YinTx

soooo.... I shouldn't expect anything I've stitched with Poly to last much longer than 5 years, and nylon much more than 2 years? Or is it the binder that fails in that time frame, causing sewing machine issues? Just wondering... YinTx

Definitely some beautiful work! I really like the attention to the small details. YinTx

In the interest of not hijacking this thread, I have apologetically moved my questions to a new topic: YinTx

So I've been researching stones, since I feel I need to up my game on sharpening, and my old pocket knife arkansas stone isn't going to cut it anymore, no pun intended. Well, maybe. Anyhow, what I've gleaned is that the DMT diamond stones have an uneven distribution of diamond sizes, which leaves random large gouges in the knife bevel. The Atoma 1200 seems less inclined to do that. I seem to find them for $75-$120. The Cerax 1k/3k is an excellent combination 1000 grit/3000 grit soaking stone for $55 - one of the best for the price. The King KDS 1000/6000combination stone is about $90, with 1000 on one side and 6000 on the other. And also a great stone. I don't think I want to start out with buckets of water, and wait an hour to sharpen a knife while the stone soaks. The Atoma 1200 would seem to alleviate that. But there seems to be a lot of balyhoo about how a diamond stone is harsh on your knife bevels/edges. Is this really so? If I get the diamond stone, will I need another stone at 3000 grit or higher to finish sharpening, or will a strop take care of the rest? Am i being overly analytical about all this, or does it really matter for a leather working knife? Thanks all for the time... YinTx

So I've been researching stones, since I feel I need to up my game on sharpening, and my old pocket knife arkansas stone isn't going to cut it anymore, no pun intended. Well, maybe. Anyhow, what I've gleaned is that the DMT diamond stones have an uneven distribution of diamond sizes, which leaves random large gouges in the knife bevel. The Atoma 1200 seems less inclined to do that. I seem to find them for $75-$120. The Cerax 1000 is an excellent soaking stone for $50 - one of the best for the price. The King KDS combination stone is about the same price, with 1000 on one side and 3000 on the other. And also a great stone. I don't think I want to start out with buckets of water, and wait an hour to sharpen a knife while the stone soaks. But there seems to be a lot of balyhoo about how a diamond stone is harsh on your knife bevels/edges. Will I need another stone at 3000 grit or higher to finish sharpening, or will a strop take care of the rest? Am i being overly analytical about all this, or does it really matter for a leather working knife? Thanks all for the time... YinTx

PM sent YinTx

That looks truly impressive. Would love to see more photos, maybe a higher resolution and/or up close so we can see some details? backside? inside? how does it open? Awesome work! YinTx

I think that is a bit too small of an awl for 0.8mm Tiger thread. Can't say on the needles... I think I typically use a smaller one.. YinTx

I have a few bottles of the Angelus Leather Dyes, they seem for the most part to behave like the Fiebings dyes. Here is a photo of a work in progress from this week, dyed with Angelus. The leather is a Tandy veg tan leather, nothing fancy. Applied with airbrush on the backside (flesh) of the leather, slicked with TanKote. Applied with cotton ball on front (grain) side. This was diluted as well with isopropyl alcohol. YinTx

Clive, Try locking the thread twice (pierce with needle twice) instead of just once as you have, as John suggested. Waxing the whole thread/needle attachment area with beeswax also seems to help prevent it from sliding in my experience. Also, you may have a bit of a large needle for your hole size as you suspect: what thread/needle/awl size combination are you using? YinTx

Thats pretty cool! Only thing I'd note is do you have anything protecting the Ruger from the snap on the inside of the holster? YinTx

Madmax22, Sorry you had a difficult experience with them. My experience was entirely different. I ordered several rolls of handstitching thread, and the 25# box of thread. The box came with a sizeable hole knocked into it. I send a photo of it back to them, without opening, presuming I would have to send it back or document what was in and what was missing. Without missing a beat, they resent the entire order no further questions asked, no charge, and let me keep the original shipment. I will certainly give them my business again. YinTx

NVLeatherworks, Any particular recommendations on books? Not much showing up on Google or Amazon... YinTx

Items received promptly, payment was easy. Simple transaction, thanks! YinTx

That is a really neat idea and well done. What kind of leather dye did you use? YinTx

"Is it possible there are no coincidences?" (Graham Hess)

VMTinajero, I am still working to close the gap. the belt keeper is two layers, stitched, and then formed to the belt. I am always afraid to skive too much and have thin leather outside of the belt, and I can't skive the keeper after it is stitched. Eventually I will have made enough to have it down to a science.. but not just yet. Thanks for the compliment, tho. YinTx

PM sent. YinTx

Not sure what non brewed condiment is, but assuming it is just vinegar. You should get a really dark black if things go right, and you have to keep it out of the "orange" stage. There was a post here a while back about how to make the stuff pretty fast compared to the traditional techniques - I may try it next time I need a batch. Myself, I've just soaped some 00 steel wool to get the oils out of it, fluffed it up some, and dunked it into a quart glass mayonnaise jar (mason jar, etc will work fine) filled with vinegar, with a very loose lid and waited for a couple of weeks - over 75F. Never bothered to stir it, then gently decanted it into another glass jar. Apply to leather, wait 15-30 seconds, and dunk in the baking soda rinse, and then rinse really well in a clean water bucket. Let it dry, put on some neetsfoot oil, and off to the races with some nice, black leather! (sometimes, you have to wait a few days for the odor to subside...) YinTx

Haha. I had not been back in a number of years, and when I went this summer, I was like "whats this Christmas chile??" I still call all soda "coke." And when they started selling "Hatch" chile here in Texas, I could tell you it wasn't Hatch. Turns out they are growing it in "the valley" which is here, in Texas. Bah, not the good stuff lol. Bernielink, we look forward to seeing more of your work! YinTx

Hehehe..TX. Great place, but the TexMex.. not my thing after growing up on NM chile. Course, lots of folks think TX and AZ border each other... hence one of our fifty is missing. So they don't know about that Hatch Chile thing.... YinTx

I spoke to someone a year or so ago at Bogle-Greenwell about my sewing machine, it was an older gentleman. He was not able to help much, it seems they don't do much servicing, or didn't at the time. It appeared as tho they mostly rebranded imported machines, and I was able to determine a close enough match to other machines to get parts. Perhaps someone there can help you with that. A photo would go a long ways towards someone here recognizing the machine... YinTx

Si Senior's upped the ante: chips on the table, red and green, also a really hot sour cream chile sauce... and for Coke, always the tea! I was confused when I got to Texas, and they asked "sweet or unsweet?" when I sat down. and everything was smothered in this red runny stuff with runny cheese all over the top of that... miss the Hatch stuff. Of course, no one asks me if I need a passport anymore lol. YinTx

Not to mention, going through 2 or 3 layers of 8 oz leather is going to really add up, and cause a lot of friction when you try to pull your thread through! Just stitching 10 oz of leather (two 5 oz layers) can get tight...add to that heavy heavy thread...

Some nice looking work, both. I think perhaps the thread is really thick for that size awl, and using the scratch awl to direct where that backstitch goes as Bigfoote suggests may help in your case. Let us know how it goes! YinTx