Supplies have mostly showed up. Thread and needles are still on the way. I'm in no hurry to finish it. It's been a long while since I made a belt. So slow as it goes to get it right.

And, 'Buckleguy' is legit. The horse leather in red is crazy nice. The veg tanned is also. The plan is to line the veg tanned with genuine Horween leather. Billets too. Red on the inside. Saddle tan on the outside. 1mm stitch thread in white for that saddle maker look. The horse leather is 4-5oz. The veg is 8-10oz. We're looking for a thickness of both together being 5mm to 6mm. I have the billet pattern from my last belt I made.

I'll post pictures as I go. Anyway, here's the starting pile. Hope you enjoy it.

Still waiting on a few things to arrive. Before I dive into the belt. I'm going to get into the groove by making a card holder first. My old Dooney and Bourke card holder from 1994 is shot. You can't even see the duck anymore.

The new one is going to be veg tanned and lined. Chocolate colored dye with 0.4mm red stitching. Both of which haven't showed up yet.

Stay tuned, it's coming.

As I wait for supplies. Here's some tools I made way back when. The metal came from a vintage couch. High quality spring steel. Hardened and tempered. Three edge bevelers. One free hand stitch groover and a line creaser. Handles from Lowes. They were waxed before being stored. They be cleaned up before being used.

Seager or Semmien?

It's all flooding back to me. I remember now. I remember leather craft is a pain in the rump.

Especially stamping. Glad I'm not doing it on the belt. The dye for the card holder isn't due until Saturday. So I can't finish it until Tuesday morning or late afternoon. The dye needs to dry and a neatsfoot rub down needs 24ish hours before I can seal it with acrylic. And I can't sew it until I dye it.

These projects keep my mind occupied. I should have burnished the skin side before stamping. They sell a piece of rounded thick glass that you buff the skin with. The stamping won't look so spongy.

Then again. After it's sealed and giving it a wax polish. There won't be much difference in final finish.

Black Friday. On a Wednesday. Pressed the buy on a, "glass slicker'.


It'd look so much better, burnished before stamping.

Well Dang, Danggit, Damn. I knew better but did it anyway.

First, I'm confusing chrome tanned cow for shell cordovan. Ones cow and the shell is horse. A finger tab, I have, for a traditional recurve bow had me mixed up. It's shell cordovan. It's also made from Horween but of course in horse.


Second, gluing the two layers of belt together. Somehow my brain was thinking I could glue two 1.5" straps together. Well, if you've ever worked with contact cement. You'll know once it's stuck, boy howdy, it's stuck. Which leaves no ability to adjust the fitment. So I'm paying for that education. Had to order a Horween strap in 1.75. That'll leave a 1/8" edge of Horween on both sides of the veg tanned. Allowing room to get the veg tanned straight on the Horween. Then afterwards, the Horween is trimmed up to the edge of the veg tanned. Better edge after it's trimmed. Shipping included, that's $40 in education.

Pricking irons. Any iron with more then four tines needs a maul bigger then 16oz. It can be done with the 16oz but you need to really whale on it.

Tools. Leather craft really gets you going with custom tools. Either because there's nothing made or what's available is junk. I use a 10" Starrett wing divider. I have one side dulled and polished into a ball point. I'd enjoy a 6" wing divider over a 10". Harbor freight has a 6" for $6 bucks. Cheap enough to be able to customize it.

It's all coming together. Slow but that's fine. It's a 4-5 days wait on the Horween 1.75" strap. I'm running by Hobby Lobby today and picking up a veg tanned panel. It's light weight stuff. Decent grade. The card holder I made isn't up to my standard. I'm making another. And probably another after that. It's gotta be right or I'm not using it. I like nice things and I'm gonna have nice things. After all, it's nothing but money.

Following

Thanks Yee! Enjoy my fumbling about. I am.


Leather glue....


