Tugadude

Very nice. The edges on the radius of the pen holder looks awesome. That is not easy to do in my experience.

If that doesn't work, try Springfield Leather. They have similar ones on their website.

The blocks

Get a small piece of beeswax, rub it on the surface to be smoothed. Heat with hair dryer if need be to help it absorb into the leather and spread evenly. Rub briskly with a tool, could be as simple as a butterknife for this purpose. Many craft stores sell bone folders, even places like Michaels, but you don't have to go that route. Use what you have. The friction generates heat which along with a smooth tool helps the leather fibers lay down. Good luck!

I have had great luck with the bracelet connector. The way I use it, I make the bracelet the same width as the connector. I cut a notch on each corner to allow a tab to slide into the connector. Makes for a smooth look and it is quite comfortable.

Take a look at Tandy's page here...

I understand. What you might try is a bit of gum tragacanth on the inside surface and rub it with a bone folder. It should get the fibers to lay down, effectively smoothing it. Not sure how long it will last, but it might be a solution. Good luck!

Welcome and enjoy the ride! Ask questions as there are lots of nice folks to share their accumulated knowledge.

For a more permanent and smooth solution how about lining the interior? A smooth fabric or the finished side of some thin pigskin or kangaroo would do the trick.

Just my $.02, but you can do leatherwork with no tooling, but the other skills, cutting, stitching and edging are critical. That's where I'd start. Lots of threads here to search with tips on burnishing edges, stitching, etc. youtube videos are also helpful. Try Nigel Armitage. He teaches how to cut, round corners, edge and burnish and his stitching videos are great. And by all means, post your progress! You can get lots of constructive feedback. We all started from zero and all of us are still learning. I know I am.

Tandy sells basic tool sets that can get you started on the cheap. $50 will get this kit which has various tools along with some projects and instructions. For cutting, you might have tools already, razor knife, straight edge, square, etc. For stitching, a diamond awl and a stitching chisel. Tandy or Springfield Leather are excellent sources. Good luck!

Suggest you check for a local Tandy or other leather/craft store. Usually they have very helpful people. They should have books on leathercraft. Art Stohlman has some excellent resource books for learning the craft. As far as tools, a basic swivel knife and some stamping tools will get you started. They are even available at Hobby Lobby. You can invest tons of money, but it is not necessary when learning. Youtube also has free videos describing leather stamping as does the Tandy web page.

Veg tan is what folks use for carving and stamping. Other tannages are typically resistant to tooling. They can be branded with a hot iron for logos, etc. That belt was done with a machine, probably a roller, for speed and repeatability/accuracy. Good luck!

Another source...http://www.infinitystamps.com/brandingirons/electric.html Suggest you google branding irons for leather, lots of stuff including Youtube videos available there.

This might be suitable for what you want...http://lwleathers.com

Can't tell you the brand, but the style is a tubular rivet with washer. Click on the link for examples. The thing about rivets is they need to be sized properly for the thickness and be set properly. In the pic you attached, one od the rivets appears to have been driven too far into the leather, weakening the connection as well as looking bad. Steel is strongest probably, and comes in multiple finishes. http://www.brettunsvillage.com/leather/parts/rivets.htm

Agree that this is a nice first attempt. The stitching is particularly good for a beginner, I think. Main thing I see is the card slots. If you simply put slits, there is a chance that as they stretch and get stressed, they might be prone to tearing. Time will tell. Some folks put a round hole at the ends of the slits to reduce the stress. Good work there!

Might be some useful info here... http://www.weaverleather.com/Supply/InfoandResources/LeatherTanningProcess.aspx

+1! Very clean, simple and I would say elegant. What color is that? Almost looks natural but I suspect it is not.

If you click on the link I posted, the second one, it identifies it as acetate and there is a link to Springfield Leather where you can buy it.

Second the recommendation. Nigel's videos are great and it is nice to buy his stuff to support his efforts!

http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=32256&hl=%2Bplastic+%2Bfor+%2Bwindow#entry209784

http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=54776&hl=%2Bbifold+%2Btemplate Try the link above for a nice example. Hope it helps!

in my experience belly leather is good for small pieces for the most part. Some problems with it include irregular thickness and strange grain patterns that cause the leather to wrinkle and worse. But if you own a splitter you can get a consistent thickness at least. I made several dice cups out of veg tan belly from Tandy. Turned out nice. Straps and bands are also doable. Coasters, key fobs and the like are all small and can be cut from belly.

Vergez Blanchard clam.