BriarandThorne

Yep. Thanks again. Ordering the Weaver model based on suggestions here and in the other thread.

Thanks. I appreciate it.

I'm new here so I missed this conversation. I'm also having a hard time finding it via a search. Could anyone kindly link me to this thread? Not sure what else to search besides "strap cutter".

I appreciate everyone's input. Apologies for not searching for the previous recent thread about this. I'll seek it out. Not to argue, or belabor the point, but for the sake of clarification, here's Nigel's quote (while holding the ubiquitous "same old" strap cutter): "There are a few of them on the market...... You need to buy one that actually says "Strap Cutter" on it. ALL the other copies are inferior. I'm not gonna say who makes them but they're not worth the money." Thanks again for all of the info.

Tandy, Weaver, Buckleguy, etc. all have the basic wooden strap cutter for sale. They all seem to be the exact same tool. But I recently subscribed to Nigel's secrets of the workshop series and he mentioned that the one labeled "strap cutter" was the only one worth a damn and that the others were crap. Can someone point me in the right direction for a basic, quality strap cutter?

Thanks for that info. I was wondering about that exact thing. Very helpful.

This is very helpful. Thanks for all your input.

Thanks for all of that, Spyros. That's very helpful and informative. As far as sizing goes, should I look for double shoulders or are single shoulders able to be used for straps? Are single bends generally long enough to use? Thanks for the tips, HandyDave.

Thank you for the info. I've been slowly working my way down the leather rabbit hole. Bridle, strap, harness, skirting, etc. It's a lot to take in!

Thank you. I've been looking around at some bigger pieces since I posted this. Being new to this, I'm not sure where all I should be looking but I found some bridle double shoulders on Springfield leather. Are those a reasonable option? A side is a bit out of my price range at the moment but some of those weren't outrageously priced. I'm slightly confused by bends and backs and cullatas but I'm sure I'll get it figured out. Thank you. I'm in Jefferson County. Hello neighbor.

Thanks. I appreciate the compliment. I enjoyed the process tremendously!

Now that you say that, I realize that the straps I'm referring to in the OP as "pre-dyed" are, in fact, English bridle. So that leather burnishes like natural veg tan?

Thanks for your input. I was looking at some of the straps available through Buckleguy and a few other vendors and some of them look really beautiful.

I recently made my first leathercraft project. I was in need of a belt, so I decided to try to make one myself. I bought a veg tanned natural tooling strap from Weaver, along with all the hardware, some dye, neatsfoot oil and tan-kote and I'm now the proud owner of a handmade mediocre looking leather belt! All the flaws and goofs aside, this was one of the most fun projects I've ever tried. I'm hooked and looking forward to learning and doing more. I've decided to make some belts for Christmas presents this year and I had a few questions before moving forward. In shopping online for straps, I'm wondering about ordering one of the pre-dyed straps from Horween, or Wickett & Craig, etc. instead. With those straps, do you just edge bevel, and carefully edge dye with a similar color, then burnish as usual? Would there be any need for something like the tan-kote when using those straps? I assume not but I don't know how those differ from the natural veg tan strap that I used. Are there any other differences or considerations when using those straps? Some of them look quite beautiful, and no doubt, better looking than my ham-fisted first attempt at dyeing. Also, forgive the lack of edge-burnishing on my belt keeper. I will be replacing that soon. :D