Mablung

Thanks for the tip. I re-wax occasionally but don't know that I've ever just dropped the strands to let them relax back to normal. I'll try that.

I use stuff like that as a cover for a cheek riser (though most of the time I’m the only one at the range maintaining a cheek weld). Advertise that function with it and you may get some additional buyers.

It may not be expert, but that scene is recognizable for what it depicts and shows a good sense of depth. Getting the depth and perspective right is, in my opinion, critical for good art. That looks like a coaster round—am I right about that? If so, it’s a small surface and not easy to work with. Even if it’s bigger, that still looks good to me, frankly. I rather like it.

Glad to give a laugh! It's quite funny, remembering it; less so trying to paint it properly when 10 or so years old. You and I share the lack of patience---it's an exercise in growing patience to stitch this stuff sometimes. Good work on this one, though.

Agreed, the deer still looks like a deer. Years and years ago, when I was a young kid, I did an oil painting of a grizzly bear. It turned out rather plump, with a somewhat dog-ish-looking face, and its mouth alternated between too much toothpaste and a swollen tongue, as I tried to paint the tongue and teeth properly. You could just say your deer was stung on the snout by a bee. 1/2” to stitch is no joke, that’s for sure. Lots of patience and a very sharp awl required.

Clever design---I like that. I like the deer, too, esp knowing that it was done freehand. I see what you mean about getting into the dairy barn, lol, but it still looks awfully good. The edges must have been awfully thick for stitching---did you pre-punch the holes in each layer and then fit them together, or did you use an awl after the edges were cemented (assuming you cemented them)?

Do you have some scrap leather of similar composition to the bag's leather (i.e., chrome tan, veg tan, etc.)? You could try using the various creams and different topcoats on scrap to see what will work, without having to redo portions of the bag.

I’ve read this whole thread with great interest. Fantastic work, and a very neat project. That looks delightful: fits the aesthetic of that display area perfectly and shows off the knives perfectly. Excellent work. As I’ve read the steps and description of the creation of the case, I’ve thought over and over, “This is so cool.”

That does pose a problem, then, doesn’t it? Can’t live with that, unfortunately.

Is the cutting edge on the round end punch smoothly curved, or is it deformed like the upper body of the punch blade? If it’s smoothly curved, yeah, the overall finish is a little sloppy, but it’s still going to do its job. I have read elsewhere the QC isn’t what it used to be, but the tools seem still to work. Only one I actually own is a 120-year-old round knife, though.

This is a nothingburger, if one uses decent leather molded well and of the right temper and thickness. In other words, make the holster properly and you’re fine. It’s also a lot harder to shoot oneself in either the family jewels or the femoral artery than many think. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen, but it’s not the imminent risk it’s made out to be. Don’t be an idiot when reholstering, and it’s perfectly safe to reholster with the pistol still in the pants, regardless of the pistol’s action.

Great work. I really like that choice of the brown pull-up. I’ve got some of that and really like it. Looks really good as a wallet, too.

Tandy sells some bark-tanned shearling. Don't know if it's the same stuff Cattleman is referring to, but it might be an equivalent.

No toe puff. I almost soaked them this morning but didn't want wet feet at work and thought I'd see how they did just stretching under foot heat and wear. Doing better than I expected. They'll probably get a wetting and wear tonight, though, at least the right one. The left feels perfect.

Finally got a new pair of these things done. Made the heels pretty ugly in trying to combine a dart and curve to the heel piece pattern, but they'll be serviceable for a while. Used a Crazy Horse pullup cowhide for these and needed to add just a smidge of length for the right foot, but I think it'll stretch adequately to work. I'll probably make another pair out of some great bison I got recently to see if they stretch to fit more readily in that stuff, after I adjust the heel a bit more.

Use a thumb break retention strap or mold the retention around the light and slide. I’ve done one for my CZ P-01 with a Streamlight TLR-7A that way. Some molding around the trigger guard is okay, but just not too deep.

If you’re looking at veg tan, you’ll usually be able to tell by the surface finish appearance and texture whether it’s been sealed or not. Words like “glazed” are dead giveaways, too.

Good to know. Is it a particular kind of nylon? I may get some for some hunting boots I plan to make soon, as I need to attach the sole very sturdily.

There are tight restrictions on importation of exotic species like elephant, but it can be imported and purchased. Just got to make sure the CITES treaty requirements were followed; reputable importers and dealers will have and show the paperwork. That aside, that’s a great looking holster. Very clean, and the color of the elephant hide complements the pistol and grips quite well. Very well-done.

Most use braided or twisted polyester or nylon thread. There are a lot of threads on the market, but the ones I use are the Ritza 25 braided and the Maine Thread Company braided and twisted. I like braided better than twisted, because the twisted tends to come unraveled as one stitches, due to the pressure on the tail. It can be retwisted to a degree, but it’s a bit of a pain. The braided Maine Thread is a round braid, unlike the Ritza flat braid. The Maine Thread feels stronger to me, but it’s also a royal PITA to pierce with a needle that has a large enough eye to thread effectively. I use 0.8mm, generally, but 0.6 would also do the trick. I tend to buy heavy threads because I don’t make many delicate items, and a lot of what I make needs to hold up to some heavy use.

Yeah, that’s your issue. I think Nigel’s channel is called Armitage Saddlery, something like that. If you look around in the Stitching forum on here, you’ll find some of his posts and tutorials. Pure gold for anyone looking for stitching chisels, pricking irons, proper stitching technique, the whole enchilada.

How did you make the holes? Looks like the second stitch went a little awry, either because you used an awl at the wrong angle (really easy to do), or you reversed which thread went through first. Overall quite clean, though, that one stitch notwithstanding. Have you watched Nigel Armitage’s video on saddle stitching? No better resource on the subject.

No, this is me trying to do my own pattern from my foot tracing. When I used Tony's pattern, I think I screwed it up by trying to be fancy/cut some time by using my stitching chisels, instead of punching along his hole punch marks. Shoulda taken the extra time, lol. (That and some of the lines didn't align because I think that piece of leather wasn't properly flattened on my cutting surface.) I think you may be right about the pattern slipping on this pair. My feet are slightly different, but not by much, at least in length. I need to compare the overall shape, dimensions, and proportions to really be sure, but I think they're close enough to use the same pattern. I trimmed the left vamp a bit but didn't trim the right as much (adjusting for lopsided patterning---actually worked pretty well on the left one), which, I think, is why the right one twisted more.

Is using a small-blade awl an option? More difficult than using stitching chisels but probably the method to use to do this repair by hand. Most awl blades are a good bit larger than that thread size, though, so it may be difficult, I grant.

Love them all. The revolver looks like the one Clint Eastwood carried in The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly (phenomenal film).