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.