There's two types. White glue and contact cement. White glue is Elmers glue. Contact cement, in old school terms, is rubber cement. The stuff you used to patch a bicycle tire tube. Nowadays, contact cement is way beyond the old rubber stuff. And it can be difficult to push a needle through. Some of the 3M products is like having a layer of plastic in between the leather.

White glue sucks on holding leather together. But it'll hold pieces together enough to be sewn. After it's stitched. The thread is holding it together. Contact cement. Well, it's permanent. Trying to pull it apart will almost rip the leather. Why I need it on my belt. First it fights stretch. Once the leather is glued. It's pretty much the same as one big thick piece of leather.

Ranger belts were not designed to hold your pants up. They came along as a belt you could hang stuff off of. Typically a gun. That's why, traditionally, it's a heavy thick belt. It needs to be firm with little if any stretch. Otherwise, trying to draw a weapon out a holster will yank the belt up. Possibly causing the weapon to stick in the holster. If the belt is firm, the weapon will release from the holster in a snap.

Being a stiff belt. It takes some getting use to. It won't sag when your pants pull against it. Hence, that's why thin belts are made thin. So you're getting that flex behind your back. Ranger belts ain't supposed to do that and don't. Your pants tugging at it won't move it.

Here's what makes a Ranger belt special. I made the belt in the picture a couple decades ago. Notice that it's still firm. Very little stretching along the back.

This belt is 43" inches on the dot long. The billets total up to less then 2 feet of leather. As for the conchos. I still have them. I just put them on something else. The new belt will have them unless the dude on Esty makes more 1" conchos. All they are is stamped and domed brass discs with a screw post on the back. Takes a mold and an arbor press. Plated. $5 bucks each. The old school conchos were made of silver. You can still get them if you're willing to pay up for silver.

So are you saying a quality belt keeps your daily carry from sagging ?
I neeed a new belt....

Yes, it prevents sagging without having to cinch it up so tight you can't pee.

Competitive shooting. Some folks will get a belt with a metal strip in the middle. Zero flex. A solid platform that won't interfere with draw speed. There's a reason why Texas Rangers wore these types of belts.

But, most modern Ranger belts are built more for the style instead of the intended function.


So if you're carrying a full size 1911 to include extra mags. A stiffer belt also helps carry the load.

https://turnerleatherworks.com/prod...belt?_pos=5&_sid=7290c7ef3&_ss=r

Something like this ?

Yep. Notice the thickness in big bold script. 1/4" (6mm). A regular western fashion belt will be around 3-4mm thick.

As for the buckle, Ugh...that's fugly.

Here's a place that makes some of the most authentic Texas style of buckles. You can get them for a 1.5" wide belt, Alpine, Texas is where they're located. Been there a few times. I don't know about today but years ago. They made some the best leather craft you could buy. Not sure if the artist is still with us.


https://bigbendsaddlery.com/Buckles-c72469641

Stamping practice. This geometric shape is easier to line up then basket weave.

It's official. I'll use it on the card holder. Gotta get out the mindset of old leather police gear having nothing but basket weave. Thinking that's the only way to go.

Burnished before stamping,



Burnished after stamping,

Card holder front is done tooling. It needs stitch holes punched and glued to the liner. Back half has been glued already. The tooling isn't perfect but I'm not using up more leather when it's perfectly fine.



Here's the liners, rough side out,

Dye test. This camera is giving them a lighter shade. The chocolate looks like actual chocolate (that's going to be paired with red stitching) The second piece is the saddle tan that's been oiled ( it's getting white stitching).


Also biting the bullet and ordering a 24oz maul. The 16oz is a good weight for stamping. It's the 9 tine pricking iron I need more punch for. 88" of stitching on a belt that's close to 6mm thick is no joke. And dealing with leather mauls.

There's three common sizes, 16oz, 24oz, and 32oz. 32oz is two pounds of maul. I can't see myself needing one except for using a belt end cutter. The cutter that shapes the tongue of the belt into a point. For the price of these things verses how much the cutter cost. If I need more then 24oz. I'll go get the two pound shop hammer out the garage.

