Chief31794

Thanks, I didn't think so either but they keep coming out of the woodwork, I got orders for 4 more today, they're dyed and drying in the shop now. So far I'm keeping up but it's getting busy. Chief

Christmas time is crazy for rifle slings, I need a break. These are 44" long, 2-1/4" wide tapering down to 1", made from 9/10 ounce Hermann Oak. Chief

What JLS said, most of the ones I make are 2-1/4" at the widest point tapering down to 1" and the top piece is 1" wide as well. I make them from 9/10 ounce Hermann Oak and they are 44" from tip to tip with adjustment holes. Black River Laser (Blackriverlaser.com) has several rifle sling templates for sale one of them is my design. There are videos on youtube under chief31794 (me) showing how to make rifle slings. If you prefer not to buy a template (probably not necessary if you're only going to make one), then the dimensions above should work for you. Chief

That's what I use the one I have for and it works really well. I sew all 277. Chief

I use a "Thread Zapper II" it works great on sewing thread, is very cheap on Ebay, mine has lasted for 2 years no battery change yet, uses 1 AA cell. I posted a link to one ebay source there are litterally dozens. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Beadsmith-Thread-Zap-II-Burner-Zapper-Tool-or-2-Replacement-Tips-/400931487097?var=&hash=item5d5960fd79:m:mjMz73kheT0A_x70PjWYjcA Chief

Made another wallet from gator, wanted to get a couple of these up for sale before Black Friday which used to be a Brick and Mortar type concept but now it is wild on the web as well, actually already started but the traffic on Friday will be through the roof or it was last year. The rifle sling shipped out yesterday made from Hermann Oak © it measures 2-1/4" wide tapering to 1" wide and 44" long, the traffic picked up on them in September when most hunting season gets going, but it builds up from Black Friday till Christmas as well. Chief

The wallet is lined with Faille Cloth, lacing actually adds stiffness to the edge, much stiffer than if you sewed the edge. This interior design (I designed it and make it in the shop) is designed to provide a "Slim", Light wallet which is what many people prefer, I have a different interior with 6 pockets and a hidden bill area that is "thicker". Chief

I had never seen that one, I may look for it, definitely easier than carving and it's small enough I could get it in the area where I normally put the deer head. Thanks, Chief

Thanks, that's nice of you to say. Chief

Thanks, Chief

Thanks, I use their templates nearly every day. Great products and great people to do business with. Hope the videos help. Chief

Thanks, I appreciate the nice comment. Thanks Rohn. Chief

A rifle sling and three guitar straps, the last one is a 3-1/2" wide monster, the other strap in the picture is our standard 2-1/2" width for comparison. Carved a bear head on a guitar strap, I'd done that on Rifle Slings, but I don't think I ever carved one on a Guitar strap, till now! Chief

Thanks, Chief

Great looking guitar strap. Chief

Welcome aboard, I'm over in Tifton if you get over this way stop in and we can set around the shop and tell lies, etc. Chief

What he said, I cut mine (after setting the burr) down to about 1/8" or so, then start lightly with a ball peen hammer (peen end) going around the edge till I get it pretty well mashed down all the way around, then I use the doming tool to smooth out the top. It's important to keep the material centered as you peen it around so the dome doesn't set off center when it's finished. With Copper rivets you can't rush, it takes time to seat and finish each rivet, that's one of the reasons rapid rivets and tublar rivets were invented, to save time. Hope that helps, Chief

It is different, I wouldn't try to just sew the edges and burnish or finish paint them, it's just too inconsistent due to the scales. I've looked at Aligator wallets on the internet and most of the ones that are sewn look terrible (to me) on the edges. That sort of fits me anyway because I like to lace particularly with the Mexican Basket Weave stitch. It covers the edges really well, the other thing you can do though is use it for inlays, that way the edges are covered as well. The ones I got are really nice, work really good and I love the color of these two brown ones like the one I used on this wallet. Chief

Great looking rig as always, I love the color you get in your dye jobs. Chief

On dotted lines, I normally use a modeling tool with a small ball on the end, then I eradicate the dotted line with a smooth depression from the ball end, works for me. Depending on the item, I then sometimes use a small spoon modeling tool to psuedo bevel one sie or other of the drawn line. Chief

Not sure about everyone elses experience, but I order often from SLC and I wanted to commend them on great service, friendly people, and now they're giving flat rate of $6.00 shipping on orders up to $75.00 and Free shipping for orders over $75.00. If you are looking for a good general leather working supplier, I highly recommend them. Chief

Thanks Thor, Chief

Rohn, I'm not sure how they do it, I got three hides, 2 this color and one that is a "Peanut Butter" kind of color so they dye it and finish it, but all that was done before I got the hides. Chief

Finally got time to start working the gator hides I got this summer. Here's the first item out. Chief

One tip I'll share, is regardless what you use to skive, take your time and practice, it's better to make 20 small thin cuts that 1 big chunk. There is a finesse to skiving. That being said, I don't do nearly as much hand skiving as I used to because I have a bench skiver/splitter that I use to thin leather as needed. Chief