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You asking me? You asking me!?! [in my best Robert de Niro impression] A beeswax mixture melts at around 65* The leather only needs to be slightly above that. I use a hair-dryer to warm the leather to just over hand-very-warm, my beeswax mix is soft and I apply it with a rag, then I play the hairdryer over it and the wax melts and flows into the leather. A couple of coats is enough, if you do more until the wax can no longer be seen disappearing into the leather, then when it cools you can buff that wax to a shine. If you add carnauba wax to a wax mix it will add hardness to the wax and thus stiffness to the leather item

Hot waxing will shrink the leather, from 10 to 25%. Warming the leather and applying heat softened beeswax is a different matter

Excellent

Two things which helped my cutting of thin leather; 1. Using a rotary knife 2. Cutting away from myself. I've always had a tendency to cut towards me, but cutting away on the thin leather seemed to reduced the drag effect 3. Using the rotary knife very, very, lightly. It just about kisses the leather. The sharper the blade the better that this light pass will cut ok, so thats three !

As Gary says get a 1 tooth punch, or a 2 tooth one. Also, if you can get a set of 3mm punches. Lets assume you are doing a simple item, sewing down one side round a curved corner, along the bottom, another corner and up the other side. With this I use my multi-tooth chisel to work from the top of the sides down to the corners, working alternately so there are the same number of stitches down each side. As I get close to the corners I use the single tooth punch to put a hole on the apex of the corner, then I see how the multi-tooth punch will make holes spacing back towards the side ones, I adjust the spacing using a 1-tooth or 2-tooth punch. Round the corners I use the multi-tooth from each corner towards the centre of the bottom, again working alternately so there are same number of stitches, as the two rows get close to the centre I check to see how the holes will fall. Then I use the 1-tooth or 2-tooth punches to adjust the spacing so any short or longer stitch falls about the centre of the bottom hth

As leather workers we revel in OAKs - One of A Kind. To make two or more items exactly the same we rebel, and work slower. Allow some 'improvements' or variations into the copy items and each becomes an OAK. Look on each as a single item and you'll work that bit faster just some thoughts

I took out the Tandy 'Elite' membership last year. Then I used a load of my savings to buy tools and fittings, mainly to replace a lot of 'will do' tools Note that on your order in which you take out the 'wholesale club' membership you get an extra 10% off, so I made that order as big as I could My membership ran up in April. I've no need to renew it yet. I bought enough conchos etcetera for several year's work

My problem is I just about know how long it'll take to make a certain item and I leave it so I just have that time and a little extra before I make the item. Easier explanation; I have a small coin purse to make for a lady for approx 2pm Wednesday. I have the parts cut and pre-holed. I know it'll take me an hour to knock-up and I'm likely to be found sewing it together at 11am Wednesday I work best, and faster when I have a deadline closing in on me My work room is a spare bedroom in my flat [apartment] so I float in and out all day and all night. Sometimes items just take so long at first, eg, dyeing, waiting for dye to dry, sealing. . . then all of a sudden everything is ready to be assembled and I just hit it and keep at for as long as possible, either until its finished or nearly so, or until I hit a bit where I have to wait again, glue to dry, polish to dry. I'll work through the night, through the day until its done at that stage; I'll do 36 hours straight, with only cups of tea for a break [coffee doesn't work on me] Example; a friend of a friend of a friend came to me for some leather work. Another L/w-er had let her down at the last moments. She needed a copy of a Star Wars belt, pouches and holster. Time to event, just over 5 days. It involved making templates and wet moulding. No sleep. I had it ready in just over 3 days for the young lady. I dyed it cream and the y/l was going to over-dye it ivory Not very busy now, but when I am I may have about a half-dozen items at different stages of completion so something is always nearing finishing

Thank you for the concise answer. The names are nicely done, especially the middle one,

A straight edge with cork on the back helps to hold the thin leather in place. I use a rotary blade as well, but I only cut a hand-span at a time.

The apprentice is only as good as the master teaches [old proverb or somat]

Futhark comes from the formation of the first letters of the Ancient Norse alphabet - in the same way our name 'alphabet' comes from the first two letters; Alpha, Beta There were several Futhark alphabets; Elder, Younger, Danish, Old, New, Saxon et cetera Runes is a generic term for writing using only straight lines; prehistoric man wrote on stones using straight lines, the writing looks like blocks of bar-codes. Thus the Ancient Norse is Viking Runes

I see nowt much wrong with either piece. As your dottir has learnt, slowing down can lead to better sewing, but at 7 1/2 who wants to slow down?

They look grand What method did you use for the name lettering?

Nice You don't believe in simple designs for practice then?

Nice So is mine

Looks nice. A very different decoration

Looks nice indeedy Must be quite big

When I got some cow-hide impressed with python and croc skin patterns I got a print out from Tandy saying it was cow-hide. Years ago I got some buffalo hide. TSO thought buffalo = bison= protected species. I had trouble getting them to understand it was water buffalo = cattle = cow hide N.I. has its own severe regs; anything from endangered or even thought to be endangered or protected species is likely to give anyone a court appearance, and there is a hefty fine with a custodial sentence - not either, but both. Another; A few years back I had trouble with my TSO and some faux Ivory a friend sent me from USA. It took a lot of doing to make them do a simple test on it to prove it was only plastic

I've not used the Tandy ones. I have a stock of boiler maker's aluminium rivets. I used them to hold a boss and arm straps on a Viking shield. 15 years on that shield is still fighting battles, neither rivets nor straps have given out. Whilst aluminium is not as strong as steel or brass, in the way we use them they are strong enough Problem with aluminium rivets is they corrode very fast, not like steel ones, they get a white powder oxidation on them. Also, that oxidation makes blue coloured stains on skin and cloth and leather Anodized aluminium is better but it still eventually stains If you need more and cheaper look for boiler maker rivets for miniature railway builders ~ not the small toy like rail ways, miniature railwayers build engines 1/3 or 1/4 scale

I use angle-poise type light units, one on each side of my bench. Each has a 24W [approx 150W old fashioned] LED daylight colour bulb. I need to fit a fill light centrally though The lamp units cost me £8 each [appox $11] bulbs were about £2 each [approx $2.50] Each lamp can reach to the centre of my work bench.

Not done a pistol holster but on certain knife sheaths I've used brass sheet. A bit more expensive, as easy to cut and shape as thin steel without the risk of iron staining of the leather

What you say could be right but I think pre-punched and hand sewn. I think the stitch at the hole goes around the edge Also I agree, leather tube sewn and fitted and cross metal tube fitted in thru a pre-cut hole after leather piece fitted

No, they are not. When I started LW I paid good money for a near top of the range s/k. It put me off using it and doing any work where it was needed. The bearing is rough, when turning it is also jerky and sticks. One just cannot do a smooth long cut with any curves. Recently I bought a cheap one out of China for about £3.50 [approx $5]. It is far superior to the expensive one, the bearing rotates with that slight whisper one gets from a well oiled bearing, the barrel and saddle are more comfortable

I got a simple brass one made from here; https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Custom-Made-Design-Your-Logo-Leather-Seal-Wood-Stamp-Branding-Iron-Carving-Mold-/382286790022?var=&hash=item0 time from order to in my letter box = 10 days