Mulesaw

@UnderTheRedMoon Hmm, if your character needs to be able to use the scimitar, then tying a lot of leather (braided and strips) to the pommel will just get in the way. Could the character make a cover for the sheath that is made from the leather and braids? That would be how I would do it in real life. If it has to be tied to the pommel ring, then I would use silver thread or gold thread or something valuable that I could later break a piece of to use for payment (I have never played DND, so I don't know if you need some sort of valuables to pay for stuff in the game) Brgds Jonas

@Appalachiancowboy38 Tandy has a free pattern pack in their leathercraft library https://leathercraftlibrary.storage.googleapis.com/Archives/PDFs/2664-Batwing-And-Shotgun-Chap-Patterns.pdf I made the shotgun patterns for my daughter a couple of years back, and they fit pretty well. To make batwings that fit like shotguns, I'd take the shotgun pattern and just substitute the zipper for some snaps. Perhaps you should add 1" more to the leg width, but apart from that just go with the shotgun pattern. Admittedly I haven't made batwing chaps for anyone yet, but as far as I can see, they seem to flare out a good deal more at the lower part of the leg, and that plus the closing mechanism seems to be the only real difference. Brgds Jonas

@jcuk Thanks for the nice comment :-) To me it is also sort of a relaxing experience to sew it, just one stitch at the time, a bit like a zen moment I guess? Out here there is no pressure on speed, and it isn't like wrestling a saddle trying sew on a new girth strap in where they put the fabric strap so high up under the flap that you can't see what youy are doing. Nope, this is just pure straight down the road and new leather etc :-) I rarely listen to anything while I am working, just never gotten into it. I tried to listen to some historical podcasts, and that worked pretty well, but I like quiet time, being able to hear my Newfoundland dog sigh or snore next to me. I have used 4.5 SPI, It is the coarsest wheel on my stitch roller. Given that it is a fairly thick thread (1 mm), I think it looks good with a bold large stitch. Brgds Jonas

Thanks for the nice comment. Glad to be able to inspire a bit. The only thing I would like to have done a bit differently is that I would have liked the leather to be a bit thinner. It really is a hefty belt. But it was the thickness of leather that I just had brought with me, so I guess I'll just have to wear it till it softens. Brgds Jonas

@TonyV Thanks, I really missed my stitching horse, so I had to go about it by stabbing all the holes first, which is also doable, but I prefer to do it the other way :-) I have started wearing it, and so far I have avoided it getting too dirty Brgds Jonas

@JDFred Thanks for the nice comment :-) Brgds Jonas

Great find! Some saddlemaking books are really hard to find and expensive, like @chuck123wapati says, some of the patterns aren't reproduced, so I'd also just keep it. If you find that there are patterns/books for something that you have zero interest in, you could always offer it up for sale at this forum. Brgds Jonas

@PastorBob Thanks, I did manage to get a small crack in the little finger from tightening the thread. I did the sewing over a couple of days to keep it enjoyable. Brgds Jonas

@AlZilla Thanks for the nice comment, it is just a regular length strap, I mean it is only doubled for the 2.5" around the buckle. So the sewing is purely decorative for the rest of the belt, but I read somewhere, that stitching can help make a belt a bit less flexible to prevent it from sagging. (I don't know if that is true though, so I guess I'll just have to wear it for a couple of years and see) :-) Brgds Jonas @chuck123wapati Thanks Chuck, it is without a doubt the flashiest work belt on board Brgds Jonas

Thanks, I suppose that one could skip the outer stitching, but I had seen a belt in here with the same design, and I wanted to challenge myself a bit :-) I decided from the start that it would probably go wrong if I tried to sew it all in one go. So I just did like Stohlman suggests, with a couple of yards of thread each time, and when you run out of thread - you just start 3 stitches back and that locks it. Maybe if I had made bigger holes, it might have been possible to do it all in one go, but there's going to be a lot of abrasion on the ends of the thread if it is going to be pulled through the leather that many times I think. If you look closely you can see where I have stopped and started again. On the lower picture: The fishtail in the middle on the back of the belt, that one I ended up having both the outer edge and the fishtail being started and stopped the same place. I tried to avoid that for the rest of the belt, since I was afraid that it would look clumsy. But when the two start/stop points are a bit away from each other it blends in better. And I think that if anybody look that close to my belt while I am wearing it - they probably know what to look for anyway, and they would know why I did it Brgds Jonas

Thank you Brgds Jonas Thanks, It did keep me occupied for some hours for sure Brgds Jonas

Thanks, I saw a belt (on this forum off course ) where someone had made the ending like this. I never thought about doing it like that before, but I thought that it looked cool and like an elegant way to do it. Brgds Jonas The good thing is that it gives me something to do out here :-) And it is at least a manageable project to hold while sewing Brgds Jonas

@FrankHester Thanks :-) @rleather Thanks :-), as a Scandinavian something with this amount of ornamentation is almost unheard of, but I decided to take a chance

