battlemunky

Beautiful work Sir!

I still can't wait to see it. All the learnin'! As far as the awl goes, you probably just need to sharpen it, which is a whole other can of worms.

That is a really nice rig @Josh Ashman. All your edges look on point making for a comfortable set. As the others have said, that unscientific mix of colors looks really nice!

This +1000. Patience is a virtue I don't have. One of these days I'm going to actually follow your path and let things dry/cure completely. My stuff generally looks good but it may not look great yet because of my impatience.

An awl is slower until you get handy with it but its the only way I know of doing the thick stuff and keeping it neat. I can't wait to see your effort! Go Chris go!

Good looking rig all around!

POIDH!

I usually leave 5 mm. Lay it out and figure out where your cards are going to be plus 2 mm on each side of the card to allow for the bend of the leather around the card, then 5 mm on that, then set your wing dividers at 3 or 4 mm depending on how confident you are with your measuring to mark your stitch line. Sizing = done. Then the rest is construction. If it will have a fold allow for 12-15 mm for that. I use mm because its easier than fractions. 2 mm is ~ 1/16th in and 5 mm is ~ 1/4. I don't think you'll be short on either. If your cuts are good you may not need to trim/sand much at all but you'll have 3 or 4 mm in order to if needed.

I'm in for 3-4 oz also. I've made a few with 5 oz and it gets bulky quick but if its minimal it still isn't too bad. You don't really even need a template. Take your cards and stack them like you want to carry them and then add some allowance for stitching. It's basically squares and rectangles with a minimalist wallet. Google "free minimalist wallet pattern" and you should find plenty of options to suit your taste profile. I've made a bunch of them, as have a lot of others here, so if you have any questions feel free to ask.

Depending on how heavy it went on it may need some time to absorb/disperse but its probably good. If you are able to handle it and not have oil transfer onto your hands it should be ok to put on some resist.

I want a machine but find myself unhappy every time I look at machine sewn leather. It took me a good while to sew good by hand so I'd hate to toss that skill away, so I keep putting it off. Having watched a ton of videos on them there isn't even an argument that if you want to make any real money in leather, you need one. Hand sewing is just super slow and I don't know if its justifiable to a customer on 99% of items. I wrestle with it often. Even typing this my pendulum has swung a few times. For me, it'll probably come down to the right machine at the right price at the right time...when those 3 things line up, it'll be my time and until then, I'll keep pulling needles. Good luck in your pursuit and let us know what direction you go in.

Speaking of oil, how's it look today @Chris623? Even if its still a little dark today, give it until tomorrow.

Thanks for explaining that. I have used pro saddle tan in the past but usually end up a bit darker than that. I’m going to try and give a quick wipe down right after application next time. I’m super pleased with their Spanish Brown too. It’s a really nice mellow brown.

That is what I do but I'd hit it with a final coat of Resolene or Pro-resist after the Tan Kote. The Tan Kote is going to help clean up some of the antique from the high spots that are residual from the wipe-ification (science werds) process. The crud in the deep spots will stay behind while the Tan Kote "cleans" up the higher spots and then one last coat of Pro-resist will seal it all up.