Tugadude

I love the look of wood grain and can really appreciate the finished appearance of this "tool". It is too pretty to really call it a tool. Are you going to add the pieces onto it that help it stay on your thighs? Not necessary, but look like they would be helpful.

Very nice! I like the leather, makes the owner want to use it and not worry about scuffs, etc. I bet in ten years it will look even better. I also have had success in stitching gussets without gluing. It takes careful thought and execution, but is very do-able. Hope you got a deal on the clips! That's a lot of clips.

+1 on dog collars or cat collars. Key fobs, sure. How about watch straps? Another thing they might work for is an adjustable belt such as those offered by Colonel Littleton. I'm not suggesting a direct copy, but his adjustable belt is pretty cool the way it works. Essentially it is made of several pieces of leather and the buckle stays in the same hole regardless of you gaining or losing weight. There is a 2-prong hook that fastens on the side that provides 8" of adjustability.

Mattsbagger, look more closely, it is not separate T pockets, but a singular piece of leather on the front. No seams on the edge. I was going to try one of these and now definitely will as it eliminates the need to worry about stitches lapping over the seams. Sure, it is stitched at the bottom of the pocket, but in this instance, since there is no T shaped piece to stitch, the maker probably added a thin liner piece to the visible piece and then stitched it to the counterpart piece on the reverse of the wallet. I am going to mess with this over the weekend and come up with something similar. If I do, I will post pics.

See the list of videos in DJOLE's post in this

I suggest you spend some time in the Getting Started forum I quickly found this post that lists tools and discussion on them.

As I said in another post of yours, search this forum, it has been asked and answered dozens of times.

There is a forum here called Critique My Work. You can post there and some useful comments generally proceed. Don't ever get your feelings hurt, we all started somewhere and I'll bet your previous experience gives you a leg up on most. Have fun with it, I know I do. Welcome aboard!

Welcome aboard! Take some time to view stitching videos by Nigel Armitage and Ian Atkinson. If I had seen their tutorials my first few projects would have turned out a lot better! They also demonstrate several crucial skills in the proper manner. Nigel especially explains most of the popular stitching tools, showing their capabilities, which size threads work best with them, etc. When you need help we are happy to offer guidance, don't be shy. We are (mostly) gentle folks around here. There are lots of threads on here where newbies ask your same question. Search for them. Questions such as what tools should a beginner purchase, etc.. Good luck!

When starting out, get affordable tools. If there is a Harbor Freight store in your area or similar, hit them up. You can get a ton of tools there that will suffice until you get yourself sorted out. You can get a hammer with plastic heads for a couple dollars that will work great with chisels. You can also get tools for cutting, sandpaper, rulers, etc. there. For the leather-specific tools, I suggest Tandy if you have one locally. They have budget tools and some very nice ones too called Craftool Pro I believe. Personally, I got great results from their black stitching chisels. get a two prong and a six prong and you will be in business. The 2-prong is for curves. Nigel Armitage covers this in his videos which I recommend. Tandy has a basic awl, the 4-in-1 mentioned above and a really nice Craftool Pro awl. I also recommend against using a stitch groover unless you are doing something where you really want to recess the stitches. I never use one anymore. For one thing the recessed stitching tends to flatten out and lose the nice angled, zig-zag pattern I find so appealing. I don't do holsters, but if I did, I might use a groover on them. For watch straps, bags and such, no.

If you look around you'll find a number of tutorials on this basic Dopp kit. The way I make them is to separate the zipper and stitch to the outer edge of both sides. This makes alignment easy and surefire. Pry the zipper stop off and unzip until you have two pieces. After construction you re-zip them together. If you do it right it is unnecessary to put a stop back on as the leather acts as a stop, just make sure the zipper ends run past the leather a ways. Youtube has a few tutorials too.

Very nice, but it seems to me the holes are a bit big in relation to the thread. If using an awl, maybe size down to a narrower blade. The slits should nearly disappear after stitching and tapping with a smooth-faced hammer. Love the colors.

Love that damascus steel! Did you make that as well?

Very nice. Feels good to get positive feedback, doesn't it?

Agree with JazzBass comments and also remind folks that Tandy has introduced several, pro quality tools in recent years. Their Craftool Pro Diamond chisels are excellent. Not everyone likes buying online so having a Tandy within driving distance is a big deal to many people. Tandy has its place and arguably has started thousands of people in the craft. I hope they continue to thrive.

Excellent job. Only thing that jumps out to me is the unfinished leather peeking out above the flap. I would have lined it or at least have made the two sides the same length, effectively hiding the raw part. If it doesn't bother you, leave it as-is. I just think it would make it appear more refined. A wonderful gift for someone!

For quietness put the endgrain slab on a piece of foam insulation board. It will help mute the sound.

If in your budget, that is an excellent cutting or punching board. I've seen a nice black rubbery one too that looked nice. Tandy might sell it too. One type is called a Poundo board. Not as durable for sure. check out this thread...

We all learn by doing. Sometimes advice can shorten the process but there is no substitute for practice. I like your project, BTW.

I had no issues going around corners. The holes are the same distance apart. Gussets are not the same as round box stitching where there would be a difference in spacing between the side and end cap. I began with the gusset flush on one end and left it a tad long to be cut later. Worked perfectly. This was a mailbag style turned bag.

I have successfully done both ways, prepunched and not. In either case care must be taken so that everything lines up right. I find the little bulldog clips work well to hold the gussets prior to stitching but be careful they don't mark the leather. If it is a turned bag, probably no big deal. I did pre-punch my son's briefcase and was very happy with the results.

If sponging, I put a generous amount on a do circular applications, working quickly. After that I immediately do another application but in linear strokes or passes. Works good so far. Dip dying of course will create uniformity but not convenient on really large pieces so practice until you can get it.

Repost your photo please, can't see it. in the meantime, Ohio Travel Bag, OTB, has tons of hardware, check them out. I get a lot of my hardware from Springfield Leather Company, nice steff there. I've also heard that The Buckle Guy is a good source for quality hardware.

Always nice to give back! BTW, that pocket with thumb hole works great on the outside of wallet for a card you use daily.

Looks in excellent shape to me. Leather ages gracefully unless abused. We call the natural wear "patina" and it adds character, so long as it isn't too far gone. That case should be properly cleaned and then evaluated.