ArkieNewbie

A friend at work show me his wallet a while back and how rough it was looking. It was bonded leather and completely falling apart. I told him I would make him a new one. He has a son that is a USMC Aviator so he wanted the USMC Globe and Anchor on it. The main parts are 2/3oz veg tan tied with Fieblings Walnut dye and finished with Feiblings Leather Balm with Atom wax. I was super happy with how the final finish turned out! I used pig skin for the inside parts and the card slot pockets using a method @Frodo showed me a while back and it worked like a charm. If I had it to do over again I would use one piece of leather for the outside instead of two smaller pieces. I feel like that would have made a better "hinge". Anyways, he was REALLY happy with it! He immediately pulled his other wallet out of his pocket took everything out and threw his old wallet in the trash. What do y'all think?

Omtech 40W is $480 right now. It is not Lightburn compatible which would be a downside. But, go with what @Bert03241 says. He's the expert on these type things.

I made my own batches using Scott's recipe as a base. The only things I added were vitamin E oil and about 10 drops of clove oil (just for scent). This stuff works GREAT on everything I've made and could be considered period correct for the pieces you are making. The vitamin E, almond oil, and cocoa butter do a great job conditioning and the bees was adds some sealing and water resistance. I apply mine with a soft rag rubbing it in good. Let it soak in/dry to a haze and then buff with another soft rag. It gives a mellow shine and protects great! Thank you @ScottWolf for sharing this! I made a double batch and include a jar of it with my customer's first orders as a little extra. I even gave some to my nephew to use on his baseball gloves after he was complaining that NF oil left his glove overly soft and heavy. This conditioner does the trick for him as it doesn't weigh the glove down and protects it very well!

Exactly what Bert said. Do not buy a glow forge. Glow forge is really good at marketing and they do A LOT of it. But from what I've heard the many many downsides out weigh the up. The laser I have is $289, so not a huge investment. The diode laser does have limitations as I listed above. I still want a C02 laser but I'm constrained by the space in my shop.

I would love to upgrade to a higher power co2 laser but it's just not in the budget right now. A sewing machine is first on my machine priority list right now.

I have not had very good luck cutting with my laser. It is only a 5.5W diode laser. It takes me about 10 passes to cut 3/4oz. I haven't tried to cut anything thicker.

Thank you sir! I agree! I have used wrinkled flank pieces as accent pieces on bags before. I really like the look it gives and I hate wasting leather. I'm always looking for ways to use the less desirable pieces. This was a perfect opportunity to use it somewhere it didn't need to have structural integrity Thanks!

Thanks! I thought it was a cool look and took the place of cork on the bottom. I used small "scrap" pieces I had laying around so I didn't sacrifice much. I have some rounders I bought from SLC I plan to use as well. I need to invest in a round cutting die.

I mixed a few of my hobbies together on this project. I laser engraved on wood and then glued the wood rounds down to leather and cut them out. I think they turned out pretty great! What do y'all think?

Ooo, thats a good idea. Especially the football dimpled. That would be cool!

No sir. The football dimpled is horse hide as well. Would it be against "leather laws" to back a CXL strap with a veg tan strap?

Thanks for the suggestions! A Ranger belt is a good idea. I have been wanting to make one. I might give that a go. I'm also working on a briefcase for myself right now. Straps would be a good option. I've made a few notebook covers here lately but haven't done a Bible cover yet that might be a good option too. I've also toyed with the idea of rebinding my paperback copy of Valley of Vision in leather but 5/6oz might be too heavy for that.

A while back I bought 3 CXL horse butt strips from Maverick. One brown, one light brown, and one black embossed with the dimples for a football. I have never worked with horse hide before. Does it behave differently than other leather? These "strips" are about 6-8" wide and 40" long, 5/6oz, and has about the same temper as other CXL I've worked with, maybe a little firmed. Any insight into horse hide and what my first project should be out of it is MUCH appreciated!

Aren't almost all chemicals "toxic" if atomized and inhaled? I've sprayed some pretty nasty stuff through a spray gun redoing furniture and I'm fi fi fi fine. But seriously, have proper ventilation and wear the right level canister respirator and you should be OK.

It would also depend on the thickness of the leather and power of the laser. For $200 you're not going to get much over a 5.5 watt laser. In my experience it takes my 5.5W laser about 12 passes to cut 5/6oz leather. Keep in mind I do not have an air assist. If you were to have an air assist it may cut off some passes.