Tugadude

And I'd deserve it!

Good question. I've played around with fabric from old blue jeans. I either use an already-hemmed portion or I just fold it over some of the meltable fabric adhesive and stitch. That look might work with "rustic" wallets, probably not a good idea on a classy wallet.

Happy Thanksgiving Tony!

So if he bags a deer would you say that was quite a feet? And if he misses, does he feel like a heel? Maybe this is a new trend, putting the "arch" in archery?

Looks good to me!

Ideally the stitches would mirror-image themselves but that is not what you generally see. I find if they at least feature the same spacing and slant, they look fine. Don't want to stir up a slanted vs. straight stitch but this is one instance where straight stitches would be easier to "mirror" for obvious reasons.

I am one of those people who notice it. I see it frequently on watch straps where one side will have nicely-slanted stitches and the opposite edge of the same side will be very straight. To me it is something to be avoided if you can.

Looks great to me!

Welcome! Lots of newbies here and lots of master craftspeople too. It is a great place to learn.

Nice job on your first belt. The cool thing is you are already seeing things you need to change next time around and that's the whole process of improving. I like the creases along the length of the belt. I think that always adds a finished look compared to leaving it plain. Did you heat the creaser? If not, you might try it next time. Experiment on some scrap. I think it adds to the look and the longevity of the crease. It's fun to make something and have it turn out, isn't it!

There are more suggestions here…

Try this…. https://www.springfieldleather.com/Sheet-Poly-Clear-023?quantity=1&page=1

Yes, very nice. I wonder if it is drum-dyed leather because sometimes it takes on that "pebbled" look and shrinks a bit as well.

The dye transferring to clothing, skin, etc. might be a concern. Glad somebody brought that aspect up. I think you could easily confirm if that's going to be the case using a test piece. I always do a good job of buffing things after I dye them to remove anything that's going to come off of the surface. I rarely have any dye come off when applying the carnauba or after it has dried and I begin buffing. But that doesn't mean it couldn't happen. I second the recommendation to do some testing.

Compared to others here I have very, very limited experience. Having said that, I would not use a "finish" if you interpret that to mean a "film-forming" coating like Tan-Kote or Resolene. I'm assuming that you aren't tooling the wallets because you say they are being dyed black. Tooled wallets with antiquing, etc. should probably always get some sort of finish. What I like to do if I want to bring a little sheen to the leather is to use carnauba cream. I apply it, allow it to dry and then I buff it with a soft rag or if I have it, sheep's wool. There are synthetic lambs wool pads available but I've never tried them. I don't think there is any potential negative to this especially since you are using black leather. If it is a lighter color be prepared for it to darken a bit. Different leathers are affected differently. As you said, it is a matter of opinion. It works for me and it doesn't create a film that could change over time and/or need re-applying.

You didn't mention whether you intend to tool the leather. That would be good to know. My "go to" has always been Springfield Leather Co. I suggest you consider picking up the phone and calling them. Tell them what you are looking for and see what options they have. They have a ton of leather and it is hard (for me) sometimes to weed through all of the offerings. So maybe just asking them directly, similarly to what you've done here will help. One advantage they have is they do offer to sell leather by the square foot, something not all suppliers are willing to do. So if you want to mix-and-match types and/or colors of leather you can probably do so.

Yes, for tooling, you need to use Veg-Tan. You might look for Beg-Tan bellies as they are typically a cheaper cut of leather. The drawback is you might not be able to source it in the thickness you want. Some dealers will split it down to size though. This is for practice. There are reasons against using belly leather for the majority of your work. For one thing it sometimes suffers from stretch marks and it is also more stretchy than typical Veg-Tan. For "non-tooled projects", I suggest you reach out to Springfield Leather Co. They offer discount-priced leather sides. They also sell many leathers by the foot, eliminating the need to buy a whole side or hide.

No matter what method is chosen you should strive to make it as good as possible. So that means if it is machine-stitched, strive for the best appearance and function of the stitch. I'll give an example. I was recently in a store that featured a number of leather goods. They were obviously machine stitched with one side of a much thicker thread. The end result caused the other side to look cheap and fragile. Who wants a wallet that only looks decent from one side? Did the maker save that much money by using thinner thread? Or was there another reason? I don't machine-sew, so I'm not hip to all of the potential variables. All I know is they didn't look "up to snuff". The fact that I hand stitch doesn't mean I can't appreciate a well made, machine-stitched product. And I'm sure a lot of effort goes into making the most of it. So in the end, no matter how the thread got there it needs to look good and be durable.

Funny you mention this as I was just looking at one of my belts the other day and noticing the bends in it. It is not lined, so that probably exacerbates it. The belt looks fine when it is worn, so I'm not sweating it. But if you like your belts to hang straight, then maybe a stiffener would be appropriate.

I too love old tools and have never seen a caliper like that. Neat!

Not all edge paints are created equal. And if you want something that is going to hold up, gesso ain't it.

Found an example of a similar clasp on a bracelet.

Don't know that the size will work for you, but here's one that is very similar. And it is available from a U.S.-based company. https://ohiotravelbag.com/collections/catches-clasps/products/p-3112-nic?variant=40506470105287

I doubt there is any method guaranteed to work. Just way too many variables. If this is a persistent problem for you I would cut the pieces large and then after tooling cut to size. That's the only way to guarantee success every time, it seems to me.

Funny that there's a parallel topic about why the hobby/craft doesn't need to cost a lot... Everyone finds their own "happy medium". If you cannot afford or don't have access to certain tools, you find work-arounds. That's always been the case. My father was a farmer in the first half of his life and there weren't any local stores where you could purchase parts for all of the various farm implements. So if the tractor broke down, you found a way to fix it. If you needed a part that you couldn't get but the fields couldn't wait, you figured out a way to make one. The farmers could fabricate all sorts of things when the situation demanded it. So some purchase top-shelf Terry Knipshieldknives and others use snap-off razor knives from The Dollar Store. I think it is soon to be the $1.50 store, but never mind. Regarding leather, places like Springfield Leather offer discount sides for as little as $30.00. You can do a lot of practice and learning with that amount of leather. But yes, if you only buy HO pre-cuts, you are taking the expensive road. I'm not saying the $30.00 sides are equal to the HO blanks, not at all. But I've used several of them and had excellent results.