TwinOaks

2-3oz calf for interior and exterior if lined, 4-5 ounce vegtan if unlined (you can always slick down the flesh side)

"Watermark" is definitely the best way to go. Anyone with a modicum of skill can capture pretty much any image on the internet. I use ImageXYZ and it's pretty user friendly.

Leather will hold a bit of moisture (or it dries and cracks), so that is one aspect you need to be aware of. Also, AFAIK, pig skin / liner leather is chrome tanned. That means that there are residual chromium salts in the leather, and they WILL effect metals left in contact with them. It's one of the main reasons why holster/sheath makers tend to shy away from it for blued metal framed guns and/or knives. Veg-tan will also react to a degree, but I suspect that is more due to the acidic pH of the leather than any specific chemicals. A fabric liner sounds like it may be your best option, but even with fabric, don't forget to seal the leather on the inside of the pouch before storing things in it long term.

It sounds like your friend has some pretty caustic sweat. On the next one, don't neutralize a whole lot- Leather, as tanned, has a little bit of an acidic pH. Also, go ahead and seal the inside of the belt with something like Resolene. That should offer some protection for it.

Start here: http://leatherworker...ch&fromsearch=1 and also read this one: http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=9940 Putting posts in big bold lettering doesn't make it any more likely to get read....please just stick to the normal size font.

The spacing of the 'rear' tab, IMO, is dictated by 1. the thickness of the leather, 2. the position you'll be carrying, and 3. the size of your hands. If you've got big meat hooks for hands, you'll probably want to move the attachment point further back. It helps make a little space for your hand, as you don't want to reach for the pistol and have the snap interfering with getting your hand around the grip. The leather thickness is also critical, because as Big O mentioned, it needs to flex towards the belt. The purpose of the wing behind the pistol is to help pull the grip of the pistol back towards your body. It's simply leverage, and your body is the fulcrum. If you've got a 'flat' area where you're gonna put it, it doesn't need much leverage to pull the grip in tight. If it's right at your hip, it needs a little more. It also affects how well the holster conceals by pushing OUT on the waist band, filling out the area to create less printing. If you're gonna position the rig really far around the back, there's some things you need to think on- Anytime you put a block of steel/aluminum under your belt, you need to be absolutely sure that you've allowed additional space both in the belt and in the waistband of the pants. If you're a size 40, get size 42-44 pants. Anything else and you'll be putting lots of additional pressure on your body wherever the pistol rides. Another thing on placement is to be aware of where your nerve plexuses are. If you put the rig right over a gluteus maximus, then you're gonna be putting pressure on your sciatic nerve. You wanna discuss near crippling pain that lasts for hours???? Aggravate that nerve bundle. When carrying around back, be sure you don't cross your spine. That's my personal opinion, based strongly on Andy Aratoonian's view on it. I can't think of any time that I'd want a ~1 inch chunk of metal across my spine. Slip, fall, get hit....nothing like a chunk of metal hitting your spine (or vice versa) to ruin the rest of your day.

Bill described it pretty dang well. About the Boss and sewing belts....you will not really like it for doing belts....unless you have a trained monkey to pull the handle. Sewing belts on the Boss may be the driving force behind so many people getting powered machines. The Boss can also be pretty finicky on it's settings. I've found it easiest to just swap colors but stay the same size, and not have to change anything but the top tension for specific thicknesses. I mounted mine to a 12x18 base. That makes it pretty stable, easier to clamp down, and it's still very portable. It also gives me a space for an eye screw behind the machine. The first few stitches really need you to hold the thread as you sew.....So, I pull the tag ends out behind the machine, tie them in a knot, and hook a micro bungee cord from the thread to the eye screw. Instant self tensioner.

Pretty much what's already been said- bring the stitch lines in much closer to the gun, stitching consistency, and the overall length. I'll also add 'finish the edges'. Looks good for a first....somebody must've been reading up on holster making.

As far as parts, try calling Bob Kovar at Toledo Industrial Sewing Machines (http://www.tolindsewmach.com/).....he's one of the sponsors of the site and has an ad banner at the top of the page.

Yes. OCD......(or CDO if you happen to insist on alphabetical order) One of the members, some while ago, posted that they had cut a circle out of leather and mounted it to a sanding disk for their power sander. Then they loaded the leather with rouge to make a motorized strop. The results were reported as "outstanding". I don't know if that would help with the primary edge development, but it ought to help with the final stage of sharpening.....(last step before getting the bandages).

