YinTx

I mean the link you provided, isn't it just a link for a grip for sale? I mean, if OP (or I) bought the item in your link, how would it help to make a holster? seems I'm missing something here... YinTx

Is it lined with something, or just leather on water? Nicely done, btw. YinTx

Isn't that just the grip? Am I missing something here? YinTx

Price list: StampsForSale.pdf YinTx

Here are a list of craftool stamps that I have, and the asking price for each. Open to offers on multiples, prices do not include shipping. Will go on first paid/ first served basis. If you have particular questions or want to see another photo of a specific tool, let me know, I'll do what I can to accommodate. Will follow up with remaining images and price list. YinTx

Outstanding work! YinTx

I've used Resolene and Angelus Acrylic finisher. Prefer the finisher, as it seems more resistant to water, but it does impart a higher gloss. YinTx

Mr. Raheel, I do not doubt your low cost or high quality workmanship. Furthermore, I don't expect you would have modern state of the art facilities to achieve this low cost approach. However, I have worked in industrial and manufacturing facilities my entire life, from family owned to major Fortune 500 companies. From this experience, I believe protecting individuals from dangers is paramount. Simple things like safety glasses, hard hats, gloves, and ear protection are not expensive or difficult to utilize. When working with molten metals in environments like foundries, metal splatter and appropriate heat resistant protection is paramount to avoid burns and blindness. Respirable silica injuries can arise when casting without breathing protection and cause life long problems. Cutting, drilling, welding, grinding on stainless steels releases hexavalent chromium and other cancer causing agents that should be protected from. There is no excuse not to use protective measures, and I will not try to save $0.10 or even $5 on an item if I know that in order to achieve this low cost the manufacturer chose to put life and limb at risk to compete on cost. Your clients may choose otherwise, if I knew who they were I'd not purchase from them as well. To be sure, many countries choose to compete on cost on the world market at the expense of human life, and flood the markets with low cost products that put others out of business that do not choose this path, and it makes it difficult for consumers to avoid. Huge name brands in tech and fashion and other areas consume raw materials in this fashion and it is reprehensible in my opinion. I do appreciate your responses and interactions, and sincerely hope that you would research and implement worker protection for your specific industry and the dangers associated with it. The life you save may be your friend's. YinTx

PM sent. Many thanks! YinTx

Both, if you are willing! YinTx

You can do that? Also... whats a button?

Understand, and agree 100%. YinTx

Looks like a manufacturer from India that will reproduce anything, or design and manufacture something for fee. Images show workers running what look like drill presses, sitting on the floor with no PPE. Kinda a no for me. But maybe if they make some money, they'll spend it to upgrade the facilities to provide more worker safety. YinTx

That is a great pattern. If you are interested in selling a copy, let me know! I just really liked the work, and I had zoomed in and was studying it to understand the techniques. It is well designed in my opinion. YinTx

Well, yes and no. Just because someone once made a purse, belt, holster or a wallet, doesn't mean no one else can make a purse, belt, holster or a wallet. Now, I have no clue what that is or what purpose it serves, or if it is patented, or whatever, so yes, there can be some limits there. I have no desire to make an exact duplicate/copy of someone's work, especially if they are still in business and can sell the item to the buyer. YinTx

I like it a lot. Just curious why you chose to not put decorative cuts on a single flower petal, and put cuts on one flower bud but not the other? I like the pattern. Did you do the pattern yourself or get it from somewhere? YinTx

It does for the most part. Not every effort is perfect, so in my mind little things matter. But probably not. Not sure I picked up on anyone saying that, really. But I do get what you are saying. Just note there is more than one way to do a job, and you just have to pick a way and try to get good at it. If you just can't get that way to work for you, then try another, or alter what you are doing to suit your style. Hopefully we have laid out a few techniques here that have worked for us, so a beginner should have enough info to start from. I started freehand on a small oil stone. That didn't work for me, I moved to other methods until I landed on one that did. My final style is probably a bit different from everyone else, but it works for me. YinTx

+1 on all this. I also use a bit of water with a couple of drops of dish soap for lubricant on the sandpaper. Can take it all the way to 2000+ grit sandpaper, wet/dry 3M. Finish on the 4000+ grit stone if desired, then strop for final polish. also, I don't follow the roller back and forth, instead side to side, with the roller part OFF of the sandpaper. It'll slide along just fine on the glass/granite. This keeps the grain in the direction of the cutting action of the blade, and easier to control the burr for me. I forget who I saw doing this but it was a game changer for me. YinTx

Getting the angle identical every time you take it to the stone is not easy. Bruce makes it seem easy, but that is years of practice. Using a simple swivel knife jig really facilitates getting this right. When you don't get it right, the bevel will lean, and you may have multiple bevels, instead of one flat mirror. Some of the older blades are rougher than the one he is working on, and take a lot more effort to get sharp. However, they will easily cut you or anything once you get it sharpened and stropped. Sometimes I'll use it to cut out the shape of a piece I've just tooled because it makes small complex curves easy to cut. It'll go right through 10 oz leather - I take it almost all the way, then let it dry and finish with a round knife or one of my other leather knives when I am done. I spent a few hours on these to get them to this point, while not perfect they are fun to use and cut very smoothly. The one on the left could use more work on the 5000 grit stone before stropping again. As far as I know, these are all old Tandy blades, and cut as well or better than a Barry King I tried out once. YinTx

That just looks prickly and all business! I like the style! YinTx

Try a bit more top tension, that will pull the knot further up into the leather from the bottom. Then you can tamp it with a hammer (smooth face) which will even out the dents. My experience is the bottom isn't very often very nice looking compared to the top, hence why I tend to do a lot of hand stitching. Then the alcohol goes to disinfecting the puncture wounds and for medicinal purposes to numb the pain. YinTx

Looks good! What kind of rivets are you using? YinTx

That black wallet is bang on! Lining up that armor scale stamp isn't easy. Nicely done. YinTx

That came out fantastic! what a work of art! going to be a joy for you to use. YinTx

I'm not sure I can tell which is the before and which is the after. However, most finishes will darken the color of the dye, and tend to make it more vibrant as well. Using a Pro Dye vs. the regular dye will help keep it from migrating when you apply a finish, and also spraying on the finish (like with an airbrush) can help prevent it from migrating. Nice work, btw. Block finishing isn't always easy! YinTx