tsunkasapa

At Rendezvous, when I have my tables out, I often get kids that don't have quite enough to purchase something. Usually I will make them a deal, but that depends on the kid. Some are just obnoxious brats. Them I can ignore.

Remove the zinc by soaking in white vinegar until the bolts look grey, and no more bubbles form. But they are STILL steel and can stain the leather.

That glue has probably been outlawed for 29 1/2 years.

I might have to get one for linings. A lot of those blemishes don't matter inside a holster.

I would ensure that you have good air circulation around and over your leather. And I would be very leery about storing it rolled. A closet or cupboard with a dehumidifier is another option. Authentic Made in the USA Golden Rod Dehumidifiers In 4 Sizes (safeandlockstore.com)

It depends a lot on how humid your local climate is. And is it a heated basement. Where I live, humidity is a myth, so I have no mold/mildew issues. On the other side of the mountains is another story all together. I think mold is the Seattle city flower.

I used Henry's All Purpose for counter tops, acres and acres of Formica! I use Tanner's Bond from Tandy for leather. It smells about like any other contact cement, but it doesn't bother me. Life is too short to wait overnight for glue to cure.

Did you apply the antique to the entire piece, or just the carved design? And when you say a 'sheen coat", what product did you use? I'm not sure that a lot of 'sheen' products have the proper 'resist' to apply antique over.

Sounds like the National food is BUTTER!

Our city totally screwed up a cross town through street to create a 'Bike Boulevard'. But it is a block south of the street that borders the university, so the college kids have no use for ir. And the locals don't use it. It is a nightmare for snow removal, and almost impossible for emergency vehicles. The excuse from the city? "We got a grant to do it." The stupidity of govt, at ANY level, is mind boggling.

Navajo has a 'soft-medium hand. Apache has a 'medium' hand. The Navajo will likely be more supple/flexible, making it more comfortable to wear.

Very nice! Lots of work in these big projects, mental and physical.

You can even burnish with a piece of dowel. Sand it nice and smooth. Then dampen the edges and rub. It doesn't take fancy tools to get good results.

I would check out Don Gonzales on Youtube. He has lots of videos to choose from, and if you like his style of presentation, then he has classes that you can pursue. But there is too much FREE instruction to jump right into paying for classes. don gonzales youtube - Bing video

To simplify, you can use a leather needle on fabric, but you don't want to use a fabric needle for leather.

I think you are right, you will need to remove the bottom to reach the retainer. Curved needles may be helpful.

Looking good!

I don't pierce at all. Just thread the needle and sew. There is no need to do it.

Check with Maverick Leather, they may have something in their "bits and pieces" bin. It's worth a call. football - Maverick Leather Company

I use a small pair of needlenose pliers.

Bump Trying to keep this going to see if someone can help the OP.

A pass or two on each face of the base with a file. Do one pass, try it, do another until it will slip in.

Very nice! Good job on your basketweave.

Try reducing the dye. Maybe 1 dye-5 alcohol. Keep reducing until you get the shade you like.