dikman

A "Wharncliffe back edge".

Colour looks great (better than the original imo). I think I'd leave well enough alone, if wifey is happy consider it a win!

I just had a closer look (the first time I skipped over it too fast), that's very nice work, quite a delicate touch.

I see your problem now, you have a used belt fetish!

One reason could be that it should have been posted in the Leather Sewing Machine section (that's where the sewing machine aficionados hang out ). The people who are likely to respond may not have seen it here. Fortunately kgg saw it, he has "some" experience with Jukis.

Very steampunk-ish.

Very nice job, looks good. Now, if you coupled that to a servo you could make the machine crawl like a caterpillar!

That's it!

Damn, that first one is very impressive, remarkable texture and detail! The second one's not bad either. It may not be "traditional carving" but we do what we can and this way you are still making stuff.

I decided to re-melt a mix I made up and add some olive oil to soften it a bit (it's pretty stiff in the jar). From memory it's beeswax, neatsfoot oil and tallow. What was interesting was once it was melted there were pieces of "skin", for want of a better term, in the mix. The only thing I can think of is it came from the NFO? Most peculiar.

I like the colour, don't think I've seen that shade where I buy my stuff from. Makes them look like Autumn (Fall) leaves.

Sounds like the old axe restoration, ending up with a new head and new handle. He's obviously priced it as a display piece, aimed at someone who has no idea but thinks it looks cool. As has been pointed out you will likely end up replacing almost all of it in order to get it working. If you want a working bellows I reckon it would be a great project to build your own from scratch. Probably be cheaper too.

Looks good, what colour is the dye and did you antique it? You should know that you can't just post a photo without such details (it's not allowed).

A nice gesture. A well-executed little holster and the logo on the front is a nice touch.

The Mexican Loop is traditionally made by cutting slits/slots in the skirt to form a loop by pushing the strip of leather between the cuts forward and the holster pouch is then pushed through the loop. The holster is thus formed from one piece of leather. The OP's holsters are a method where the loops are separate pieces, these can be rivetted or Chicago screws used to attach them to the skirt. This is an easier way as it can be a bit fiddly getting the slits cut just right so that it's all a neat fit with no slop. I've made a few holsters where I cut vertical slots in the skirt for the loop piece to go through and it's joined at the rear of the skirt, just another variation.

But....but....but....where's the compass and fishing line? Just kidding, great job, very neat.

I agree, very nice, and I've also been thinking about tackling oak leaves.

Technically they're not Mexican loops.

Very well executed.

I just re-read the thread and there's some good info in it (thanks for starting it ScottWolf ). I first started down the "natural ingredients" path when I started shooting black powder muzzleloaders. It is widely accepted that it's a good idea not to use petroleum-based products due to the residue problems with BP. Having said that many swear by Ballistol, which is a German product used widely by their army during WWII. What many don't realise is it's virtually all medicinal-grade mineral oil, with something added (anethole these days) to make it smell nice! There are as many recipes for patch lubes as there are for leather conditioners! I have spent many hours searching for the MSDS for both, and it isn't always easy to find out what is in them. Regarding leather conditioners probably the most common/widely used ingredient is medicinal/food grade mineral oil as this blends nicely with waxes to make them "spreadable". This is also apparently considered by some manufacturers to be natural. Paraffin wax is also widely used presumably because it is readily available commercially and no doubt is cheaper than using beeswax. As with the mineral oil the wax is basically a highly refined petroleum product. Some manufacturers don't list what is in their products in the MSDS because if the products are natural and aren't considered dangerous within the various regulatory guidelines then they're not required to list them. Most of them usually have beeswax, because it's a great marketing tool to say it contains beeswax, but you don't know what is used to make the wax "spreadable". I once made a concoction using beeswax and pure gum turpentine as the solvent (natural, you see) but over time the container developed a black tar-like deposit in it so I haven't used it since. I also made my own tallow from sheep fat (suet) using a slow cooker. That was many years ago and I've still got some, it's stored in a shed that gets bloody hot in summer and very cold in winter and it's still fine. I've found extra virgin olive oil works well as a softening agent when mixed with beeswax and so far haven't found any downside to it. Blending waxes is a fascinating exercise.

No reason it shouldn't work, you'll probably end up with something smelling like woolly bees.

Wouldn't be hard to fit a wooden (or stag) handle, just cut off the ring, drill a hole in the handle and jam it in.

If you have a lathe and drill press then you can either make the fittings you want or buy them and make adapters to fit them to the press.

Wow! That is some impressive work there!

I can't help but just wanted to say nice machines!