Wicked Welts

Thanks for the ideas, they really help. I think I'm on the right track now and it sounds like it should be easier than I expected but to play it safe, I'll have plenty of time and material to play around with. Another thought was less stitching or no stitching at all and retain the webbing with cross strips of contact cement coupled with rows of paired/tripled eyelets every inch or two so it would sorta look like some older (military?) belts that use buckles with double prongs through eyelets. I'm not sure if this would work because I've never done anything with eyelets as anchors but it's something I could test out as well. If it would work, it might be the best idea since the eyelets could also work as utility lash points plus the webbing could be left slightly slack/open between the eyelets for additional trickery. Thoughts on that idea are welcome too, I might be able to use both designs depending on what my customer likes.

That belt looks great and I second the mention of Nigel's reviews on the irons, it looks like he has that scienced out too.

Not yet, the material is on the way. I supposed I should have waited before asking about this but I've never worked with webbing so it has been itching my brain in the meantime. Thanks for the added tip on dealing with the ends though!

You did an amazing job on those! I want to put one on my hat!

Drill press with awl poker? Drill running or not? Sorry, I think I'm gonna need that nap now.....

I have an 8oz veg tan utility strap project in the design phase and think the addition of a webbing liner to one section of the strap will do me good but I don't know where to start with that. I did a search and didn't narrow it down but I think it would be smart to avoid using pricking/stitching irons to keep from cutting across the webbing fibers so that's where I'm at now - how to and what to use for making my stitching holes? I haven't tried it yet but thought that cementing the webbing down first would help, then starting from the webbing side I could get away with using a small but very sharp scratch awl after marking the stitch spacing on the webbing with a fine marker. The hope is the awl would get through the webbing without butchering it too badly and I would use the same or another awl to open up the hole in the leather side so I can get my needles through. And that brings to my next thoughts - what SPI should I use and what needle/thread? Thanks for you thoughts. EDIT - I plan to use webbing that's on the thinner side. I'm looking at the tightly woven stuff that's almost shiny looking, not the thicker, more coarse looking stuff I usually see on dog collars or cheesy laptops begs etc.

Exactly the same deal here and thank goodness my professors forced me to do that! Many times they'd see me in a trance, tongue sticking out, hunched over a mangled armature as I'm wrenching a way to make it 'just so' and they'd tap me on the shoulder and say 'hey Mike, step back a minute and let's have a look there'.......'hhhhmmm, that handle there, that looks a little 'forced' dontcha think?' ......'you don't want that to looked 'forced' now do you?'.....'well, ok, if you're going to do it 'that way' then you bloody better go 'all the way' with it (jackass)...........

I agree with GD, nothing wrong with trying your own thing. In my perfect world, every corner ends up with two full camo impressions, one nice and square on either side with a seeder dot filling the nook in the middle and then there's a parade for me every Saturday afternoon. On my off days, I try to adjust my spacing oh so slightly as I approach a corner so I get a full impression and if not, I'll lean the stamp for a half strike in the corner and start the next run out of the corner with a full stamp over lapping that half one. This way, I get at least one full face strike 'on top' at each corner and in lieu of the parade, I'll bust out the ice cream. Yah, I'm new at least and having fun with it too.

Like the vertical wallet you recently posted, I like the way you're using this stamp here too. No overlap combined with the longer profile of this stamp gives the weave a whole new look for me and I'm real glad you shared it with us. I'm running a nemesis mech that has a rather clumsy switch on the very bottom (it is the bottom) so the typical drop-in holster idea is out of the question. I had the thing firing away in my front pocket once -NOT FUN- so I think I'm going to experiment with a side strapping holster design that stays clear of the switch.

I like it, nice job! Is that a home-made mod and what tank is on that thing?

Fo sho! I'm also curious about the dangler option, how do you like it? I've yet to try one with a shorter blade profile, I usually go-dangle for longer sheaths that scream for the pivot action.....you got me rethinking it again.....

I gotcha, but don't see it as a cop-out at all if it works for you. I use the smaller snap-off disposables for all sorts of detail stuff including working with thinner leathers, and yesterday I was thinking about trying the kind you show, only with the carpet hook style blade in it. I think that might be pretty handy too.

oh garsh, now did you really have to do that?

Unreasonable, maybe, but it makes sense to me. I have this uncanny ability to make perfectly straight freehand cuts as long as the blade is somewhat close to my (control hand) fingertips, like a box cutter for example, but beyond that, all bets are off! I think that's the main appeal (to me) with the smaller knives and probably what allowed for such a good first skiving impression with the tiny cheese knives. Also, after reviewing some of the links posted here, I really like the idea of a smaller round knife with an angled head/handle arrangement. I think I could rock the mini Sam from LW and others as an all-arounder combo tool; Oh, and what's a 'clicker' knife?

