maxdaddy

First of all, welcome to the universe. There are some bonafide experts here, but I am not one of them. Here's just a few things that I've learned about leaving veg tan un-dyed and letting it develop it's own color in a project. First of all, if you don't seal it, it will stain and some stains will be permanent. A dirty smudge mark the size of a fingertip next to the buckle is not going to be something that you'll enjoy looking at for the next few years, so before you go to far with it put a sealant on it. Adding just to the leather will preserve the inside of the leather (not scientifically accurate but this is how *I* think of it) but it won't help with the surface in the way that we need. So, whatever you use will also need to have something else to treat the surface. THat's typically a wax cocktail of some sort. You can make your own, and there's plenty of recipes on this forum for it, but for now I'd suggest that you just buy some Aussie conditioner or something like that to get yourself gong with this project. Make sure that whatever you buy contains some oil as well as carnauba or beeswax, the oil will condition the inside and the wax will sit on top and give the surface some protection. Most of them will darken the leather a little, but you'll have to accept that since it should be uniform across the entire belt. Hopefully you have a bit of scrap leather that you can test it on first to see the result and gauge how much to apply and how much to rub. Have fun with your new addiction... err.. I mean hobby.

Thanks for sharing your work. The historical context of each piece is interesting and shows that you must spend as much time in research as you do crafting. Where do you find the medallions? Are they historically accurate? Also, is the 'weaving' technique the same in the Birka and Merowingian pieces?

Wow, that design and build has a lot of things to catch the eye. Nice job! I think it would be great as a guy's laptop bag/daily work carrier.

Looks good.

Very cool. Can't wait to see the final product.

That's beautiful.

Hey Mary, How big is the flag is going to be? The hardest part of it will be to NOT texture the areas between the stripes. I use lava rocks, walnuts, seashells, etc... to add distress areas for antique or alternate color to settle. But doing it in a controlled manner like this is a challenge. I'm wondering if a hardwood spindle, or wheel, could be textured on the outer surface and then rolled onto cased leather to make your lines? You could slowly roll the wheel over a very coarse surface with lots of pressure and hopefully it would randomly impress the wood. Whether it would be enough to then transfer to the leather is questionable though. Or better, maybe a rock grinding wheel that you're willing to ruin could be chipped up around the outside surface and rolled in straight lines onto the leather? -dave

The build looks great. I bet that thick stitching was fun! Design-wise, I'd worry about the Leatherman tool getting torqued a little in the holster and damaging the phone screen though.

That eagle looks amazing!

That came out nice. I'm wondering how the leather at the top around the strap holes will hold up after some real world use of getting stretched and whatnot.

The Tandy Leathercraft Library has a free pattern: https://www.leathercraftlibrary.com/product/1999/tandy-tote-bag

That looks great. The little flare on the blade side is a nice design touch.

Guilty. It probably wasn't the worst thing I've ever put my tongue on now that I think of it.

Wow, all of those are great! I really dig the look of the carved and painted pieces with the complementary buckstitching.

You have a very unique (and dark ) design style Marius and I enjoy seeing your creations. I hope this pattern is successful for you.

That's great, thanks for sharing. I assume that the stitching holes are burnt with the laser as well?

@fredk That's awesome. A guy in Ireland in 2021 watching 1950s American TV shows about cops. Cheers! I do love seeing the classic cars in those shows. I'm not a holster guy either but I had ever seen anything like that before so searched around and found what I think you're looking for. Seems like they were referred to as Safety Speed Clamshells. Check out the full article: https://revolverguy.com/fighting-leather-clamshell-holster/

Nice! I like everything about it.

Thanks for creating and sharing that video!

THat's way cooler than carrying them in a plastic bag, for sure!

That was probably more fun than yard work. Those came out great. (Just added to my list of future projects.... "make some cast-iron pot handle covers")

You've obviously done a great job of integrating it into your workflow. Thanks for the details. Will the Glowforge also burn the stitching holes? I've had a Cricut Maker for about a year and I should probably start working it into my projects using a similar approach. I'll need to 'outgrow' the Cricut before I can justify the expense of a Glowforge.

Gray, I've long admired your work. Can you describe how the laser is used in your belts and strap projects?

I'd call that a big success. Looks great!

That looks great. What stamps did you use for the weave design?