Hardrada

Would Fiebing's deglazer help here?

My own prototype was from 9 oz water buffalo that I got from Tandy. Very supple and a bit stretchy, but it seemed to hold a piece alright. Need to try it on a heavier arm, though. I ended up ordering a side of 7 oz latigo: https://vimeo.com/412848049 Looks very firm. I was thinking medium firmness would be best for this purpose, but we'll see.

Not being confrontational either, but Retswerb statement brought to mind something I'd like to offer as humble advice: it's easier to craft good looking goods by starting in a niche you're familiar with. Case in point: I'm into tobacco pipes; thus, some of my early projects were pipe-related leather goods: pouches. I bought Nigel Armitage pouch pattern pack and modified one of the designs. Made a prototype; shewed it around to other pipe smokers; it garnered some interest; I got commissions. The last bloke who bought one surprised me in days past by showcasing it around on a pipe forum, and saying I have mad skills. I really don't, but to the end customer you'll have mad skills if the product looks relatively well-crafted, detailed, and finished: stitches as straight and consistent as possible (quite doable nowadays in the era of stitching chisels—I couldn't do that with pricking irons and awl), and well burnished edges are paramount. Then there's the design. Because I'm a pipe smoker, I know what's most needed in a pouch and where it should be placed, and what are the optimal dimensions that would allow it to accommodate pipes of different shapes and lengths. The design of that pouch was praised too: "everything at the top, within easy reach" was one comment. Now, I'm not trying to praise myself: point in fact, I've posted that pouch here and other leatherworkers, more experienced and knowledgeable, immediately caught imperfections and suggested improvements. Notes taken. My next stop was the local tobacconist: pouches aren't that popular there, but he's been ordering pipe rests like hot cakes. These rests are easy to make from scrap leather (English bridle bellies) which would be wasted otherwise. Again: I go through 'the trouble' of finishing the edges on these (Edge Kote and Tokonole) and burnishing the flesh side if it's too flakey: it takes time, but it guarantees a good looking item that will encourage further sales. My point is: by starting with something I'm familiar with I already have the advantage of some knowledge and a potential market. From there, I can diversify. And so forth: there are other niches I'm into as well, so now I'm crafting items for those too. We'll see how it goes.

Canada, actually: the Queen City.

Looks like Scourge is missing a tail (last picture).

Please report back to us on it if you do. I'm interested as well. Where have you been sourcing your leather here? I've been buying mine from Lonsdale so far. Some from Tandy, and... not again, really.

Ahoi! Placed an order with Zelikovitz. First complaint: I chose CanadaPost shipping and they shipped it via UPS anyway. WTH? I decided to pay the extra $5 because UPS sux: they take forever to ship and most of the time have delay shenanigans ("reasons beyond our control", "adverse weather" [when it's clear], and other BS). Not happy: but maybe it was because most of the order were liquids: leather balm, edge kotes. Weird.

With NAFTA there shouldn't be any tariffs on it, as long as they're American-made. Then again, courier companies make a killing on brokerage fees, so you're likely to have some fees sneaked in, methinks. Otherwise, you should be paying just the import tax; plus the processing fee, of course and the tax on the processing fee, of course too. Vampires.

I got a Kyoshin Elle from goodsjapan.com. Very nice and adjustable. However, they come without blade, and finding a good blade to put on can be a chore. It was for me. The Kyoshin Elle knives are Tandy compatible, and Barry King makes Tandy-compatible blades, so does Tandy (d'oh). Tandy also sells ceramic blades which never need sharpening (you still have to strop them, though). I ended up buying a cheap steel blade from Tandy; guess I can always upgrade to a Barry King one later.

Capital! Love the tooling: it's neat to see something other than the floral carving whose ubiquitousness has made it boring.

The copper ones hold the weight of an average-sized man. The brass rivets are stronger than the copper ones.

Best gun belt I've ever seen. Classy, instead of the run-of-the-mill rugged-looking, clear-coloured ones. Would be nice to see some pics of the back and of how it fits on the wearer.

Yeah, I wonder what will happen to the Tandy stamps, which are, to my understanding, inherited from Stohlman, if Tandy goes under. Not ready to buy the pricey Barry Kings.

Just saw that. Thanks!

No, I haven't. Thanks for the link!

Yeah, that's why I didn't reorder Leather Balm and Tan Kote in the months before the current situation. Now they're all out. I might still be able to get Edge Kote at Longview Leather, but other stuff is out. Irritating too that the Pro dyes can't be sent by CanPost (more dangerous stuff is shipped, I reckon, but... ah well). Looks like Lonsdale has a new line of products, some of which seem to be options to Fiebing's offerings: https://www.lonsdaleleather.com/supplies Tried any of them? I'm also at pains to find something to thin Renia's Colle de Cologne with (as well as Barge), the 4oz jar I bought has gone super gummy.

Getting ready to make some rifle slings and I was wondering if Cypress Latigo would be, if not the best, a suitable choice for stuff that's gonna be worn outdoors. Not too interested at the moment on tooling (can't anyway, with Tandy closed making it impossible to buy tooling tools), so veg tan isn't a must. Would Chromexcel be another viable option for this purpose? I'm also wondering about the right weight for this. The latigo is offered only in 6-7 oz or 12 oz. Would 6-7 oz with a veg-tan cow suede lining be strong enough? I was also wanting to make some padded ones, with 1/4" neoprene sandwiched 'twixt the latigo and the suede. Thoughts?

Ditto. Earlier this week I noticed they redid their website—new look and all... and my account was gone. I had to open a new one and lost all my wish list items. Not impressed. To-day, their site won't even open. As if getting Fiebing's products in Canada wasn't already such a chore.

Just made a sleeve for a rifle's bolt out of a scrap piece of 3 oz English bridle.

Kyoshin Elle. Rocky Mountain Leather Supply stocks them if you don't wanna order from goodsjapan.com.

Kinda this. I prefer glassing to sanding. I don't like how sanding makes the edges mushroom. Yes, you can 'fix' the mushrooming with an edge beveler, but still..

Kyoshin Elle #1 and a Tandy #2. The former sees the most use: even on thick belts, I like my edge bevel thin.

What Stetson said. Also, if you're a beginner, I'd go for the chisel method. Tracing a line with a divider and pre-punching my holes has enabled me to achieve, in a very short time, stitching that is so consistent that it's common that people ask me if I'm using a machine. My stitching is not perfect, I still get the odd stitch here and there, but nothing like the debacle I'd turn out were I to use a pricking wheel and diamond awl.

Were these files stripped of their extension? I can't see a file extension anywhere, which prompts my computer to ask me what to use to open them.

Is that a JPEG file or some other supported format, such as PNG? If the file is too large, in terms of resolution (like in the thousands of pixels per side) it's likely the forum software won't upload it or display it, even if its size is under 1.46 MB. At the bottom of the Quick Reply field you have a grey band with a paperclip symbol on it, that's where you can upload files from your own computer. Is that what you are using?