chuck123wapati

a belt sander would be my choice 80 grit or so.

yup thats the idea, probably not a complete holster but inlayed into the design somehow, also the ball pouch, powder horn pouch, and possibly the belt may have some. I haven't thought it all out yet lol I surprised myself on how well they turned out.

Heck, I dunno, go for it, I fell flat trying to make a pair of mocs lol.

acetone

How come when you trace your foot, it doesn't look anything like the toe of a shoe? cool project indeed!!

Success!! They aren't clothing soft, but then again, they are for a holster gun belt set I'm thinking of making for my dad's old BP pistol. They are the forelegs from a cow and a bull elk, the bull being the darker chocolate brown.

Those would certainly cut down on my acetone replacement, I'm gonna have to get me some.

my two cents. The temper of a given piece of leather is affected by numerous variables, including the Type of cow, tanning processes/tannery, and where it is taken from on the hide (i.e., belly or back), and construction techniques are just a partial list of the possibilities. So to make an absolute statement on which is stiffer is silly at best. Given that you want a guaranteed optimal outcome, you will have to do some real-life testing to eliminate as many of those variables as possible. Use specific parts of the hide, specific tannery's, and be very precise with your construction, including the addition of liquors/oils during the finishing stages. Some folks use a thick outer layer with a thin liner, some use two equal-thickness pieces because they can get them from the same hide, thinking it makes construction costs less or easier in some way. Whether one method is better is again debatable and susceptible to the variables. Bianchi probably can handle the cost of more waste than you at the beginning, so they can get refined and consistent results. we, as small batch folks, need to be much more selective to compete. Contact cement can be diluted and made thinner with acetone. Bianchi probably figured out it goes farther and dries faster that way. Good luck to you. I can't wait to see your stuff.

Those were one of the biggest sellers for the inmates in the state prison here back in the day. Folks would stop in to buy them as they traveled through town. Later on, a building was made available outside the prison for hobby work sales. In the late 80s and early 90's I used to see the vendors from Jackson Hole come down and buy literally every piece of leather, horse hair, buckles, jewelry, artwork, and many other items as well, for resale to the tourists. As the hobby room space was limited, only a few guys could get really big and would employ other inmates. One fellow made over 50k a year with his leather hobby business and sent it all to his wife and kids while he was in the joint. They did away with all of that after an officer was murdered, a new prison was built, and now there is no hobby work anymore.

You did some very nice work, great forming job, especially.

i think most news is used as a deflection. It's what they choose not to report on that worriysome as they have no accountability then.

yup great tools help, practice helps too lol.. I chose books because the op is an intermediate, so he should have at least a basic tool set and the knowledge to pick and choose quality tools. and have proficiency in the basic leather working techniques, sewing, gluing, finishing, etc. He probably already has a head knife, for example, or one that he likes and should know how to use it and care for it, and if it's good quality or not. Having said that, upping his game should then be expanding his knowledge base by trying new and diferent techniques or genres of leather crafting. Each of those requires specific new tools that you can't get without knowing what you need. For example, the Sheridan style tooling, the style is very unique and requires specific tools and techniques to be proficient. You can either get that info from the book or classes or blindly buy some great tools that may not be right and make crappy work until you do buy the book, then re-buy the correct tools. That is a hard lesson a guy who is an intermediate should have already learned lol. . So it goes to reason that in order to get the correct tools, you need the knowledge to do so first. The question is kinda vague, so I can't tell him what tools to buy if I don't know what he wants to do with leather past the intermediate level. If he were a beginner, I would have a different opinion of what he should do. lol. Just my opinion for what its worth..

YW Your friend Aaron did an excellent job filming imo, and getting the contact info is priceless to those of us who can't make those trips for whatever reason. I can't believe the amount of product you folks tote to those shows. I don't know if my bank account could handle a day there lol. You have a great tribe!!!!

And if you think the BBC are the only ones doing this shit your dumb enough to believe them.

I found this while perusing YouTube. A ton of good info, names, numbers and contact info and Bruce hisself lol. I have no idea where to post it, so you mods can figure that out.

yup all the tool answers above need special knowledge to use them and care for them correctly, and it can all be found in a book. Also, the saddler will have a different answer than the shoemaker or the guy who makes watch straps lol. What each of us envisions as leather work usually is diferent. And I'll add this forum as a great tool also.😁 You can see those who take the critiques and advice seriously improve as time goes on, while those who blow off the help or ignore helpful tips and good advice just don't improve as fast or as well. It's not the tool in the hand, it's the hand that drives the tool. A knowledgeable craftsman with mediocre tools can outperform the ignorant man with the best tools.

oh, i get it now. Of course, the maker logo on the front/face of the hub and maybe the specs of the machine age and any pertinent info around the hub.

Books, books, and more books! Don't know if you would classify them as a tool. but the knowledge I have gained from them has enhanced my work much more than any specific tools have.

Yeah, there is no doubt about how the global media has been and still is weaponized against that man.

I've been helping my best friend and ex-son-in-law this week, trying to get him an elk. Hopefully, I can get some rest soon. Ima getting tired lol. It's been in the teens at night and only in the 40s during the day, but no snow, just bitter cold winds. Any way your garden sounds like it's going pretty well. I don't have enough growing season here for peppers, sure wish I did, i have to start them indoors then hope they don't stunt when i replant them. I think i might be able to do some summer sausage this winter, we have a good supply of meat.😁 plus my daughter works at the local Walmart and get a heads up on markdowns so we get some low cost burger once in a while.

i would leave it alone until i knew how to take it apart and do it correctly with the proper materials, and I doubt most leather workers know how to do that lol.. Those things were dangerous enough without unforeseen problems. and someone may use it at some point in time. Take your time on your awesome rebuild, it's a very cool project indeed.

did you look here?https://fiebing.com/blog/

its a western purse made to look like a saddle. Very popular back in the day. Tandy sold a pattern kit at one time.

Use the search function; there are several threads that may help you.

Doris wore another cool Hollywood rig lol.