TwinOaks

Most (pretty much all) garment leather is drum dyed at the tannery. You can probably use regular spirit dyes (Fiebing's and Angelus) to get a decent re-coloring of it, but you can only go darker. There is no "stripping the color" from it....that I know of. It may eventually wear off/out, but if it's a good quality leather, it's struck through. You may have to get a piece that's close to what you want, and experiment a bit to get the right shading.

If you can't find a use for that I assure you I CAN!!! You should consider yourself pretty lucky to get such a unique piece.

Welcome to Leatherworker.net, best little corner of the whole web. As you've probably noticed, we have many 'sub' forums, which cater to many of the different types of leather work. Since you are working on guitar straps, might I recommend this forum: http://leatherworker...=96. Nothing but guitar straps! You are, of course, welcome to read anywhere on the site, but I thought that might save a little time searching. We also have a chat room, and it seems there's always somebody hanging out in there. A note of caution.....its not exactly a ....um...."sane" place. The topics will change quickly, and we typically have at least three conversations going on at once. Just don't let any of our odd humor run you off, as it's a great way to get some help in "real time".

You could also use a 'tab and slot'. You cut a small arrow head shaped tab on the end of one strap, and slots in the other. The tab is pushed through the slot and the 'wings' keep it from pulling back through. Add a keeper (or two) to keep the straps aligned. The holes and lace IS easier to do, though.

How to advance oneself? Easy...start making stuff. Anything that doesn't turn out like you expected, or wished...you need to practice more. I know that's kind of blunt, but that's about as simple as I can phrase it. Find what you like to do, and keep doing it until it just can't be done any better. When you want to move on to something else, follow the same path. For sheaths and slings, 8 oz would serve you just fine. It's thick enough to handle the use, and take tooling but not too thick to easily sew.

Sailrite parts may be easier to obtain, but the machine is VERY limited. We have had several members purchase and try these machines, only to sell them later as "inadequate". If you are ONLY working in garment leather, then it might be useable, but it won't yield good results with veg-tan leather.

Another thing to check is that the needle is installed correctly. If the needle is NOT correctly installed, the hook can't pick up the thread.

Best suggestion I have is to look up Rod and Denise Nikels, and consult with them on what you want to do. They build trees and can guide you to the best saddle for you, your horse, and the purpose of the saddle. After that, a bit of money in the saddle making encyclopedias should give you all the information you HAVE to have, plus you can easily stick a place holder in a book.

Welcome to Leatherworker.net! Hope this isn't offensive to you, but the guy telling you what stuff to get is an idiot. Now that we've established that, stop reading and go separate the moldy leather (and anything it's been in contact with) from any of the 'good' leather. We'll deal with the mold later, but get it out of whatever place you're using to work on leather. If it was in a bag, take everything that was in the bag with it. Mold is bad. Now....it's hard to see from the pictures, but does the 'grain' side of the leather have a smooth texture to it? I ask because in the picture, it almost looks like a split - that's what's left over after splitting down full thickness hide. The grain side should be smooth....like skin. From the pic of the flesh side, it LOOKS like veg-tan. There's several things you can do to smooth down the fuzzies, including shaving, skiving, pasting, or slicking. Inconvenient, but not a deal breaker. The overstitch wheel is for very fine sewing. For the thickness you've got, it'll be nearly useless. That's not a stitching punch, it's a hole punch. You'll need to get or make an awl.....or if you want a real stitching punch, look here http://www.tandyleat...s/88044-04.aspx There are several sizes available and you can find them on the same site. You want one with a diamond shaped cross section, so that the hole will close up around the stitching. If you don't have a source for high quality steel (or tools, or skills to forge one) you can make an awl out of a spoke (bicycle wheel) and just file it down for the rough shape, then polish on stones. You can still sew with a pointy needle, you just have to be more careful when sewing. The reason to use a blunt needle is so that the needle doesn't penetrate any other threads in the hole (like when saddle stitching), and will instead deflect off of it and go to the side. Careful stitching can avoid the problem by paying attention to where the needle point is headed. After seeing the last picture, I'm actually wondering if this is whole leather at all. It looks like a glazed split - it's where a split has a top layer of vinyl or other man-made product....even 'man made leather'*....had been stuck to the top of the split. If this IS the case, it will be very hard to do any tooling/carving. ** Some manufacturers will use what is essentially leather 'dust' and mix it with a binder (glue). Then they take the stuff and apply it to a split, and feed it through rollers which press it into the split, AND also add a texture/gloss to the "grain" side. I've NEVER seen good vegtan leather have the grain side peel off of it. In summary, you've picked up a few tools that could be useful in due time....but for the most part, what you've purchased from this person is the information that he is NOT the person you need to deal with for leather goods .ETA....Almost forgot about the moldy leather - IF...IF...IF it is JUST surface mold, then you can clean it with white vinegar. If it has grown through the leather, it's going to be more trouble than it's worth to try and kill it. If you had a whole hide with that problem, then you might be better off trying to clean it, but with just what you have there.....get rid of it. Mold can spread to other leather items, and more importantly, certain molds can cause health problems.