The two halves are done. They need to dry. Then oiled and buffed. Two stitch lines across the open end to hold the liner. Then both sides are glued together and stitched. Finally sealed with acrylic.

Now we wait hours for the dye to dry. How long? Don't know. Until it stops smelling like alcohol.

If you ever get the chance. Shake the hand of a saddle maker. His hand will feel like stucco. Mine don't. I'll be bleeding at some point. Probably stick myself harder then I have.

First stitch line done.

I believe I jacked up my card holder. It's all about the order of assembly and watching other crafters doesn't help. I know how to do it but white noise has thrown me off.

Using pricking irons. Holes punched before the halves are assembled or punched after. Punching before is trying to make mirror image holes on two separate pieces. It's tricky. But, the stitch holes ain't as big from sinking the iron so deep. Card holder number 3 is happening unless I can correct some mistakes.

And Weldwood contact cement is garbage. It doesn't hold for [censored]. So a trip to Murdoch's is in order. 2oz tube of Barge all purpose cement.

MO money. The belt main strap is 9-10oz veg tanned. 4-5oz Horween. The billets can't be that thick. So guess what? Another $30 something for some 1.5" 3-4oz Horween has been ordered. It'll make the billets slightly thinner. It'll be easier to cinch up and buckle.

Leather knife. I've used a replaceable bladed knife for years. Either I've changed or it's always sucked for leather. So I dusted off my scalpel. Number 11 blade.

24oz maul shows up today. Weaver brand. Straight sided vs tapered like my Barry King 16oz.

.......


It's going to be another week for the 3-4oz Horween to show up. But I'll be able to make the main strap until the leather for the billets show up.

The card holder pictured above is officially trash. There's so much wrong with, I can't stand the thought of a Jerry rigged wallet. The edges are horrible and the stamping is crooked. I needed the practice anyway. It's time to get serious. I have a skiving knife coming. The liner needs thinning on the edges so the card holder won't look so bulky and blocky.

Third time's the charm or so I've been told. Supplies for the belt are due Friday and Monday. Free or paid shipping isn't making a difference.

Well, [censored]. If I'm going to take this serious. I can't do it ghetto slammed together. I've been stamping using a small oak table. It's the most sturdy thing I have available. Problem is, even though it's solid oak, it has some cushion to it. Plus, stamping on it is tearing it up. I like my little oak coffee table. It's government office furniture. Commercial. I bet to buy one it'd be around $300 bucks. Government probably paid $600.

Weaver sells what's called a, "Tooling Slab". It's a small piece of flat marble, 6"x6"x2". They also sell 12x12x2. Well, I want something thicker for the weight. So Amazon it is. Going all out, overkill, I bought a, "Granite Surface Plate", 12x9x3. Shop grade, "B". Which means it's flat enough to use a height gage for measuring metal. More flat then I'll ever need. The slab itself is a tool. 40 pounds of granite. It'll protect my table and the leather stamping will come out crisp. It'll also be an excellent surface to use the pricking irons. Of course using a 1/4" thick square of vinyl so the slab isn't scratched.

I thought this project was gonna be quick. That was a lie to myself. If I'm going to get back into leather craft and do it right. Gotta have the proper equipment. I already have a couple of friends asking for stuff. One friend wants a hand tooled shotgun sling. Suede lined. The other wants a bi-fold wallet. Tuesday of next week is the last day of things showing up.

So hang in, we're getting there. The holidays is really dragging shipping times out.

Progress looking good

Thanks Yee! Appreciate it. Pretty soon I'm gonna work my way up and I'll look at exotic leathers. Stingray and ostrich. Always wanted a holster covered in full quill ostrich. Just like boots. But before that, I gotta pay my dues on the cheaper stuff.

Enjoy some of my previous work as I wait on supplies. This sheath was made about two years ago. It's for a Benchmade bushcraft knife.

