PastorBob

I just know, for my business, I sent everything insured. It was my responsibility until the customer received it. Don't know how much money I lost due to some parcel company losing / damaging one of my items. When that happened, I apologized to the customer and sent out another one in it's place. That's how I like to be treated...expect the same. Sorry for your loss, in both time and money.

Are they dyed or antiqued? One could use a waterproofing salve or spray them with Saddle-Lac.

They aren't going to send you another knife to replace the damaged one? That's a crock!

Thanks for the detail. I have some 1/4" clear plexi I am going to give it a try. Thanks again @RockyAussie

That's pretty cool. How are you attaching the leather to the cap? If you can get all the char off the leather, for those small pieces, simply pour your dye into a shallow container that has a large enough area to completely submerge your projects. Literally just get it completely wet with dye, then remove and set aside to dry. Weaver leathercraft has some videos showing this technique. make sure to take a piece of plastic (like a trashbag) and secure to your workbench on which to lay the wet pieces just so it doesn't get real messy and make sure to wear gloves. Some of the dyes take a long while to get out from under your fingernails.

Joe Meling has some excellent carving practice videos with exercises you can do. Also, Bruce Cheney as well as Springfield Leather.

Glad to be of help. I have had mine since 2012. I have flipped it a couple of times, but have made literally thousands of cuts on it and it is still in great shape.

I went with this. Got a 4 x 6 pc and cut in two. Used one, rolled the other up and kept as a spare. great mats....http://www.speedpress.com/products/2/1 I got the one without the grid.

Whatever makes sense to your natural posture while working...they now have those hydraulic desktops that rise so folks can stand while working or lowered for desk chair height. I like to have a tall work bench like @SaintJoy18 mentioned. I use a shop stool for some items, then stand for others. When I am working on large pieces of leather, say cutting out pattern pieces, I tend to stand and move side to side in front of the work area. It sure makes it easier that it is higher rather than desk level. Good luck with the build!

I love the loops for the ammo. Everyone has their own preference, but I try to make my holster long enough to cover the front part of the slide, just so it doesn't get dinged up. What type of leather is that you used? And did you use a liner?

You might check out the glowforge community page. They have a lot of great advice on laser engraving.

Beautiful! Nice craftsmanship. Love the detail on the stumps. Brought back memories of the Darling's from Andy Griffith...just missing the jug the dad played.

Yep. Any beveler will work. I just went to the BK site as I knew they had pics to easily understand the point of my post. I started with a tandy standard beveler, then upgraded to the craft pro (or whatever they call their top line tools) with hatch pattern. I absolutely love it. I then got some steep ones from BK for those tight areas. Yes, pricey, but very good quality.

Oh...good catch. I forget about that handy little tool.

I haven't done any holsters / belts in that fashion, but I have done other projects. I normally don't put anything else on them and let them patina nicely with age / handling...kind of like a baseball glove. I would be interested in hearing other's inputs.

Barry King makes great bevelers... You will need multiple width bevelers (essentially wanting a bevel face that is no longer than the line you will be beveling. For instance...the fur high on the back leg of your image, right below the tail would get completely destroyed, or the area around it, if you tried to use a 1/4" beveler for all of the beveling. http://www.barrykingtools.com/groundersbevelers.htm Look for "Beveler: Smooth" - it is the 5th row down and all the way on the right side. Based on your drawing, I would want at least 3 of these, 00, 2, and 4. You can find an inexpensive swivel knife at Tandy, but found the Barry King one is much smoother to operate. That is all you would need to achieve what you listed. The list grows from there, of course. Hope this helps.

There are a several videos on YouTube on how to do this. Just type in "sharpening edge beveler". I had watched on by Tandy some time back and it was good, but I couldn't find it quickly this morning. What @Squid61 said is spot on. I actually made my own stropping board by gluing 9/10 oz leather to a board. I will load it up with compound, then pull the beveler backwards at a 45 degree angle on the outside edge of the leather. As if I am beveling in reverse. Hope this helps.

Very nice work! I really like the mag pouch addition. Very clean.

Very nice work. Wow! probably as much time painting as carving! superb craftsmanship.

That looks great! Thanks for posting the pic. I haven't worked with suede, much less as a liner. I normally place to 5-6 oz pieces back to back so they are smooth inside and out. Are there advantages to the suede? Is it less expensive? Easier to work? Thanks in advance!

I have one of those as well...another harbor freight sale bin purchase. For those occasions when the "readers" just aren't good enough.

That is beautiful. There is nothing better than forming something with your hands that turns out to be a nice piece of functional art. Love the detail and finesse you put into this, especially the mortar and tenon joints. Wow!!

I haven't attempted any type of wallet yet. Kind of intimidated by them. I would have to stitch them by hand and not sure how clean they would look. I tried to do a minimalist card holder and it looked like by 8 year old granddaughter put it together...oh it was a mess. Those look great, and as you have already identified the errors during the first attempt, each attempt will allow you to get better. Thanks for sharing!