ChuckBurrows

Check here http://www.campbell-bosworth.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=1_16&sort=3a&filter_id=17

With all due respect, but not all food grade oils are pasteurized. Good quality EVOO is not and neither is Flaxseed oil as a couple of examples, that is why I noted to use EVOO rather than the cheaper stuff. EVOO BTW is mostly a monounsaturated fat. Another oil you may look into is real mink oil, since it has has a greater resistance to becoming rancid than most other oils whether animal or vegetable. For mink oil, Montana Pitchblend is an excellent choice, As for oils that stay in the leather rather than evaporating off - Lexol's products have been specifically formulated for that and that's why I use it almost exclusively on my more modern gear. On my historical gear I use my own dubbin, just because I try to keep all materials as original as possible - a selling point for many of my customers who can be a bit anal at times over such things.... While I can understand trying to be thrifty, sometimes we're just re-inventing the wheel so to speak and many times we wind up spending more than if we just bought the pre-made goods I been ther and done that LOL!

An old timer's trick is to keep a chunk of beeswax nearby and if need be stab the awl in it every 3-4 stitches. A lot of good stitching horses include a hole in one leg for beeswax. Wax along with a well polished balde works wonders...

While some folks may use it to remove finish that is not it's original intended usage - the usage is for cleaning the surface of undyed leather in prparation for dying. Leather from the suppliers often has a buildup of wax and oils on the surface, often splotchy, due to the plating process - it also often has oils from being handled. SO yes I would most likely use a bit of deglazer or denatured alcohol first.

You're welcome - and BTW - a mix of tallow (or other animal fat such as pure lard), oil, and usually wax is known as Dubbin, and is an old saddlers/harness makers mix for treating leather - there are a bunch of recipes out tthere and IIRC it is still made commercially in the UK - check with saddle shops or the Le Provo leather supply house http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=leprovo+leather&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CCQQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.leprevo.co.uk%2F&ei=xJcIT4_-Bu3OiALO8qmjCQ&usg=AFQjCNFCuENyTt_oHuNE4nXu9a_W15ci5g&sig2=h7cxHUZnxy89Xbqfw7Afng

I have often questioned the use of olive oil since it does oxidize. I dont want my leather to smell like raunchy olives. Anyone with experience in its use care to comment? Actually ALL oils will oxidize over time, even the best uch as whale oil, based on temp and other conditions. AS for using EVOO - it;s been used onleather since the Egyptians at least. My own use has been for over 40 years and I have NEVeR once had a piece of my own gear go rancid (and I use my gear hard) or any of my customers complain of rancidity. Actually - no regular olive oils are heated which increase the chace of oxidation and eventual rancidity - Cold Pressed Olive oil on the other hand is as I described above.

Scandinavian style sheaths are whole different animal than the way most sheaths are made and decorated. The tooling/pouting is done after construction and the leather most commonly used is known as half-tanned (available from Brisa in Finland https://www.brisa.fi/portal/index.php?option=com_oscommerce&osMod=index&cPath=93_66 ). The best info on making Scandi style sheaths is Bo Bergman's book, Knifemaking: A Complete Guide to Crafting Knives, Handles & Sheaths, available from various sources including Amazon.com. Another resource is the British Blades Forum which has apretty good tutorial http://www.britishblades.com/forums/showthread.php?22249-Scandi-Sheaths-My-Way For those in Europe the BB forum is also a good resource since they are more familiar with Euro resources.

I have had other reports of this happening with vinegar black on some Mexican hides, but only on them. The other possibility is that if you "neutralized" with baking soda you did it too long and got alkali burn whihc can cause these symptoms as well. FWIW - IMO far too many folks are trying to rush the process of making the vinegar black (note: the original recipe I have posted before takes a month) - if it smells strongly of "vinegar" then you have not used up all of the acetic acid, which is what smells. If you've still got a strong odor and all the iron is dissolved add more iron until it won't dissolve any more - at that point filter out the crap and then let the mix air a day or two to let any residual acid gas off. Acetic acid is very volatile and will gas off fairly quickly. Lack of proper care also appears to be at least part of the problem, but then again the aging of the rivets is probably due to the residual acid. Ammonia can be good to age brass and copper but be aware that it can cause embrittlement of the metal if done too long.

check with Ohio Travel Bag You can also make your own with Chicago Screws with the addition of a small washer that is big enough to allow the male threaded section only through - put the washer on the front under the stud section and then thread the screw in from the back. se a bit of Locktite or super glue on the threads to keep it locked together. Not the best pic but here's an example in which you can see the washer under the stud

