VMTinajero

I'm with JLSleather- you'd be amazed at the results plain ol' water will give you...

The book you ordered is good but a long read; but a great reference book! As others stated, thinner lace works better, but in the meantime if you keep using the lace shown, skive the side edges so it lays better when braided... good job so far!

tools@ronstools.com

http://www.pecard.com

I've done this for over 25 years, just apply sparingly, like neatsfoot oil. A few light coats is better than one heavy coat...

I would not skive part C, personally. If you skive before the section that is responsible for bearing the weight you are weakening the integrity of the overall strap. I would just skive part A. My 2 cents...

Very nice work!

Looks like you have half a machine...

I would respectfully disagree with a portion of what you said, not that you aren't right to an extent. To me, it depends what it is you are making & how the other mass-produced items compare. Is your tooling nicer or more historically accurate? Is your stitching better (more stitches per inch or just nicer-looking)? Or you could look at it as a piece of art- looking at two paintings, both are painted on canvas & both used oil-based inks, but which one do you like better? As I said, don't try to justify yourself because someone will always try to justify why your price isn't worth it to them. Those are customers you do not need, because the aggravation isn't worth the money.

Hi Don, the short answer is you don't. Like you, I make items that have a niche market. Those that in the know can tell the difference in quality & will seek you out, not the other way around. If you try to convince someone who does not appreciate or understand the quality difference you will only give yourself an ulcer, high blood pressure, or worse. As people get more & more into a hobby they usually learn on their own that quality costs more. You cannot force that light bulb to turn on in their brain...

Best answer yet!

What you are describing is flanky leather, and it is quite common, especially when you get to the ends and/or belly areas of the hide. What you need to do is skive off a bit until you get down to good, solid flesh. If you have a splitter, it is always good to buy your leather a little heavier than needed,then split it down to the desired weight (thickness). That way you always have solid material to work with. Hope this helps.

When you say you are being asked to make new & different, what are we talking about? Do you mean going from using 8-10 oz leather for holsters to making purses or something that requires a thinner leather to start out with? Hard to tell from your initial post, but make sure you are using the right leather for the job. Also, remember that alcohol dries out the leather, so the more you use, the harder it is eventually going to get. If you want your leather to be soft & pliable, use a leather dressing, such as Pecards, to condition & preserve the leather. I do not know what it is you make, so I am just going off of generalizations, but the important thing is that you preserve the natural oils in the leather, otherwise it is bound to crack eventually. If you are not familiar with Pecards I suggest you google them. They make an excellent product. I have no involvement with them other than as a user of the product, so this is not a shill drumming up business for them.

If you use a diamond awl make sure your holes are all parallel to each other, or else you won't get that nice straight line...

I have a 1 lb & a 2 lb for stamping & a heavy 6 lb I use with some of my hand dies for cutting belt ends...