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Posted (edited)

hey if your a fellow vet, sign up for tandys vet discount -- its free and gives you elite pricing, same as a business. 

Yogurt cups are awesome -- hold dyes, glue, mix dyes all kinds of uses!

If you know someone that does bodywork, usually can get 1/2 sheets of 600 grit and better for free, 1/2 sheets last a long time for sharpening1

Edited by tnhomestead
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Posted

Brettuns Village has a large selection of leather remnants.  Most are chrome tanned and finished, not good for stamping but you save the price of dyes and such.  Shipping is included in the price, so no surprises.

Posted

Also, if you can sock away some cash, do.

You never know when an awesome deal on Craigslist will pop up. Earlier this year I was looking for a splitter. I found a weaver master splitter in excellent condition for 250.00. When I met up with the kid he brought boxes of stuff that he had accumulated in prison. All marked with his name and id number. I only had 350 with me. He let me have it all for that 350. All told I think I paid less then ten cents on the dollar. He was happy, and I was beside myself.

So, it could be handy to have some cash on hand for deals.

I'm not paying 80 bucks for a belt!!! It's a strip of leather. How hard could it be? 4 years and 3 grand later.... I have a belt I can finally live with.

Stitching is like gravy, it's only great if you make it every day.

From Texas but in Bossier City, Louisiana.

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Posted
On December 26, 2016 at 8:35 PM, bikermutt07 said:

Also, if you can sock away some cash, do.

You never know when an awesome deal on Craigslist will pop up. Earlier this year I was looking for a splitter. I found a weaver master splitter in excellent condition for 250.00. When I met up with the kid he brought boxes of stuff that he had accumulated in prison. All marked with his name and id number. I only had 350 with me. He let me have it all for that 350. All told I think I paid less then ten cents on the dollar. He was happy, and I was beside myself.

So, it could be handy to have some cash on hand for deals.

 

This^^

Walked into a pawn shop to look at an instrument for my daughter.  Made an offhand comment about making holsters.  Guy went into the back and came out with a bowling ball bag full of leather tools, dyes, and hardware.  He said it just came out of pawn and he was not looking forward to pricing all the pieces.  Looked in and quickly saw $100 worth of tools I needed since I was new to it.  Told him to make me an offer I could not refuse.  He took a minute and came back with $65 OTD.  I went home and quit counting at $350 worth of tools.  

 

I still use old tooth brush handles to bone and mold holsters or press them when gluing.  I have some kids craft tools I use too.  Made my own strops.  Made a skiving guide for belt tongues.  Made my own palm protector for pushing needles when I hand stitch.  

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Posted (edited)

Can you turn a scratch awl into a diamond awl with a knife sharpener and stopping?

Edited by JenGranger
Posted

I'm not paying 80 bucks for a belt!!! It's a strip of leather. How hard could it be? 4 years and 3 grand later.... I have a belt I can finally live with.

Stitching is like gravy, it's only great if you make it every day.

From Texas but in Bossier City, Louisiana.

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Posted
24 minutes ago, JenGranger said:

Can you turn a scratch awl into a diamond awl with a knife sharpener and stopping?

Probably, but it would be a tedious process

IMO this is one of the times you are better off scraping some money together and buying the proper tool in the first place

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Posted

Vinegaroon dye -- just dump steel wool pad into vinegar, let it sit till the steel wool dissolves, run through a coffee filter, and voila you have a black dye! just dont put a lid on tightly as it cooks, may blow up on you. Just tested my first batch, wanted to see if getting it rusty etc in advance was needed and seems to work fine this way. Just saw a cool video on using biscuit letters to stamp leather, 2 bucks a set with a holder to line them up! http://www.ebay.com/itm/Alphabet-Number-Letter-Biscuit-Cake-Cookie-Mould-Embosser-Press-Stamp-Decorating-/302047824610?var=&hash=item4653740ae2:m:maOZugv6Z-7rRLMdOSkJNgQ is a link to one of them ( just a random one I saw on ebay ) and a cheap accurate way of embossing leather. The video used a 1 ton arbor press and the made a slot in a block of wood for the stamp holder to ride in -- it looked super simple!

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Posted
18 minutes ago, tnhomestead said:

Just saw a cool video on using biscuit letters to stamp leather,

Thank You to leatherworker member Harrybodger for posting the Youtube video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0RjVoFAqUI&t=125s

 

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