Drac

I've seen bullhide that looks a lot like that.

it's usa, but it might help anyway. http://www.leathercordusa.com/

ohio travel bag has oval ones. can't remember the sizes they have though.

when I use a gel pen, it rubs off by hand but not from the machine. it could be a sewing transfer pen for material though. or it could be a marker or pen and the person thought they could follow the lines better. now I'm kinda curious about it too.

if you can get the material (legally), use it. if you don't, then someone else will, and they might not make something of quality with it.

strapt I did the same with the tandy wheel as soon as I got it. still didn't work for me. oh well. using the winter weight bdu scrap is actually very fast for me. it also works on the top surface. tried it on a barrette I did just to try it and it worked great. lick and rub. btw, have a coke and ciggy handy to get rid of the taste! *L*

it's either a red marker/pen they used to draw the guide lines, or they might have just used tracing film in a regular printer and rubbed the guide lines onto the leather since the ink won't stay on the film (I know coz I found out the hard way. d'oh!). it's actually easy to do a circle like that. either put the marker/pen in a compass and follow along the edge, or use the compass normally if you're gonna stitch through or over the center hole. I think there's also a tool that's sort of like a compass, but designed for going along the edge using a pen, marker, pencil.

bevel the edges of your vegtan leather, sand (optional. I usually don't unless two pieces don't quite match up), dye (optional), wet the edge using a little water, gum trag (let it soak it some) or spit (I just lick the edge. gross, eh? *L*), rub back and forth quickly using some (not a lot) pressure until it's smooth, slick and if it's 2 or more pieces it looks like one piece. some people use antlers or a piece of wood with a groove that's the right size or a plastic wheel (that didn't work well for me) or a piece of cloth. a piece of old winter weight bdu's works great for me. I just wrap it around a finger or 2, bend my finger over the edge and rub very quickly back and forth. voila! pro style!

I typed in "leather" in their search bar and items came up with no prob. maybe they were having a glitch when you tried?

welcome aboard monkeyboy! 'bout time ya showed up. *L* don't forget to post up pics.

meant to ask, what kind of leather are you using? most of the chokers I make are out of chap leather that's 3-4oz, already black and soft. just gotta color the edges since it has a white core.

I tried the same brand too a bit back. it came off and didn't leave a residue, but it was difficult and the back was chewbacca fuzzy afterwards. seems to me the cheaper the tape, the better it works with the leather.

snazziness!

oo! is it the one that's colored purple until it dries and it's clear? I used that one before the gel stuff came out. it was pretty good stuff too. I just hated having to brush, dip, brush, dip, brush, dip... *L*

thanks wyldewomyn! me head kept almost exploding for a couple of years trying to figure out a proper turkshead so I'm glad me tutorial helps others. now I keep telling meself I'll figure how to do the turkheads that others use over round and odd shaped objects, but somehow I just never get around to it. I think it's me head kicking into self preservation mode! *L*

walmart and home depot carry it. you can probably find it at lowe's and office depot too. I like it coz it holds well and it's easier to get just the riiiight amount out easily. I'm one of those who always end up squeezing a tube too much and suddenly there's glue everywhere. plus this stuff stays put where ya put it.

haven't tried the french clips. I probably should though and have at least thought about it.

very nice! doesn't look like he needs to improve on anything to me!

try using the gel control super glue by loctite.

I've got a 33"x58" (marked measuring surface. it's actually slightly larger) self healing cutting mat I got from a jo ann's fabric store. I don't use a head knife so I don't know how it would hold up to those, but works great with a rolling cutter and exacto blades. my table's also low so that I can put a foot down onto a straightedge when I use that for cutting so it doesn't move.

take a piece of wood that's the same thickness as the can and cut out a piece that's the same shape and just a little larger (1/16-1/8 inch) all the way around. that makes can removal easier but will still hold it in place even without an over strap. lightly sand one of the corners. now mount that piece onto another piece of wood making sure the sanded edge is your top edge. now cut a hole in the middle of another piece of wood that's slightly larger than the diameter of the piece you cut and mounted plus the thickness of the leather. (example: if your leather is 1/8" thick and using your posted dimensions, that would be 4" can plus 1/16" extra plus 1/8" = 4 3/16" diameter hole. 4 1/4" if you use 1/8" extra instead of 1/16" extra). sand the inside smooth. now put your vegtan leather in water (some use warm water. I use straight hot water from the tap) until no more bubbles come up. lay the leather on top of the piece that's mounted and put the wood with the hole in it on top of that and puuuuuush! clamp it down, let it dry, cut, stitch or rivet and voila! take some money! dying and tooling extra.

looks like you're doing good so far to me. when I do barrettes, I punch the holes for the sticks before doing any tooling/stamping so that none of the artwork gets eaten by a hole.

looking good so far! my only suggestions would be to follow the outline of the pistol with stitching too (helps the holster retain retention) and clean up the area by the trigger guard and grip a little. I can't tell if it's lined or not, but if it's not I'd recommend bringing the throat support around further and placing the chicago screw through that so it doesn't rub on the pistol. and don't forget, when ya make something, we always want pictures!

I use soft leather for the chokers (I call the ones I make "kitty collars") I make, so there's no need to line them. if you're using a stiff leather, well, it's mostly going to be a personal preference for the wearer. I've known some that had no problem wearing ones that were made from a stiff leather, and others got chafed by the inside of the collar. personally, I wouldn't worry about it unless a lining is requested.

cris ah! the laquer is what was throwing me off. it made it look like you used patent leather. again, great job on both pieces! I hope to one day be able to do corsets too.