I’m watching this too but you’re throwing out some terms I doubt many of us know.

Looking good though, GG!

Thank You, Mr Tommar.


This has been a lifetime of a journey. I started leather craft as a kid but never really got into it. I've made thumb snap holsters to iWB holsters to spur straps. Never paid it much mind, just did it out of need. The only thing I've never made, that I wanted to, is a saddle. But I ain't got horse anymore.

This time is different. Instead of making all my tools. Using a ball peen hammer with stamps. I'm going luxury. Putting out the money for ready made tools. My days of having to drive to Tandy in Austin has morphed into mail order.

This slow holiday shipping is a blessing. It's giving me time to practice on new techniques. Practice with better tools. Experiment with dye colors. And one thing for sure. Leather craft just looks easy. In reality it's a struggle. However, in my opinion, only leather craft can let you express a certain style that can't be replicated by another person. The work is too personal for it to be copied exactly.

Watched a video yesterday of a spur maker. Tampa Texas. He said he's sold some for $10,000. Good grief, I use to beat them out in my father's garage as a kid. Guess I missed that calling.


Tools..Man, have tools gotten expensive. There's only a handful of folks in the USA that make them. They're shipped all over the world. Another calling missed. Here's one guy and what makes his tools high dollar is the metal he uses. 154CM. It's said, he makes the best. Check out the prices,


https://ronstools.com/

I'll mess with the card holder later. I need a belt. Very first step is oiling the veg tanned. What this does is level out the dye color. The dye is alcohol based and it'll cut through the oil. Dye on dry leather looks blotchy.

I want to dye the veg tanned before it's glued to the red chrome tan. I want a sharp color line. The veg needs to sit overnight for the oil to fully soak in. Then it can be dyed.

That looks like good work to me. It's a craft that I have never gotten into. We made some when in shop in high school, but was all I ever did.

Over the years most of things I've made have vanished. Here's some of my older work. I carried a Buck 110 for years. Then one day long ago. Old Girlfriend's dog chewed on it.

(If you've ever wonder how, "Saddle-Lac" leather finish does. That's why this sheath is still shiny after all these years.)

What do you use to stitch the leather together?

The old way was to stick an industrial sewing machine needle in a drill press. Marking the holes with an over stitch wheel. Pushing the needle through the leather. The most accurate way I could think of. It works pretty good. But it doesn't make the slanted looking holes as a Stitching awl does.

This time around, I'm gonna use Pricking irons. 3.85mm spacing. 3.85 is 7spi (Stitches per inch). Using Ritza 25, 'Tiger thread' in white. 1mm. Along with appropriate sized blunt tip needles. John James on those. Typical saddle stitch in how.

Strap is dyed. Went through twice for two applications. In the bottom left of the picture. Notice the slight blotchy. That end wasn't oiled to the end. Now it's gotta dry for a couple of hours. Until it doesn't smell like alcohol. The red chrome tanned next to it for the color difference.

Both sides are glued together. Now l wait overnight for the glue to cure. Then it's trimmed, stitch groove, and ends cut. Dye touch up. It'll be ready for holes. (Not pictured, I also glued the strap for the billets.)

Rolled with a clean smooth beer bottle.

Check out my new slab of granite. And another homemade tool. Used to smooth out a stitch line or making sure glue sticks. The face is polished and has a slight convex. Started life as a shingle hammer(?).

your work is good
i have a friend with a lot of these exotics you are looking for
he will sell them cheap
he had a set back in life & now builds leather goods

Here's a make or break moment. Belt sizing. Old belt is 43" long without the billets. Old belt has 4 buckle adjustment holes. I want 5. Sized to where the middle hole of the five is used, two holes on either side of the buckle. 44inches? 45? 46? It's gotta be cut before I can run a stitch groove. So it's me putting on my blue jeans. Cinching up my old belt and making the decision. The only punishment you'll get, if you mess up, is having to spend more money.

