Doug61

Nicely done, I really like the texturing. Doug

Very nice job. Doug

Nicely done. Doug

Turned out great. Doug

They look great, nice work. Doug

Thank you Tom, that's the best compliment I've ever received.

Couple of pics of a belt I recently made for myself, I don't often get to do things like that. Black Sedgewick bridle leather with red buckle holder, also bridle leather, fully hand stitched with linen thread. The buckle is Italian and the keeper is hand made from stainless steel. Cheers, Doug

Very nice work. Doug

I use a type of Regad to heat the paint and lots of sanding. I generally don't burnish if I'm using edge paint. I use Uniters as well, depending on the colour I'm trying to match, it's good stuff. Doug

Thank you everyone for your comments, it means a lot. I still have things I think I can improve on, and isn't that what keeps us all going in this craft. Doug

Hi, It's Vernis edge paint. I got it from Rocky Mountain Leather. I still spend more time on edges than anything else, but it's still the first thing a lot of people look at. Cheers

Thanks for the kind words guys. Doug

Nicely done, I bet the kids love it. Doug

Yep, 3mm. I like small stitches. Cheers

Hi, The texture is a feature of this type of calf skin and the photo's do not do it justice, it really is beautiful. It's called Taurillon Lagon and it comes from France. I purchased it on-line from Europelle in Hong Kong, they are very good to deal with, but it only comes in a few colours. Almost forgot to mention that this only comes from Bull Calves. Hope this helps, Doug

Pics of a sheath I made for a small hunter recently. Exterior is Bordeaux calf skin and the lining is Black goat skin, hand stitched with Brick linen thread. Knife handle is African Blackwood. Cheers, Doug

Thanks for the comments all, the Brogue punches are a great little tool for adding some interest. Doug

Thanks guys.

Hey guys, Made this little notebook cover for my wife recently, pretty happy with how it turned out. Leather is Orange Taurillion calf skin with Marine blue goat skin corner details. Hand stitched with Orange linen thread. Comments welcome. Cheers, Doug

Hey guys, Looking for some info on a blade for an Esto 8ins hand crank splitter. The machine looks the same as an American model A. I've been told that these were made in Australia after WW2 by an Estonian migrant, but other than this I can't find any more info. I'm a knife maker so making the blade is no problem, I am just trying to find the dimensions. The blade will be 8 ins long and 3ins wide (the same width as the American unit), but I'm not sure of the thickness of the blade or the height of the bevel. Also, for those of you have experience with these type of machines, would the blade be better flat or hollow ground? Main use will be thinner leathers. Does anyone know of a manual for the American model A? Cheers, Doug

Very nice work.

Looks great.

Hi, I have 4 sets of the Crimson Hides irons, in both Japanese and European style and I love them both. I started with the Japanese style and from the way I stitch, I find them easier to get the stitching looking good on back and front. I'm practicing with the Euro ones now and I have had to vary the way I stitch a little to get a result I am happy with, although I'm not there yet.. Cheers. Doug

Don't know if you are still looking for suggestions but years ago when I was shooting handguns competitively almost all of the gunbelts had a thin strip of spring steel between the layers of leather, only in the area were the holster rode. I don't know if this is still common today but it worked well with competition holsters used back then. If I was making something similar today I would use Titanium instead of steel. It would need to be grade 6AL4V, sometimes called Grade 5. Doug

Hi all, first post here and thought I would introduce myself. Firstly I'm a knife maker and recently I've become a lot more interested in improving my leatherwork skills and making some wallets, purses and the like. I really enjoy hand stitching, even though it is sometimes a little frustrating, and I like using finer threads and lots of colours. Also been having some fun recently making some of my own leather work tools, quite a bit different to what I normally do. Cheers, Doug