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Mablung

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  1. Mablung
    That’s thick stuff, but a Line 20 snap with either a long post or using a French edger to inset the snap pieces should work fine. Rivets come in varying post lengths. Just look at the hardware specs, and it shouldn’t be too hard to find something that fits.
  2. Mablung

    Pride stuff!

    Mablung replied to toxo's topic in Show Off!!

    Can’t imagine why they use only six colors…
  3. Mablung
    I use Barge, especially for shoe applications. Tanner’s Bond works okay for that, too, but Barge is way better. I use Tanner’s Bond or the Tandy brand Eco-Cement, or whatever it’s called, for things that don’t need as strong a hold.
  4. Mablung
    I made my toddler nephew a pair of moccasins for his birthday. Apologies for the lousy photo—I forgot to take some better ones of the finished pair. Frankly, I’m really proud of how they turned out; moccasin pattern-making has finally clicked with me, through going back through the fundamentals to make these. And even better, my nephew loves them. Even got a chance to give him a short primer on leatherwork while putting an extra couple stitches in the sides to tighten up the mid foot this afternoon. These are 3/4 ounce bison chrome/veg re-tan. Great leather that I really enjoy working with.
  5. Mablung
    Course He did. But the objection to leather is, generally, an ethical one that lacks basis. The fact God also gave us mushrooms is a red herring in that respect.
  6. Mablung
    God gave us animals for food and their skins for clothing (and, of course, other uses, like knife sheaths and shoes). Animals should be slaughtered humanely, although it is always a messy process, unavoidably so, but there’s also no ethical need to replace animal skins with something else. Mycelium “leather” strikes me as an interesting experiment at best, a needless and discourteous attempt to replace what God has given at worst. Personally, I see no need to wear a mushroom cap on my head. More power to those who want to try, but it is ironic (not to mention a touch hypocritical) if it requires ecologically unfriendly means and methods to produce.
  7. Mablung
    I think sole leather is tanned a bit differently as well to make it a bit harder and tougher. That’s just what I’ve gathered from a little reading, so I may be incorrect.
  8. Mablung
    I had to rub it down a little bit. That took a bit of the top finish off the grain side, but that’s easily remedied with crazy horse leathers I’ve used recently. That aside, I haven’t had trouble with it coming unstuck or leaving residue, when a little friction was applied. Doesn’t take much, just a few quick rubs after initial application.
  9. Mablung
    I used a couple dieselpunk.ro patterns recently. Scotch tape seemed to work just fine without leaving residue. It did, however, pull up some of the fibers when removed from the flesh side of veg tan, but that is likely inevitable.
  10. Mablung
    Often a slick 1911 or fancy revolver, from what I understand. I wouldn’t mind a Dan Wesson or Nighthawk with nice grips in a well-tooled holster. I had a shot at getting a former range rental Dan Wesson for a good price years ago; should have grabbed it. Needed a few parts replaced, but I could have held on to the gun and replaced the components as I went. Youth is stupid.
  11. Mablung
    There is no possible way Bed Bath & Beyond sells patchers. They don’t even sell regular light-duty fabric sewing machines.
  12. Mablung
    The one probably most germane to your purposes is her Simple, Ecological Shoemaking book. It’s what I used to make my chukkas. It’s got a bunch of patterns in it, up to a women’s 10 or so, I think. My feet are substantially larger, so I just measured out the difference and modified the pattern to my preferred toebox profile.
  13. Mablung
    To truly change the size, I think you’d need to be able to change the overall length of the sole as well.
  14. Mablung
    Don’t forget to buy the leather. In all seriousness, sounds like you’ve got a lot of bases covered. So, go start making things. You’ll find out what else you want/need as you go.
  15. Mablung
    For your first piece, that's great work. How are you marking/making your stitching holes?
  16. Mablung
    Unless you're devoted to hard work restoring steel, I'd pass it up. Bruce convinced me not to take on a similar project with a CS Osborne in similar condition, which was a good call. The CSO has softer steel. I found one in much better condition that just needed edge work (reprofiling the bevels and honing), which was a good choice. Restoring something like that takes a lot of dedication.
  17. Mablung
    My personal opinion is that grooving the surface doesn’t generally weaken the leather to an appreciable degree. With leather that’s already thin, yeah, grooving weakens it. Leather that’s the thickness you’re talking about, not likely. I use a groover mostly on veg tan for things like knife sheaths and gun holsters (using leather anywhere from 6 to 10 oz) to recess the stitches. Lately I’ve used wing dividers to make a shallow crease/mark. Varies by item I’m making.
  18. Mablung
    Tandy is good for this. Resharpening is pretty easy. Strop over jeweler’s rouge to get the outside of the tip sharp. Then draw a piece of thread with jeweler’s rouge on it through the hole of the cutter in the opposite direction of cutting.
  19. Mablung
    Personally, I would not. It’s probably not impossible, but the juice likely isn’t worth the squeeze. Your best option is probably to use a utility knife or something similar, as it’s a bit more versatile than a rotary cutter anyhow.
  20. Mablung
    That’s a rarity outside of your area. I grew up in Middle TN and have visited your area many times over the years, and the emphasis on old crafts and history is what makes the difference there, I think. Outside of similar areas, it’s far more rare to find a cobbler. There are a couple near me (NE Alabama), but that’s unusual.
  21. Mablung
    As alluded to already, there’s a lot of “art” and feel to this stuff. You’ll learn what you like using and what produces the look you want. I even do some beveling with my round knife, if my push beveler doesn’t produce the effect I want.
  22. Mablung
    Definitely nothing wrong with asking questions, but you’ll learn a bit more at a time and a bit faster if you read through the existing threads as well. I don’t say that to be “that guy” who doesn’t like it when new people ask questions—never feel bad about asking questions. But, you will be able to find a lot of information in previous threads and on YouTube, and faster than someone can give you a comprehensive answer.
  23. Mablung
    Look in the Leather Tools forum for guidance on things like different flavors of skiving tools. I use the safety skiver that Aven described and my round knife for skiving. Lots of ways to skin that cat. Go read the other threads, get your wits jumbled and then reassembled, and see if you can “test drive” someone else’s tools somewhere.
  24. Mablung
    Get one that’s sharp and cuts. That’s the main thing. I used to use my various pocket knives to cut leather, until I got better tools. I still use my utility knife with replaceable blades for some trim work. Don’t get too wrapped up in the shiny doodads and gimbobs of marketing, either. Decent steel with a consistent edge is key.
  25. Mablung
    I use a HDPE cutting board. Punching is on a rubber poundo board. @fredk made himself an end grain punching board. Lot of ways to skin that cat.
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