Vikefan

Very Nice! I love the simplicity of your products. They go very well together. I wish I had the talent to carve like you are now. Kudos! Vikefan

Harry Marinakis (The following vegetable dyes do not require a mordant: indigo, lac, walnut, woad.) 2. The following vegetable substrates are proven leather dyes, but generally they are not wash-fast or sun-fast: (WHAT DOES this mean? I dyed my leather, but when I wet it to mold, the dye color I had, washes off. Why is that? Vikefan

Rahere, Thank you... I never thought my temperature was too low.. I will research some more. Thank you. Vikefan

Yeah, I am not crazy about the main seam.. off stitches.. And I used off white thread... I have modified my pattern for this holster...

Very nice! Great story...

New holster...and leather takes regular leather dyes well.

Here's my interpretation of the Holster John Wayne wore in many of his westerns, and especially the one he wore in El Dorado. Please, take a look and let me know what you think.. I'm a bit dis-satisfied with the the way the stitching came out on the main seam. I had to re- profile the Strap across the front as on one picture you can see it was way too big (third Picture), so I cut it down top and bottom. I used stitching chisels and this is hand-stitched. Thank you

Incredible! She should be proud of those, especially since her dad made them.. Beautiful work!

I love this! Very good job!

I made some natural walnut dye a few years ago and have tried dying my veg tan leather (holster) with it, but when you wet it with water it just washes off. How can I keep the color I want from washing off when I wan to put stitch lines into the leather.. Please help... Vikefan

JamesRiley I knew a James Riley.. Were you ever in the A.F in a Loadmaster capacity? Just curious..The name caught my attention. Kits, for good tools, I've not found myself. The more you do the more you learn about the tools you will need. Learn how to sharpen your tools and keep them in good shape. There are many YouTube vids out on leather tools, sharpening, and other info. Take Care and good Luck in your new hobby. Vikefan

Weaver Leather sells them on their website. They even have a youtube video so you can hear the tone of each size bell. Yes, that is why I make them, so you can hear someone open or shut the door.

Yes, they are! They are really good bells and have great tones.

Just finished my second one of these... I did my first this past January.

Very Nice indeed!!! Where did you get the inside of the case? I've got two old George Pool Cue cases myself and they have a plastic frame which is wrapped in leather. Great Work!!! Vikefan

I've tried to get an answer to my question on a different forum, but had not one response. Where can a buy good, quality, for the most part blemish free leather for holsters/sheaths in the weight range of 7/8 oz? I am in Alaska and can not purchase in bulk, just a 1/2 side of so at a time. I want decent leather with little waste. Please advise, Vikefan

Alexis1234 Have you tried the the double Line push creasers that Osborne used to make. brucejohnsonleather.com might have some used ones for sale? I use a double lined one for the belts I make. Hope that helps. Vikefan

I have never used wicket and craig, and some of the stuff Tandy sells is not the greatest. I want to know what supplier to get good sides for holsters from.. I've also heard that some wicket and craig hides are iffy as well. Please help. Vikefan

Yes, those paint stirrers came in handy trying to get the correct angle on these holsters. And thank you...

I watch a lot of leather craft videos on YouTube. And learned that Saddle Soap works very well in finishing leather edges. I dye the project, sand the edges starting at a fine grit, and work my way sanding the edges till I get to 600 wet/dry till edges are pretty smooth, then apply a couple coats of Saddle soap to my leather and burnish them on my motor driven burnishing wheel, or hand burnish them.. This has been working very nicely for me. I've got a whole large bottle of saddle soap to use up. Hope this helps someone.

I Hand-stitch as well.. and started out with 3 cord I think, I used to dye it to match the project I was working on, back when my hand-stitching didn't turn out as good as it has lately (helped by stitching Chisels). Now I primarily use Tiger threads in various colors. I have .06, .08, and 1.0 mm. Right now I use mostly .08mm.

Great Idea.. And thank you for your encouragement.

Awesome.. Where did you get the chair frames.. Gives me a great idea... Thank you so much for inspiration... Vikefan

That thing is wonderful! I want to make one now, but I really suck at carving... I am much better stamping things. Way to go.. I love it and have a few lever actions that need these. Vikefan

Very beautiful work! Kudos!!!