bikermutt07

Thanks. And here it is. And it's not showing?.....

I like the last one best. My original impression was "I like the unfinished background." It's a really nice accent. Then I thought, "I wonder what stamp he was using to make those shapes.........Wait a Damn minute!!! That's a barbed wire stamp!" So yeah, cool.

I love your haphazard use of the tooling tools. I played a little today and decided my hands just aren't going to allow me to carve. But I just recently made a once in a lifetime purchase of all these tools for next to nothing. Long story short I may have to plagiarize you a bit. Great looking holster.

How do you make a signature? I couldn't find an option on my profile.

I had seen someone mention it. My craftool pro is tapered and the "tip" (HA!) seemed to help. The results I were getting was one stitch deep into the leather and the next just kind of sat where it was supposed to. It was causing me fits because my elbow is precisely calibrated. Now they lay down pretty even. I use the stitching chisel but have backed off punching all the way through. Like you mentioned I use the awl for 5 or 6 holes. Then concentrate on the stitch itself, and repeat.

I'm pretty sure a plasma cutter would wreak havoc on the temper.

I think I will leave it alone.

Thanks.

Now that's some good thinkin....

You are off to a great start. Welcome to the forum.

I don't know much about a punch specifically, but normally if a hole is stripped you have to drill and tap it to the next larger size. Then use a larger bolt or drill and tap it even larger to screw a helicoil in to accept the original size. I doubt you will find a tube in the next larger thread size. You may be able to find a helicoil that can work. Good luck.

Really beautiful job, but I kept finding myself distracted by the gorgeous shop and all those tools. Ahhhhh........

Well done.

Cool. Where did you find it? I just grabbed that pic from a search. My buddy used to have to carry the Nextel phone for work and was always breaking holsters for it. Then he found one with that clip.

Welcome. Get creative. A lot of leather working tools are just overpriced common tools. But since it's uses for leather, they tack on some profit. A few examples: a razor knife, needle nose pliers, contact cement, hole punchers, arbor press. The list goes on and on. My rule is if it looks like a common tool, it probably is. And if that's the case, it can be had elsewhere for less. Sorry for the rant.

Oh, yeah, you can tamp the stitches down with lots of stuff around the house, hammer handle, rolling pin, any wooden handle from a skiver, or edged. Just about anything that won't maul the leather up.

It just depends. What your sewing, size of thread and awl. There is a balance or relationship between awl size, thread size, needle size, and hole spacing. I have found a few combinations that work for me, but can't really explain them since most of the products are from Tandy. They don't list a size on their thread, awls, or needles. They are kind of like Apple, they don't play well with others.

Did you tap the stitches down with a mallet? If you do it makes them pop a little bit.

I guess I could make two out of this one. I bet my father in law has a stationary band saw at work. I Can make a lefty and a righty.

Looks like you got a good hide.

I have been looking for a skiving knife for awhile and just haven't pulled the trigger on one. The Japanese styles looked a lot like a chisel to me so I was thinking about making one from, well, a chisel. Then the other day I find this blade collecting dust on a shelf at work. I'm not sure what it was used for but it's made by Crane. While it looks like a planer blade I'm sure it went to some floor machine of some sort. Anywho, I brought it home and sharpened it up. It maybe too wide for skiving? Now the fun part, I got this blade sharper than anything I've ever sharpened. I had never developed a wire on anything until yesterday. When I stropped it off Oh Man was it sharp. I'm just proud of myself. You can still see the grooves in the center of the blade But I don't think they will affect anything. The test pieces are 5-6 ounce chrome tan. I used a tri-Stone to true up the back and front going through coarse, medium, and fine. Then I switched to sand paper on granite at 800 and carried it to 2000. I finished with some Tandy green polish on a strip. Even if it's too wide for a skiver I can use it to make straight cuts.

Welcome to the forum. The sheath and wallet look great.

Another thing I learned was to keep the depth of the awl consistent. Going deep on one hole and shallow on the next will skew the lines. Also, the amount of tension and angle of your pull will cause uneven stitching. Anytime I get ready to stitch I start with a 3 or 4 inch practice strip. Stitching can make or break the look of your project. It's worth the practice to me. Stitching is like gravy, it's only great if you make it every day.

Great start.