tsunkasapa

Second that.

Try 1Tbs of Oxalic crystals in a pint of water. I apply it with flannel rags. Damp it down and let it dry.

Very nice job! Your carving looks good, and the color is great. Unlike Pastor Bob, I am not a fan of contrasting stitching. I find that it draws the eye there and not to the overall project. Just my opinion.

I may be wrong, but I think it would reduce it to 3/16", the width on either side of the hole.

I pull off what I can span with my arms spread wide. When I run out, I start the new thread back about 3-4 stitches. When I am 3-4 stitches past the old thread I pull them tight and trim them. I have watched video of people trying to do it all with one thread. It's a waste of time. Sometimes, if I KNOW it will only take a little more than that, I will just pull the extra through the eyes and let it out a bit further into the stitching.

I generally sew my holsters and sheaths @ 6 SPI. As to thread, I use either 3 or 5 ply linen. I have no idea what that is in MM, I don't play the metric game.

I would place them the same as the width of your lace; 1/2" lace - 1/2" apart 5/8" - 5/8 etc

I think of it as 'Payback" for all the crap my son pulled when he was young.

In my work room I have 2 leather workbenches and my reloading bench. If I want to do leather, stuff gets shifted to my reloading bench. If I want to reload, it gets shifted to my leather bench. If my wife would get her stuff out of my room it would make my life better. I MAY just back my truck up to the window and chuck her stuff, then make like the Lone Ranger; 'To the dump, to the dump, to the dump dump dump'.

He hasn't been on here in over 4 years.

Cornmeal or hardwood sawdust will work also.

I use this product on a lot of my projects. One link is to Amazon Canada, the other is to Bee Natural's site, so you can see if you are being gouged. I don't keep up on the exchange rate. Bee Natural Leather Finish, Equestrian Sports - Amazon Canada Leather Finish - 8oz (beenaturalleathercare.com) 8oz Leather Finish - 32oz (beenaturalleathercare.com) quart

From the pictures it looks like a button that pops through the hole in the center of the snap. A separate unit. Pretty neat idea.

Properly done stitching is far stronger than rivets. As to the 'belt tipper', make the bottom of your loop strap shaped like a belt end, not square. It's mainly an aesthetics thing.

+1 for stitching loops.

I don't use any of the 'plastic' sealers. I only use NFO or this product from Bee Natural; Leather Finish - 8oz (beenaturalleathercare.com)

Leather bought from the same company is not the same leather. Just as two maple boards will not be the same, two different hides will take dye differently. The only way to be sure of achieving the same results is to use leather pieces not only from the same side, but as close to each other as possible.

You can reduce your dye at any ratio you like. 1-1 1-2 etc. You can even add other colors. I do my oak leaves with a green-brown mix. Play around till you get the color you want.

I concur with Chuck. No need to do the back, and fill some of the larger 'open' areas with more scrolls and stem. Any cut lines on a top to bottom axis at the fold will have a tendency to pop open.

Definitely looks like rawhide. Soak it until pliable and tack it to the wall to dry. After it's dry you can assess whether it can still be tanned. 20 years is a long time, it may not be usable any longer.

Expose it to the sun. It will "suntan" just like we do. Need to keep an eye on it to not overdo it.

Very nice indeed.

Very nice!

Welcome from the PNW. Cranky old Combat Engineer here.

Tool first. When the leather is dry, tapping with a mallet or using a roller will not hurt it.