I can't remember the last time I made a belt for myself to use. My best guess is that it was in 1994, and I haven't used that belt since probably 1997. So this time I decided to make a belt out here on the ship, mainly to use as a everyday work belt (to keep my work pants up), and secondly to have a cozy small project to do. The fishtail pattern was made using a cardboard plate, all stitching is done by hand, and a diamond awl was used to make the holes in the leather. The belt is 1.5" wide and I used Serabraid 1 mm thread for the stitches. I haven't got a stitching clamp or a stitching pony out here, so sewing takes a bit more time since one hand needs to hold the leather, but all in all I am pretty happy with the way it turned out. (My photo skills suck, and natural light isn't in abundance in the engine control room)

@morningskye Admittedly I know very little about western saddles, but if you have a picture it might help some of those in here that really knows about this stuff. Based on European saddles, I suppose that the brass plaque could be either the horses name or the owners name (maybe not in this case) Brgds Jonas

Looking really good. I like that that the rivets have some texture. That is a nice touch. Also the creasing on the top part of the strap (the part with the rivets) looks really fine and consistent. Brgds Jonas

Ouch, jamming a fingernail is really not recommended. I never really thought about it until now, but that is an advantage with foot powered machines. Best wishes for a speedy recovery Brgds Jonas

Perhaps we ought to make a post with "get rich quick" business ideas (just kidding)

@aml311 If it is in working condition, there normally is a market for it. Do you by chance have some pictures of it? That would help a lot for someone in here to give a more educated guess about model and how sought after the machine is etc. You can try to advertise it for sale on this forum too. https://leatherworker.net/forum/forum/82-machinery-sewing-and-stitching/ The Forum rules in the "for sale section" are stated on the top of this site: https://leatherworker.net/forum/forum/71-items-for-sale/ Brgds Jonas

@Steve75 I fully agree that we should continue to share knowledge and especially to someone who is new to the forum. Generally I think there is a very civilised and helpful tone in here which is just as it should be :-) It is just that I am genuinely puzzled: Did the OP expect another answer?, Should we have offered more help? Was the OP in reality looking for a turnkey operation business plan to make a fortune making holsters? I guess it is just that I always gets so astonished when people don't acknowledge that someone is trying to help them. A simple "thank you" would suffice. Just plain old fashioned regular courtesy. Brgds Jonas

@Calidora There is a German classified page that usually has some spare parts on it: https://www.kleinanzeigen.de/s-junker-ruh-sd/k0 I just searched for "Junker Ruh SD" at the moment there are two parts for sale. But there have a seller that had a bunch of parts. I know that shipping will be a bit expensive,but I hope that you'll be able to find the parts. Brgds Jonas

@Calidora I think the only place to find spare parts are on Ebay or similar sites. But just as a "warning" before you spend too much time and money hunting parts: The needles are really hard to find, and not readily available. I once checked Gross Beckert, and they'll make a production run if I ordered something like 500 needles. But if you have a couple of needles, then all is good :-) I have a machine like it at home, but I have been too busy tinkering with it. But I am pretty sure that it dodn't come with any spare parts (I am at sea right now, so I can't go check it) Brgds Jonas

Couldn't have said it better. I know I should have gotten used to this being grown up etc. But it still comes as a surprise for me everytime someone asks a question in here, and lots of people bend backwards with good sound advice - only for the OP to never visit the site again.

@TomE I have never tried a compound foot machine. I only have two patchers and an old SInger class 7 with a spring loaded foot (can't remember the actual name). I ought to treat myself to a compound machine one day :-) The small patcher is with a threadle and I really fint it easier to use compared to the newer one that has an electric motor. There is just something that works well for me with being able to go ultra slow and that there is just a cozy clicking sound. Even my wife thinks it sounds homely and cozy. (Good thing since I keep it in the dining room which is adjacent to the living room). I do 80% horse repairs on the patcher. blankets, boots, rubber bell boots, etc. The only jobs on the class 7 are sewing the leather ends on elastic girths, adn that accouint for maybe 5% maximum, the remaining 15% are hand sewn saddle repairs or bridle repairs etc. I find the hardest thing on the patcher is to keep a really straight sewing line, but practise goes a long way. Before I found a place to buy those bottom stops for zippers, I would also melt the teeth to form a stop, that is a good method. A couple of times per year I am asked to alter the width of the shaft on riding boots, I have started to charge by the hour for those jobs. Sometimes people manage to buy new boots of the wrong size in the leg/shaft, and if they can't return them, I can make them fit. Or they sustain a damage to a leg and suddenly hte leg is thicker than what it used to be. I'll check if I have any pictures of those repairs, and make a post about it.

@DieselTech Thanks The 4th picture is the best for explaining it (I forgot to take a picture shoeing the details) There are two "straps" that are part of the wrapping. they go around the rings and are sewn together first. Next a similar sized loose strap is inserted between the wrap aorund part and the central part of the bit. Finally the wide part is wrapped around the strap part and baseball stitched together. Hope it helps a bit though it is kind of a weird explanation, :-) Brgds Jonas