YinTx

Outstanding first effort, great design! That for sure will get a lot of use. Look forward to seeing what you come up with next! YinTx

Hahaha, that is awesome. I always end up snagging some unsuspecting passerby and ask them to "kindly hold this for a second while I do something" then proceed to stitch for 30 minutes or as long as the arm strength and willpower of said passerby lasts. And thanks to the rest of you for finally coming to my rescue. Those are the lil contraptions I was looking for. YinTx

I think so. I have a bottle of it, I used some in my casing solution...seemed to work ok. YinTx

The other one I saw was metal, and smaller. Doesn't look complicated, then again neither does the regular stitching clam. YinTx

Ok, this is the closest thing I've found. Apparently they are called loop clams, they fit inside your regular saddler's clam. I know there are better photos out there, but they are eluding me just now. If anyone else has a pair or remembers the thread, help a guy out, lol. YinTx

Someone on here had an example they were using just last month or so, and showed an up close photo of it, but for the life of me I can't remember who or where or what topic it was under. If I come across it, I'll cross post it to here so you can see. YinTx

These look really good. Proof is in the puddin, as they say though. When you start using it in earnest, you'll decide on design changes. I know it's not quite finished, but one thing I see that could become an issue is the points on your decorative wood catching your thread as you stitch. You have no idea how annoying getting my thread looped around something when I am in my stitching kata zone is. Not to mention it jacks up the tension, and you have to pull out a few stitches back to get everything back to rights again. Same might be said for the clam closing mechanism. Lot of folks frustrated with the inexpensive versions with a bolt and a wing nut, hanging up the thread as they stitch along. For me, the strap on the inside of clams always limits the size of item you can stitch. Same with the size and shape of the clam. So really depends on what you are making, as to what kind/shape/style of clam will be most useful for you. Me, I need a tiny attachment now so I can do watch straps. No way I can do them on my saddler's horse! Just food for thought as you go through with your progressive engineering. Your clams are really nice, and I think you might find an audience here that would be interested in purchasing if you set your price right and your quality is right along with the design. YinTx

That's a lot of work in there! and you drew the pattern? and hand stitched? Nice! Do you have a close up of the concho accent so we can see the floral design? YinTx

MillieB, Thank you so much! My favorite part of it too! YinTx

If the Hyper Blue is the color you are looking for, then buckle guy has a lower price by $1.76. If you want a selection of just a certain shade of blue along the spectrum, Pacific Trimming has the selection. Also, they both sell a dye-able version that you can dye yourself for just the color you want. Either way, hope these get you what you are looking for! These are the zip styles as shown on Pacific Trimming: YinTx

If my foggy memory serves correctly, I got a double ended zipper from pacific trimming...was a nice Riri also. They have all kinds of colors I think... and there is a layout of the different sizes for comparison, which was nice. https://www.pacifictrimming.com/zippers-7/riri-zipper/m6.html YinTx

Crashresq, Thank you for that! Glad to hear I have inspired someone as well. Generally I'm looking around the sites for inspiration and motivation, hadn't expected that my works would be motivating others already! YinTx

What exactly is navy silver? Most of the "sizing" I have seen starts with an M, as in M8, so do you mean 5" to 10", or do you mean an M5 to M10? Those are entirely different things, wouldn't think they are interchangeable. I have and use YKK(Excella nickel) and Riri, they both make a polished tooth zipper that runs very smooth and looks very nice. They are a bit expensive, but since they will be on a product I make for many years, I think the cost balance of penny a day is worth it. I have bought from zipperstop, buckleguy, and others. YinTx

What is the range of weights that you have used, and for items like book covers, wallets, etc, what would you recommend? YinTx

Thank you. The final recipient has her gift... loves it... it's all over Facebook now... they love it.... maybe if someone else asks for a similar one, I'll be able to ask a decent price this time around! Wow, I was feeling a bit bummed about some aspects of it, but I see I should not be! Thank you kindly for the compliment. YinTx

biker, I spend far too much time studying other's works, when I could be improving my own. But I do put a lot of time and effort into trying to improve what I do. And there is still so much more to learn. I do work on trying to improve almost every day now, in 2015-16 I didn't spend as much time on it. Success today, I think. There were smiles all around! Merry Christmas to all, and to all, a good night! YinTx

Those are fantastic, and some exquisite tooling. They look comfortable to boot! Wish you were closer, I'd try to spend a day to learn from you! YinTx

Those striking sticks do not look too difficult to make. What sort of wood and weight should they be? YinTx

BAH! I was distinctly told by someone NOT to hold my hammer/mallet this way. Is this the correct method that I should be using, not holding it like a hammer??? YinTx

That is really cool! Everything laying so perfectly straight and flat! I think my hands might be too big and bumbling to pull that one off. YinTx

Hehehe how did that happen? The profile on the left mentions male....just sayin I picked up some leather stuff in December 2014, I think I made my first thing in January/February 2015. Started tooling basketweave in May time frame this year, and tried carving this August if I recall. Had a hiatus of a month or two while we dealt with hurricane Harvey in August/September. Almost entirely self taught, which at times is a rough road to hoe. Went to a trade show for the first time this October, and had a little bit of instruction during that week. So, thanks for the compliment! YinTx

Thank you, I really hope so. A lot of stuff I made is for Christmas gifts, so I have to wait to see if the end recipient is happy! They are for my family, really I am just looking forward to seeing smiles. That might be more for me than them. and thank you, your words are humbling, really I'm just a guy doing what he can. YinTx

Really cool use of the muleshoe stamp there. Kinda like a scale - dragon, snake, fish anyone? Or maybe feathers on an owl's chest. I didn't know you could heat treat damascus after it is formed without altering the qualities that make damascus so good? Or do I need to revisit my Science and Engineering of Materials book again? YinTx

Awesome, thanks for the info! YinTx

Rossr, Thanks much. The dove was my favorite part also, strangely enough. YinTx