Loudcherokee

Cool! Let me know what you think of them. LC

In my case its the smell. I have weldwood too and will still use it probably for my holster and belt projects, but for wallets I like the aquillim. Theres no odor, and you don't have to wait for it to dry to a dull finish before applying, especially if you're gluing flesh to flesh or flesh to sanded grain. Its almost an instant bond. The odor is the biggest thing though. Even when I was going outside to do the gluing, I would bring it back in to sew after it dried a bit and it would still smell awful in the room I was working in. While I've inhaled enough paint fumes and adhesive odors over my lifetime for it to probably not matter to me, I have a 16 month old and two teenagers I don't want around the fumes. The aquillim smells similar to Elmer's white glue to me. LC

Here is Journal #2. This one is for my niece. The strap on this one is a piece of her dad's old belt. LC

I know the Amazon stuff usually isn't favored here, but I have had good luck with these sets from Amazon, and I have them in 3mm, 4mm, and 5mm. https://www.amazon.com/Aiskaer-Diamond-Lacing-Stitching-Leather/dp/B014549SNG/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=aisker%2Bstitching%2Birons&qid=1612134752&sprefix=aisker&sr=8-3&th=1&psc=1 I've also learned that while punching on a punch board works, throwing a scrap piece of 7 ounce veg tan under the piece im punching through seems to both leave cleaner holes, and feels like it takes less blows to drive the punches through. This also makes it to where I don't need to use an awl in the holes while stitching. My only complaint on these punches is the 6 hole punch can be a little tough to pull out of thick stuff, like 2 layers of 7/8 for a holster for example, but the thinner stuff like wallets has been good. I am a beginner at this stuff so take it with a grain of salt I suppose but I've had good luck with these irons and they are reasonably priced if you wanted to pick up sets in different sizes. LC

Thanks! I learned alot with this one. LC

Hello folks, Decided to make 3 journals for my daughters and niece for Valentines Day coming up. I've got some pull up laying around from Springfields $30 oil tanned sides and this is the first of the three. Basic design idea came from Little King Goods, but I added a couple of touches of my own. The journal notebook is 8x5 and I added a strap closure. Finished the edges with sandpaper starting at 220 and working up to 800, then saddle soap with canvas, and finally tokonole with a hand burnisher. This was my first time using Aquilim 315 and WOW this stuff is awesome. Let me know what ya think! LC

Lol at 6'1" and 260 I do it pretty easily. 60 pounds ago not so easy. Having a dad bod has SOME benefits lol. LC

For some reason the pictures look fuzzy or have jagged lines. The trailing edge stitch line follows the trigger guard and down the bottom of the gun. On the front template I wrote "stitch line" with arrows to both stitch lines on the front of the holster, but due to the quality of the upload im not sure you can read that. As for the panel, I did not re-measure it after redoing the stitch line. I just used the same template as before. Hindsight I should have redone it also, to meet the front stitch line. LC

Ok, here's the original holster, and templates. The line with the x's on it was the original stitch line. The template for the back was redone also, the white was the original and the Manila was the new back. The blue tape is because I'm using 8x11 card stock for my templates and its hard to fit a full size 1911 on one sheet so I joined 2. I need to get some 11x17 cardstock. LC

Yeah on the first holster the gun wouldn't even go in. So when I went back and remeasured I realized my mistake and drew new stitch lines on my template and cut out new pieces. When I get back home I'll snap some more pictures of the original holster and the template to explain it better hopefully. That panel is actually 7/8 and the front of the holster is 5/6. I was also planning to line the holster with 1/2 but that is black and it wouldn't have gone well with the color scheme so I left it out. I need to find some 1/2 for lining that isn't already colored but thats all I could find in cowhide on springfields website, other than pig hide. LC

Sure here ya go! The sewn on panel was just a free hand line I drew on my template that I wanted to come up from the sight line to cover the trigger. I only used 5/6 on the front panel, so the reinforcement piece having some grip on the gun was what I was after. I used thinner leather on front because I'm playing around with trying to learn boning and forming, and I figured the thinner leather would one) show better detail and two) show my mistakes better so I learn what NOT to do next time. I also was experimenting with the airbrush and different colors, and didn't want to use my expensive Herman oak if something went awry, so I used what I had more of which was the 5/6. As for my mismeasurement, I used my digital calipers to measure my slide width, divided by 2, then added a thickness of leather. I cant remember the exact numbers but my half measurement i think was somewhere around 14.95 millimeters or something and I read it as 1.49 and then added my thickness measurement and set my calipers to that number. My original front stitch line was right up against the leading edge of that reinforcement piece if that tells you anything. I used millimeters because my calipers don't show fractions and I figured it would be easier to not have to convert. On the texture, im not sure honestly. I know I had to work and work to get my gun in the holster for forming. After so much handling and stretching I started noticing the wrinkles in the leather. I had to stick a handle of a hammer down the inside of the holster and stretch it. I tried to smooth those wrinkles with my folder tool but it didn't smooth and dried like that. LC

Thats beautiful! I'm new to all this, so may I ask if that pebbley texture is a product of it being calf skin or is it embossed that way? Where did you get that leather from? I've got a couple of projects in mind that I want to use that texture on but don't know where to find that kind of leather. Lc