I generally use 8/9 oz for my western holsters and seldom if ever wet them to bend them through the loops - if the rig is designed/built right there's no need. As for bending the tube over to stitch the main seam the tooling should stop at or just before the vertical centerline - seldom does it wrap around the back. A suggestion - go over to Will Ghormley's site and checkout his tutorials - also depending on whether you want to build pre-1900 period styles or not, I would highly recommend his patterns. I also offer a a four hour video on building period (pre-1900) style holster. Stohlman's book is good but is really designed for 20th Century styles of western holsters and they are a different critter in several ways from pre-1900 gear. As for antiquing I reckon you mean the commercial paste type stuff? Can't help since I never use it or laq since I use only period (i.e. pre-1900) finshes/materials (although in my video I do discuss gluing the main seam and using some "modern" top coats since the video was filmed with the CAS Shooter/Builders in mind as well as the re-enactors). On the other hand all of my work is aged to look like lightly used to well used originals and this article from the Leather Crafter's Journal by one of the best at this "art" is a good start on the methods used: http://www.wrtcleather.com/1-ckd/tutorials/aging-leather-zurl.jpg

Plain and simply over oiling leather WILL damage the leather by breaking down the cell walls - veg/bark tan leather should never be more than about 20% oil. In general all oils will eventually evaporate from the leather no matter how saturated - it's the nature of the beast so to speak. Some oils/conditioners like Lexol have been processed to considerably slow that evaporation, but even they will eventually dry out - so proper cleaning and re-condtioning are necessary to maintain the health of your leather goods. As for using regular olive oil rather than extra virgin - sorry but you are mistaken - only cold pressed EVOO will not go rancid (although actually ANY oil, either veg, mineral, or animal can go rancid given the proper circumstances i.e heat and moisture are the biggies along with smog). Regular olive oil and most other veg oils are heated in the processing and it's that heat during the process that contributes to rancidity. re: neatsfoot oil - since the 1930's the majority is made from re-processed hog lard not from neats' feet (the lower leg section of young cattle). Lexol is a synthetic version of whale oil and is generally an excellecnt conditioner but even it can be over applied. IMO - If you want good flexible leather that stays that way use either latigo or chrome tan although neither can be tooled..... all my comments are based on 50 years of research as well as repairs which can be THE best teacher of what can and will go wrong whan dealing with leather.

Is this what you're looking for http://www.standardrivet.com/spots/shaped-spots/22-rectangle-spot.php another possibility is Ohio Bag Company

FWIW - the oil in the steel wool shouldn't cause any major problems. I;ve made more than few batches without degreasing with no problems. As noted it is most likely the leather - I have had problems with vinegar black on some of the import hides........

Nope - do it while it's still wet.......

Oiling while still damp was standard ractice amongst most of the pros I learned from. The water opens the pores of the leather and by adding the oil when still damp it will absorb better - as the water dehydrates the oil is sort of "sucked" into replace the water- it also helps even out the overall absorbtion of the oil - I also dye while still damp, again the same basic principles apply. Best advice experiment on scrap and notice the difference. That's about the max I recommend depending on the size of the piece. Mainly just a quick immersion in the soda bath, let it set for a moment out of the bath, then rinse with clear water. and FWIW I never re-use the soda water.

1) As noted your mix was most too "young" and or not enough iron/steel was adde - you should keep adding the iron/steel until it quits dissolving it which means all of the acid is used up as well and it's the acid th causes the odor - i.e. if you've still got a strong vinegar odor you haven't used enough iron/steel. Once hte mix won't take anymore iron let it all settle and siphon/filter off the liquid ONLY - save the lees - aka the leftover iron/steel - and use it the next batch. Then let the liquid air out for a couple of days until any residual odor dissipates. Yes teh blacking will work before all the acid is "used" up but that's too soon. 2) Use the baking soda wash as noted - but DO NOT soak it for too long - the baking soda can cause alkali burn on the leather and that creates brittleness. Do this while the piece is still wet with the vinegar black - do not let dry out between stages. 3) Once done hang the finished piece in a good air flow - I use a good sized table fan and turn the piece around at times so all sides get the air flow. Do this immediately after oiling (I oil while the piece is still damp - again do not let dry out between stages), but before your final top coat.

FWIW - regarding the thickening of the EV olive oil when refrigerated - it does not mean it's bad at all - it's just the fat globules that when cooled thicken up like that - DO NOT throw the oil away just bring it to room temperature again and things will be fine (well shoud be anyway).. I was just at Wal-Mart and the least expensive "gallon" of EVOO (not all olive oil is extra virgin for those who have never bought it so be aware) runs about $20.00 bucks - a quart of EVOO will run around $6-7.00 dependent on brand...

