Sheilajeanne

Yes, bevelers need sharpening. Awls need sharpening. ANYTHING with a cutting edge will eventually need sharpening! Currently, the Leathercraft Library at Tandy is available for free download. This book tells you how to maintain and care for leathercraft tools. As tools are THE biggest expense item when starting this hobby, this is something that's really important to know! https://www.leathercraftlibrary.com/product/1141/leathercraft-tools-by-al-stohlman When I purchased a large lot of stamps recently, I noticed some of the older stamps, the ones everyone thinks are so great, weren't that good. Some were okay, some weren't. It's logical to assume that even stamps that are frequently use will slowly deteriorate over time, and lose their crispness.

If that's what you are paying for a patcher that's missing parts, has no table, and no motor, I can see now why Wiz was pressuring me to buy the antique Singer patcher that was available locally WITH a table and motor, for $300.!! Unfortunately, I needed a new lawnmower more than I needed the patcher!

Tan Kote is a resin-based finish. Even though it's not a water proof finish, I believe it does have some water resistance. My guess is the resin in it prevented the antique from soaking into the leather. Next time, I'd apply the antique before the Tan Kote.

Your stitching is lovely, and having tried Celtic knotwork, I know just how hard that decoration must have been, unless you used a stamp!

Was thinking the same thing! Nice job!

I like your idea of having two slots in the end of the strap for adjusting the length! Never would have thought of that! Great idea! Right now, I'm mainly playing my classical guitar, which doesn't have an end button, so the strap is an embroidered fabric one with a plastic piece that slips into the sound hole. I mostly play sitting, so rarely need the strap. I used to have a leather strap with a pad on it, and can remember that damn pad NEVER being in the right spot!!

Did you paint or dye the black background? I think it looks very nice!

I spent HOURS doing this yesterday and late last night! Well worth the time it took. Being retired has its advantages...lol! My one regret was all the previous downloads I paid good money for were now available for FREE!

Okay, I'm obviously from a part of the world which is NOT 'big cattle country' and am more familiar with dairy farming than beef! But yeah, that makes sense!

Most castrations these days are done with either elastic rings when the bull calf is only a few days old, or with bloodless castrators that crush the spermatic cord and artery, when they are slightly older. I imagine bull scrotums aren't all that easy to find! Only a mature, or nearly mature bull could produce one big enough for a pouch, and very few farmers want to let a bull calf get that big, as they are so dangerous and hard to handle. Just wondering where you'd source something like that... Also, guessing the flap has to come from another source? Or is the scrotum big enough that you can make a flap from it too?

Cool! Never saw anything like that before. Took me a moment to figure out why the edges on the belts died...lol! Okay, they were DYED.

Very spacious! Are those black things on the floor belt templates? (First photo.) And what's that covering the floor? Too shiny to be cement! Is it some sort of seal on the cement?

YOU'RE (courtesy of Grammar Police)

Okay, you have a Tandy store nearby... Ask them to show you the 6 basic stamps that come with their beginner's kit. That's the best place to start. They include a backgrounder, beveler, veiner, seeder, pear shader and camouflage stamp. The next tool I bought after that was a basket weave stamp. Since I don't like doing basket weave, I've never used it! A mule foot stamp and a stop stamp are also a necessity if you are doing Sheridan carving, but as has been said above, a LOT depends on the type of carving/stamping that interests you. I've been doing this for 3 years now, and currently have over 300 stamps...

The Indiana Jones bag is actually a WWII gas mask bag. My dad had one, which he passed on to me, and I found it very useful when I was teaching outdoor education. It's canvas with dome fasteners, and several pockets inside: https://www.amazon.ca/s?k=indiana+jones+bag&gclid=Cj0KCQjwyLDpBRCxARIsAEENsrK23Ji7_P7aaMz6Mr3TdzpxHgUbhLAp6dyVuArjjXevRFZ8_jjL3w8aAnk6EALw_wcB&hvadid=208428154976&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9000736&hvnetw=g&hvpos=1t1&hvqmt=e&hvrand=9025011960869597833&hvtargid=kwd-302372876131&hydadcr=23338_10093183&tag=googcana-20&ref=pd_sl_865h16da4e_e The construction is very simple. The strap is canvas web with a slider buckle to adjust the length, and it is stitched to the outside of the bag with an x pattern stitch. As for the leather button, a wood toggle would also work, and actually look a bit better than the button. Or, of course, a deer horn toggle, if you can find one.

Windsor bag closure: a leather button and some lace: I didn't like the plain leather button so I replaced it with a fancy metal Celtic concho. This is a from a Tandy pattern.

936 is just a little smaller than 701. You do need bevelers of different sizes, but since the difference between 936 and 701 is quite small, I'd go for the larger beveler instead, if money is an issue. Yes, B60 is an undercut beveler, for lifting different areas of your designs. If you are going to do Sheridan style carving, where you are tooling leaves and flowers, you will eventually need one, though the simple designs you show above likely wouldn't need it. The arrows point to areas of this leaf where you'd use this sort of beveler: Edit: I probably should say this was our project for the third or fourth week of the beginner leather working course at Tandy. My tooling skills have improved since then! Bill, thank you for your patience with me...I will never forget you! God rest your dear soul...

I just found out the 4th World Leather Congress is taking place in New York City the weekend after next. New York isn't all that far from me, so I am thinking of going, but would like to know more about what to expect before I decide. It's free to register, but I am NOT a fan of big cities like New York, so that's one reason I'm hesitating. Also would have liked to have found out further in advance for the sake of booking a flight/accommodation. Okay, I HAVE driven to New York in one day, but I was much younger then, and it was one of the WORST trips of my life.... Another incentive is I have a cousin who lives in Great Neck, and she's not in good health. This could be my last chance to visit with her.

Holy crap, that's a LOT of cards!! Paper records are vulnerable to fire, water and mildew. Yes, you REALLY need to preserve those in some other form. I've been working on my family history, and pretty much an entire Canadian census was lost due to the records being damaged by a flood.

I've done a messenger bag from a Tandy pattern, and that was exactly how they dealt with the lower end of the gusset - there was a V-shaped notch in it to keep it from wrinkling. Never had a problem with the stitching!

Very nice! Is that a binding on the edge, or just very professional edge slicking and painting? HOw did you finish the edge of the gusset?

Too late to edit - the last word in that sentence, should, of course, be shaders, not bevelers! DUH!

You can do an awful lot with the six basic tools Tandy includes in its beginner kit. Most of what you see on that belt can be done with these tools, or very similar ones. The basic tools, which you can view here, are: https://www.tandyleather.com/en/eflyer/craftool-stamps-fullpage A backgrounder, for filling in backgrounds A104 A beveler, for beveling along the lines of your swivel knife cuts: B 701 or similar. Undercut bevelers are used for lifting the edges of petals and leaves, and are also very useful for Sheridan type carving, though they aren't one of the basic tools that come with the kit: B 60. A crescent shader- C 431 (has many uses - borders, decoration of stems, etc.) A pear shader - most commonly used is a cross hatched one such as P217, though there are also smooth and lined bevelers. A veiner, such as V 407 and a seeder S 706, used for flower centers, etc. Another tool that has been used on most of those belts is a mule foot, for example, U 851. If you are in to basket weave stamping, which is frequently used for decorating belts, wallets, ect. a basket weave stamp is a must. https://www.weaverleathersupply.com/learn/how-to-videos/tools/stamping-leather-with-a-basketweave-stamping-tool

tturtle said it was 6 oz Horween Dublin.