ArkieNewbie

2/3oz CXL should be pretty pliable.

I love this stuff! https://maverickleathercompany.com/product/chromexcel-black/

Thanks so much! Yeah, that would be a great use for this size. This is designed to hold a CD15 sized notebook which is 7"x10", just slightly under normal notebook size. Thanks! Thank you sir! I agree about the leather! I'm definitely gong to be buying more. Kind of like putting egg on a chicken biscuit haha

Thank you sir! Its a light brown bonded polyester. It matched the color of this leather great. Sometimes I like my thread to contrast but in this case I didn't want to distract at all from this beautiful bison.

In the winter weather vortex that enveloped the American South this week I had time to finish up this notebook cover for a customer. He is a member of an Arkansas Native American tribe and requested that it be made from American bison leather with a bison graphic lasered onto the front cover. This is my first time working with this particular leather and will definitely be using it some more. It has an amazing hand and I love the grain pattern. I believe I have enough left over to make one of my small tote bags. What do y'all think?

Use harness leather and brass hardware. At least that's what I do. What you made looks really good!

I have gotten some CXL horse butt strips from Maverick leather. I LOVE working with them. https://maverickleathercompany.com/product/russet-horsebutt-narrows/

That's awesome! I think the 10W should work pretty well on veg tan with several passes, probably 6 or more at pretty high power. I use 3 passes on my 30W diode for most of my cutting. It is truly a game changer for cutting out patterns and parts with great precision. Be sure to invest in several rolls of painters tape to keep your leather held in place. I would also recommend at honeycomb bed. My cutting improved greatly when I started using a honeycomb.

I have used Tokonole on the grain side of cheap chrome tanned and it gives amazing results. It can make $2/sf leather look SO much better. I have not had any of it get brittle, had any peeling, or any other problems.

This doesn't help at all with your question but I found this doing a google search. Pretty cool!

I have a pair of Ghinger Super Shears that I use. I have used them all the way up to 8/9oz veg tan with no problem. One caveat, I only use them to cut out a smaller piece of leather out of a side. I don't use them for detailed cuts.

I have not read this whole thesis but this may give you a scientific perspective. Apparently a student in Kenya going for a Master of Science in Kenya asked the same question. http://erepository.uonbi.ac.ke/bitstream/handle/11295/93419/Kuria%2C Alex Nduru_Evaluation of tanning strength and quality of leathers produced by selected vegetable tanning materials from Laikipia county%2C Kenya.pdf?sequence=3

That is certainly a wild idea! But if you're able to pull it off, which I don't doubt you will be able to, it will be awesome! Can't wait to see it when you get done.

Love the design and your stitching looks really good! Where did you get that pocket clip? That's a really cool design! I love my lasers for cutting out patterns! The exactness and repeatability can't be beat!

Beautiful sheath and knife!

Following along here, I am in the same situation. I bought an edge guide for $25 and now can't adapt it.

It's different and I'm not a handgun hunter, but I like it! Your craftsmanship is wonderful but the versatility of that holster is amazing! I love the idea to make it able to pivot. You're always needing different angles whether your on a 4-wheeler, SxS, horse, or walking. I think you knocked it out of the park!

Hahaha! I make a lot of leather patch hats and I do some engraving on wood too. I guess I should say that I have two that are setup that I use. The third is sitting on a table in the corner of my garage just begging to be calibrated and put to work haha.

These look great!! I have three lasers and I love them! I make leather patch hats and engrave various other projects as requested by customers. I just made 9 notebook covers and the laser certainly came in handy! I have a file made to cut out all of the parts and it gives me the ability to place the artwork exactly where it needs to be so it is in the exact same spot on each one. Repeatability is a great thing!!

Beautiful!!

That's interesting. To make my duck totes I use 8/9oz harness leather for the main strap and my Atomstack A30 cuts through it in 3 passes at 800mm/min at 80% power. I will usually have to do a little trimming of some fibers but it cuts everything pretty cleanly. I use 5/6oz vegtan for key chains and it cuts cleanly at 800mm/min at 70% power. Where I usually run into issues is cutting softer chrome tanned leather. My hypothesis was that the denser leather and lighter color absorbed the laser light better and then yielded a cleaner cut. I only use the focus piece included with the laser to focus my beam. Maybe your laser head is too far away.

Thank you sir! Thanks! It is super nice to have! I have made myself files for these notebook covers so they are completely engraved and cut on the laser. Great repeatability!!

Thanks, Joel! The computer and laser can definitely make you look good haha. You should get one, you can get into a decent starter one for around $300. The possibilities are endless! And it's really fun, another good creative outlet.

I would definitely put a big brand on the front or back of a bag or brief case if the customer liked it. I love the character! As far as your belts, as long as the brand doesn't create a weak spot, I see no reason at all that you shouldn't include the brands.

I made these bookmarks for some of our homeschooling friends. I'm happy with the way they turned out. It kind of makes me chuckle every time folks are so impressed with the laser engraving.