HandyDave
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Posts posted by HandyDave
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25 minutes ago, bruce johnson said:A few considerations about shed-shops from being in a bunch. Insulate, insulate, insulate. Have a heating and air conditioning system. Put in twice as many outlets as you think you will need. Put in three times as much lighting as you think you will need, and LED is your friend. Be able to ventilate if you use glues or finishes.
These are some super great tips here. Specially the lighting. I went with the 4 foot 2 bulb shop lights in led with the pull cords. I bought a 12 pack of the 15 year led fixtures cheap on the Amazon. I wanted to have zones of light where I'm workin at each moment instead of having every light on all the time. I also have a few desk lamps I can move around and headlamps hanging next to carving/tooling bench. Plenty of light. I started to build my shop at 12x12 and ended up with 20x24 and still feel like I need more space at times. I've got a 4x8 main work table on heavy locking casters in center of one side that can move around if need be. And stationary built in benches down 2 walls where my sanders and other bench top stuff sets. The other side of shop is racks and shelves and hooks for storing everything used in leatherwork.
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Beautiful work on the scabbards. Suede can hold moisture it also is terrible to collect dust and grit from everything turning it into sandpaper with time. Same with sherling and anything fibery. It looks good but something smooth like a thinner vegtan is best option. The smooth is also alot easier to wipe out to keep the dust and grit from collecting.
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Call it abstract and live with it. If you don't have a dye accident from time to time your not leatherworking.
its like holes and cuts on the digits its just gonna happen
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I allways enjoy seeing your builds. It's never boring that's for sure. I've said it before on here that you sir don't think just outside the box you smash the damn box toss the instructions and blaze your own trail. Keep it up.
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Another vote here for leatherstampmaker I've got several custom stamps made by them for some businesses I do merchandise for regularly. The stamps I've got from them have been top notch and work great. They send discounts and have sales pretty regular if your on there email list. There stamps also can be used with a mallet or press or attached to heating iron and used for branding thinner or softer leathers.
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First off nice work as usual sir. I bought a case of these same pistol cases several years back and did hydrographic finishes on most of them and sold them off. But after seeing your work it gives me something to do with the last few I have laying around.
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I use freezer paper. Not the waxed kind. But the one with a shiny side and a paper side. If I draw my pattern on the paper side then put the shiney side on the cased leather the freezer paper doesn't get all wet like regular paper. And i can get a couple uses out of the pattern using a stylus. And I prefer the green frog tape for holding smaller patterns down doesn't leave any residue. For larger patterns I use weights most times.
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The work you posted looks really nice. And on alot of the "cowboy" style gear you don't have a tight form fit like more modern gear. But you mentioned a 1911 and glock 19 something like these pistols are way different and my opinion you could never get a very good holster that would fit 2 guns that are that different. You don't necessarily have to buy a new prop pistol for every holster though. Like with 1911 style pistols you could probably get by with just having a full size prop and could allways make the holster shorter for commander or officer size pistols and mold it with the barrel stuck out from the full size prop. And that's because the main workings of that style pistol are all the same size generally speaking. Same with glock alot of them will snap into the same holsters because the main areas are similar. If your wanting to get into custom holster work you will eventually have to just buy more and more prop pistols.
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I like it. As much as I do enjoy doing crazy carving and tooling jobs it is hard to go wrong with a simple classic look. Another beautiful job sir.
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Like has been said usmc black needs alot of buffing to reduce the amount of rub off. Also if your looking for a dark black usmc want give it to you. It's more of a super dark blue. Use fiebings pro dye black with a couple coats. Less rub off and a much darker pure black finished project.
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If you scroll down on the homepage you'll find an adult section. Tons of info on every freaky leather item you can think about and maybe some items you didn't even know about. There will probably be a mod come along and move this to that section anyway.
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It really depends on the hide. I usually take a new side and cut me a few belt blanks from the back section. And by doing this with every new side I get I keep a good storage of belt blanks on hand. Then I just work from the back down toward belly cutting out as many good projects as I can get then whatever is left that I don't want to use for my main projects gets used for smaller pieces or test pieces. Specially if I have some new techniques or something I want to try out I reach for a piece from scrap bin.
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Thank you sir. Having that strip around it ads for decoration and acts as a stiffner. I enjoy doing alot of wild carving and tooling projects but it's hard to go wrong with a good classic look.
