Chief31794

With the times as they are, most of my orders are for either a holster or a Bible Cover, or in some cases both!!! Here are some of the holsters I've made during the past couple of months. Chief

Double U, As usual, I'm amazed. This is absolutely first rate, excellent quality in the construction, carving and design. Love the light color touches, never liked the full color much but using blue for highlights on flowers etc is just the right amount and the product screams elegance. Chief

Michael, Thanks, I agree and thanks for the comment. I burnished the edges before molding the holster but then after it was moulded I did another "final" burnishing because the thorough wetting from the moulding "loosened" the edges, so then after sewing and dying, I went back and really put the work in the on the edges but it was very difficult to get around the support piece. I'll have to sand them more after assembly and burnish them better as well. Chief

Made a lot of holsters but never one this style. Took some layout time and learning curve but I like this type of holster. Next one will be much better. Chief

When you see Tandy superior lace, back away slowly and then run as fast as you can. It is just as you described, "do do". I use either Kangaroo (infrequently on high end stuff), or calf lace as Cyberthrasher said. One step I do to make which ever of these you choose is treat each piece of lace with leather balm and stay with lengths of 45" or less if at all possible, that will make the lace "lay" nicer and prevents fraying from pulling extra long lengths of lace through the holes or slits as the case may be. Chief

I've used the methods above, but I've settled on self adhesive shelf paper, I buy it in rolls, not the temporary stick stuff it doesn't hold well. Works great for this and for minimizing dye on the backside when it is not desired. Chief

MikeG, Thanks for your service. I retired from the Army but my branch was Ordinance. Thanks also for the nice comments on the Castle. Chief

Thanks, Chief

Got a special order to replace a 40+ year old wallet for a US Army Retiree who was in the Engineer Corps. Hadn't ever carved an Engineer Castle before but he really liked it. I had pictures of the old wallet which he was still using, it had duct tape (that's how I knew he was a real Army Retiree), and pieces had torn away and the engraving was barely recognizable. Lacing was a single whip stitch but I didn't do the replacement that way because I don't think it provided enough construction stability (so maybe it would have lasted 50 years with double loop!). Any way, thought some of the Military folks might want to see the castle. Chief

There are several, Basket Weaves, Celtic Crosses and Designs, Oak Leaves and Acorns, Grapes and Grape vines, and pictoral carving just to name a few. Just about anything you can imagine or trace from a line drawing can be carved on leather items, animals, landscapes, sports scenes, etc. I'm sure some others will have other ideas. Chief

I'm not sure there is a "standard" but I'll take a swing at your questions. 1. The spacing of the holes does matter as to appearance, I normally space holes for 3/32" lace used to round braid at 1/8" apart on center and punch them with a No. 00 punch. I don't use multiple punces because they don't hold their alignment well enough to suit me. On larger projects where I will be using 1/8" lace I space them 5/32" apart and use a No. 0 punch. Either should be approximately the same distance from the edge as the hole spacing, this is measured to outside edge of the hole. 2. If I'm going to use a double loop lace, then I use a thonging chisel in the size for the width lace I'm using and the measurement from the edge is the same distance as the spacing. These are the measurements I use, there may be others that use different measurements, these work for me and I'm sure theirs work for them. Best you do some samples and use trial and error to discover what you want to use before punching an actual project. Chief

You may get multiple answers, for standard buttons I use a 1/4" hole with a keyhole slit (about 3/4") and a 00 size hole at the end of the slit to prevent splitting. Chief

Springfield Leather shipping has slowed down. I used to order from them and it would take a day or so, now it averages a week before my order is shipped. My last order was placed on a Saturday and they shipped the following Friday. All items were in stock, the only thing is I have them split my instrument strap blanks, but that should add a few hours not days and I always have them do that, I don't know if they are just that busy or what. Still great leather from them but it takes a while. Chief

This is very interesting, that means that if someone did buy some of their leather and made a holster from it they wouldn't allow it. Seems a very strange move if it is happening. My local store doesn't seem to have any of this going on, but I only get in there every other month or so when in town. Chief

Bob, Thanks, and yes it is the instrument I'm playing in my avatar although there I was sitting down and had the dobro on my lap. Here is a picture of me playing one up close and standing, this is an older picture of an older dobro and the strap isn't one of mine, but it demonstrates really well how the instrument is played standing. Chief

