NeilMott

The natural horsebutt leather definitely has some pull-up on it. So, when I punched the holes the buckle and the stitching it definitely emphasized the pull-up effect.

hey all. Here's a finished strap I made with the natural Horse leather (with Tiger thread - space grey). I really like this leather! Neil

sold!

Hey everyone. I ordered up these pieces of leather not knowing how they'd work for my watch straps. Like goldilocks, these are in between what I'd like in terms of firmness. The Horween deer is very soft...bought from Maverick Leather. They call it low grade which probably has to do with inconsistency on the flesh side and some grain damage. Great for small leather goods. I cut one small 1" strip from it, so it's like what you'd get from them. The size is roughly 8 - 9.9 sq ft. They say it's rare to get deer from Horween.... This was $19 before shipping. The next two are smaller pieces - Conceria Buttero purchased from Rocky Mountain leather. The colors are amazing on these, but firmer than I like for my watch straps. These skive really well and burnish easily. The main area of the green is 12 x 8.5" and the whiskey is 9.5" x 12". These were $40 ($20 each). I'm asking $45 shipped in the US for all three. I'd prefer not to split these up. Thanks, Neil

Hey all. For the most part, I tend to stick with Ritza Tiger Thread for hand stitching the watch straps I make. As many colors as they have, I'm still on the hunt for different colors... I recently bought some Vinymo thread that seems to be decent, but it's not waxed and it's round. When I have used it, I waxed it by hand and it performed well. It definitely shows smaller than the thickness that is stated. Pluses and minuses with Vinymo.... On ebay I found some flat waxed polyester thread that is 150D. All I can ascertain is that the number (150 in this case) pertains to the thickness of the fibers, but I have no idea if it's comparable to Ritza... I've been chatting with another strap maker and he had recommended 360D which I can't find on ebay or anywhere else in the US. I'd prefer to stay within the US, as shipping is quite slow and expensive. Well, it's slow enough now to drive me crazy. Anyway, here is the link: https://www.ebay.com/itm/150D-0-8mm-284Yards-36-color-Flat-Waxed-Thread-Leather-Hand-Sewing-Stiching-Cord/183534785162?hash=item2abb86928a:m:mY5rVf68N0INDwKKuQwGh_g Thanks in advance for your time, Neil

I'll definitely post what I'm able to make with these strips. I should get them tomorrow... Finding horween at this price is a steal. Update from Maverick about this leather: The horse butt strips are often referred to as the north of the cordovan cut, as these are the section of the hide that is right next to the shell. Typically the horsefront or shoulder section of the hide is separated from the rear of the hide. The rear contains the strip and the shells. They are both veg tanned together for the first stage of tanning. Then the shells are cut from the strip and further veg tanned, where the strip then goes through its retan tanning process. The top of the shell is typically shaved off in a shaving process. So I don’t think the top layer of the shell goes to use as it gets shaved down.

Maverick sent this link. Looks like the strips are above where the shells are taken from: https://maverickleathercompany.com/hide-patterns/

The grain looks pretty tight. This is the link to the leather: https://maverickleathercompany.com/product/horsebutt-strips-chromexcel/

Thanks for the link. I like Ashland (they're from near where I live) and the picture there helps, but if this is truly horsebutt and that's where the shell comes from, I'm wondering if this is the top layer? I've emailed Maverick leather where I got it to see if they know. Will update when I hear back Best, Neil

Hey all. I recently purchased some Horween chromexcel horsebutt and was wondering what the difference is between horsebutt and shell cordovan. From what I have read, the shell cordovan comes from the 2nd epidermis layer of the horsebutt and the tanning process is harder and longer than chromexcel. I assume the shell's tanning process is a veg tan process. I guess I'm wondering, is the horsebutt that I bought the outside layer of the leather? I'm planning on making this into watch straps. Here is the article I read on shell cordovan: https://www.gentlemansgazette.com/cordovan-leather-from-horween/ Thanks for your time, Neil

everything is sold

everything is sold, thanks!

thread and nippers are sold. along with the strap cutter pictured.

Strap cutter and end punch are sold!

Hey all. I have the following threads that I'm selling. I bought these to try out but find they aren't what I need despite the quality. I have 4 spools of Maine waxed thread (210 feet/70 yards each) in the following colors: yellow, Burgundy, Marina Blue and Kelly green. The colors are very vibrant. I only used about a few feet of the yellow, the others are new. These cost me $40 shipped. I'd ask $28 shipped for these 4. I also have some waxed linen thread, 432 (0.63mm) Lin Cable (Fil Au Chinois) bought from Rocky Mountain leather in natural color. I probably used a yard or two. This retails for $23 shipped. I'd ask $15 shipped. I have a Horween Chromexcel leather strap, dark olive color (55" to 60") in 6/7 oz weight, 1" width, from the Buckle Guy. Retail is about $11. Add to another purchase for $5. The thread nippers are nice because they have this wrapping on them which helps grip. These were about $10 new, so $5 with something else. I don't think it pays to ship this by itself. With the nippers I'll throw in some random thread samples and some odd size needles. I'm listing some tools in a different listing: safety beveler, Craftool skiver, strap cutter and English strap end punch. Pics Thanks, Neil nwmott@hotmail.com or message here