My waist measurement is around 33-34". When I made my old belt I was a 32" waist. Shirt tucked in and cinched comfortable. We're on the second hole from the pointed end of the tongue. So let's go with 45". Fine adjustment can be accomplished in the placement of the tongue billet.

On the left is a store bought stitch groover. The other is one I made. The store bought has a guild. The one I made, I'd run a crease along the edge and would use that as a guild. Either will work but this time we're gonna use the fancy store bought. It's been stropped and it's properly sharp. Stitch line is going to be 3/16th's from the edge. ~4.6mm.

Trimming 90 inches of belt is no joke. Nerve racking. But it has to be right or the burnished edge won't look right.

Today's adventure is done. Trimmed and grooved. Next step is putting holes in it. That's a whole other situation. It involves me staying in one position. Somewhere comfortable because it'll take awhile doing it. Same with hand stitching it. (The edges are getting beveled after the holes are done)

Before I go all willy neely with these pricking irons. I need to practice some. Never used these things before. But what I do know is, I want the holes uniform. Masking tape on the iron for depth control. I need to practice keeping it plumb to the leather before doing my belt.

Pricking irons (top) verses sewing needle in a drill press (bottom). The irons make a bigger hole. More room for the needles.

I'm gonna buy a new over stitch wheel. I have a cheapo. Never attempted to make one because indexing the points on the little wheel would be a PITA. If you've been curious what they're used for besides marking holes. Is shaping the stitch groove so the thread lays uniform. Compare with the previous picture.

The backside stitch holes. What an over stitch wheel does on those.

I gotta be in the mood to punch the holes. I'm ready. Still thinking about the process. In the meanwhile. Here's my stitching pony. I'd say I made it around 2006. You sit on it. The bottom goes under your legs. Two hinges.

This isn't too bad. They line up fine. Easy to hammer. After each section the iron is stuck into a small block of white wax. Not beeswax, too sticky. White wax is slicker, makes pulling the iron out the leather more easy.

Not bad, not bad at all.

Yep, these are purrty slick'. I paid up for them. Didn't bother with the cheap ones. They punch holes nice and straight. So far I've only used the 9 and the two tine.

That concludes today's episode. I need to touch the end up and bevel the edges. All the holes are done.

Doing some reading last night. It seems chrome tanned is looked down on. You're not supposed to be able to burnish the edges. Well, no one ever told me that. Leather craft use to be more fun before the internet filled up with experts.

Here's my, "round" edgers. Made around 2004. Called round because they round the edge. Made from spring steel I recycled from a vintage couch. Hardened and tempered. The numbers stamped on them mean nothing. When I made these. I eyeballed the amount of edge I needed to remove. Made the edger to that. #1 measures a hair under 1/16". #2 is 1/16". #3, not shown, is huge. I'd guess 3/16". So somewhere along the way, I needed a big one.

I don't know if I'm not supposed to be doing this either. Maybe because chrome tanned is so soft(?). Anyway, it's beveled on the back. Now the front. Dye touch up, dried. Then a finish before I burnish the edges. Angelus brand, No. 600. It's supposed to be a soft sheen. Not high gloss. We'll see. I'll stitch it up after the finish and then burnish.

That's done. The dye went deep enough. Maybe I'll touch it up...If I'm going to do it. Now is the time before it's sealed. It'll take a couple hours for the dye to dry. I'm too old to be in a rush. I've earned taking my time.

It says twice on the side of the finish bottle. You can use an airbrush. I'm not an airbrush artist but I do have enough common sense to know how to spray my belt with acrylic leather finish. Why not? The other way is basically rubbing it on. Which can be tricky.

Never mind, I almost messed up. I can't spray it until after the edges are burnished. There's things that need to soak into the edge to be burnished. Can't do it that with it already been sprayed.


Next up, is stitching it. Then burnished, then finished. After it's all done. I move on to cutting the billets out. Doing everything I did to the main strap but to them. Then the billets are stitched to the main strap and it's done. We're almost there. We're on the downhill.