It looks like you swapped thread paths several times, that's all. To get the stitches to lay down and look nicer, you have to follow the same stitching 'pattern' every time, for every stitch. For example: When I hand sew, I start with the right hand needle, go through, and pull it up and back. Then the left hand needle, which is positioned 'under' the RH, goes through. If you alternate which side goes through first, it will change how the thread lays. Also, even if you start with the same side each time, but alternate pulling the thread 'up and back' with 'down and back', it will change how the thread lays. It's all about consistency, making sure that the thread from one side lays over the thread coming from the other side is crossing it the same way. Make sure that you pull the same tension on each thread as well. Give that a try and let us know how it works out.

Could you post a link? The only plastic I can think of for this is acetate.....but I don't think the capacitive screen would work through it.

The way i learned from some of he members here (thanks K-man and BOOMstick) is half the thickness of the item + the leather thickness.

Given proper construction, where the leather is bonded well, and the seams won't see any severe stress, I think it would be 'okay'....but not really look that nice. For high stress applications, I'd still prefer to use thread instead of spiderwire....if it's gonna fail i'd prefer for the thread to break instead of pulling through the leather. You can always repair a stitch, but if it's pulled through and cut/torn the leather, you're looking at a much bigger repair job. I think some consideration is also due for 'abrasion' factors....you'd be very unhappy if the line wore some grooves in you're stitcher.

You'll be fine with anything between 8 and12 oz. yes you need to mold channels for clearance. Lay out your stitch lines carefully, and wrap the gun in several layers of plastic wrap before molding....this will protect the gun from moisture and give a few thousandths of wiggle room to the finished product.

But think of all the fun you'll have rebuilding it!

Welcome to leatherworker.net!

It will be moved to that section..no need to repost.

It's not too much an issue of contrast, as that's easily addressed..whether through the burnish of the stamping, or antique/dye. It's a question of fine enough detail. I think it should be quite possible...PROVIDED the leather is of sufficient quality. My maker's mark has some small detail, yet is clearly legible. What Calvin will be testing is the min/max size of the stamp, and the complexity (amount of info for the code). He'll also probably be testing the idea as a branding iron....I trust that we'll be hearing something in a few days or so, as I was just discussing this with him a day before this thread. And since he is helping to support the site, I think it would be great if we can in turn help support his business. Stay tuned...

I think it would really depend on the individual piece. I wouldn't change up a carving or stamping pattern just to incorperate a maker's mark. When that is the case, I'll put the mark on the back.. On some things the isn't a place for it, or you'd have to add a piece of vegtan where it shouldn't be just to place a stamp there...like on things that don't use veg tan for the product. For example, i recently made a small 'doctor's bag' to the doc's specifications. There really wasn't anywhere to put my mark so I incorporated into a zipper pull. He never mentioned the use, or not, of the stamp; but I felt that the design would have been lessened by making it a billboard for my stamp...so I made it ancillary to the design. On holsters and sheaths, I usually place the stamp centered on the back of the piece, or in a corner if there's a pattern. On belts, it's between the screws / snaps for the keeper. If You're trying to get you 'brand' recognized, keep in mind that stamps can be copied pretty easily...craftsmanship, not so much. Though i do admit that i wouldn't mind having popular enough items that someone felt the need to counterfeit them.

Funny you should bring this up....i just started discussing this with LWLEATHERS. Stay tuned, we'll find out. Since Calvin is a stamp maker, he's going to run some prototypes and see what works best.

Very well done! There are a few minor things, but they're hardly worth mentioning. Even the stitching looks fantastic.

I think the RTC is probably going to be your best bet unless you make your own. I just checked my TanKote, Supersheen, Carnuba Cream, and Leather Balm....all have an odor. Don't even try any of the lacquers.

Since 5rings had the measurements, I guess I don't need to post the ones I found on a replica from India.... thaank you for finding them.

Clay would work, but it needs to be chilled to keep it firm....and hopefully prevent any from getting in the stamp. You could also opt for some scrap leather...cut into small squares.