Hey all. Going through materials that I either don't use anymore or haven't used as much as I'd thought. I'm going to list them according to the retail cost, my cost and then shipped cost to anywhere in the US. I'd like to sell the skivers together. One is from Tandy (Super Skiver) and the other one is some kind of safety skiver. I think they use the same blades. I know the ones in package are new, I'm not sure about the other ones. Tandy skiver and blades is about $15... Safety beveler $7. both together $11 shipped. Kyoshin Elle English point strap end punch (purchased new from Rocky Mountain leather), 30mm. Retail is $28. For you, $18 shipped. Buckle Guy Strap cutter with 4 extra blades. Works well, very sharp. Only used it maybe 8 times. Retail is $23. for you $15 shipped. Pics I'm also selling some extra thread I have (Maine and Lin Cable but think I have to list that in another thread) and a bit of Horween leather. Would love to make a deal on everything. Best, Neil

thanks all. Looks like I'll have to invest in some more tools.. ;-D

I've been experimenting with some old rifle slings to make watch straps and was hoping to use the keepers that came with the slings. Unfortunately the straps tend to be too thick... I'm hoping to use some of the extra leather to replicate the keepers but I can't quite seem to figure out which type of rivet to use to get the same result and do so with a reasonable cost. I don't want to spend $125 of a tool to make a few keepers... as this is just an experiment. Here is the stock keeper: Looking at the buckleguy's site and watching videos, I need a single tap (or tubular rivet), but at the Buckleguy's site, it seems the bottom of the rivet would be a star shape and I am concerned it would catch the strap as it slides through. As this space will be kinda tight, I'm also not sure how to be able to set the rivet without banging on the leather keeper itself. Thanks in advance for your time, Neil

Do you mean bison? try springfield leather for bison.

I've reached out to a few people about diamond vs French style irons, but they are super tight lipped about what they use... Here are a couple screen captures. Can a trained eye tell what type of irons they're using?

Ah, great to know. I was thinking of ordering the 3.85mm irons. Nigel really really liked them and if people have a hard time telling them from Blanchard pricking irons, then it's a real well make product.

I was thinking somewhere around 8 spi, as it's not too fine, not too big....As far as Japanese vs French/European style punches...I am really on the fence. I don't know what's normally done. I was leaning towards the Japanese irons as they have a point. So after marking the lines, the point goes in and lining up the punches is a dream. French ones would take a bit more care to line up. According to Ian Atkinson, 8-9 spi should use between 0.6mm to 0.8mm thread. For watch straps he suggests a higher spi with 0.5-0.6mm thread. My straps are a bit thicker so I think a slightly thicker thread is more appropriate... I used 0.6mm on my last strap and it looked good but I didn't want to go smaller... I'll revisit Kevin Lee's irons and watch Nigel's video again. I imagine I'll eventually end up with more than one set of irons, but for now these will need to be the "ones". Best, Neil

Hey all. I couldn't really find another place that might be more appropriate to post. While I like the straight stitch I think there's a lot to be said for a traditional stitch with a slight angle. I tried casting while stitching (lock stitch) on these round dent irons and it gave a slight angle... I didn't mind it at all. I ended up watching Nigel's pricking/stitching iron reviews (nearly all of them, and some of them 2x) and I think I have a better sense of what I want. I also re-read what everyone posted and it makes way more sense than before. I'm leaning towards a Japanese type of chisel (to punch through leather - no awl) as I want to have a point to help me punch in a straight line. Nigel and also leathertoolz (on youtube) like Crimson Hide irons and Kevin Lee irons. Nigel likens the CH irons to a row of awls and that a beginner all the way to intermediate leather smith could use. Nigel hasn't done a review of Kevin Lee's Japanese style irons but really really liked the CH irons.... KL's are a little bit cheaper ($30 cheaper for a set of 2)... I was also thinking 3.85mm (7 SPI) or 4mm (6 SPI) for the spacing for my watch straps and possibly some small leather goods in the future. Anyone have thoughts on KL vs CH and also spacing or SPI for watch straps? Best, Neil

THESE ARE NOW SOLD. THANKS! Best way to reach me is email: nwmott AT hotmail.com . Sometimes the notifications that I have a message here get sent to spam and I don't see them for a few days before I clear out the spam folder

Best way to reach me is email: nwmott AT hotmail.com . Sometimes the notifications that I have a message here get sent to spam and I don't see them for a few days before I clear out the spam folder