crmiller84

Mike, sorry I didn't get back to you on this sooner, been away from the forum. I simply used my wing divider twice to get my guide lines, approximately 1.5x the height of the stamp to get the spacing right.

Looking good!

That's great! I actually did a sling like that for my dad a couple years ago, but it never crossed my mind to cut and bevel in the lines, yours really pops! Awesome work!

Be careful with gorilla glue. I've noticed it expands out of my seams and causes issues with dyeing/burnishing edges. YMMV Second this. If the belt is 1.25", cut the liner 1.3"-1.4". Well worth it in the long run.

Do you know approximately the thickness of the ostrich hides you have, and are they supple or stiff? That info would be somewhat necessary to give you any truly good suggestions. If it is thinner and on the supple side, small wallets/clutches/coin purses are an awesome use of ostrich. If you have a good cowhide in maybe 6-7 oz to line it with it would also make a beautiful belt. Inlays in other items are a good use also (holsters/knife sheathes/etc.) If it is relatively stiff and/or thicker, I'm not sure what I would attempt with it. Also, what condition is it in? In storage since '02 would have me concerned that it is very dried out and brittle, but I could definitely be wrong. I built a holster for a friend out of 12oz saddle skirting that he had in his garage for about 15 years, and after a good couple coats of neatsfoot it worked fairly well.

Thank you all!

Stepping out of my comfort zone on this one! My wife has wanted me to make her a purse for several years now, and I never found the time to do it. This year for our anniversary I surprised her with this. There are definitely a few things I would have done differently now that I have assembled one, but I am absolutely thrilled with how this turned out! Made with 5/6 veg tan cowhide, 5/6 oily sides (the black bottom), genuine crocodile hornback lined with pigskin for the closure strap and 8/9 natural veg tan for the straps. The top has a pigskin lining that was stitched and rolled to give the trim around the top, and a double pocket for a cell phone/small wallet on the inner back.

Built these two years ago now, never got to post them. Commemorative holster and ammo bandolier for a Wyatt Earp SAA clone. Border was stamped. everything else (letters/designs) hand carved, and used a saddle stitch on the whole set-up. Client only told me he wanted the holster and bandolier, and gave me full artistic freedom on everything else. Most fun I've had on a single project.

Thank you!

Haven't posted much here ever, mainly used the forum as a resource. Here are a few of my more recent projects. Hope you enjoy! Critiques welcome!

I know that Bunkhouse Tools has some and that KnifeKits.com carries some also, just wondering if there were any other suppliers and who has the best prices. I'm trying to build an inventory of them, but at $40-$65 each they are eating into my profits as a start up.

Thank you for the replies guys. I have contacted Hoffman Brothers, and they worked through some of the issue with me (marking is way down, but still present). I've tried smoothing out the marks after stiching by casing the leather and running a spoon over it, but that does not seem to be taking care of it. I'm almost wondering at this point if I'm just so used to the clean appearance left from hand sewing that I'm being to particular. Can anyone post some close-up picks of the stitches you are getting with your machines so I can compare? I'll try to get some pics taken tomorrow of what I'm dealing with so you all can take a look also. Thanks again, really glad I've joined this forum! Seems like a ton of priceless knowledge here, and I look forward to gaining as much as possible form you guys

I was very fortunate this Christmas in receiving a Ferdco Pro 1010 from my family. I have been working with leather for three years now, making mostly holsters and knife sheathes, and have done all hand stitching up to now. The problem I am running into with the new machine is pressure. The presser foot and walking foot are leaving very obvious marks on any leather I am sewing on it, regardless of where I set the pressure. How do I get around this?