bikermutt07

Gosh, I learn so much just reading ya'll's comments.

I agree. Lacing chisels sound perfect.

Dang Bob! That looks great. And I can't believe how fast you did it. I already have almost a month tied up in this tote.

Thanks for the sharing.

That reminds me of a story about a tool box. (Sorry for the hijack) A long time ago in a county far far away my late uncle Earl gave my father his first tool box. It was the small craftsman doghouse style. About ten years ago I was helping my dad clean up a shop and I found a tool box with the bottom rusted out. Uncle Earl had been gone about 15 years or so. My dad mentioned Earl had given him the box, but it was trash now. Well, I snuck it out the back and into the back floorboard of the car. Dad had a paint and body buddy who had a shop that they were always hanging around in. I had my dad's friend replace the bottom and repaint it. He had a hard time getting it done because dad was always there. Long story long, I presented it to my father on Christmas that year. I think it was the best gift I ever gave him. End hijack.

Really nice bag.

Cool.

Might get me banned. Hahaha

Well, that's really cool. I assume it works using heat ( never mind, I looked it up, EGADD, BEJESUS that thing is expensive!!!) Thanks for the clarification. P.s. That is a simple, elegant, nice touch for those pockets. I really like it.

That was completely over my head. Yes, the crease line.

Looks great. Thanks for the write up as well. How did you apply the profile to the pocket edges?

Honestly, I have found it easier to search on Google and then click on all the topic links that it provides to this site. That just seems to work for me.

So, in this scenario would you just perimeter glue the lining and then stitch or would cement the whole piece in and stitch? Sorry, I've been interested in linings lately and I know nothing about doing them.

I consider myself a complete novice on sharpening. I spent most of my life owning cheap throw away knives because I couldn't sharpen a knife. Being a carpenter I always had a razor knife on my side at work, but it always bother me not being able to sharpen something. I thought to myself "a man should be able to sharpen a knife". So, I began a long process to learn how to sharpen a knife. I will tell you up front what works for me probably isn't right, but it does work for me. After watching probably a hundred different videos on YouTube, I heard the one bit of advice I had never heard from anyone and it made perfect sense. The advice was as such: the first time you sharpen a new knife, expect it to take a long time. Because you will be putting your edge on it. What I gathered from that was I wouldn't be touching up the factory bevel. But I would be slightly modifying it. This made me understand how I had always given up to soon on my knives. So, here is how I sharpen all my knives now, and it works for me (that's what counts, right). I found a firm sanding pad ( similar to a mouse pad) at O'Reilly. I then take various grits of automotive sandpaper to my edges. I pull away from the edge and tilt the blade up until I feel it dragging on the sandpaper. It took me awhile to get the feeling for it. After this I strop it on a hard surface with polishing compound. I know this eventually will create a convex edge on all my secondary bevels, but I don't care. I'm a man, and I can now sharpen a knife, lol. The knife I learned this process on was a cold steel Aus8 voyager. I had previously destroyed the edge trying to used a fixed sharpening system. This knife's secondary bevel has been completely converted to a convex edge and is a great work knife. I know this isn't the proper method of sharpening, but I'm proud that I was able to accomplish a good working edge. My knives will shave o.k. and mostly slice paper. That's good enough for me. I hope this post will help some other guy out there who's been scratching his head for forty years. For what it's worth, there's my story.

I believe this is allowed here but you may have better luck in the help wanted section.

Springfield Leather has some good start up kits.

If you are looking for wallet templates search wuta acrylic templates. They are made in China and I found them on Amazon. I ordered two but they haven't arrived yet.

Looks awesome.

I know this is an old "thread" but it could use some more replays. Any thoughts?

Very suave.

Looks great.

I will chime in on the "Tandy brick and mortar" note. I had been interested in leather work for quite a while when in 2014 my wife and I had our second son Eddie. Eddie only lived here two short weeks and the months that followed were very hard. My wife took her full ten weeks off from teaching to grieve. I stayed at home with her during the entire 10 weeks. It was hard to get moving again. We had come into a little unrelated cash influx so I was able to stay home for awhile. I knew that I had to get moving again. I had to find something to make my hands go back to work. As it turns out a factory tandy store had just opened up down the street. So, one day I wandered in not knowing anything about leather work or tools. Lewis (the manager at the time) was really helpful and encouraging. He got me to come to a few classes and I bonded with some other area hobbyists. This is a hobby I continue to enjoy. My wife and I look at our time with Eddie as the greatest learning experience God ever put in front of us. We both became closer and stronger because of him. So yeah, tandy might be littered with corporate b.s. and unskilled salespeople, but for me; the fact that they were there at that time, makes the value immeasurable. I look forward to doing business with the sponsors here and I will. I just wanted to say that if that Tandy store hadn't been there at that time I could have easily found the bottom of a bottle. Thanks Tandy.

I checked out Springfield Leather for ya. For sheaths and holsters they have a basic construction tool set. It's 199.00. This is more expensive that the tandy deluxe kit, but it gives you more tools for sheath making and less fluff. They even mention changing up the tools for your preferences. Such as, for holsters and sheaths I don't think you really need a strap cutter. That could save you a bit of money. This set doesn't have any tooling stamps, which you don't need unless you want to do tooling carving. P.s. they have several kits to choose from.

The tandy deluxe kit will get you started. That and a single shoulder or a belly or two will get you going. I wouldn't invest more than that, a lot of browsing here, and YouTube. That will get you going. If you get bit by the bug, go slow in purchasing more expensive tools/items. If you don't live near a tandy store, you can order it online. You may want to check out Springfield Leather first. They are really nice, have a lot of free how to videos on their site, and are sponsors here. Good luck, and enjoy.

Everyone is making some fabulous points. Here's my experience with long lead times. Two Hawks tomahawk. He had a 90 day lead time. My account was charged when I ordered it. I understood from the beginning it was going to take awhile and he had a few mixed reviews. It did take longer than 90 days. I believe it was just a little over 4 months. That's a long time to wait, but here's my takeaway. 1. I got to pay for it when I ordered it. It was expensive and I was glad I didn't have to worry about scraping up the cash when it was ready. 2. I knew going in he was a small company owner/operator. I knew that small business life can be hectic and overwhelming. I knew this could add to my wait. 3. He did reply back to me and (if I remember right) even contacted me about progress towards the end. 4. I got what I ordered. A well made beautiful tomahawk. 5. I supported a small American business. In this world of cheap crap and me me me ( I want it now) mentality it's hard to do business. Average people who order things from Amazon think it should be here tomorrow morning. That's just not the case with custom built items. I think most blue collar folks who order from you guys understand that, especially if you inform them upfront. I think way back to my young days in the food service industry. One of my managers taught me that a person will wait a long time for service, IF, they are acknowledged and see that you are busy. That is one of the best things I have ever learned. People don't mind waiting as long as they know you are trying your best to help them. FWIW, cheers.