stiff. Afterwards, with the finished belt, is was so supple that a 2 inch hold still leaned pretty far. We also used the CC to recondition a belt that my dad made for his dad nearly 35 years ago. It's supple again too, but isn't in use because of it's keepsake value. I'm not sure anyone else touched on this, but don't skimp on leather quality for something you want to last. Buy the cheap stuff for practice, but spend money on final products, and don't neglect to charge for it accordingly. The above mentioned 'grandpa's belt' was made from top quality leather, and I wouldn't be surprised if it outlasted the blank I bought.

Looks like a good start. If I may suggest, you can make 'rivet holes' by using a stylus ( or any pointy object) to press them in. Check out the wood grain patterns shown by Spider on his wallets.

Well, if there's no other alternative.....how's your supply of permanent markers? Ever thought of cracking one open and squeezing out the goodies?

Here's pics of a hoster for a Rossi 6 shot snubbie. Owner came to me because he couldn't find a holster in his gun shop (as in he runs the gun store) for a 6 shot cylinder. More orders pending!!! Holster is spirit dye black, but b/c of rub off, I needed a good finish, so I used the Fiebing's black edge cote (with applicator) on the flats and back, and super sheen on the molded portions.

quote name='TwinOaks' date='May 5 2008, 08:29 PM' post='45587'] Uh, yeah.....probably next weekend. Camera was kaputz, and I had to deliver the holster. I'll ask the guy if I can get a pic of it. I'll also ask his boss for a pic of the snubby holster I made for him Okay, here we are a few weekends later than promised, and a new camera later, but I got the pics. Appologies for the delay. Here are the pics:[

Hey, Shorts, I've got a suggestion, but I don't know if you'll like it. Deglaze, and strip as much as you like, then make up a quick batch of vinegaroon. You're still over in Japan, right? I know getting some spirit dye might be a problem, but you should be able to get your hands on white vinegar and some scrap metal (iron based). I'll post the pics of the holster I did in 'more vinegaroon ...' this A.M. I also did a holster for a snubbie, that I finished with edge cote, of all things. It turned out really well. After all the problems you've had with this batch of leather, I'm beginning to think you got a bad piece. Other options...well, can you get some charcoal and some Sake? There's your two ingredients- carbon and alchohol. You may even have to go with an oil based pigment, but here, I'm not familiar enough with the restrictions on shipping to be sure.

How about short stitching it? By this I mean figure out the approximate breaking strength for a series of stitches/laces, and keep the attachment strength below a certain level. Maybe make the strap attachment strong enough to support the saddle's weight, but would break at +15 lbs? That seems strong enough be useful for seating adjustments, or handling the saddle, but would give quickly when subjected to a shock impulse of 50+ lbs. I kinda feel like I'm outta my league with answering this one, so hopefully some of the more experienced saddlers will chime in.

Thanks for the reminder, Bruce. I couldn't for the life of me remember where it was at. Here's the link. Mike

Ed, I think you might be thinking of this.

To be clear, this is only one design, which is easy to make, and looks pretty good- you could always take the 8 strand flat braid approach.... [attachment 11644:lwpics6.JPG] As stated in the prev. post, if you wanted the 'braid' closer together, you might try the spacing between slits at 1/2 X. On good leather, rather than a split, the side roll will show the color of the back of the leather, so you can color the back and have , light on dark or color the front and dark on light. Mike Thanks to the OP on this type of strap, for introducing it. I couldn't find the thread or the pics, so I had to improvise.