Well this is my latest build. Came along with some frustrations, and this is actually my second build of this holster. The first one I misread a decimal point on my calipers and made the stitch lines so close the gun wouldn't even go in. I couldn't figure out what I did wrong until I went back and re-measured. This is my first holster where I made the front piece into a pocket before gluing and stitching. The others I made were just straight pancake style and the gun molded evenly front and back. Since this is IWB, I wanted the back fairly flat so it would contour to my hip. Tried to go a little fancy here. Color is airbrushed saddle tan, with a mahogany reinforcement piece and feathered mahogany on the outside edges. I then used a vacuum sealer to bone in the detail. Overall I'm pretty happy with it. Love the color combo. The muzzle is sticking out about 1/8th of an inch from the front piece, but not the back. Also a product of my mismeasurement, but I wasn't making this thing a third time. This is only my 3rd holster and I feel I've improved from the first quite a bit, learning from each mistake. Critique is welcome and requested! Hope the pictures are big enough. Had to reduce them quite a bit to upload. LC

Well, after showing it to the wife, she seems to think that it gives it "character" and said to leave it alone. Maybe it will fade off with use and rding in his back pocket. LC

Hey all, I finished up a tri-fold wallet last night that I made for my Father-In-Law and when I had everything done, I set it under my poundo board with some weight on top to help hold its shape closed. Well, I got up this morning and there seems to have been a bit of transfer of some sort from the poundo board. Im not sure how to get this off without ruining my finish, which is Fiebings Pro saddle tan. I tried some conditioner but nothing came out. Any ideas?

I have set it up, but have been having difficulty running 207. I can get it to do a half decent stitch with a size 24 needle and 207 in a single layer of 5/6 ounce oil tan but it won't stitch in a single layer of 8/9 ounce veg tan. Im still fooling with it but have set it aside for now due to the frustrations it was causing. LC

I have a round knife by Al Stohlman I believe. I'm still practicing with it. I do use it to cut out my holster shapes and stuff on thick veg tan. I haven't thought to use it for the thinner stuff. I have a Japanese skiving knife too but can't seem to keep a good edge on it. I use a piece of 8/9 veg tan with green Rouge on the soft side to strop. I beveled these edges with a #2. Ive got a beveler kit that goes up to 5 I believe. I still need practice with alot of these specialty tools. Thats what all these little projects are. This wallet is only the 5th or 6th thing ive made. Still trying to learn along the way. LC

Not harsh at all thank you for taking time to provide feedback. I do use a straight edge to cut my lines, but this particular skin was slippery! Halfway through my cut the straight edge slipped. Also, I was using an aluminum straight edge. I need to get a good steel one. On one cut, I actually cut into the straight edge with my blade. Wouldnt have happened with steel. I've thought about punching my holes before assembly, but fear that due to my cutting habits, my holes will not line up once I'm ready to stitch. The templates I used for this wallet actually had the stitching holes marked too, but I did not use them, instead opting for wing dividers on that glary surface. Hindsight, eh? As for a creaser, I have a set of 4, and honestly cannot figure out how to get them to work. The creases on the pockets you see have been gone over multiple times and are still faint. Ive tried heating them with a torch lighter, and still no luck. Also, have a very difficult time running them straight. I did leave room for trimming after final assembly, and feel like this one came out way better than my first 2 attempts at a wallet. After everything is assembled I smooth and flush the edges with a belt sander mounted up in a clamp on my workbench. I also have a drum mounted up in my dremel on a drill press stand. I think here I need to get some finer grit paper and try to finish the edges better that way. LC

Nice! I've been thinking of doing a paddle holster as well, but I have a kydex pull off from an uncle mikes holster that I was planning to use. I feel your pain as a fellow lefty and not having many options out there. LC

Nice! Is the paddle just stiffened leather or is there something sandwiched between layers of leather? LC

This is my first experience with any "exotic" skins, and I really enjoyed it. Ostrich was different to work with. Hard to see stitch holes and stitch lines in the glossy black, but smooth as butter to stitch through. I made this one for myself to match a pair of ostrich foot boots I have. My boots are black cherry however, so I may make another in the future if I can find some black cherry ostrich foot. The bill pocket is 2-3 ounce veg tan, and interior is a mix of 1-2 ounce black lining cowhide, 2-3 ounce veg tan, and ostrich. Of course, open to critiques. Im still learning to cut a straight line, but I'm getting better. I do wish I could get that nice offset stitch where each stitch is at an angle, but not sure what I'm doing wrong here. I stitch towards myself, starting with the left needle, put through, make a cross, pull threads towards me, return right needle behind thread in hole, then pull down with left hand and up with right hand to tighten. My stitching chisels are diamond shaped so the leave the angled diamond hole. LC

Looks good! Ditto on the pull the dot snaps for holsters though. Adams leatherwork was the first YouTube video I watched that got me wanting to get into this hobby! He does great work and makes it all look so effortless! LC

Hey guys! Excited to complete this project to go along with the belt I recently did. Its my first time doing any kind of wet molding and it went great! This is also the first thing I've sat down with a piece of card stock and measured, sketched, and planned my own design. I think it turned out pretty well. My stitch lines are getting better. Im doing better cutting straight lines. Ignore the circle stitched in the back! When wet forming, apparently one of my snaps wasn't set right and it popped off, so I had to cut my stitches and re-stitch the loop, but since it was originally stitched to the front panel, and that was already stitched, I had to go all the way through when I fixed it. Open to criticism and critique of all kind! LC

Just from my experience, be very careful with the dremel lol. That little drum gets away from you pretty fast and can cut big gouges before you realize it. With that said, I use a combination of a dremel, mounted in the Dremel drill press stand, and a belt sander. I'll have to invest in some higher grit sandpaper soon. LC

Thanks for the follow up. In regards to edge kote, I slick my edges with either tokonole or gum trag. Would the edge kote affect that at all? I've never used it and I was under the impression that you use edge kote to burnish your edges instead of gum trag or other methods. LC