Hardrada

Get a diamond awl. Yes, thicker or layered leather can be too much for the chisels to handle, and either the chisel doesn't go completely through or the holes come off the line on the other side. Use the chisels to mark or make the beginnings of a hole, then use a sharp diamond awl to finish piercing the leather. Yea, it can be tedious when you have plenty to stitch, but it's about the only way to get consistent, uncrooked, good-looking stiches. A 24- or 32-ounce Barry King mallet should be your next best friend too. If you're using the puny yellow poly mallets you'll have a hard time, as they bounce like heck and their paltry weight requires you to hit harder and more times—all of these factors net you crooked stitches. A heavy mallet has negligible bounce, and because it hits harder you need less hits and less effort to punch through thick leather with your chisels; you make less noise too.

Capital! How did you do the inlay? It's so flush and neat I thought you had painted the letter on!

Yes!

Well she didn't say she didn't. Besides, nothing wrong with providing context: we were even able to suss out not only the wallet's provenance (which may point her in that direction if she fails to find someone here to do it), but that it can be tooled by anyone who has the right stamps: it was mostly done with seeders, backgrounders, arches, greek key, and arrowheads. I can see them or similar in Barry King's page: Stamps: borders It was not laced, but stitched, quite likely with machine, and possibly lined with fabric and/or filled in with cardboard.

It's the Aztec calendar—simplified, of course—it'd be quite a feat to tool the whole thing onto such a small item. It also says "Mexico" on the back.

Don't forget your circle tools! WindFire Designs steel circle tools

I just make sure it's away from heat sources and sunlight. I'm using Danish cookies tins, but my thread spools are tiny.

Is neatsfoot oil a must? I've been making some belts from W&C English bridle and don't oil them: I just apply Fiebings Leather Balm with Atom Wax and off they go. I'm reluctant to use neatsfoot oil because it darkens the leather considerably (of course, if the leather's black, who cares, probably). I was gonna switch to Fiebing's Carnauba instead of the Leather Balm. Now, I don't know.

Well, that Aquilim looks mighty interesting. I've rejected water-based glues till this point, but that video and the fact that it's made in Germany have pretty much made me a convert. Should be getting some soon.

Some recommend and swear by water-based glues such as Fiebing's Leathercraft Glue, or equivalents. I can't vouch for them as I've never used them. One that I definitely want to get is Hirschklebber: https://sorrellnotionsandfindings.com/product/hirschkleber-craft-paste/ Personally, I use Colle de Cologne, but I don't mind the fumes.

Precisely. A number of us are patriots, and we don't want to be supporting the one player whose cheap pricing tactics has practically annihilated our local industry.

Yeah, I'm ordering some too. If it's that scratch resistant I might just switch to it for my wallets and pouches. @cbossio: pending the OP's reply, FWIW I've been using 1 mm (2.5 oz) weight for wallets. I find it optimal, specially when you start adding panels, you can add up to three without the need to skive. Thicker leather would leave you with a brick, methinks. Guess you could go as thin as 0.8 mm.

Another option would be GoodsJapan.com. All the items I've ordered from them are made in Japan and of good quality. They look mundane (maybe because many are hand-made) but once you put them to leather they're very good. They have stamps too: https://www.goodsjapan.com/leathercraft-items/leathercraft-stamps?items=100

I have the same problem. I did order from Buckleguy based on their hardware descriptions. Guess what? All the buckles were made in China. The cheapest ones are total junk: I can bend the prong with very little effort. Total waste of money. (On the other hand, it's also partly my fault: was I expecting a $1.30 buckle to be of good quality? Then again, based on their site's marketing copy, I was expecting it to be cheap American and not overseas junk.) I ordered some European-made buckles from Rocky Mountain Leather Supply. What a difference! Of course, they are $7 each, but it's worth it. I've been looking far and wide to find buckles made in North America with no luck. The only ones I found were for cowboy belts, which is not what I make. I've been considering ordering them from Italy: https://www.guimer.it/en/buckles/

Personally, I've been looking at these: https://www.tandyleather.ca/en/product/basic-7-tool-set-with-rack Not sure if they're good, so-so, or poor quality. Description says they are precision made, unlike their basic starter set, but not being able to see them in person, I'm still on the fence on whether to buy them or not. Currently, I have absolutely no tools for leather tooling.

Looks like everyone is cutting corners nowadays. Are Barry King stamps still top notch?

AFAIK, Tandy either owns the Crafttool brand or are their main distributors. Someone, please, correct me if I'm wrong. (Por lo que se, Tandy posee la marca Crafttool o son sus distribuidores exclusivos/principales.) Podés ordenar directamente de Tandy, pero creo que Curtidos Cabezas redistribuye Craftool en España. Evita sitios como Amazon or aliexpress u otros sitios chinos donde es muy probable que te puedan vender herramientas espuria.

Is that leather veg-tanned? RML doesn't say in their description.

The only thing **I** don't like is how the leather clumps together like drapes in the thin bands around the large hole. I'd just cut two panels instead of one with a centre hole. You can still stitch continuously even if you only have one layer of leather: it's not mandatory that you must have layers to join; there's also decorative stitching where there's only one layer, for example. This would also make the wallet to fold more easily. That's a personal preference, though. I'm not saying you did it 'wrong'; maybe there's a reason why your pattern/design is the way it is.

Ahoi, A few weeks ago I asked a couple of things about chrome tan, particularly in regards to tarnishing of metal items stored in containers made with such leather. I also enquired about the suitability of chrome tanned leather for storage/carrying of items that will be in contact with a person's mouth: i.e. tobacco and tobacco pipes. What I seem to have forgotten to ask is whether vegetable retannage changes things: I was looking at Horween's Chromexcel and Cavalier leathers. Would these tarnish metal or be a 'death by lifestyle' concern? TIA

Just keep in mind that Neatsfoot oil will darken the leather considerably.

Trouty!

Neat, TomG. I was gonna open a thread about whether it's necessary to finish the flesh side of English bridle belts and what to use and how to do it. I've been leaving it alone, since English bridle seems to be pretty much finished at the tannery what with all the tallows and oils and that, unless you split it or skive it.

Couldn't have put it better myself.

Sad, but what else can be expected when environmentalism has driven many to the point of psychosis?