Tugadude

Tenderizers for small pieces of meat?

The biggest pain for me is getting home and then realizing there were things I saw that I wish I'd bought. That happened this time for sure.

Since there's no picture, I can only speculate but it might be too much finish. It should be easy to tell if the cracks are in the finish or in the leather itself. Bend the flat part and see what happens.

Well, that cinches it, the thread is definitely showing through. Thanks for the interior picture. By the way, very nice work there! I am a fan of creasing the pockets as you have, and the border of the stitching to me makes it pop. As you know, as soon as the cards go into the wallet, all sorts of lines and bulges are going to happen. Just a normal thing. So I don't know that I'd sweat too much over it. If it really bothers you, go with even thinner thread. Since it is only securing the bottom edge of a t-pocket, it isn't going to get a ton of stress. Just the cards being pushed down. Use glue also if you aren't already. I assume you are.

I think something else might be going on there. If the thread is that small and you hammered it down, it really shouldn't be making that prominent bulge. Please post another photo of the interior, that might help.

I was there this past Saturday. Love visiting. Excellent people and I always find bargains. I picked up some lizard skins for cheap. Will make great inlays.

Yeah, not all stores are equal. Some have very knowledgeable staff, and the one by me is very good. They try to hire people with experience, but you can imagine that it isn't very easy to do.

Bikes with surface rust get a bath in oxalic acid solution. Seems to do the trick. Heard hydrochloric acid works too. Caution is urged. Protection and safe disposal required.

The Belzona material will be very expensive. You could buy a Knipshield knife and have money left over probably.

I don't want to get into an argument about whether you should buy a tool kit or not, but there are some that appear to be decent and this one is under $40.00 and includes shipping. Pretty much all of the tools are very useful. To each his/her own, but it looks worth the risk. If half of the tools are decent, you still come out OK. Maybe others here know of some kits that contain useful tools of decent quality? https://www.ebay.com/itm/402273539473?chn=ps&mkevt=1&mkcid=28

Welcome! Yes, this can be a very exhilarating hobby. Conceiving of and then making something is a thrill. Enjoy the ride!

That is awesome. Good on you!

I’ll bet it has a faux patina on it and may be brass underneath. If it is, it can be polished. Good find!

Then I would reach out to tanneries in the eastern U.S. and inquire whether they would be willing to do job lots for you. Maybe they will. The smaller ones most likely. Maybe someone has a list to help get you started. Other than using the internet to search, I'm not sure how to get that info. Maybe someone here will know. Edit: Found this: https://bestleather.org/directory/leather-tanneries/

Nice way for friends to know how you feel about them. One thing you might try is making some that they can fit a rolled up bill in for emergencies. My pastor mentioned in a sermon one day that he has a nasty habit of leaving home without his wallet. He has been left stranded at least once when he ran out of gas and had no cash or credit cards, nothing. So I stitched him up a nice key fob that holds a rolled up bill. I put some cash in when I gave it to him but you wouldn't have to for your friends. If you have a lot of friends that could be costly! Anyway, he couldn't believe that I remembered and was astounded that I did something to help. Hopefully he will always remember when he looks at it that someone cared deeply about him. Leatherwork can be an expression of love.

Amen!

Holy Cow! That's awesome.

Some are sold with a rubber coating on them for positive grip. That still wouldn't account for the saddle, which could cause issues. Perhaps the saddle could also be dipped in plastic coating or covered in tape. Otherwise, great idea.

Titanium (spendy) or aluminum might be your best bet. Stainless steel and brass often contain some nickel. There is nickel-free stainless, but you have to verify with the mfg. Here’s an aluminum option. https://chuck-smith-leather-tools.myshopify.com/collections/swivel-knives/products/aluminum-swivel-knife Chuck Smith also has titanium-coated knives, but you should verify what the base metal is and determine if the coating will protect your friend’s hands. Good luck!

These work? https://ohiotravelbag.com/collections/eyelets-grommets/products/grom-5-blk?variant=31916432621652

I doubt that they could justify that. In my opinion that is going way over the top if they do. After all, holsters are also used by hair stylists to hold their scissors and such, people who work in hardware stores to hold measuring tape, box knife, etc. It is a shame that they didn't just answer your question directly.

I like that solution.

I don't use snaps a lot, but I do use them, Line 20 and Line 24 both and I've never had issues with them. The only thing I notice is that I have to be extremely careful when setting them. I use the standard tool for it and of course you have to be very careful to keep the tool vertical or it is easy to get a bad result. I'd love to have a press, but again, for a hobbyist it is a pretty decent investment when you are using it sporadically.

I was excited to see the pull-the-dot snaps until I saw the price of the setting tools. Prohibitive for hobbyists. Otherwise, they appear to be great.