Started build of my first stitching pony

[Started build of my first stitching pony]

Looks good. The magnet on it could also be used to hold your awl.

[Doc Holiday Shoulder Holster (movie Tombstone)]

A fine bit of workmanship, there! Good job.

[B997]

I have one of those and use it as a 'push bevel' but draw it towards me. It's tempting to cut it down and fit it in a swivel knife.

[Tote Bag]

That's really outstanding work. The boots, too. Did you make those as well?

[Repairing a Landis 25 5 in 1]

That's some fine work. Outstanding job repairing it. 

[A curly bag.]

That looks good. I am looking forward to seeing it tooled, or however you will carry it out.

[Western Purse (work in progress)]

48 minutes ago, Cattleman said:

Thank you.

 

I cant take credit for the patterns though. With the exception of the modifications to the tooling pattern, the patterns were created by Don Gonzales

Well, then Kudos to you both. It takes good craftsmanship to get a good end product, though, so that gets credited to you.

[Western Purse (work in progress)]

Outstanding! That is a fine example of a good idea carried out properly. Lookin' good!

[Which Barge formula?]

Barge doesn't work the way it used to. None of the formulas I've tried compare to the original formulation. I have changed to Master Cement and it works like the original Barge one did.

[Groover tool choice, interchangable tips?]

I have the same groover you showed. It's easy to use and does the job well. My only objection is that the smallest groove is bigger than I sometimes want so I have to resort to an old one I have on hand that I don't like as much but does the job.

[What sizes are the bits in this awl?]

I made my first stitching awl by grinding down a screwdriver shaft. I keep it around because it reminds me of how I started out. I now get Vergez-Blanchard awls when I need a new one.

22 hours ago, TomE said:

Learning to sharpen a sewing awl is foundational knowledge as you learn to hand sew.  I use inexpensive Osborne awls and hafts.  They start out roughly the same width/size and become smaller with repeated sharpening, so I now have several sizes for different thread sizes.  The Stohlman book on hand sewing is a good resource, and the Nigel Armitage videos cover similar concepts.  You can buy a sharp awl from @bruce johnson to learn what the desired endpoint is.

This is some of the best advice you can get.

[Alternative/traditional cutting and punching mats?]

In the saddle shop we just cut on plywood screwed to the workbench. For punching holes, end grain blocks much like @fredk showed in his post

[Exacto Knife Question]

When I saw that part of the video, it changed my thinking on X-acto knives. His method works great.

[Exacto Knife Question]

2:45-3:34 shows a great use for an X-acto knife. I use his method more than any other for cutting complex shapes from bridle leather.

A good holster making video.

[Tote Bag]

That's a mighty nice bag. The extra pockets look useful. Very nice work.

[Beretta 92 holster]

That's a mighty fine holster. I can't say I've seen a flap pancake style before. Interesting. Nice work throughout. Thumbs-up.

[One size fits most, sometimes...]

Outstanding job on those upgrades. They're outstanding machines, now.

[critique my first knife sheath]

The sheath is nice looking. I am undecided on the handle being partially enveloped by the leather. If it prevents a good grip on the knife, next time make it without, otherwise it's a design preference. The rivet at the end of the stitching is also preference although as already mentioned, it can dull the blade. If you do manage to cut the stitching without a rivet, it can always be re-stitched. Also, I like the copper rivets that are visible from the front put in the other way (burr side out) for aesthetics (my preference, not right or wrong).

When I install rivets that will go against a knife or pistol, I recess the head slightly by hand with a brad point drill bit so there's no chance of them dulling/scratching the knife/pistol. When I set those recessed rivets, I wet the leather at the rivet so it pulls down into the leather.

That meander border stamp takes some care to get right. Yours is nice and even. Great job on that.

All around, your sheath is a fine one. Good work.

[Cleaning up Old Tools]

I also like polished ball peen hammers. For copper rivets, however, I use the other end of a 2 oz one. It's the way I was taught to rivet as a kid and it does the trick well.

[Cleaning up Old Tools]

We knew what you meant. I must admit, though, I had fun visualizing it being used in a church service.

It's good to leave as much original character as possible in old wood. It takes on a beautiful luster.

[Cleaning up Old Tools]

Beautiful. It's always good to see old tools made good again. I use my grandfather's cobbler's hammer and it was a pitted mess when I got it. I had to take off a lot of metal to clean it up. You can still see one pit at the top that was really deep and i didn't want to take off enough to get rid of that one.

[Practicing on tooling card wallets.]

Looking really good, LD. It can get addicting.

[Second knife]

35 minutes ago, chuck123wapati said:

i may have to make another knife now lol.

It sounds like a good excuse reason to me.

[Second knife]

Close to the edge where it's easy to nick the bench so don't do it on a kitchen table. LOL

[Second knife]

Before I cut with one, I punch tight inside curves with hole punches before cutting the piece.

Oh, yeah, I also don't have any carpet so I just cut off the edge of the bench.