rodneywt1180b

You're probably going to have to make your own. I think there are some how-to articles here on making patterns. Also check out Cechaflo(sp?) on YouTube. He does automotive leather and his videos show how to make patterns out of vinyl for odd shaped objects. Rodney

Great looking work. The box and the stamps. Rodney

Thank you and thank you for the tip. I'll look into getting some Edge Kote the next time I need to order stuff. I also need to think about some sort of finish for the leather. This leather is grainy and on the soft and squishy side. It should give a good grip. I like it and I'll like it better when I get the edges looking better. It doesn't skive well with a utility knife and is too thick to turn and get a good edge as it is. A skiver is on the wish list.

I decided to post this one here because I already know it won't stand up to any kind of critique. Weathered and wormy white oak this time with a baseball stitch. The black marks on the leather are just rain. It's still far from perfect but I think my stitches are getting a little better. I also think I prefer the baseball stitch to the X stitch that I've been using. Next time I buy leather I'll get some veg tanned. This leather is nice and stretchy which is great for my purposes but the edges don't finish well-very possibly it's user error too. Rodney

Eating popcorn and following along. Much nicer than the pony I knocked together from scrap.

Great looking tools. Nice choice of woods too. Is that some curl I see in that oak? Rodney

Watch Ian Atkinson's and Niel Armitage's leather working videos on YouTube. They use contact cement. They're very careful to put it only where they want it like only a thin line outside their stitch lines. I expect any glue you use will leave some sort of residue you won't be able to remove completely without damaging your leather. Better to only put it where it won't show anyway.

Welcome aboard.

I'm thinking it will be fine. Maybe not perfect but ok. I also use a saddle stitch in my wrist straps and it will be great for that. At least they'll be in a straight line. Rodney

I just ordered my stitching chisel from GoodsJapan. I'm getting the Seiwa 3x5 mm one. It works out to 5 stitches per inch which should work out well for the baseball and x stitches on my wraps. It should be here in a couple weeks, sooner if I'm lucky. Thanks for your advice guys. Rodney

Beautiful wallet. I actually like the thread. I like the looks of the leather you chose too. Tiger thread also comes in .6 mm if you like working with it. Rodney

Good idea. I actually have a rotary cutter already from sewing fabric. I'll give that a shot on the next one.

I've noticed that Springfield uses the terms stitching and lacing somewhat interchangeably. I was hoping that one was actually for stitching. Thanks guys, the GoodsJapan prices seem reasonable and the tools look good. . I know with tools you tend to get what you pay for but my budget is limited. The GoodsJapan ones are within my spending range. I do have polishing equipment. Polishing the prongs, at least on the outer faces, won't be a big deal. I'll be using mostly a baseball stitch or possibly an X stitch on the wraps. I'm using a saddle stitch on the wrist straps. I'll most likely get the 3x5mm chisel to start. That should be a good compromise for my purposes. My first leather wrap was pretty crude. The only thing saving it is the rustic nature of the stick its on. I'm working on a cane right now that will be much more demanding. Straight lines and smooth curves are a must for it to look right. A decent stitching chisel will help. I'll post the new one when it's done. It's probably a couple weeks out from being finished. I'll take a look for the you tube videos. I'm curious about what they're doing. Thanks, Rodney

I think I may have answered my own question. Springfield Leather has some diamond point chisels that should work. http://springfieldleather.com/Chisel-Diamond-4prong

You would never know it was your first. Great looking sheath. Rodney

I like it. Nice details. Rodney

Welcome aboard and sorry to see you're disabled. I'm looking forward to seeing some of your work, Rodney

Very nice! Nice reference too. I think it's a great idea. Rodney

I'm looking at buying a stitching chisel. Most likely I'll buy either a 2 or a 3 prong one. I will most likely be using 0.6 and 0.8 mm tiger thread for my thread. I'm mostly going to be covering cane handles and making wrist straps for them. What size(s) stitching chisel would be best? Also, which cheaper brands would you recommend? I am on a budget and don't want to spend a lot. Thanks, Rodney

This one is about as rustic as I make them. I have one gluing up right now that will be a lot more refined (I hope). That one needs the stitching right. I'll most likely buy matching thread and use a baseball stitch for it. Rodney

I'm a little confused on burnishing. (Back to really stupid basic questions) I know you can burnish veg tan. This is oil tanned. Is oil tanned leather veg tan that's treated with oil or is it a type of chrome tan? Can I burnish oil tan like veg tan? Also is it possible to mold oil tan? Fixing my stitch line is a pretty big priority for me. I also need to get a lot better at cutting a smooth seam edge. I've got some ragged cut lines on this one. It needs to be neater for what I want to do. This one was a good learning experience. It's also good to know bellies will work for me. I'd like to turn out a nice product but still keep costs down.

Thanks, I showed the pictures to my customer and she's happy so all's well on this one. It was a fun project and I plan to do more. I'm used to working with wood. I don't know much about leather but this piece had a lot of stretch and liked to move as I was cutting it. I don't mind the stretch. I think it was why I was able to get it to fit. Rodney

I completely butchered the black piece I bought. I ended up buying a bigger piece of brown oil tanned instead. The brown was a lot more pliable and forgiving than the first piece was. Anyway, here's some really bad pictures of what I came up with. Pretty ragged stitching. Cutting my lines could have went better too. I don't think there are two stitches in line anywhere on it but as a first attempt I'm pretty happy with it. I think there is a stitching chisel in my future.

Beautiful work! I feel the same way about photobucket too. Rodney

I have no experience at all but it might be worth gluing it to a thin leather as a backing and pressing it flat while the glue cures. Sort of like a veneer. I'm hoping someone will be along soon with a better idea. Rodney