RemingtonSteel

Tequila, it's hard to summarize in a paragraph, but I tried my best. My SASS alias is Remington Steel, as my first single action revolver was a 44 cal. Steel frame Remington 1858 New Model Army revolver. Unless you have been out to CA to compete I doubt we have meet, but another new interest is RVingl, so maybe one day we will meet. Probably should have also mentioned CAS is lot of fun, if you can find primers and powder so you can reload, as you typically go through 120 rounds (not counting shotgun shells or reloads) at a match.

PastorBob, Cowboy Action Shooting (CAS) is considered a three-gun sport consisting of 2 single action revolvers, 1 lever action rifle and 1 shotgun . So, yes, you are limited to 10 rounds for revolvers, but not in the way you are visualizing. Each stage in CAS is comprised of 10 rounds in revolvers (5 rounds in each with hammer down on empty cylinder), 10 rounds rifle, and anywhere from 2-6 for shotgun. All three weapons are fired on a stage, and your are timed. Each miss adds 5 seconds to your stage time, and without going into a great amount of detail, time is also added if you don't shoot the targets in the correct order for that stage. So speed, accuracy, and a clear mind rule the day. There are usually 6 stages to a match, and a stage may require a single round reload in either the rifle, a revolver, or both, so this is where the bullet slide comes into play. If interested in finding out more, I suggest you check out the Single Action Shooting Society (SASS) here: SASS - Home of Cowboy Action Shooting (sassnet.com). blue62, I would be proud to wear that rig at a match. Well done. I agree, although not traditional of the old west, I think the blue stitching makes a great accent against the black leather. Great stamp job on the gun belt. QUESTION: Why the single loop on one holster, and a double loop on the other? Different length barrels?

LeatherLegion, very nice dog collars indeed... wink, wink, cough cough. But shouldn't those really be in the Adults Only-NSFW forum?

I agree with JLSleather on much of what he said, especially the part about your skills. For the number of belts that you have made, your skill level is well above most leatherworkers that have that many or more belts under their belt (pun intended.) To me geometric patterns are the most difficult patterns to stamp. One misaligned stamp can really detract from the overall project for people like me that have an eye for detail. This particular geometric for me is always a challenge. On yours I can see some clipping at the top of the half circles due to the slightest misalignment of the stamp, which is the main reason it is so challenging. However, your stamps have good even depth, and are very crisp, the belt was cased properly as you have nice burnishing in the stamps, so all in all, I would say you pretty much nailed it! I would buy that belt and wear it with pride. Stop being so critical of yourself and start selling those belts. With all do respect to JLSleather (and I do respect him and his work), this is the part I don't agree with. IMHO, the guy that uses an embossing machine is a manufacturer, where as the guy who stamps it by hand is a craftsman. Many people, including me, are willing to pay more for an item to support independent craftsman than they would a manufacturer. Just like I would pay a little more for a product made in the USA over one of the exact same quality made in a foreign country, or pay a little bit more to support a local brick and mortar business vs buying from Amazon, when theses things are possible. The only other advise I can give regarding pricing that others have yet to make is this. If you get to the point where you are taking in more orders than you have the time to make (within a reasonable timeframe), it is time to increase you prices (economics 101 - law of supply and demand!). Beautiful belt, you have got me wanting to make one with this pattern again. I have to ask though, who is the stamp manufacturer and what is the number of the geometric box stamp. That particular one creates a very nice cross hatched look in background and I have not seen it before?

Wyatt. very nice job... great tooling on that project! How long have you been tooling (5 years), as from the looks of it, I would say a very long time. JW, you can find that pattern pack here. Single strap version, not double strap: http://www.willghormley-maker.com/OWC.html

Looks good. Not too bad for just getting back into it. IMHO, next time I would leave a wider border around the carving on the reinforcement piece for the stitching, so it doesn’t get lost in, or cover up the carving.

Yeah, I was thinking those looked more like drawer pulls than conchos. I think I had some night stands from Bombay Company that had those pulls... Still, they would look pretty cool on a dog collar.

@Rosch22, I have a 441 clone, and the height of the walking foot and the presser foot can be adjusted for different thicknesses of leather. I don't have a Adler 167, so I am not a hundred percent sure, but I think the Adler 167 and its sub models has a similar adjustment. This is an excerpt from an Adler 167 manual that I found, that talks about the adjustment. Loosen the nut and move the connection rod slide up to get a higher stroke which in turn increases the foot lift height. Mark/note where it is currently at so you can set it back to that position if this does not help. Give it a try and let us know it it works for you. FYI, many here call the connection rod slide the "banana slide" as its curve resembles that of a banana.

Watts, Have you decreased/loosened the presser foot tension spring to prevent the foot from marking up the leather? The reason I ask is that if it is loosened too much, the leather will actually lift up off the needle plate a little bit on the up stroke of the needle. The action of the leather lifting off of the needle plate can also cause the upper thread/knot to not be pulled into the leather. Just something else to look at just incase you did.

I really hate it when leatherworkers like you post pictures of their work like this. It just becomes one more item I have to add to my list of cool projects to try. Really love the pattern on the top weight, and I think that is the one I will to try to duplicate. Also I really like a good quality Rum as much as the next guy, but in my opinion a good Rye goes better with leather.

@bgstewart7, From Tandy's website on the CRAFTOOL® PRO STITCH MASTER SEWING MACHINE (Craftool® Pro Stitch Master Sewing Machine — Tandy Leather, Inc.): From Sailrite's website on the Sailrite® Leatherwork® Sewing Machine Package (Sailrite® Leatherwork® Sewing Machine Package (110V) - Sailrite): Based on both of these sites (same machine), I would say Yes to the #20 needle, but No to the v-138 thread. Having said that, manufacturers often put the highest specs that the machine will run smoothly and reliably with. That does not mean that it can not sew with v-138, and you would not know until you try. Doing so could void the warranty so do it at your own risk, but I would not recommend it. I really hope this is not something you need the machine to do, but were just wondering about. Not to be rude, but if this is something you need the machine to do, you probably should have asked this question before purchasing. The bright side is that Tandy has a decent return policy (14 days on this machine), so you might be able to return the machine if you do need one that sews with heaver thread. This is definitely a nice little compact machine, which is great for someone who is tight on space and sewing light weight leather products. If you keep it, I hope you enjoy it and that it serves you well.

Here is a video on YT that covers 7 different stitch types, one of which is baseball stitch. 7 Different Ways to Stitch Leather by Hand - YouTube

fredk, I was thinking the same thing, then I tried it. What size snaps and Chicago screws are you using? My Chicago screws don't even come close to fitting in the base of my Line 24 snaps. My Chicago screws do say heavy duty, so maybe that is the reason.

Oh, man you got me there. Can't argue with that one.

Chuck, super cool gift. Nice job as always on the leather work. Sorry about the problems you had with the sunburst, that seems to happen on the most important projects, but then again that is how we learn. Your recovery is spot on, as I wouldn't have known you had an issue with it if you hadn't brought it up. Love the choice of wood for the pencils, as it pairs nicely with the case. Also, I didn't know that leather working and wood working was "redneck stuff"... Guess I'm a redneck too.