Last note of the day. I bought 50meters of thread. 90inches times 5 is 450inches. 450" is ~12meters.

I had better bought enough thread. I doubt I'm going to stitch it today. That's an early morning coffee time type deal. It's not that hard to run a saddle stitch. But it can be rough on the hands and fingers. Running a stitch with 450inches of thread, it's up there.


I hope everyone has a Blessed Friday.

Man seems like you know how to do alot of cool stuff..

Nah. I've just learnt stuff. Not a thing special about me. All I have is a history of making leather craft to older Texas culture. Leather craft I observed since a child. Influenced greatly.

Here's a history lesson. I'm not stitching the belt until Monday. Below is what was used to burnish edges. Gum Arabic. I have no idea what it's for but Hob Lob sells it in the oil painting section. Wood pegs, what I used to do it with. On the right is 2024. Japanese.

Here's a tool. Can't say I made it. It's used to, "bone" leather. Used to form holsters around a particular sidearm. Leaving the tale tell slick lines on the surface of the leather. Sounds intense huh? Nothing else will make the same rub marks.

All the money talk this morning got me to spending money. I can afford it after I get over being sick to my stomach spending it.

After a month of research. Forums, videos, Amazon, and more videos. Then went back through it twice again. I ordered three round edgers from Ron's Tools. #1, #2, and #3 size. The prices are lower once in the cart but they're still expensive.

https://ronstools.com/round-edge-edgers/


I wanna see how the other guy lives. Being from Ron's, I've noticed they keep a good bit of their value. At this level, even if the company goes out of business. There's still a market for the premium tools. Not like I'll sell them. Throw them in my coffin for all I care.. Hopefully they'll out perform the tools I made.

More leather coming. I'm rethinking the card holder I have to make. The chrome tanned Horween leather is some really nice stuff. Ordered a panel of 19.5" x 11". 4.5/5.0 ounce thickness. Plum color.


https://www.buckleguy.com/horween-cavalier-leather-panel-plum-multiple-sizes-weights/


Bare with me. I'll get to stitching my belt. There's other things dealing with the household I have to do. One's mopping the floor while it's warm out. It's supposed get to chilly here soon.

Whatever. Stitching isn't my favorite thing. It's not bad after you get the rhythm. It still beats working on a Dodge.

Get up to go take a leak. Re-wax the thread. Beeswax keeps the thread fibers stuck together. White wax on top as lubrication.

What time is it? I've already sat through one movie. What they never tell you about hand stitching. It takes hours. I estimate this belt will have 4 hours labor just on the main strap. I gotta stretch my back. Walk around.

Waxing the string, waxing the string, waxing duh string. It should lay like cable. No kinks whatsoever. Back to it...

One side is officially done. Three and half movies worth of time.

Here's what the back side looks like.

Sips coffee*.

I have to mentally prepare for today. I have no idea how long it took me yesterday. It's a mental game. Folding yourself from within. Some high level meditation assembly work. Left to right, right to left. Loop, tug. Left to right, right to left, loop and tug.

There's no speed up. There's no slowing down. All that matters is getting it done.

I bet some of y'all thought this was going to be some kind of hobby lobby craft class you take your kids to. Watching them swing a wood hammer. Insert tab A into slot B.


Nah. We're going next level spirituality. Running 45" of saddle stitch. What did it take me yesterday? 6 hours?


Another sip of coffee* We're doing this again today.

Did I mention waxing the string....

Can you see the difference between straight off the roll verses waxed? Of course the string comes waxed. Genuine made in Germany. However, that means nothing. You still need to polish the thread like it's a pair of shoes. Using a rag of some sort to burnish the string after you rub it through the beeswax. Then do it again after the white wax.

This is why it takes so long. Having to feed all the thread through. It's also why I only did one side. Broke it up into sections. 45 inches times 5. 225inches of thread. Imagine 450" in one go. Not me. Oh No.

