Ingrid H

Very cool! What made you pick the blueberry motif on the end? I was surprised to see blueberries since they are so emblematic of the area where I live in Maine.

If you can't find a Cobra to try, there may be a sewing machine store near you with a clone such as Cowboy, TechSew, or Juki.

Thank you, Dwight and nice job on the illustration! I figured out what I did wrong- I had the cant of the pistol backwards when I started drafting the pattern.

I agree. I can't figure out how to make it ride any lower though... The belt loop flap (for lack of a better word) is already crowding the grip. There's only 5/8" gap there while I was trying for 3/4".

Hi All, I don't post a whole lot here, but I thought I'd show my second ever holster. My first one is too embarrassing!

My first thought was that this was a Popular Mechanics plan.

There is a name on the underside. I don't know if it is the maker or owner. Maybe the style of mark can help date this piece. Varney is a fairly common name in Maine.

Yes, I'm pretty sure it is mostly white pine. Thanks for the guess!

I don't, but the vertical boards are just parallel and spaced about 3/4" apart with 3/8" jaws on each side. It's not the most versatile set-up, but I mostly just do straps anyway.

Me too! That was the largest attraction for me

If it helps at all, this was the original loop that attached to the foot pedal:

I saw this and had to buy it! Here it is all cleaned up and with new leather since the old leather was rotted out. Any idea what era it's from? There are lots of slot head screws and it's very beefy.

I'm not only a woodworker but a leather worker as a hobby/for sale. My fancy has turned to steam bending wood and then it dawned on me that maybe steam could be used for wet molding leather. I've done a little wet molding, but it seems like the leather could be way more pliable if steamed just like wood is. Has anyone tried it?

I was looking at "minimalist" wallets, and It occurred to me that all some people need to carry with them is one card, so I just had to make a gag card holder. Front side: Back side (That's not a monogram, it's the contents): It came out like crap because I forgot how to do basket weave and I'm not a hand sewing person, but if anyone gets a chuckle out of it, it has served its purpose

The Arnold video was really good. I'm coming to appreciate him more and more except for his infidelities. He really worked his ass off and achieved more than I could ever dream of. Working hard isn't all there is to getting good at something though. I can't buy into the 10,000 hours theory. As a carpenter for 25+ years, I've seen years where I didn't learn a single thing even when I was exposed to people who tried to tell me how to get better. I remember the day about 5 years after I was told how to scribe and it finally sunk in. I was like, "Oh! So that's what he was talking about!" You've got to be ready to absorb some knowledge. You've also got to be exposed to different things to put them all together in your brain. Good teachers help, but experience helps even more. When I think of someone who lacked the knowledge but got good at something through practice, I think of Steve Martin and his banjo playing. Steve was not a natural musician, but he took lessons and practiced until he was good. Is he a talented musician? I don't think so. But is he a good banjo player? Yes!

Awww.... Pepe le Pew was the most romantic cartoon character ever!

Why would you want to tan your own leather when it's so cheap to buy? Tanning is a disgusting and labor intensive process. And as you already know, there is a lot to learn about doing it right. Trial and error isn't really a feasible way to learn how to tan cow hides unless you've got a huge trust fund. When I was younger, I thought I could do anything I wanted to do. That's what the "grown-ups" told me and what I believed. Now that I'm older, I've come to realize that it takes years to get good at something and there is a reason for apprenticeships in the trades. If you are serious about tanning, I'd recommend getting a job at a tannery and learn from people who know what they are doing.

I see you are in Canada, so I wouldn't have a clue about what is required there. Have you done any tanning yet? I've tanned rabbit hides, and that was a pain. Maybe you could score a moose hide from a local hunter.

Very cool! I figured they had something to do with the retail end of business.

What on earth is a nail cup? I'm a carpenter by trade and have never heard of a nail cup. Maybe it's a hardware store thing...

I'm that way too... I haven't tried it, but if I wanted to get some inventory going I think I'd try bringing 5-10 identical items along at the same time. That way, each step is more efficient. It doesn't take a whole lot longer to lay out 5 pieces than it does 1 if the process is already started and all the right tools are already on the bench.

Have you looked at regular sewing patterns such as those from Simplicity, Vogue, or Butterick? Most can be done in light leather with no changes. If you are going to make a women's vest, the sizing is different for patterns than off-the-rack clothing. A woman who buys a size 10 in a store could be a size 16 for a pattern, so check the measurements on the sizing chart. I don't know about men's sizing. That could just be in inches.

Hey, I know you and Jager from somewhere I came by this forum recently looking to move on from collars.

Nice bikes! I was way off in my Univega guess So clean and elegant in design.

Nice bags! Nice bikes too from what I could see. My first "expensive" bike was a Motobecane I bought with my summer job money when I was 14, and the blue one in your pictures brings back memories. One of my High School racing team mates had that bike. What was it? Univega? I love classic bikes and worked as a bike mechanic while I was in college back in the 1980s. I always carried a little tool kit unless I was in a race, and it came in handy a bunch of times.