bikermutt07

No worries

I got my knipknife last week. It was worth the wait.

Sorry, I didn't read the section it was in. But he did ask us what we think? Sorry if I misunderstood. It does look good. I have a 3-4 Tandy hide that has the same draping effect. I thought it was because it was thin.

Since we are talking colors I will throw this in for information's sake. I emailed fiebings about the difference between pro oil and pro dyes. Fiebings is getting rid of the pro oil dye moniker. All the dyes that are marked pro dye are the same formula as the ones marked pro oil. You will see the pro oil marked bottles disappearing as stock sells off. Yay, a little less confusion.

Looks good. I would add a few more pockets.

Very professional looking.

I think we have to give nvleatherworks the credit. I think I saw him say it in some random thread awhile back. Feel free to steal it and share it.

I'm still a novice myself. And that could go for anything small. Those little gauntlets you bow hunters wear, duck lanyards, whatever. Just keep in mind quiver and gun rigs take up a lot of material. You want your steps and techniques down pat before you waste time and money.

I just posted this elsewhere and I thought it may help. Welcome to the forum. If I can offer some advice I got here.... Start small and repeat, repeat, repeat. Making the same small items over and over will help you develop all the different disciplines. Keeping it small gives you more time at the bench with said amount of leather. Example: Make 25 bracelets from 1 shoulder. That gives you a month or so of hobby time with 50.00 worth of leather. In those 25 Bracelets you can learn to dye, edge bevel, sand, burnish, build you hardware knowledge, finish, stamp and tool, laminating, stitching and more. Plus if you screw 1 up, you're only out about .50 worth of leather. This can be done with key fobs, watch bands, bracelets, and small card wallets. It will really build some value into that 1 single shoulder. The advice I received has been elaborated upon. I was told build one thing over and over until you are really good at it. Then move on. So good luck and enjoy.

Welcome to the forum. Everyone here is really polite. I doubt you will need the thick skin around here. If I can offer some advice I got here.... Start small and repeat, repeat, repeat. Making the same small items over and over will help you develop all the different disciplines. Keeping it small gives you more time at the bench with said amount of leather. Example: Make 25 bracelets from 1 shoulder. That gives you a month or so of hobby time with 50.00 worth of leather. In those 25 Bracelets you can learn to dye, edge bevel, sand, burnish, build you hardware knowledge, finish, stamp and tool, laminating, stitching and more. Plus if you screw 1 up, you're only out about .50 worth of leather. This can be done with key fobs, watch bands, bracelets, and small card wallets. It will really build some value into that 1 single shoulder. The advice I received has been elaborated upon. I was told build one thing over and over until you are really good at it. Then move on. So good luck and enjoy.

Thanks Wiz.

I have no idea.....good question. Shoe polish always transfers to my pants cuffs from my black shoes though. When in doubt try a scrap.

So, while the consew will handle 207 that is outside of it's sweet spot and not recommended? Thanks for the help, guys.

I'm a novice myself, but I will offer this up..... Slow it down a little. Take a step back and simplify a bit. I started with two wuta templates. The complex stuff will come, but it will take both of us awhile to get there.

I have done the homework. I am working a side project to put the funds in place. Now comes the hard part, which machine first. The Contenders: Consew 206RB-5 Cowboy 4500 What I am Sewing: I have been a fan if smaller projects and am looking towards craft fare items. Bracelets, wallets, small passport journals and the like. What I might sew: Knife sheaths and concealed holsters. Messenger bags, maybe some simple purses. I thought in the past a 3200 could support both areas, but now I see I need more dedicated equipment. Here are a few future possibilities to consider. My brother slings guns at every show in DFW. He offered to sell my holsters if I send them. No Charge. How cool is that? My wife and I have worked a few craft shows with little to show for it but experience. What experience I gained was a bunch of husbands getting drug from booth the booth with nothing to get excited about. They need some man items. This could be wallets or holsters. If I hold out for the 4500 I think I could have the consew in no time flat afterwards. Plus the smaller investment later sounds easier. Things to keep in mind: I want this to stay a hobby part time gig. I would also like to keep breathing (wife). I shy away from the larger stuff due to time constraints and lack of wanting to hand sew large items. I already have the dealers in mind. They are three hours away. I have almost talked myself into the 4500 by posting this. One last thing. Question: Will these two machines pretty much handle all the items above? Is a guy set with these two machines? Thanks everyone.

Really nice work. I always admire carvings. I started too late in life with leather work. My hands can't handle the tooling. But I love looking at it. I really like the bag with the wooden handles. Question. Are bags with that slip closure in your last picture popular? I have a wallet pattern from Wuta that I carry that has the slip closure. I was considering making a messenger bag with one.

Bracelets, key chains, small pouches, knife slips, anything small. That way you can build up your technique over time and not lose a lot of material. If you start with messenger bags and gun rigs you will burn thru a lot of leather.

I may need four. My bones are bigger than big. Ha!

You let it set up for a bit. It will not be liquid when you bond the two pieces together. When applying close to an edge brush towards the edge, not from it. This will keep globs from forming on your edge. Just like when painting a piece of trim.

Omg, I laughed so much. He just has that look like, "please, PLease don't hit me with that??!?" Wonderful piece.

I don't know what splitter this is, sorry. But I can tell you that you can split leather down pretty thin. The trick is starting out with a thicker leather. I have split 8 ounce veg tan down to 2 ounces with good success. This bracelet is two layers of 2 ounce laminated together to make a 4 ounce bracelet. Cheers.

You can try wyoslik from Sheridan. Sheridan is out of business now but Barry King acquired the rights to wyoslik and I understand he is shipping now. You have to call, it wasn't listed on his site as recently as two weeks ago. I haven't gotten to try it yet. Fiebings antique paste in Natural, I have had good luck with for edges. Finally is tokonole, it is new to me but a quick test gave slicker feeling results than the antique paste. Sheen was comparable. Available from Rocky Mountain Leather Supply or goodsjapan. Hope this helps.

He just uses it for burnishing.

Cool. I had read a post once about a guy using the harbor freight drill press. Said he had to replace them every two years or so. He said he didn't mind though, just part of overhead. He even keeps a nib spare.

Lining will be more comfortable. You could just use a thin veg tan. I would go ahead and stitch it as well.