alpha2

FWIW, I always buff before the next coat. And thin coats only. I do three coats most times, and haven't had issues, but I can see that different leathers would have different properties. Jeff

Fantastic! Thank you for sharing.

As the lettering is raised, you can put dye on a piece of cloth wrapped around a block, so that the dye only touches the raised parts as you wipe over the piece. Look for youtube videos on block dying, as mentioned above. PRACTICE a bit first, before you go to the money piece. It's not difficult, but could use a bit of experience to make it look nice. Unrelated, MOST Colorado beers are better than Coors. Okay, maybe all of them. Except those from my home town mega brewery, Anheuser-Busch nee In-Bev. Budweiser is marginally better than Coors. If it's 100 degrees F. and you just finished mowing the lawn. And now, back to your regularly scheduled program... Jeff

Top piece, welt, and rear piece with loop extensions. 3 layer sheath.

It does seem to be difficult to find the multi one. Shame, it's a really good idea!

Only ever used one belt blank, and it was from Tandy. It didn't have anything like that on the flesh side. I've been cutting my own since then. Jeff

"pop the lid open first or it blow off" ooh, I see how that could happen, thanks!

No. At least, not at first. My contact cement tends to harden up over time because I don't use much of it, then it needs to be thinned. Other than that, I haven't thinned any other adhesives. Good to know! How long does it take, assuming you have to heat the entire contents? Jeff

Webbing collars are preferred for swimmers. Remember leather is only guaranteed completely waterproof on the original animal, the cow. Any dye or stain on leather can be sealed to some extent, I seal my bridle leather collars with a few light coats of Resolene, and the edges are buffed and treated with beeswax neatsfoot etc. mixture. A good buffing after that will help too, and when your cloth comes away clean, you're done. Still can bleed if exposed to water over time. I haven't seen an issue though.

There is in fact a long loop that comes up through the grommets, then the snap attaches to that loop. I haven't seen one since I got out of the Coast Guard in '74. I imagine there must be somewhere that would sell the hardware, but can't come up with anything. Jeff Edited: FOUND IT, https://ohiotravelbag.com/c-2124/duffel+bag+keeper+black

That Tandy stuff is okay to start, but you will be amazed at the improvement in quality, with less waste in the better leathers. Better price too, even with shipping. I haven't tried a spot setter yet, but with the amount of collars I'm doing now I may have to go that route. Jeff

Wordpress latest "upgrade" has a LOT of people royally miffed, from what I read on the interwebs. Jeff

The pictures don't do these hides justice. With a little buff, more like a simple wipe, these are very consistent in color and shade. They are making my best selling belts. First two pics are dog collars. Jeff

The best thing you could do at this point would be to check out youtube for videos on hatbands in general, leather hatbands, installing conchos in leather, and peruse the other video options on the right side of the youtube page for other related subjects. "Making belts" is good basis for making hatbands, they're the same thing. Keep in mind that any band wide enough for the size conchos you're thinking of will likely need to be cut with a slight bow, as the hat is tapered. I see that even with 5/8" bands. Jeff

Leather seems to be like what we always said in aviation, "you can make a small fortune in aviation, if you start with large fortune". I look at what I make per hour in leatherwork, and compare that to the $100 dollars an hour I get for keeping my hand in my previous work, and it doesn't make business sense, so I'd better enjoy it! I do it MOSTLY because I enjoy it. If it only pays for itself, it's a win for me, as I've recently retired, and am trying to keep from tapping into Soc. Sec. and my retirement funds. So far, so good. Jeff

Nice idea. Not sure what the effect would be of my dog seeing her favorite toy stuck in a glue pot, though! That Kong is the ONLY toy she hasn't destroyed. Yet. Jeff

Fantastic seat! A learning experience, (which are much easier without the deadline)! You totally nailed it. I wonder how those bumps on the perimeter feel after about 50 miles...I don't ride, so maybe they don't even notice. Jeff

Nice work! The fender washer is an original. The trouble with hanging anything around a dog's neck, is that's where they most like to scratch, with predictable results to leather. I've just learned to accept it. Sadie doesn't care, says "I can't see it from here!" Jeff

well done!

Haven't been able to figure it out yet, but this has to be a multi-row lacing chisel, right?

Don't know what it is, but I want one. Jeff

My Dan Wesson CBOB would be proud to call that home! Jeff

Thanks! CowBoy 4500.

I only recently have run into the end-of-bobbin event. I also got tired of throwing away so much thread. I was just terrified of running out in the middle of a belt. Then when I did, I found that the sew-over a couple of stitches was hardly noticeable. The other thing I'm doing, is filling at least two bobbins per color, and if I'm doing something longer like a belt, I'll use a fuller bobbin, and if I'm doing a small project like a collar, I use the one with less thread left. The biggest problem I'm having is running out of bobbin thread and not noticing for quite a few stitches. Fortunately the Cowboy machine will go through the same holes a second time very nicely! Jeff

Excellent! Now I need a longer table. And room for a longer table. Jeff