BlackDragon

The chicago screws failing is exactly what I was thinking but couldn't think of a way around it. Wouldn't cutting a slot big enough to hold the handle also create a weakness in the collar itself?

These dogs are very well trained and do not bolt, not for cats, not for squirrels, or anything else. They wait for a command. That said, I understand some dogs aren't trained properly and do bolt or pull. I'm having my nephew put the collar through serious stress tests to make sure it'll work for his needs. In the mean time I'll come up with a stronger solution.

Wow! This is the level Im striving to reach. Great job!

"Malingator" I think Im going to steal that one lol Yeah they're both malingators, very high prey drive. They are always ready to go. I think they're on crack. For edging I sanded with 220 then 600, dyed with black, used tokonole, and a burnishing tool. Oh and lots of elbow greese.

There are great!!

Thanks I really appreciate it!

When I made these dog collars I wrote the names in Word, printed them out, traced on to the leather, and I tooled them.

I made a couple dog collars for my nephew's Belgian Malinois. Mäts collar is a working collar. I made it a mahogany brown with black edges and has a control handle. The handle is two stacked 10oz wrapped with 5oz. Josies' collar is a show collar. It's a cherry brown with black edges. I used 10oz veg-tan doubled over, 1.0mm black thread, 2" buckles, 2" tie down D-rings, 1.25" leash D-rings.

I can't see your link because I don't have an account. I've worked in manufacturing for a couple decades. One company supplied Honda, I worked at Toyota manufacturing in KY, and I've also worked as a consultant for production line management for a few companions. All that to say Chuck hit the nail on the head especial with his last paragragh. You can set up a line to make things very efficient on paper but watch how the people doing the job move and have them give input. Many times they have an idea, sometimes it's a small adjustment like having a hook to hang a tool, that make the job faster and easier on their bodies (Within reason you have to watch your costs). Which brings me to my next point. Ergonomics: "back in my day" isn't going to work that great when someone is complaining about their feet hurting or their hands hurting. In today's work force its easier to find work that doesn't break your body so keeping your people healthy will pay off in the long run. Rubber mats on hard floors does wonders for feet and backs, gloves to prevent cuts or abrasions, proper lighting, etc.

Also working on a couple 2" dog collars for my nephew's Belgian Malinois.

I'm working on a briefcase also. It's a Christmas present for my sister. I'm tooling cherry blossoms on the front.

I use different knives for different things. The Fiskars I use on thin flimsy leathers like 1oz suede. The utility knife on 5-10oz vegtan. Xacto knives for small areas. The round knife I recently acquired and am still learning to control properly.

Thanks!

I got comissioned to make a couple more purses. One is what I call whisky brown with a bit of cinnamon. It's goat leather with .6 mm Tiger in mid brown thread. It has a top zipper as well as a front zippered pocket. The 2nd on is a navy blue goat skin with .6mm Tiger thread in white. It has a top zipper and an open front pocket. Critiques are welcome as always.

I needed a couple of oblong punches but really didnt want to spend big money on them because I saw a few bad reviews on the big name brands. They stated the punches were dull and didnt hold up well. I took the chance on a set of cheap punches. There were 7 sizes in the set and only needed 2 of them, for $13 it wouldn't have be a big loss if they were junk. Once I got them they went right to my sharpening stones. They work great! They go right through 10oz leather and so far they're holding their edges.

All I've got to say is... WOW

My brother in law helped someone buy a motorcycle and told him I do leather work and I might be able to fix his saddlebags. The pastor works with people in bikers in recovery so depending how bad the bags were I could do it. I decided not to charge him because he dosen't have a lot of resources and especially because he bought the same bike I have (Yamaha V Star). The bags are pretty cheap genuine leather, probably in the $100 range. Some of the seams have begun to come apart, the rivets are either pulled through the leather or completey rusted, some of the conchos are missing and the tassels are ripped off. On the back, the leather for the tie offs were so thin (.70mm)they probably ripped off the first time they tied the bags to the bike. They only had one tie off point at the bottom and the previous ower made extra holes to use zipties. I restitched the corners, since some of the old rivets pulled through I used #9 copper rivets to reenforce the stitching, I added new conchos and tassels. On the back I added 2 extra tie off points and used 10oz with D-rings.

First off I would start brushing off the dust and dirt with a light brush, then a good cleaning, and after that I would condition the leather. You would have to decide if the saddle is going to be put back into service or just sit in a corner. If it goes back into service I would replace any pieces that wont survive much use. Like the leather tie offs, cinch & stirrups or other rigging points, etc. If it's going to just sit in a corner I would dust it from time to time and condition it once a year.

Wow. Thats great work!

That was interesting. My first real job was making sails. I was a young teen walking home from school and I would stop at this factory where they sewed stuff. I didnt know what they were sewing. After a couple days the owner walked over to me and asked if I was interested in learning what they did and he gave me a tour. He offered me a job as an apprentice and I worked there after school. That was about 40 years ago! The sewing machines where older Singers and they werent sunken in the floor like in the video. They did some huge racing sails. Sometimes I was the sail puller.

Thanks everyone! Im not sure what you mean by trigger guard spine. I took close up shots of the trigger area. I hope it clarifies what I did.

Thanks! I just noticed the pics got reversed, may have happened in selfie mode, the rig is right handed as shown in the first and second pic.

When I first started with leather I started like most people, small easy pieces. My first turn at trying something more serious was a gun belt that was towards the end of 2019. I learned a lot about how to do things and how not to do things. I used 9-10oz veg tan and 1-2oz pig suede for lining. I learned that I shouldn't use chrome tan lining for a nickel plated gun. Either I over saturated the belt with black or I didn't seal it properly because I still get a lot of rub off. I think I'll try sealing it again with resolene. The gun is an Uberti 1875 Army Outlaw in .45 Colt

Thanks!

Thanks! I was looking at oval punches and at this point I not sure which brand or sizes I should get. The cheap ones, well they're cheap but some of the expensive ones have bad reviews as to quality so I'm leary about pulling the trigger on them.