andyb

I used the 1" wide "belt" leather from Tandy. I admit our dog was only a 45 pound Irish Setter, but he broke every store bought belt I tried for several years. When I finally made this one it lasted at least ten years (until he passed away). It is still in excellent condition, just well broken in.

Camano, I know it doesn't look like it in that photo, but I can say that I have tried on similar jackets and they are indeed rather stiff. Until the leather warms up a little from body heat it almost is uncomfortably stiff. I have not come across this type of leather for sale and that was why I am wondering if it is just what it states, some sort of oiled veg tanned cowhide. Believe me, I didn't believe the leathers were as stiff as they are until I started researching it. And they are only around 3-4 oz thickness.

I may be confusing some terms. For instance, Schott lists some of their motorcycle jacket leather as "vegetable tanned hand oiled cowhide". What would this type of leather be?

Dwight, I guess I should be clearer. I do have soft garment and upholstery leather, and have used that for projects before. What I'm talking about is fairly stiff leather that has a finish to it almost like plain waxed veg tanned cowhide, only with enough flexibility to it that it isn't like walking around dressed as the tin man from the Wizard of Oz. Areas around the elbows and shoulder are more flexible after being broken in. I have never come across this type of leather and was wondering if it was just some type of veg tanned cowhide that has been oiled and softened slightly somehow. Andy B

I know there are several posts on softening veg tanned leather, but my question may be somewhat different. I would like to sew myself a motorcycle style leather jacket. I have been slowly gathering supplies and pattern ideas. As part of my research I have been trying on various leather jackets and I have found that actual motorcycle jacket leather is very stiff. Many times it is also referred to "veg tanned" leather. These leathers are around 3 oz thickness. Can veg tanned tooling leather be oiled and softened to make a jacket? Andy B

I saw there was a recent post on sewing a pair of gloves, and didn't want to drag that thread off topic. I have a pair of heavy work gloves (I'll get a pic posted tomorrow). The thumbs and middle finger tips are worn through, and that is pretty much what happens to all my pairs of gloves. I hate to throw them away because the rest is still in excellent shape. It LOOKS like I could do a repair, but I'm just wondering if anyone has ever bothered to do this, or just tosses gloves missing a finger tip away. I was thinking of taking some 4-5oz chrome-tanned leather, using contact cement to put a patch on the finger tip (the top half of the front of the finger), and then sewing it on to the old seam using the existing stitch holes. My other option would be to just attempt to replace the entire front of the finger. I'm not sure how difficult that would be. I have the leather and supplies to sew it, so all it would cost me is my time, if it is even possible to do. I do not have a specialty sewing machine for sewing leather gloves (though I'm sure one exists out there). Here's what gloves they are, #290, 4.5" gauntlet. http://www.kunzglove.com/products/lineman.asp Andy B.

Thanks guys for the replies! I didn't realize 4 layers of 7 oz would be almost 1/2" thick at the seams. Yes, that would be difficult to work with. I think I will pick up some thinner lining leather. I watched the holster forming video. Amazing! I never would have thought you could form it like that just by wetting it and pushing the leather against the firearm. It looks like the holster in the forming video is unlined. Maybe I'll just go with some 7 oz unlined. Andy B.

I have been reading through a bunch of the holster threads and thinking once fall gets here I may try my hand at making one. On the fitted holster, such as pancake or OWB holsters for a 1911, most of the holsters are wet-formed to the firearm. The forming seems very tight up against the stitching in many sections. Now I realize when wet-forming the holster, it has already been sewn together. My question is if you are sewing the holster together with a sewing machine, are the leather pieces relatively flat, or are they pre-formed somewhat, or is one of the "blue guns" inside the holster when sewing it, or???? It looks like it would be difficult to sew the leather pieces together where the stitch line is right against a sharply formed section, but I find it amazing that the holster could be sewn together flat and then be wet-formed after sewing to match the contours of the firearm as well as it does. And a follow-up question, if a lined pancake holster was made using 7 oz leather for both the exterior as well as lining, would this be way too thick for machine sewing and wet-forming? I only ask because I happen to have a bunch of 7 oz leather laying around. Andy B.