Stapel did not make the sheath shown in the movei - the one he shows on his website is nothing like the one in the movie. IIRC it was Jerry Croft's wife who made the sheath - Jerry has made much of Tom's leather over the years, both personal as well as the movie stuff....... here's a pretty good image of the original Knife & Sheath as used in the movie - the whole set was auctioned off by Tom in 2009 - the sheath as shown on Stapel's site as any one can see is not an exact copy......... http://www.jamesdjulia.net/auctions/252/images/org/promo252x4.jpg

None that I know of - for now it is strictly a home made product........

The custom M1911 w/ivory grips the rig was made for....... The rig was built for a friend, Jim, a combat vet with 25 years service including three tours in Afghanistan...he's from California and the carving pattern is based on those used on Pennsylvania long rifles, The Bowie, by the late Gib Guignard,is a gussied up version of the one Jim carried on his first two tours in the 'Stan whihc had also been made by Gib.

Get a copy of AL Stohlman's book - "The Art of Handsewing Leather" - it has a full how-to on making them. IMO ANYONE interested in leather craft should own this book - even after 50 years of working leather I refer to it at times..........

One 1800's period description of black pitch.... Pitch (Websters 1828 Dictionary) A thick tenacious substance, the juice of the species of pine or fir called abies picea, obtained by incision from the bark of the tree. When melted and pressed into bags of cloth, it is received into barrels. This is white or Burgundy pitch; by mixture with lampblack it is converted into black pitch. When kept long in fusion with vinegar, it becomes dry and brown, and forms colophony. The smoke of pitch condensed forms lampblack.