I'm about to enter my little world of stitching. I'm not coming back out until the main strap is finished. Once you get into the groove. You don't wanna stop until it's done. I have movies lined up. Starting with, "Threads" (1984). England gets nuked. Then they start acting, extra...English.

We're going SciFi. Can't do the old movies. The Arrival. Plus, my stitching pony is a POS. Last time I'll use it. I'll build a better one.

Almost half way. Back stretch time.

Thanks for the link, just ordered one.

How much is an hour of your time worth? How many hours have you put into this bad boy?

Ranger belts have never been fashionable. They are ghey.

What about the belts in the link 1Shart posted?

And, we're done. I'll finish the thread ends tomorrow. Then I'll smooth the stitching. Other touch ups

Please bomb another thread. Thank You.

Gluing, adding holes, edging, and stitching... I'd say about 10-12 hours. Next up is the billets. Probably another 4.

How much is it worth wearing an accomplishment by your own hands? It's up there. Gotta go through it to understand.

Nice work. Do you incorporate some kind of maker's mark on the leather goods you produce? I just bought a steel stamp set for that purpose. Never worried about it before, but I'm going to start doing it. Time's running out lol.

Yes, Sir. I sign my work. I haven't showed Y'all the stamps I have. I have years and years of things I bought one at a time. Now I have a pile.


But Yes, letter stamps, all three of my initials. They'll be behind the tongue billet on the main strap. You should be signing everything too, Mr Malibu. Especially those jewelry boxes. I would.

Threads have been locked and pig tails cut. Now it's time to smooth the stitch puckering with the handy dandy hammer. Other then that, it's time to burnish the edges and then spray it with finish. I might start the burnish today or tomorrow. I'm still in the 10 hour stitching vibe.

Top right of the strap has been hammered. Notice the puckering is gone. It also settles and evens out the stitching.

Picture of this thing in the sunlight. The main reason to dye it saddle tan. Is because it'll darken over time. Laid in the sun and it'll go a shade of brown. Enough age and sunlight, it'll go chocolate colored.

The main strap is 9-10oz veg tanned with 4.5-5oz chrome tanned Horween. The strap for the billets (right side) is the same veg tanned but with 3.5-4oz Horween. You can barely tell but it's thinner. It'll smash out after being worked. Thinner means it'll lay better after being cinched up.

Fun fact. Horween was the tannery used by the US during ww2 for all the leather needs. It was even used as gaskets on equipment. Shoes and boots made from it are those $1000 jobbers you see in some men's magazine.

I've been checking on the tracking of the tools and leather I bought. I know the delivery date on the leather and pricking irons. Yeah, bought more pricking irons. Same set I have but instead of 7 stitches per inch. They're 3.38mm. The 7spi is 3.85mm. Same, 'Diamond' style because of the shape of the hole it leaves. If I do small things like the cardholder. 7spi spaced stitch makes it look, "Crafty".

The edgers say awaiting fulfillment. I think the guy has to make them. The order didn't say anything about a lead time. I don't know if he makes them to order or what. I guess we'll find out. It is the holidays.

The billets for the belt require a lot of curve cutting. I have enough leftover strap to do it again if I mess something up. I bought nothing but premium leather to do my belt. Mess ups are expensive. The veg tanned is Wickett & Craig. There isn't any Amazon Chinese trash leather going on. Topping it off with a hand made steel buckle.

You can't buy things like this.

No sir. You cannot. And why you do it is just like asking why people go deer hunting. It has nothing to do with money or time. Heck, all the tools in my shop cost less than one year on my brother's deer lease, and if you consider stand time, drive time and all that, well time just doesn't enter into it either.
No, you do it because it's a part of who you are. At some point you'll stop, but as the guy said at the end of Gladiator.."But not yet...not yet."

Edges are burnish and it's ready to spray. I'm only spraying the veg side. The Horween already has a finish.

Tell you what, the Aholes that make the Angelus No. 600 leather finish...