Welcome to Leatherworker.net! Pull up a chair to the carving table and stay a while. Coffee should be fresh, if not, blame the boss- it's her job. Bathrooms are down the hall to the left, and don't eat the donuts.

Good job on the horses. Enough detail to look good, without being "too busy". The background could use some work though, just something to help emphasize the horses. Even just matting/backgrounding it, or perhaps a little bit of coloring to make it less prevalent.

Some of the old Singer 29s are treadle powered, and there's some Champions that are pedal powered.....but they're pretty few and far between. That 301 you got should serve you well for some wallet interiors made from lining leather. Sounds like you got a good deal on a nice antique....don't ruin it. We have a thread by Wizcrafts that explains what is needed in a machine, so instead of retyping, I'll re-direct. Look right at the top of the leather sewing machine forum.

Yep, floor polish which is ....acrylic wax......$5/ 32oz bottle Fiebing's Resolene....acrylic wax......$5 / 4oz bottle Cut 50/50 w/ water, spray (works best) or wipe on, let dry, buff, add second light coat, let dry, use as is or add additional coating of neutral shoe polish. Don't build up a lot of it on the leather- just a spray or wipe. Thank you Katsass for the formula. It seals the leather and after an initial 'tacky' feel, kinda smooths out so there's no plastic feel to it. I did my leatherman case 3 years ago w/ resolene and except for the damage from rubbing on a bucket (aerial bucket truck), the leather looks just as good as back then.

Bob's tutorial is available via link from this website. Go to the "How do I do that" section and look for his tutorial- his member name is Hidepounder. If you've got wax build up in the crevices, you can pick out some of it, but why not just melt it? Then take a brush to it. And with your bonus money, get a bottle of Mop-n-Glo.

Okay, I'm jealous.

Ain't that the truth!!! I've had some VERY strange conversations with members in Gr. Britain, and Australia who claim they speak English, but pepper their conversations with colloquialisms and local slang...I'm not sure what we were saying to each other but at least we parted on friendly terms.

I'm not trying to split larger pieces. This was a purpose driven experiment, only for belts. I guess you could do larger pieces, but I think you'd end up with uneven areas. With a strap/belt, if you get a little uneven pressure, you have a barely discernible area that's thicker.....uneven pressure on a piece larger than the blade would look like it was cratered. Tree Reaper's idea of a 12 inch blade might work, but at some point, we're reinventing the splitter.

How about re-upload the pics after they've been resized to 800x600 so we can see them? The Mod team can handle the post merging.

http://springfieldle...ft%2C2-3ozFull/ http://springfieldleather.com/product/4759/Side%2CTooling%2CSoft%2C2-3ozFull/ One is listed as "soft", which might work better for seats. The other is presumably a harder temper.

I'll put a vote in for industrial grade epoxy. There's one type, called PC7, that I've seen hold better than a railroad spike (two were epoxied together, then pulled apart....the spike broke before the epoxy). You could also experiment with the venerable JBWeld.

Thanks for the clarification on the plane types. I learned a little today. I was going by the label on the package, one said block, one said bench. As far as using a Lowe's grade stanley.....what can I say? I know how to sharpen steel. I'm not starting right at the end, I'm leaving a little tag end and starting perhaps 1/2 an inch from the end.

It's worthless. Don't even try it on scrap. Just seal it really well (if it isn't) drop it in a ziploc, and ship it to ME...... for disposal!!!!! Electrathon pretty much nailed it- if it isn't dried up, it's good. I also have a can of "the good stuff" I inherited with all the other leather tools I got from my father. I save it for special projects.

Okay, a few pics: #1 plane growing a leather ribbon out of its head.... #2 split leather and unsplit section of the same strip #3 same, with the ribbon of leather I split off of it.

EDIT...the pic didn't paste like it should....working on it.....My link The Lowe's website lists this as a block plane, but I think the picture is a bench plane....which is what I got. The Block plane has a steeper angle to the blade, like close to 60 degrees. The bench plane has a much lower angle, as you can see in the pic. I'll see if I can get a few pics of it in use..... And, yes, probably more than a few people have some of these in Grand Dad's tool box. My dad is going to check out my grand dad's tool selection and see if he left us one of the big ones.