Not a common item, I make quite a few of these and other straps for Bluegrass Musicians. This one is for Frank Poindexter who has played on recordings for several country music stars. Thought some might be interested in what a dobro (or Resophonic Guitar) strap looks like, this is for a square neck style dobro and keeps the instrument positioned flat so that it can be played with thumb/finger picks while using a steel bar to make notes and chords (like a steel guitar just tuned differently). Chief

Are you going to be stitching or lacing? If you're looking for an 8 prong angled lacing chisel, it will not be good for stitching (saddle stitching with thread), the angled lacing chisel is normally used for buck stitching (lacing). If you are going to punch stitching holes then you want to look for a stitching chisel (Diamond Shaped), the traditional method of stitching is to use a diamond shaped awl. If you're going for speed, then you might want to think about a leather sewing machine. Chief

Welcome to the forum from another Georgian. I get to the Atlanta Tandy from time-to-time, I have Grandchildren in Powder Springs. Although I really like the folks at the Jacksonville Tandy better. Don't get stuck on Tandy, if you're serious about the hobby, there are other places to shop and buy higher quality than is available at Tandy. You'll love the forum, lots of info and friendly people. Chief

How long have you been selling on ETSY? I sell quite a bit on there, particularly during the Christmas season. They rest of the year is much slower, but I pick up a few sales from time to time. I work a lot of craft fairs and always have business cards on the table so that people can take a card even if they aren't buying right then. My opinion, the best way to sell (other than a physical store which is quite a bit of overhead), is craft fairs. I do a lot of music related sales, guitar, dobro, mandolin, banjo, electric bass etc straps, also knife sheaths and holsters, I go to lots of Bluegrass festivals, that is a great market because there are thousands of folks there an most play one or more of the instruments I just mentioned, they've put away money for the trip to this festival and have normally included extra for unplanned purchases, like a custom strap for there instrument. With the price of most of these instruments, except the electric bass', in the $3,000 - $5,000.00 range, they ususally like to have a custom strap to use with it. Point is, I try to target the market and go where the money is. I always bring some purses and wallets as well, because spouses of pickers look around in the sales area more or at least as much as the pickers do, and they don't mind treating themselves to a new purse or wallet since they came to the festival so their spouse could have fun. I may have typed too much, but it is just sort of my idea of how to maximize sales. I should follow my on advice sometimes, I tell a lot of people that they shouldn't say, "Blah, Blah, Blah" when "Blah" is sufficient. Chief

I buy leather straps from Springfield, these are Hermann Oak, already cut to whatever belt size you want and they come in two lengths, 50" and 72". They are not "Belt Blanks" in that the end has to be skived and the holes for Chicago Screws or snaps have to be punched and the slot has to be punched for the buckle end. But they are sold as 1 ea, so you can buy as many or as little as you like. They are high quality. I also buy them in 2" and 2-1/2" widths for Guitar, Banjo, Mandolin and Dobro Straps, I have them split each strap to exactly 6 oz (they charge me $1.00 per strap) which is what I like for straps and it makes them very uniform from strap to strap and from the main strap to the adjustment strap. Talk to them, they'll sell you what you need and in the dimensions you need it, great folks to work with. Chief

Pull the dot snaps have to be snapped together by "tilting" them. Harder to explain than to show. The snap is made so that it will only come apart by pulling up on one edge, therefore it will only go together by reversing that process. They will not close if you don't insert the proper edge and then snap down the other side. Hope that helps, Chief

Looks great, if you're interested in Sheridan, look up "Hidepounder" here in the member gallery and take a look at his gallery, follow his posts, he's as good as it gets, actually he's better than it gets. Chief

Short answer, No. Veg Tan Leather has a flesh side and a grain side. In order to have smooth on both sides, you would have to laminate two pieces together back to back. If you use good quality contact cement it will be plenty strong enough for your purpose without sewing it and after you sand and finish the edges, you want be able to tell that it's two pieces. Simply buy leather 1/2 the thickness you need and glue two of the pieces back to back Iin other words if you're currently using 8/9 oz leather buy 4/5 oz and laminate it. If it is a small quantity you need, Springfield Leather Company will sell it to you in as little as 2 sq ft pieces. I normally glue enough together so that I can then cut the piece I need out of the doubled leather. Hope that helps, Chief

Very nice, great job. Chief

One note, lots of time when you see "old" tools, many of them may have come from sets, those start with a "Z" and although the look old, they may not be old. "Z" marked tools are very low quality and should be avoided. Chief