Great story, thanks!

Thanks for showing that one Bob! In a 'Jack of All Trades' sort of way, I think that Tranto is right up my alley. Without trying any of the options out there, I think I'd be more comfortable with this shape and size compared to the typical round knife designs and for my current budget, buying one sharp that does several things well (for me - not everybody) is a huge plus. WAIT - How did this happen?? I was the first responder here and started things off with an ultra low budget cheese ball idea and now I'm budgeting for a $250 knife? WOW! This place is DANGEROUS!

Hahaha, I love the Ketchup! Thanks to all for the vid, info and advice. I waffled a bit but I'm taking your advice and I'm not going to steal a planer blade, it just doesn't seem right when somebody could put them to proper use. I'll be talking to my MIL to see if she wants to move them along, hopefully I'll get one of the wooden chests, that's something I would definitely put to good use. Monica, I apologize for all the pics I put up, had I know there was a time limit on editing a post I wouldn't have done that.

I like this too, even more sans the zipper pouch.

Field report on the wood planes - Monica, after you have a look I will wait a bit and then delete these pics so it doesn't bog things down. It's been a while since I looked at these, forgot what was in there. I found that most where custom made for profiling trim so the blades where shaped/notched for that purpose. I did fine two that I could probably use, one straight and one angled plus another thingy that looked more like a draw knife of sorts with an adjustable blade. That one might be capable of skiving down thick spots on a hide maybe? Lastly there was another smaller chest with more stuff I haven't a clue about, a few production pieces that look to be cast and two other things that looked to be of Martian origin.

I'm glad you mentioned the planer blades, I have access to several of them and never thought of it. Now I'm imagining that they would look something like the blade David shows back in post #8? My MIL has a small trunk full of old hand planes collecting dust in her basement, all different sizes and I remember that all or most of them almost looked like the body was hand made from wood rather than something I'd expect of recent 'mass' production. Not sure if that means anything but what I'm getting at here is a suspicion that the steel in the blades might be a decent high carbon steel, perhaps dating back to the '50s or '60s? Monica, if you don't mind the derail, I will try to get to those planes this weekend and post some pics of the blades with hope there's some agreement on suitability. There's a dozen or more there and I'd like to use them for something since nobody in the family has a need for them and I'd be glad to send you one if you thought it was useful.

'Sharper Is Safer' has been a motto of mine for a while now, only after learning the hard way of course! Monica, if it wasn't for my cheesy bump post I'd be voting for this thread to get stickied. There's almost TOO MUCH information for this noob and my brain has stretched almost as much as my list of must-have sharps has!

>BUMP< Here's another area in which I have no expertise whatsoever so i thought I'd check in and I hear nothing but crickets........so.... I'm hoping you don't mind a cheesy story with a possible idea; Last week I was poking around in the storage room in my basement and came across a little box containing a tiny marble cutting board and a weird looking set of small knives. The knives looked sorta like these here, only with wood handles; I had no idea where this came from or what it was for but after a little head scratching I determined it was someone's idea of a fancy-doddle cheese slicing/service set. A closer look revealed razor sharp single bevel edges in some form of stainless steel and off to the bench I went. Well, what do yah know, their small size gives excellent control for skiving even the thinnest of shavings from small welt pieces and straps too and one of them has an edge on the end for pushing like a chisel and one on the side for pulling like, well, a knife. So, at last, I now have a few skivers in my collection! Now, I'm not suggesting you go raiding your china cabinet, I'm just tossing the idea out there in case you come across a decent looking version at a thrift store or some such. YMMV, but these things are perfect for what I do.

Thanks for that info LW. Probably the only thing I knew about these was the difference between chinks and chaps but I was unsure about the length on those in particular so that's good to know. As for wearing these around, I'm pretty sure I got the stones to pull off the color, but I'm not sure if I could handle the super hero feeling I'm certain I'd have with them things on. I mean, like how do you NOT feel like "taking some names" when you wear something that awesome!?!

Wow, bright indeed, but they look incredible! Please pardon my ignorance, for I know little about chaps but have to ask if you are modelling those for a taller customer or if these fancier ones are supposed to run that far down? I like the sweeper effect they suggest but they look so darn nice it would seem a shame to get them all mussed up on their first day!

Thanks husker, I too was unaware of Weaver's offerings in hardware and you might have just saved one of my climbing saddles. I was considering hacking up my retired (Weaver) saddle, mostly for the buckle, jumbo d rings and maybe the straps etc., but after a search I see they offer a hefty double tongue utility buckle that appears to be nicer than the others I've found. Until now I felt the same as the OP, unwilling to go on just a thumbnail pic and one liner description so, if nothing else, I think Weaver's name gives me the nudge.