TomE

Welcome! I'm in Villa Ridge and travel regularly to Springfield Leather to pick out hides that were tanned in Saint Louis (Hermann Leather Co). We have some great local resources for crafters. Hope you enjoy this forum as much as I have and wishing you well. Look forward to seeing some of your sheaths.

Diamond hones with an elliptical profile work well on curved blades. They are sold by farrier supply houses for sharpening hoof knives. I've had good luck with the Mustad hone shown on this page, and the FPD (Farrier Products Distribution) brand is also typically good quality tools. https://www.farriersdepot.com/tools/knives/sharpener/

I have an old Tandy Pro splitter that is a knockoff of the #84. For lap skives of strap ends the pressure/setting needed varies a bit with the type of leather and the condition of the blade. Another big factor is the angle of the strap passing over the blade. I pull the strap at a consistent angle and for constant thickness splits I have a finger on top of the strap entering the splitter to guide it. This finger helps compensate for variable stiffness that changes the bend of the leather passing over the roller. For lap skives I mainly judge by watching the split as I go, and practicing on scraps. I begin the skive at the edge of the bag/crew punch hole and ease the pressure slightly before finishing the split down to about 2 oz thickness. I split conservatively and touch up the end with a round knife if needed. I avoid thinning the actual buckle turn where the tongue is inserted unless the buckle needs more clearance. It is mostly by feel and watching the split.

Similar to what @chuck123wapati said, Stohlman describes a wood and leather insert for golf clubs (Case Making vol. 3). It's a piece of 1/4" plywood covered with leather and wrapped in a leather collar that fits inside the top of the golf bag so the insert is recessed ~2" from the top. The leather collar is glued and tacked to the edge of the plywood and the assembly is inserted in the bag and sewn in place. Forgot to mention that the insert has holes for the clubs.

This looks similar to the iSTOR sharpener that I posted a question about. It’s hard steel that is drawn across the edge of a blade to shape and sharpen. Seems to work well for profiling the edge.

So Tandy makes alphabet Craftaids, which are plastic templates to transfer a design to cased leather. I used them as a kid (before desktop computers). Now I just create the design in illustrator, print it out, and transfer to leather by tracing the design.

Can buy 1/2" rubber stall mats at farm stores. They won't have tire tread but typically one side is textured and the other might have shallow grooves (to channel pee). They're not hard to cut, at least in a straight line, using a sharp utility knife. I usually put a scrap of plywood under the mat next to the cut line so I can bend the rubber slightly and remove pressure/friction from the blade.

Hide House https://www.hidehouse.com/ has lots of chrome tanned leathers. They could advise you on type and weight of leather for your project.

Very pretty machines. They look like museum pieces. What is the blue finish?

Agree with @ArkieNewbie that pulling on the bobbin thread should turn the bobbin clockwise. Here's an unofficial Class 26 manual that I scrounged on the internet. Class 26 Manual.pdf There's good information on this forum for the similar Pfaff 145 machine. Searching for "Juki 341" (in quotes) turns up this and other threads. I think changing needle size might help you sort out tension, as LMC recommended. Check for any flagging and adjust pressor foot tension as needed.

Seems likely that the keeper is stretched out of shape or the stitching holes are torn out. I would make a new keeper and resew both sides of the buckle turn using the old holes. Need an awl to make holes in the keeper once it’s sandwiched between the layers of the turn. Angle the awl to sew the second side of the keeper. Here’s the method.

It is common to have the burr showing but I've seen some folks like it reversed. Don't want the raised end of the rivet contacting the wearer, man or beast.

I have old pair of Tandy Pro scissors (blue handles) with shallow serrations on the blades that I assume are there to grip the material. They produce smooth, straight cuts. I use them on 4-6 oz chrome tanned leather, and knives for most other leathers. Covering my plywood bench with HDPE was a big improvement for cutting with knives.

I junked one from Tandy that is a loose fit on a #12 rivet and bends the burrs. I bought another from Springfield Leather that works fine. Like @chuck123wapati I use a small hammer to finish shaping the rivet after a couple of swipes with a file to flatten it. Those look very nice indeed.

Not sure of a proper definition of artificial sinew, but Maine Thread Co sells twisted, waxed polyester cords that I believe they refer to as artificial sinew. I use these heavy cords for some saddle repairs.

Can't see the knot in the picture very well but I think it's a blood knot/bleed knot.

A latigo knot would be a decorative way to secure the ends of the sling. It is used for the cinch strap of a western saddle. Starts with 3 holes in a triangular shape and a piece of latigo string. This video shows a fancy knot. A simpler version is to run the 2 ends through the top hole then secure the ends under the span between the 2 bottom holes.

Rediscovered an iSTOR Swiss sharpener among my stones and hones. https://www.istorsharpener.ch/instructions-for-use/instructions-for-standard-professional-sharpener/ I was surprised how nicely it put an edge on a dull hoof knife that was ready to go after stropping. Thinking about using it on some leather tools to re-profile the blade. Does anyone have experience with the iSTOR sharpener?

It is really handy to have both hands free to guide the leather or reverse directions. I think the motor and stand are very worthwhile. One aspect that might not be obvious is directing the split off the drive roller and out the back of the machine. Waxy leathers and softer temper leathers tend to get stuck in the slots and wrap around the roller. Controlling the drive speed with the foot pedal is another handy feature of the complete unit.

I can't see how the leather is attached to itself, and the construction method would influence my choice of weight. The leather in the pictures might not be the original seat and back? The seat would look nice made from one piece of leather with four flaps that fold around the frame and are sewn. If you're tooling the leather then veg tan is the obvious choice. Latigo is combination chrome tanned and veg tanned. It is strong but not so good for tooling. I'd be thinking about a single layer of 9-10 oz veg tan for the seat and might want to wet form the folds around the chair frame to make a neat job of it. You can waterproof it with a silicon oil (Fiebings Golden Mink Oil) or a clear acrylic finish.

In "Making Harness" by Martin and Preston they list several suppliers of harness hardware: Aaron Martin, Beiler's Manufacturing and Supply, Chupp Blacksmith Shop, Harness Hardware Inc, Hillside Harness, and Weaver Leather Supply. Some of these are Amish businesses with no website and you'll have to search for a phone number. There is some info in the ShopTalk Magazine suppliers index https://shoptalk-magazine.com/suppliers/

I like Batz Corp heavy brass hardware. I download their catalog to see their products - never figured out their online search function. I buy stamped stainless bridle buckles from Weaver. Aaron Martin might be another source but I haven’t ordered from them.

Beautiful work and a very neat rifle. I use air rifles around the horses to discourage pigeons. They've come a long way since the Benjamin .177 pump I had as a boy.

I think the lead-up connects a harness breast collar to the breeching; however, I'm not too familiar with harness. Mentioned here https://smallfarmersjournal.com/walsh-no-buckle-harness/ and here https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/80/The_harness_makers'_illustrated_manual._A_practical_guide_book_for_manufacturers_and_makers_of_harness%2C_pads%2C_gig_saddles%2C_etc._.._(IA_cu31924000022636).pdf Perhaps the term also applies to a piece of riding tack?

Barge cement thins nicely with Tanner's Bond cement thinner available at Tandy's. Barge all purpose thinner behaves similarly. I think both thinners contain toluene, heptane, and some ethyl acetate. Toluene is available in hardware stores. The other ingredients are harder to find.