battlemunky

Uhm, yeah, my camera does that to my gut too. Stupid camera Good looking rig Plink!

Yep, that is what I was chewing on in my mind. I'm kicking myself for never having had the idea on my own. I love this forum.

Uh, yeah! That is full of win! I like how the lace looks a bit soft and it makes the entire piece look quite a bit older than it is. Your colors are great and compliment each other in every way your eye hits the piece. I like this a lot.

A maker on the bushcraft forum I frequent makes those type 3/4 sewn sheaths. I like the idea but haven't made one yet. Would you mind explaining a bit about your cam lock @Bawarrior? Is it just a bump to push past that makes it a bit harder for the knife to jump out on its own?

A word of caution @BillinTR, if you do multiple plies, you have to be beyond careful to either ensure your holes are perfectly perpendicular through all layers of your leather (maybe make a jig tho keep everything aligned?) or that you punch holes on all layers of the leather in exactly the same place on all layers (again, a jig?). This is the entire reason I learned the Stohlman method. It wasn't for tradition or looks or any other reason aside from being able to get my awl through all the layers and get the pointy part to come out the groove I made on the far side. I have ruined some really cool projects by punching through at a slightly off angle and also by being off slightly on my pre-punched holes on multiple pieces of leather. Its doable, it is just tough to get right, especially early on. Think of making a sheath for a thick bladed bushcraft knife where you need a double welt and you have both front and back pieces of leather on a taco sheath....4 layers of 8-9 oz. No punch in its right mind is going to go through that without a ridiculous fight, and then you have to ensure your angle doesn't change mid punch or else you just made holes somewhere that you didn't want them. Again, it can be done, but the difficulty gets upped. The Stohlman method takes a bit of learning but I can get my holes where I want them far more regularly than not. It is more forgiving but it costs you in learning curve. I punch my holes sometimes but usually only on one side to get the holes right and then use the awl to get through the other layers. In any case, please post pics of whatever you do and keep asking questions and sharing. Inspiration is a two way street

A ferrule is the little metal neck, usually brass, that is clamped onto the handle to more securly hold the blade of something in.

This is going to sound completely wrong, but I love your wood. The bark is colored and textured really nicely and the squirrel is well done too.

Yeah, it HAS to be a sharpness issue. My awls were very difficult to get through the leather before I worked on them for way longer than I ever would've thought necessary. As much time as I've spent sharpening them, there shouldn't be much left of them.... What grit is your stone @BillinTR? I start at 1500 grit and stop with fiber optic polishing film, then I strop. Took forrrreevvvvvveeerrrrrr but now they can split atoms.

Anything that makes an acceptable shaped hole will work but getting the hole maker in the shape where it is as easy as a purpose built tool may be a bit harder. I've only heard good about Crimson Hide products. I have some old Tandy awl, a Craftool awl and a Wuta awl. I just got the Wuta awl so I can't really speak to it yet but with a few hrs work the other two work very well. One of these days I'm going to get a "good" awl and see how it goes. But no, you don't have to get a Crimson Hide awl but it may be far easier to if your time means more to you than your initial outlay of money.

If this was a trap, you may have sprung it on me @TonySFLDLTHR.....I'm going to take a better look in a bit. Thanks to you and the rest of Springfield Leather Co (especially the dog) for the appreciation!

Me likey!

I learned how to saddle stitch from watching Nigel and Ian on youtube. It wasn't until I actually read Stohlman that I understood why I was supposed to do the things Nigel and Ian were talking about. IMO Stohlman does more in text and with those drawings than most videos can pull off. If you keep practicing you'll get to the point where it is second nature and you'll get faster at sewing that way and you can start picking up when a stitch is off before you tighten it, etc. It will get easier if you keep at it. Regarding your awl, if it is too hard it ain't sharp enough. Once I got mine good and sharp I kicked myself for all of the effort I'd wasted forcing the dull one through. When it is right, you'll know it. Watch your fingers on the "out" side of the leather....we are covered in leather, leather nowhere close to as thick and tough as cow leather. I've stuck myself twice since I got my awls sharp and both were deep and both were instantaneous.

I followed Nigel's advice on that as well. The only thing I'll use the stitch groover for now is on the inside of a sheath where the belt loop stitching will be, just to get the stitching below where the blade could possible get it. I've also heard of putting some 5 minute epoxy over the threads as well and it completely eliminates the need for that application. I am trying and can't really think of where they are needed in what I make. I have two though....if I need them, I have them. @KennethM, if you want to try and sharpen your crappy one, it is pretty easy, just run it in reverse of how you'd use it on some 1500-2000 grit sandpaper and then strop it the same way. It is bound to help!

Yep, I thought they were the same thing but it kinda makes sense except for one thing about the surface backs. Is it slicking on the back side when you get fuzzy crappy leather then?

I believe those are interchangeable sir!

Yeah, you will have noooo problem selling that. Enough about the bag though. How about that dog peeking over the table, that is a beautiful beast you have there

That is really nice. It looks like it took far more than 4 hrs. You should be proud of that!

All three of those look really good. Way to keep the geo straight on the brown one.

Sorta, but the yelling meant so much more than it does now.

@byggyns explanation cleared it up for me. I'm no stranger to firearms, just the 1911. Hearing the double redundant safeties makes me feel less edgy. I also wondered why you always see 1911s carried that way.

I agree with everything you said. However, if I'm being fair, I do work for the army and I go to a lot of army bases, and the army seems to take care of their people far better than I was ever taken care of. I yelled at the folks below me and was yelled at by the folks above me quite regularly. We were always made to feel like as good as we were was never good enough. It was rare to receive praise. I see the army guys actually being human to one another. It makes me wonder if all the angst and nit picking and needling that Jarheads constantly do to one another is needed to have Marines. Maybe that is part of the recipe? In retrospect, I'd have likely stayed in if it wasn't so hostile all the time. I wouldn't change it for the world but I sure would've appreciated being able to relax a bit and enjoy all the coolness....I mean, I haven't blown anything up in years.

Really cool, way to make it work with existing materials man!

I ignored Rustic for the last week. It was great. I'm really thinking of doing it permanently. He really makes the forum less welcoming and crappy. I recommend you others to give it a try. I loathe that we have a single person come on and spread disdain and propagate his ignorance and clear lack of understanding for what good looks like. Your work is great @Mattsbagger and I envy your skill. That guy is is a know nothing ignoramus capable of only producing things half as well made as he is developed as a leatherworker.

When it is done well, like the above articles, they'll last decades with little issue aside from patina. Maybe some scratching depending on tools used. Doing it well is the entire reason they last. It is why it needs to be done well, so it'll last many many years with nothing but character developing.

Both look great but I think I prefer the tan antiqued one a bit more.