doubleh

I gave it up years ago. Tone deaf klutz. Years ago i was asked by a supervisor, "Is there anything you can't do", to which I promptly replied, " I can't play a guitar".

Cold or hot salt bluing will not prevent rust and patina is just controlled rust. Even here in the land of far apart raindrops it's a problem and why I started using paste wax on firearms back in the late '60's. I haven't any rust since.

Hobby Lobby has stencils. Draw off the letters and embellish if you wish. Dampen with water so the leather doesn't change color and trace them on, carve and shade and there you are. Tandy's used to have a letter pack just for this purpose but I don't know if they still do.

My choice has always been Johnson's paste wax. You might still be able to find a can on a store shelf. It is no longer produced. There are some other waxes still available however. Just look for a carnauba wax. Pledge will do the same thing but it has to be refreshed more frequently. Amazon has a variety and if I needed any I would go with Minwax, Trewax, or Simonize. Stay away from those that contain oils as they aren't as durable. I have used paste wax as a rust preventive for years. I use it on my table saw to reduce friction and on any bare metal tools I have. It works better than any oil wipe, doesn't get on your hands or work, and is odorless after it dries.

Polish off the rust with 0000 steel wool and apply paste wax. Good as new and will stay that way with re-waxing now and then.

I ordered a C. S. Osbourn blade because I wanted to make a handle like I wanted for it. It arrived yesterday. I have never been a big fan of head knives and have never even seen a brand new to examine closely. I am kind of disappointed in the blade. It has a uniform grind but the angle is too blunt and it is rather dull as delivered. It's not a big deal as I will get it like I want but expected it to be more ready for use after being handled. Live and learn I suppose.

Earlier this year I wanted to make a belt and decided to try a blank of Tandy's premium veg tanned leather. It was actually more expensive than the same thing in Herman's Oak at S&D Trading across town. Was it better? Certainly not and I relearned my lesson about Tandy's tooling leather. I only do small projects for myself now and Herman's Oak can be found on e-bay in the right weight and sizes I need at reasonable prices. Using lower quality leather to learn tooling is mostly a waste of time and money as poor quality yields poor results. Go ahead and spend a little more to see the difference.

Excellent.

Dwight beat me to it. I have a large drill press and it does not need to run.

Yes it does look good, very good. I made my wife one long ago and have offered to make another but she says "No., they are too heavy".

Not a thing at the moment but a slim jim holster keeps popping into my mind. I can't post a picture. Got a huge windows update which changed things and I haven't figuered out how to even get a picture on my computer since. Guess I will have to call in the big gun in the form of my geek son to show me how.

Welcome from southeastern New Mexico. Hope it is warmer where you are than here this morning.

That is a great repair. Looks almost new.

Thanks to all for the kind words. It looks as if we are starting an extended cool spell so I am think of getting another for a larger gun made during it.

This is still cowboy country and I have never seen anyone wear the buckles inside. On the other hand I have seen photos of some that do. Maybe it is a brush country thing to keep them for hanging up. The only brush we have is mesquite bushes and they are to be avoided.

I just purchased a new el cheapo wood whittler for a specific wood project. After truing the grind on the blade and some sanding on the handle to make it more comfortable I believe it might make a good leather slicer also. It seems to have decent steel and took a very keen edge.

Excellent work and I understand the urge to make your own tools as I do it regularly. I have made a couple of non-marring hammers but never a maul. Same principal, little different shape. I prefer a mallet over a maul though.

First off, my compliments on some great work. I have accumulated a fair sized box of knives over the years and what do I usually grab? An Exacto with a chuck that I replaced the handle with a man sized wooden one. It lets you use different shaped blades that you can resharpen many times and they are thin which make them go easier when cutting. Since I don't make intricate cuts like yours I have no idea if that would work for you.

I am not much help as Barge cement has always been my go-to. It is an excellent product and not only on leather. I have also used Pliobond for other substances in my working days and believe it would most likely equal Barge although I have never used it on leather. I am just about out of of Barge and it is only available locally in small tubes. I am considering trying out the Pliobond as I can pick up a small can with a brush applicator inside just to compare the two. The cement you mentioned is unknown to me.

For round and pointed ends I just cut them with a knife and sand to shape with a drum sander in my drill press. Slow I know, but I did this in my selling days because of the little money thing and I devised ways to use tools I already had. No need for speed now.

Since I can only see in it a picture and not in real life there seems to a curve in picture #4, hence the advise to straighten it. Personally I wouldn't want a curved awl blade. I have enough trouble keeping a straight stitch line on the back with a straight awl to want to deal with a curved one.

Nice. I am amazed at some of the things members of this forum make.

Seeing the broken out piece of wood I would suspect the previous owner bent it causing the angle and the break. Just a guess though. Edited to add: After thinking about it and being stubborn about fixing broken things ( another hobby of mine) I would straighten the blade, then clean up the pocket in the handle so epoxy could get a good grip and put it back together. After it cured I would polish up the blade and use the old thing. Another good but abused tool saved.

I use the jig and touch mine up on a fine diamond hone. The sandpaper is also excellent, especially when you sharpen a brand new blade and want to change the angle a little. Take the finish up to around 1500 grit and there is little stopping to do. It is also just as good on any knife blade. I learned the sandpaper method many years ago from an article in Popular Mechanics written by a professional knife sharpener. It was titled "Scary Sharp" and they are when done right.