I'm all set to spray the belt. Get er' done, right?


Nope. I sprayed two test pieces to get the air pressure right. Sat the airbrush on the stand and prepared to spray the belt. And NOPE.. The finish dries so fast, it clogged the nozzle. Not by a little but by alot. It really jacked the airbrush up. The Angelus is like trying to spray Mop N Glow. Remember that stuff? Some kind of air drying wax you slosh on the kitchen floor?

Doesn't say chit about needing thinned on the bottle. Nothing like that. My house is 65° and it still dries like nothing else.


So instead of spraying my belt. I had the joy of spending time taking the airbrush apart. Acetone soak overnight.


Take 2, today.

Over night acetone soak. Now a vinegar soak. I'll brush them out later. I don't know if it's old gunk or the leather finish. I don't mess with airbrushes that often. What I do know, it's gotta be clean.

Check out the fancy airbrush. Says, Iwata Eclipse HP-CS on the side. What a PITA little thing.

My compressor just took a dump. It's done. I have a pancake air compressor in the garage that'll work. Harbor freight special and It's got an air regulator.

Now it's personal. I will spray my belt.

That wasn't supposed to work but it did. They are right. Airbrush is the way to go. #600 gives just enough sheen without it looking like plastic. Belt is officially sealed.

Planning the billets. Store bought belts come in standard buckle sizes. 3/4", 1", 1 1/2". Years ago when I made my own buckles, I made 4, 3 piece buckles. Three of them was I what I thought was 3/4". The last buckle made I knew was an odd size. I have no idea why I made these the size they are. The top buckle is 15/16" and the bottom is 11/16". Why in the world would I have cut the slot such an oddball size, escapes me.

I'm going with the 15/16" buckle. This belt will be the only one in the universe it'll fit. Extra custom.

Billet pattern. New verses shorter old. I added an inch. The tip on the tongue has a Vogt brand, belt tip curve. I'm not using a Vogt belt tip. I just like the shape.

What a 15/16" wide billet looks like on a 1.5" belt. It'll do. None of the stitching will hit other stitches.

Take two. The pattern needs to be near perfect so a copy of it, in leather, is as close as it can be to the original.

Final pattern. It's 1.75" longer then my old pattern. .850" wide by 13 inches long. This pattern is for both the tongue and the buckle side billets. I need to put some clear packing tape on it. Good patterns ain't easy to make. I need to take care of it. Even though I'll probably never use it again.

We're coming up on a possible slow down. My new edgers haven't shown up yet. I want to use them on the billets. That's why I bought the things. The tongue billet has been cut and the edges sanded. Starting at 150grit and ending with 1500grit. It still needs a stitch groove, holes, stitches, beveled, and skived. But not in that order.

And BTW. Merry Christmas!

Trip to the bank tomorrow. I've been researching things. I've found out there's a wider useful range of pricking irons. Instead of hammering them through the leather. Creating big holes on one side, smaller on the backside. The other way is to hammer the iron ½ or ¾ the way through. And then finish the hole with a stitching awl. Therefore getting uniform holes on both sides.

I need one for two reasons. First is the ability to adjust the hole size. Second is for stitching the billets on my belt. The main strap measures about 6mm. The billet will add another 4-5mm after it's thinned down on the side that'll be stitched. A leather stack of ~11mm can be tricky trying to poke plumb holes. I'm getting an C.S. Osborne awl with a removable tip. A, 'Haft' and the actual, 'Awl'. Diamond shaped. I don't own any C.S. Osborne products and I wanna give them a go.

Hopefully, my edgers will get shipped.

Other things I'm getting are more stitching needles in size #2 for .080mm thread. More thread in brown, red, and white. More dye in chocolate and ox blood. A veg tanned panel, 26" x 11", 5.5/6.0 oz.

The next project is going to be a 1800s, Texas style, tooled, shoulder holster for a Glock 43 in chocolate. But the belt comes first.