A good discussion on coad by several shoemakers........ http://www.thehcc.org/discus/messages/4/1028.html Sorry to disagree but coad can be made either in light or black since at least the 1500's - for instance commercial coad makers such as Sellari's made/make both light and dark). Many recipes inlcude both pitch and rosin - BTW for black pitch use asphaltum - it's a documented ingredient in period coads and is a type of pitch. As for the Townsend pitch - I have uses it on and off for close to 40 years and it works for making a good sewing wax. Nowadays I collect my own pitch and rosin from local pines. There are also plenty of other source for all types of rosin and pitch - do a search on line for violin varnish for one - they use various rosins and pitche in the making of the varnish. As for oil or tallow added - I used to use it but quit after having some problems and if you read the whole article linked above you will find others that also quit using it. And finally I also quit doing the taffy pull thing years ago as well - I now just "cook' the wax and pithc/rosin together and our it into small containers - after 10 years no muss or fuss albeit I do NOT make mine as sticky as often used/needed for making shoes so for stickier wax doing th etaffy pull maybe necessary to keep it more malleable. and another article on making coad with a recipe by D. A. Saguto cordwainer at Williamsburg Recipe 2 from D.A.Saguto, Cordwainer at Colonial Williamsburg, and is based on a recipe given in Rees (1813). To start off: One part rosin, two parts the softest pure pine-pitch . you can find [Rausche Naval Stores in New Orleans sells two hardnesses #112 & #113 I think, both pretty hard for my taste, and North Sea and Baltic Co., in Leeds, UK, sells a really nice soft Swedish pitch, which I prefer, but that only comes in 25 lb. drums, but maybe you'll want to use it for pitching your boat too]. Don't make more than maybe a pound of wax, total, at a time, because if you ruin it, you've lost expensive ingredients and you will ruin some at first. In full-time use, in a shop of three hand-sewn shoemakers working 5 days a week, we go through maybe one nearly golf ball-sized ball of wax per month per person. In summer, in an un air-conditioned shop, I add tallow because it requiresso little to get it the wax ductile. In winter I sometimes substitute beeswax, working in an unheated shop, because if I added enough tallow to get the texture right under these conditions, the wax easily turns to a black tar-like mass that won't stick [i.e., ruined]. Winter shoemaking is a big problem because of the wax, and 18th c. accounts suggest that it was a problem then too. If you're working in a heated, 20th c. shop, I'd try to get it to work for you with the "correct" tallow rather than beeswax if at all possible. Go easy though, like the old Brillcreme ads: "a little dab'll do ya--a big goob'll goo ya". Carefully melt the pitch and rosin together to a liquid state, butdo not allow them to boil or simmer [this cooks-out some naturally occurring oils and makes it even more brittle]. Do not let it get so hot that it begins to smoke, as this in approaching flash-point! When the pitch and rosin are liquid, add a little lump of tallow and stir it well to mix everything. Pour your ladle of wax into a bucket of water. Splash the water on top of the molten mass so it sinks. Then carefully with your hands UNDER WATER [to avoid burns] press it out flat and work it for just a few moments to get it just cool enough to lift out of the water--about the consistency of old Silly Putty. There's still a molten core inside that will melt its way out and burn you badly, so be very careful. Keep your hands wet with water. You should be able to work the wax like salt water taffy at this point, by rolling it out into a long "cigar" and then pulling it like taffy. Fold it up and pull it again, and again as quickly as you can before it cools completely. The wax should 1) be soft enough at this point to support itself as you pull it out into a long string without breaking or snapping, and 2) the pulling should bleach the pitch and turn it all a golden amber color. If it keeps snapping when you try to pull it, re-melt and add more tallow and pitch. If it stays black, won't bleach, and is still really soft after, say, 5 minutes of taffy-pulling, there's too much tallow in it. Re-melt and add a bit more rosin and pitch in proportion. After you get it working nearly properly, roll it into balls and wrap with paper, and let it sit to cool completely for a few hours. To test, make a thread and wax it, and try a stitch or two. If the wax flakes off the thread or won't stick to it, it's time to re-melt and add bit more pitch, and maybe a bit less tallow [too generous with the tallow at this point and you'll completely loose the stickiness and turn it black=throw it out and start over]. The waxed thread should be a medium amber/burgundy color, and feeling tacky like half-dried varnish. The thread, once waxed, should be slightly stiff. You've really got to play with it until you get the result where you like it. In use, historically, some shoemakers had to store their balls of wax in a little dish of water, or in the shop tub, to keep them from melting and sticking to the bench, which tells me that it was preferred softer/stickier rather than harder/cleaner. Also, many old 17th, 18th and 19th c. shoe tools are encrusted with the stuff thick as fudge icing, and I know my hands at the end of the day are pretty soiled with it. It's not "clean" stuff. The tendency in the beginning is to make it too hard because it feels so messy otherwise. When ready for use it should be about as soft as a cake of raw beeswax, so you can easily dig your thumbnail into the ball, and when you rub it onto your thread, it should readily friction-melt and accumulate heavily on the thread with just a few passes. After you wax your threads merely "skeined-up" [strands side by side, but as of yet un-twisted into "the thread"], then twist them to get the wax coating the cordage, then wax the outsides again and rub the thread briskly with a folded scrap of uppers leather to further melt the wax into the thread and smooth the surface. When stitching, if you notice little piles of wax "dust" building-up at each stitch hole, but the thread otherwise seems to be holding its wax, you're very close, but still a wee bit too hard. Little blobs of soft wax "balling-up" at each hole is okay. Some wax is drained from the thread as its full length passes through each hole. This excess is melted into the leather surrounding each stitch and makes the seam firmer, but this constant drain means you need to re-wax your thread if it's a long one, maybe every few inches to keep it "full". If the warmth of your hands melts the wax while handling the thread to the point wax peels off the thread in great sticky swaths and sticks to you, you're a wee bit too soft. While stitching you must pluck your threads through the holes smartly, for if the wax it working right, when you linger too long in mid-stitch, the thread will cool and seize-up cementing itself in place, and you will have to carefully withdraw your threads, re-pierce the hole, and try again. If you try and force it, especially if you tug on the bristles here, you'll break your bristles every time. Remember, shoemakers' wax is a protective coating and adhesive for the thread and seam. It actually makes it harder to sewn, not easier. Only careful fiddling will get the texture just right, and every supplier's pine pitch is different, [rosin and tallow are the only near consistent ingredients here]. When you get the mix that works for you with the pitch you've chosen to use, write down the quantities exactly, like a chemistry experiment, so you will be ahead of the game next time when you need to make another batch.

FWIW - I always oil while the leather is still damp, which 'opens the pores' so to speak and allows the oil to penetrate better. As for time - it all depends but one thing it DO NOT over do the baking soda step - too long and it will 'burn' the leather and cause cracking, etc. Bubbles, some times they happen - just ignore them.

Check out this tutorial I wrote - while the style is that of a Mexican Loop sheath the basics are the same - for the sewing I glue the welt to the front and pre-punch the holes in those two pieces. Glue them to the back and now you only have one layer of leather to push the awl through by hand - also keep a ball of beeswax handy and wax you're awl blade now and again. http://www.wrtcleather.com/1-ckd/mexloop/_mexloop.html