battlemunky

You are most welcome Sir!

I usually only pierce once but I've noticed that when the loop closes in on the eye it does get quite a bit harder to pull that lump through (similar to how @billybopp described above) so I've been considering a second piercing to make the "S".

Well, judging by how well it takes the stamp, it's veg tan so it should be susceptible to hardening due to heat. Wet it through, wrap the gun in saran wrap and wet mold it around the gun, remove the gun, then toss it into an oven at the lowest setting possible, (mine only goes to 170* F) for 10 min, reform, another 10 min, reform, and then let it go for about 30 while keeping an eye on it to ensure it doesn't burn. It should be getting pretty dry by then, then leave it somewhere to fully dry. Luckily it is black so you can rub enough NFO in your hands to coat them, and then rub down the holster to restore a bit of the moisture from wet molding it. Other than that, I got nuthin'! Good luck and let us know how it turns out

Yeah, another cool piece @mariuspirvu!

Yeah, it's another way of asking for pics of how it turns out.

I picked up some Smith's leather balm a month or so ago and it is my new favorite product. Not sure if it is a suitable option ot not but I figured I'd toss it out there. It's far less penetrative than NFO so maybe after a few coats of Smith's it'd be good? Who knows? I sure don't... Let us know hat you do and how it works out.

POIDH!

Outstanding work Mike! Beautiful execution as always Sir!

Best way to describe it is to direct you to YouTube. Search for "block dying leather" and there should be some examples. Basically though, wrap a block of some hard material, like wood, with some t-shirt or paper towel and then apply some dye to it and then mush the cloth/paper towel on some dry news paper to remove some of dye so that it is damp and not wet, then work on the leather in the starburst pattern. You can either apply multiple layers of dye beginning with the lightest and working out to the darkest in gradients or you can attempt to go dark in the areas you want, but that is far more prone to effin' up in my experience. If you aren't going to airbrush it, that is the way to do it. When you pull it off the way you want it to be it is super rewarding but like most things that give you the reward feeling, it usually comes with struggle. If that isn't clear or you have any questions, please ask more. What I said is by no means in full detail so if something needs elaboration please don't be bashful.

I picked up some Smith's leather balm and am really digging it. It is no sealant though but more of a conditioner. I have no idea how it'll handle rub-off from antique though.

Hard to do justice on a Randall knife but you did. I don't know if I have a favorite though, they are all three beautiful and fitting for their respective knife.

I want to see it in 5 years after beating around with the keys! I think that is quite cute.

Agreed. Looking great!

Beautiful work @Danne!

Make a bend out of some scrap that you can lay the snakeskin over to get the right size and then use that piece since it will be representative.

Super cool game and great gift!

I've only ever used veg tan for watch straps and they are as nice and supple, after an initial break-in period, as chrome tanned is laying in the off-cuts bin. I have a buddy that doesn't really care for "the western look" that natural veg has....so I introduced him to places like RML, DLS, BuckleGuy, etc., where he found nice and supple veg that didn't have the "western" look to it. I told him that I don't mess with much other than natural veg and that it turns out just fine but he still needed some help. There is a reason veg has worked for the past few thousand years. Not that there is anything really wrong with chrome, but application certainly matters with respect to difficulty. Look for "milled" veg tan if you want a softer feel, or "hand", or just get a thinner strap and give it a few weeks and it'll be your best friend. Note that milled veg will have similar problems finishing as chrome does though; it's a PITA to edge bevel and isn't as friendly with tooling. Share some pics too, its always fun for us to see what you are going through as you see it.

Looks great and I'd not be ashamed of the artwork at all man, it's clean as a whistle!

Lookin' great Chuck!

I've got a few gallons of walnut husks in the freezer awaiting my lazy ass to get motivated and try boiling them down for dye. De-huskifying them had my hands dark brown for a few days and they weren't even condensed down.

Wow, I never knew transitioning from one thickness to another was even an issue using a machine. Good to know in case I ever find myself with one.

I think it looks great @YinTx but I think, especially using a machine, that running the stitch all the way around the border would tie it together a little more. I think the stamps on the spine fit the project really well, that font works great on a bible.

Looks like it's close to the belly and those are natural stretchy areas. which can be seen in the leather. That's my guess anyhow.

Iron changes the composition of the leather chemically. I'm betting that the iron in the spring steel of those binder clips made it through to the leather and got you the black you see.

Those look pretty good. Practice your stitching in those blind areas and it'll up your look a ton. Pretty nice execution though