Redeye, While my join date is a few years back, I am just a newbie to leatherworking. I picked up a 211G155 a month or so ago and am still getting acquainted with it. I think the 155 is an older version of the 166, and I think the 166 has reverse (the 155 does not). The thickest thread I have is some bonded nylon 138, and my machine has no problem using it as the top thread and in the bobbin. I've ran a few passes on some double layers of 8 oz veg tan with no problems at all, so I'd think two layers of 4-5 oz would be easy on the machine. I do not know what the thickest thread you can use in the 211 is. Andy B. PS- KB3WPN, 73!

There is definitely something under the braiding/weaving, and in between each place where the weave crosses over there is a piece of leather connecting the two sides of the belt together. It almost looks like if you took a 1" leather belt and used an oval punch about 3/8" long and punched out ovals every 1/2" so a 1/8" strip still connected the sides together. If this was a cheap belt that was ready to fall apart I would just take it apart to see how it is made, but it is like new and rather expensive, so I'm not going to cut it apart. Andy B.

Jose, That looks beautiful! I have to learn how to do something like that. About how long did it take you to do the carving and tooling on this strap? Andy B.

I really like these woven leather belts because they have almost unlimited adjustment holes due to the weave. It looks like the woven part is done with four strips of leather, but my real question is what is the leather wrapped around? Does anyone have photos of a belt like this taken while it is being made to see what it looks like? Also, what is the best way to finish the weave under the end with the buckle? Thanks for any tips. Andy B.

ramrod, I don't recall where I picked up the pelican hooks. I just did a search like chancey77 posted, only not for stainless. I paid somewhere around $5 or $6 apiece for them. chancey77, I've been reading the swivel knife and carving tips here. One of my problems was I thought you just barely cut into the leather. Now that I'd reading about cutting almost halfway in I am starting to understand how the 3D effect is created. I'm planning to start experimenting in the next week or two. Maybe this weekend if I have some time. Cheryl, I never thought of using Vaseline. I have Lexol conditioner and Obenauf's leather cream and conditioner, but they didn't seem to do much in the way of softening the leather. I've seen some folks recommend Neatsfoot oil, but I don't have any of that laying around. I may try the Vaseline. Andy B.

Thanks for the positive comments! I definitely learned a lot about fitting and matching up stitch holes while doing this. I have never wet-molded anything, so that is something else I will try with one of my next projects. Yes, they are pelican hooks. Just plain brass ones. I saw them on a belt a few years ago and just thought they were the coolest type of "buckle", so had to use them. The down side to them is you can't use them with wide straps (at least I never saw them large enough to work), but that was fine for this project. The snap clips that hold the shoulder strap on were too narrow as it was and I ended up cutting the ends off and silver soldering on a wider rectangle to fit the shoulder strap. Andy B.

I have made a few small projects (like a pocket watch holder to wear on a belt and some other very small items), but this is the first project I have ever attempted with more than a couple of dollars worth of leather. It came out exactly like I envisioned it, but my vision at this point is limited, since I am a leatherworking newbie. I really need to start learning how to do carving and stamping, as there are some beautiful examples posted here by others. I had the bag partially sewn, and decided it was too long, so I cut it apart and shortened it by a few inches. It didn't affect anything, just took me more time, and I ended up using the cutoffs as the strap guides and some other items, so none went to waste. It is Craftsman 8-9 oz veg tanned tooling leather from Tandy, and all hand stitched because I don't have a sewing machine that would work to do this. I still have to soften the leather a bit and use it to give it a bit more worn appearance, but it came out pretty good. The one tip I would be interested in, is how to soften the leather. I know veg tanned stuff isn't going to be as soft as other types, but any amount of softness would be good. EDIT: I forgot to add, one half of the shoulder strap is a section of military sling. I liked how the hooks for adjusting the length worked, so I used the sling instead of pulling the hooks off of it. Andy B.