Bree

For the time that people have been waiting for this website and their catalog to get fixed... I am NOT impressed by the new site. Apart from the lack of E-Commerce functionality, it takes a lot of clicks to navigate, and the information about each product is meager. I expected more.

I didn't test the bullhide because I don't have a lot of scrap to test it on. I tried it on some other veg-tan without the bark tan and most of the time it was black or that deep grey with bluish cast that blackens with finishing. I didn't want to have to cut another holster pattern so I just dunked it in the bark tan tea. We'll see how the depth is when I sand the edges as I will have to sand off a good bit on part of the piece as the stamping splayed out the leather somewhat. I will probably do that this weekend.

I wanted to make a new holster for my Keltec P3AT. I wanted a wider Nemesis style to prevent the gun from falling over sideways in my jeans pocket. So I decided to vinegaroon it. I took some bullhide and gave it a 7 minute soak in some Quebracho Bark tea (1 tablespoon bark to a pot of boiling water then let cool) and then let it set in my somewhat filtered vinegaroon brew for a couple of hours. I say somewhat filtered since there was still a lot of goop in there. I washed the bullhide and let it set in some sodium bicarbonate solution for a few mins to neutralize the acid. I let it dry and then cased it to do some stamping. Right now it is black as a coal yard at midnight with no finsh whatsoever. Once I get the edges sanded and get the sewing done, I will post some final product PIX. Here some PIX of the ebonization of this piece of leather. Raw bullhide After the Quebracho soak Soaking in the neutralizer Wet neutralized leather Flesh side drying Stamped but still cased Close up of the stamped leather The stamped PIX are overly lit up because it is very hard to photograph the darn thing it is so black!

On a stitcher you would use an LR, LL, or VR point alternatively you can use one of the P's (P, PCR, PCL) to get this kind of angled stitch. I agree that these PIX are probably hand sewn but you can get this stitch on a machine. Your LR is widely available and will do the job.

Hot Dayum! You wiped out that stand's antique value and turned it into a brand new stand!! Now I am starting to want to do it to my old 29 stands!!

Awesome job! Too good to trash. Nuke it with black and salvage the carving. There's always someone who wants black!

Barry Kings mauls (both Barry and Weaver sell them) are excellent. I also like old fashioned rawhide mallets. I use both and like both.

In my opinion you have to be VERY careful. Low tack tape may be OK but there is a risk anytime you apply tape to leather. I found that FROG tape has worked well. I do not allow it to stay on very long but it hasn't taken any of the grain off. It is expensive but I would rather pay more then damage the leather which is quite expensive on its own. Experiment and test first. My $.02.

I just couldn't get good light to get a decent picture of it. While it is an old saddle the carving and silverwork was really quite spectacular. Those saddles have sure withstood the years!

I had to do some Photoshop work to make these PIX viewable so the quality is not that great. I hope this answers some of your questions and shows the magnificent hardware used with these horses and this rig.

That wagon behind the saddle is the beer wagon for the Genesee Brewery and what you can't see are the 12 hitches for the 12 horse team. They used Clydesdales and sometimes Roan Belgians. Here is an old postcard of the Roan Belgian team: Those hitches high on the wall above the beer wagon are very impressive!

I am not a saddle maker and I don't know a lot about them. But I was over at the Genesee Country Village Carriage Museum today and saw some saddles that I thought you all might get a kick out of. So here are the PIX of saddle #1. And saddle #2: And saddle #3: Enjoy!

The Juki servo positioning motor costs over $1,000. All that you need is a good standard servo which you can find for a fraction of Juki's price through one of the machine companies here... Artisan, Neels Saddlery, Cobra etc.

BEEUTEEFUL!

Looks real good. Your stiching is quite good... very professional looking. You can be proud of having a handstitched, custom made belt. Great job!

I'm not a Sheridan carver so I will focus on the belt. I think you did a nice job. The stamping looks great and the belt is clean. Good work!

I have a DNU 1541-S. I have owned and used it for about 6 years now. Finest sewing machine I have and I have many. It isn't cheap but it is rugged, reliable, accurate, and easy to use. It never misses a stitch and sews most anything that I can throw at it from leather to lace. If mine was stolen, I would immediately buy another. Top quality piece of equipment. The one thing that I did change was to pull the clutch motor and replace with a servo. It is a very strong clutch motor but I need the speed control for my work.

I picked up a nice block at Rockler.

I love that Indigo Girls song... Don't Give That Girl a Gun!!

I have been looking at these since KMan posted this. I am using Ivan's burnisher right now. I have turned some wooden ones for myself but not loaded them. However, I like the idea of metal burnishers and these look like they are very well machined. The price is good. So KMan can you give me the total length of the burnishers and the length of the stem. Also what are the cove diameters? Can we specify cove and depth or is it a standard for all of the burnishers? Thx!

Canned air... the sewing machine's best friend

If I were going to be sewing biker leathers, I would use poly. It has a bit more UV resistance. I would use size 69 thread. It is pretty much the standard. It is .01" in diameter and has 10 or 11 pounds of tensile strength depending on the manufacture. It's good stuff. Nylon would also work. The strength is similar but it likes UV less than poly. And biker jackets are exposed to UV and under stress. I often sew patches on with nylon because they are not stressed members of the garment but for seamwork I usually switch to poly. I keep both on hand.

To be brutally honest... I wouldn't quit my day job at $10 gross a pop. Just to gross $100K is going to require 10,000 rentals... that's over 27 a day 7 days a week. That's gross of any expenses. The real question becomes how many rentals are necessary for you to pay your mortgage and buy food?? The net net. I don't see it happening. Sorry.

I own a Juki 1541. I love Juki machines. I also own many old Singer and White machines. My oldest machine is dated 1888. So I am a believer in the longevity of sewing machines. That said... get a new one. You have 3 excellent sources for a reasonably priced 441 clone... Artisan, Neel's, and Cobra. They each stand behind the machines with service that doesn't stop. The machines are excellent quality and will last beyond your lifetime. Pay a little more and get the service and the assurance that you have a brand spanking new machine. You won't regret it. You might regret getting the Juki 441... you don't know. That's why you are asking us... you are nervous about it. Why take the risk?? Heck you run a risk just transferring the $$$ and getting delivery of the goods in an international transaction. Sleep easy and get the new machine. If you don't like any of the sources mentioned there are also Raphael's in Montreal, Ferco, and Weaver... all very good North American sources for industrial machines of the class you seek... all provide outstanding service after the sale. My $.02.

Prayer missiles have been launched and are speeding to the target. Hope everything works out OK and very sorry to hear about this terrible event.