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Thanks guys. It don't ever take much of a reason for me to make another holster. And I honestly have the most fun when I'm making pieces as gifts. If I was a filthy rich billionaire I'd make every piece I do for free. But unfortunately I do have to charge for pieces as well from time to time. As for the little skully guy stamped on back. It was one of first stamps I made myself with a bolt and a dremel tool. And I put it on a few pieces years ago and it pretty much became my makers mark. The USA goes on everything I make along with my little skully guy.
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I love seeing the stuff you create. You don't think outside the box you smash the damn box and go wherever you feel like it. if your thinking of a complete woven style bag maybe look at crochet type bags or basket weaving techniques might give you the inspiration and some ideas to use to figure out just how you want to finish it. I look forward to seeing whatever you come up with.
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My dad has been going to Lithuania for last 6 or 7 years on mission trips with his church. One of the guys they met this past summer who was helping them get supplies and help translate and other stuff is military/police officer as well. Him and my dad was talking about guns and such and my dad was showing him my website and some other pics of work I've done. He mentioned how he would love to have a custom holster for off duty use for his glock 17. So I built him one and the preachers wife is taken it over to him as a gift when she goes next week to deliver a Christmas care package to the families they help. I didn't go to over the top decided to keep it classic with a nice 2 tone black and brown. 7/8oz for main body. 6/7oz for the decorative stiffner/belt loop. And it's lined with some thin pig I had laying round.
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Beautiful work on the sling sir. It just matches the classic look of the lever gun perfectly.
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If you go further down the list of threads on home page there's a whole section on nothing but sharpening leather tools. Tons of info for everything we use with an edge. To answer a couple of your questions is strop regular atleast everytime you are going to use the swivel knife. I don't think you can over strop. I mainly use a good 3/8" straight blade for allmost all my carving. But I've got a couple cheaper blades from tandy that are smaller or angled that helps with certain carving tasks and you can feel a drag or a kinda skipping when a swivel blade ain't running as smooth as it should. And always make sure your leather is cased good while carving cause dry leather will dull an edge quick. Hope this helps
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Some nice work frodo. If you can't find a horse or bike to throw them on you could always grab your six gun and throw them across your shoulder and become a old time bank robber. I'm sure they would hold plenty of loot.
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50 minutes ago, chuck123wapati said:I forget that compasses, protractors and rulers don't get the use they did in grade school anymore. But a guy could get clicker dies made and pop these out by the hundreds or use a laser i guess, do they have badges for laser in boy scouts lol.
Remember Chuck it's just scouts now the term boy is apparently offensive. But yet there still allowed to have girl scouts and you don't see no boys over there selling cookies. This poor world is so screwed up.
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I enjoy doing my made to order builds for paying customers. Well I enjoy making every piece I do. Since starting Leatherwork it has become a true passion. But I have the absolute most fun when I'm building pieces as gifts for friends and family. It's when I can cut loose from the general constraints of customer projects and go outside the box a little more.
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Ive had the same issues with white paints yellowing after finish is applied. Leather sheen and resolene both was yellowing my white painted pieces. I use regular craft acrylic paints from the hobby lobby by the way not "leather specific" paints like angelis. What ive found fixes all my yellowing issues is i add a couple drops of a light beige paint into my white and mix it real good. It still comes out really white colored but i dont get the yellowing after adding a top coat. Hopefully this helps.
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Finished another critter and went for a little extra scare factor on this one. Its goin to one of my older nieces. Instead of the more simple plain button style eyes i went with some glass eyes i had layin around. They kinda follow you around the room. And made a little leather bloody butcher knife that sticks to hand with velcro. Hope yall enjoy.
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Very nice i like the simpler rustic style. Really matches the old bowie well.
Simultaneous Stamping and Forming?
in How Do I Do That?
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I most times carve my letters now days atleast 3/4 inch and up I do. I still use my smaller letter stamps. What I did to fix getting that straight edge around letters from the stamp edge was very slightly rounded the edges over with a fine grit metal file. Just enough to get rid of that hard edge. Hope this helps. As for the op question about names on the dog lead he posted I would try like Chuck said and make the handle have a flatter face for putting names on. Without burning or lasering I doubt you'll ever tool in letters and get them to stay or look nice on such a small rounded surface.