TomE

https://www.abbeyengland.com/strap-cutter-blade-fe0097

The needle size won't affect the stitch length selector. It's just a matter of choice; how big and closely spaced you make the holes for a given weight of leather and project use.

Folk art for the ages. What a fun piece!

My Class 26 easily sews 9 SPI with a #22 needle and 138 thread. It's rated at 3-10 SPI but I haven't tried smaller needle and thread. I bought the machine (barely) used and it was making large stitches similar to what @PlanoMike is seeing. I removed the stitch length dial and reset it so the middle range was about 6-7 SPI.

Several Dozier knives still available at https://www.westernstarleather.com/Leather-Tools-_c_235-4.html.

Older tools are in many cases the best quality available. Have a look at @bruce johnson's website and other online sellers of used leathercraft tools. I recently bought this knife from a saddler who is closing his shop. I've been looking for several years for one of these, and it was worth the wait.

Thanks for the info, @Wizcrafts. Appreciate knowing the whys and hows of machine sewing.

Interesting stuff. Look forward to seeing the completed jacket.

Yes, and true for black bonded nylon as well.

Well done! Hope your Easter is memorable, @Gezzer.

Sharp looking artwork and original design. I'd wager a real craftsman is at work. Looks like a great business asset.

Adding a bit of leather dye to conditioner is another way to even out color. The video below mentions this method. I've seen some purse/garment makers use Lincoln neutral shoe polish on their products. I prefer a waxy conditioner like Blackrock Leather N' Rich or Fiebings Aussie conditioner.

https://products.batzusa.com/category/roller-stainless-steel

I would use 1/8" unfaced neoprene wrapped in 2-3 oz chrome tanned leather. JH Leather has YouTube videos on making padded dog collars that show the method. I do this for padded bridles and halters.

Another option is to send your die to Springfield Leather and they will click out pieces from the leather of your choice as you need them. They have quite a collection of customers' dies on hand. Weaver may offer a similar service.

That's a very thick dog harness, which will be stiff and perhaps uncomfortable during the break in period. Also it will be thicker where the leather wraps around hardware, and might be difficult to sew on a Class 26. I make horse halters out of 2-3 layers of 9 oz leather. Leather halters are designed to break if a horse pulls back hard. This is a safety feature of leather vs. biothane or nylon. I doubt a dog could break it and I'm sure I couldn't hold on if an animal pulled that hard. I think a well constructed harness made of 9-10 oz leather +/- a liner would be adequate for a large dog. One option would be to use 10 oz bridle leather with a pasted back, skip the liner, and focus the sewing on the ends of the straps. Main thing is to use high quality leather cut from the back of the hide for straps that need to be strong. Sewing against hardware with a machine takes practice and I hand sew some pieces of halters. Bottom line: the Class 26 would be great for patches and harness that is a bit lighter than you describe.

Like the rooster! ...and everything else. Beautiful work. Thanks for showing us.

I would give it a try. As you probably know, isopropyl alcohol has an extra methyl group in comparison to ethanol. The chemical properties of these 2 alcohols are more similar than different in my experience as a biochemist. You might see different behaviors when dissolving a solid in these alcohols, but I doubt you'd see a difference when diluting alcohol based dye by 50% in either of these solvents. I dilute Fiebings Pro Dye with an equal volume of Tan Kote or Martin's Edge Solution for dyeing and burnishing edges in one step and this works great! I am careful to mix the solution before each use. The MSDS for Fiebings Dye Reducer does not list the ingredients but this post suggests ingredients for dye reducer.

Nice result! What is the leather and can you show the gusset and bag interior?

Can't help with CA but I've purchased Klean-Strip Fuel denatured alcohol at several Walmarts in our area. I think it was in the camping/sporting goods section.

Jeremiah Watt has decorative hardware, more western style than art deco but looks like high quality. https://www.ranch2arena.com/products/04034-vintage-double-buckle. Folks that make western head stalls use decorative buckles in smaller sizes.

Welcome. I recommend videos from JH Leather and Harry Rogers for basic construction methods. She uses the traditional tools and methods. Abbey England is a quality source.

I'd enjoy seeing your work. I don't have the skill to make a saddle and have focused on bridles and reins for jumpers and dressage. Antares is a favorite for their styles of bridles.

With all the beautiful leather and saddles produced in France, it didn't occur to me that tooling leather would be difficult to obtain. I've admired the tooled elements that sellier Jean Luc Parisot incorporated into his work. https://www.instagram.com/parisot_sellier He might know of another source for tooling leather in France. His friend Pedro Pedrini would know how to get in touch with Jean Luc. https://pedrinisaddleco.com/biography

I did receive some HO sides in 2021 that were puckered or had more defects than usual. I was told they were behind on production because of an equipment failure at the tannery (a large splitter? was being repaired) so perhaps they were sending out leather that was less than usual quality. Their sales manager answered my questions on the phone. Since 2021 I've had top quality HO sides, purchased from Springfield Leather Co. SLC will accept returns of leather in good condition. I recently visited their store and they opened bundles of bridle sides for me to inspect. Almost all of them were excellent in terms of consistency and minimal defects. Not sure if your distributor is an authorized dealer or getting HO leftovers from other sources.