alpha2

I've got a slightly different perspective on Long's Peak from Ft. Collins, but it's still recognizable. From here you can't tell the peak is a flat top.

ANYTHING beats laying the machine down and dinking with the internal cams. I can see where that could go south in a hurry. I've dinked enough with the internals just slightly adjusting the time on my CB4500. Spell-check is choking on "dinking". Spell-check needs to get out more.

Ah, that's what I didn't get. The reverse stitch length. Yes it would affect that. I just couldn't figure it out on my own. Difference between a newbie and you all. Now I need to check my reverse stitches and see just how well they match up. My education continues... I can see where Croc could be less forgiving. Thanks!

There's something fishy about that shim. Someone went to a lot of trouble to bend the sides up, and cut the slot. Wouldn't a washer have done the same thing? And what difference does the shim make? The movement of the lever is mostly up/down, not in/out. The in/out is adjustable with the knurled wheel, anyway. I just had a horrible thought, what if the top bolt there was a little too long, and they didn't want to walk over to the bin for the correct bolt. Heck, even if they wanted to shim it with that, a half or three-quarter inch long piece would have done the trick, unless they searched the scrap pile and found something there that "kinda" worked. Jeff

Thanks, Bob!

That last bit is important, you don't the hammer/maul to bounce and give a double impression! Dead blow hammer is the way to happiness.

"since you claim it's beneficial, perhaps I can get a discount on the hides that DONT have that? Nah - didn't think so ..." Oh, man, I want to try that soooo badly! "If it's a value-added (my favorite BS) feature, quote me some of the nasty stuff without the value being added".

Nope, won't download unknown stuff on the 'net. Would like to see the pics, though.

Beautiful! What is the inlay?

It's every bit of cute!

I was talking about my ex-girlfriend, not the cowgirl of the skies. So much old anymore!

I knew someone would say that, but I'd forgotten all about Penny, as girls weren't that important to me at that age. It changed later, she must have been in my subconscious though, as my first girlfriends name was Penny. She'd be about 70 now. Kinda having a hard time picturing that. (Not that she'd recognize me!)

"get busy", oh, my, Bert that's cold! That has "busy" written all over it! (I know you were kidding). Now, I'm thinking of doing one with the flowers he left out, should take about five minutes!

No kidding! You put a Fanner 50 and a roll of caps in that baby and I'm ready to go! Yeah, I know who Hopalong Cassidy is. It's that bad. But my fave cowboy hat wearer was Sky King! Because, "out of the blue of the Western Sky". Guns, and airplanes, that's me.

There are a lot of hints on this forum about corners, rounded and otherwise. Helped me A LOT! My problem was certain areas where you must go slowly, and they always say, "do this part by hand with the wheel", well, sure, but to release the clutch, you must press on the pedal ever so slightly, to release the clutch, and it releases the hounds, instead! And, yes, the first one is the worst. Experience and practice is your friend, mostly practice, that's what scrap leather is for. I can't believe it, but I suspect the lack of ability to gently press on the foot pedal goes back to my youth and sports cars. I'm sure I'm the ONLY one. I know all y'all were angels. Except for Chuck123Wapati, we all know you were an animal. Ha! Jeff

There's a LOT done right on that piece!

She must have been thrilled with that collar. I make a lot of collars, but never figured out what the ring is for. Someone once said it was so the strap could stretch, but I don't see how that is going to effect the stretch at all. I wonder how many people just toss excellent brass hardware when something comes apart. Hurts to think about it. I was in a second-hand shop in Steamboat Springs, and was looking for items with good hardware. There were a lot of tooled belts, well worn, but all the buckles had been removed! Bummer.

Bob, Teran Atalier has a video on youbube that shows the process, and has a downloadable (free) PDF pattern. The title on YT is How to Make Rolled Leather Bag Handles (Free PDF Pattern) It's the pattern I used on my first handle. I didn't use the side stitching route that everyone seems to take. I butted the edges together and used a baseball stitch. (Ignore the nasty stitching on the flaps on that handle, I hadn't done a saddle stitch in some years, and it got a bit wonky. Should've practiced again before I started.) Then, I discovered the corset stitch, so I practiced some of that on the x-acto handles for my next rolled handle.

I love this forum. "How do I do that?" has got to be the greatest thing of all time.

That's helps a lot. I see what JH did on hers. Hadn't thought of that. The Stohlman method is interesting and would work just as well, and appears to be easier. Hadn't thought about doing that X stitch to get the threads to the other side. Thanks! Jeff

So I've tried to figure this out via youtube videos, but haven't found one yet that actually shows the precise moment I need to see. When the flap is sewn together at the ends of handle, how is the transition made to the other side of the stitching? I tried a couple of ways, neither was the proper method, as indicated by the nasty job I made of it. On one template, there were 8 stitching holes each side, with one at the point. That was interesting. The other one I saw had just the 8 or 9 holes on each side, without one at the point. The image below is the latter. Neither method is clear to me as to making the stitching transition from one side, past the point and to the other side.

Me too! Shoot and golf right-handed. Don't know why. Likely 'cause I'm right-eyed.

Rookie mistake, right?! I'm loving that stingray!

Ain't that the truth. I just did my first rolled handle, and it was a learning experience. The type of closure/seam OP did is what almost all the videos show. I had to do a baseball stitch, just to make it harder. My next one will be better! AZShooter, I haven't tried to make a shooting bag yet. Are you saying a thicker, stiffer leather would have been better? Does it stay open on it's own with your liner? That Oxblood is some colorful stuff! I made a shellbox for trap shooting, but haven't even used it yet. Jeff

Thanks! The sheath on the right was my first ever attempt at airbrushing. I did practice first.