fredk

If you soak the thumb-break in hot water then dry it quickly with heat it will go hard. But it will also shrink so you need to make it over-size and cut it down to size for fitting, and you would need to dye it first

+1 for vaseline

I've seen them on ebay but I have enuf tools or do I ?

I have not made a report due to certain technological issues

Very nice indeedy I like the way you rebated the leather to the wood

I like it (But in your photo there is no sense of scale)

What is your budget? George Barnsley; £23 to £40 btw, some ppl call this a half round knife but that is a different shape

Its a 'Birds Head' knife

1. Use a flat thin board, about 6 mm MDF. Place the dummy phone on it. Place wet leather on top. Use lolly sticks (Popsicle sticks) on top of the wet leather and then use bulldog paper clips to hold in place. You may have to go around a couple of time to get the leather even and the sticks & bulldogs tight to the shape. Don't skimp on the leather 2. Use two bits of wet leather. One piece on each side. As above, sticks & bulldogs. And as above you'll need to go around it a couple of time adjusting it all This is pen case done in that manner;

1. I don't make holsters (yet) 2. I reckon it would

Glazed pigskin https://www.tandyleather.world/products/glazed-pig-lining?_pos=1&_sid=c3d0debb2&_ss=r

For wallets and light-weight items like that I prefer a heavy cloth; heavy as in thickish so adhesive doesn't come through it For purses and larger items I prefer a thin chrome tan leather. I have a supplier who sells me some very thin chrome tan, thin as in under 1mm thick. Its also coloured so I don't have to bother with that

You are only using a small amount. I've never had a problem with it. If you think you might its easy to wash out; a bit of detergent in soapy water wiped over it removes any WD40 which might be left

Try WD40. Spray it on a rough cloth then rub it on the belt.

or contact adhesive

Sergey runs an add at the top of the Leatherwork pages. afaik his prices direct are cheaper then on etsy or ebay

Are you comfortable doing this work? Can you do it? I'm reminded of what an artist once told me. She usually did very 'avant-garde' work but she also did pet portraits and people portraits etc which she was good at but hated doing. 'So why do you do them?' I asked 'They pay bills and pay for me to paint what I really like' was her answer

Put a thin piece of leather on the other side, a piece much bigger than the keeper. Hold it in place with a few stitches outside the damaged area. Then when attaching the new keeper sew through the canvas into the other leather piece. You'll be sewing leather to leather with the canvas sandwiched between

A friend of mine figured out how to make the turntable revolve with the door open on his broken microwave and he used it as a spray painting booth

It turned out well so it did I have many projects waiting to be done for longer than yours. Someday . . .

That looks fine so it does. It must have taken a while to do all that

I know of the hand cleaner you write of, or at least a local version. It doesn't have pumice in it though but something else as grit. Although the grit can be felt on the hands its not serious enough to damage leather, unless you use a lot of it and really scrub it in. I've used the hand cleaner to clean the insides of mugs of tea stains. Its less rougher than a pot scrubber

I would make a three-piece belt, with billets at each end that can be replaced. eg; a wide belt with bullet loops and then narrow billets sewn on which can be replaced, in this manner

or goat

I reckon you're going to have the lace cut. or do it yourself. The advantage of that is you can buy leather which matches the original