Okay, First Project .... don't laugh.... *S*

[WaddWatsonEllis]

This is what happens when a dedicated woodworker tries to do leather for the first time.

I needed a leg strap so that I could get the weight of my knife off of my belt and get it to a place where it was 'grabbable'; the original place was in the middle of my back ....

So I went to Tandy, bought the buckle, loop and tip that matched my holster belt and cartridge belt ... got a strip of leather, some oil to finish it, and came home.

Got the buckle and loop on, the holes cut on the other side to fit the buckle, but the belt was 3/16" too wide. So what does this woodworker do?

You would have laughed to see me 'burnishing' 3/32nds inch off both sides of the belt with an orbital belt sander ... but hey, it worked!

[Silver Creek Slim]

Looks good, pard.

Slim

[Dalton Masterson]

Good job, Wadd!!
DM

[Johnny McCrae]

Don't see anything to laugh about here Wadd. You did a very nice job especially for your first project. We look forward to seeing your future work.

[Ace Lungger]

Howdy WWE,  
Why would anyone laugh? You did a very nice and neat sheath! All of us started this hobby knowing nothing, yes some of the Pards on here have been doing it for over 30 years! And I know for fact that none of them had much of a clue of what to do when they started. I am sure if you were on another forum someone would try to in sult you!! BUT NOT HERE ON THIS FORUM!! This forum is ONE BIG HAPPY FAMILY, where everyone tries to help one another! I have been on other forums where there were very cruel people!!! And i can tell you for fact, life is to short for that!!!!
We all strive to be the best at what we can, but there are many of us that will never be a world class leather worker! For every world class leather worker there has to be over a 1000 of us that are doing our best!
You did a great job on your first project and i know for fact that your next will be better!
Keep your head up high, ask all the question you need, and the Pards on here will do there best to help!

Later
ACE

[JD Alan]

Wade, I think you did a great job. The finish and stitching look first rate to me. both look smooth and professional. Are you stitching by hand? JD

[Slowhand Bob]

Howdy Wadd, glad to see you made it over to the leather forum.  Looks good to me and with just a little desire you can be making all of your leather in no time.  First rule, do not spend money on any tool without KNOWING it is something that you can and will use.  There are tool choices that allow you to save big bucks and there are other items that are not worth their weight in uhhh fertilizer.  Hope to hear from you again real soon.

[Ten Wolves Fiveshooter]

Wad it looks like you made yourself a nice leg strap for your big knife, you did well, like I said start small and grow from there, it only gets better with time.

                                      Regards

                                   tEN wOLVES 

[JD Alan]

Hey Johnny, good lookin new sig pic JD

[WaddWatsonEllis]

Thank Y'all for your good comments and support.

And to be honest, I did not make the sheath ... it was made 'professionally' ... I have quotations around the word because I use it loosely.

The man charged $60 to make a sheath and did not follow any of my suggestions. If I ever do get access to a leather sewing machine, I am going to take the top half apart and start over. This time the belt loop would be sewn flat so that the sheath would sit against the leg...

Since I don't like snaps as anachronistic, I had him place me a roll at the top of the sheath. There is a latigo strap with one end ending in a Turks Head Knot (ends up kinda like a button) and the other ending in a latigo loop. The two connect around the handle and keep the knife from sliding out accidentally. Before I saw Chuck Burrows beautiful elkhide thong and elkhorn lanyards, I had figured this was the way to go ... well, maybe for some ex-sailors ... which there were a lot of after 1849....


But I did put the hollow rivet in the bottom, add the lacing and make the belt ..... something at least ....

[Marshal Will Wingam]

Looks good, WW. Leatherworkers use whatever will do the job. Sanders are used for quite a bit of edge work. I use a drum on my edges often. Remember to wear a mask, that leather dust is bad stuff to breathe. You're officially a leatherworker, now. Congrats!

[WaddWatsonEllis]

Now all I seem to need is a thousand dollars worth of tooling and of course that leather sewing machine .... whoeee!

Here I go!

But if I am meant to do this, something will come this way.

The Big Guy does work in mysterious ways.

A kind member sent me the address of the Gold Country Leatherworking Guild  ... I sent them an email ... no word yet ... nothing I could find for a website....

But I would really like to start doing this ....

Don't even have a spouse to tell me I cant do it/it will never work/there's no money in it ... yada yada yada .....

But I have heard that there are wives in here who support their husband's crafts ... all I can say is, do they have any senior sisters?  *S*

[RollingThunder]

My wife has an older sister, but trust me, you'd be best off keeping the other 48 states between you and that woman. LOL.

I've seen plenty of newbie leather, and made a lot of it myself, and that looks nothing like newbie. You don yourself proud pard!

[WaddWatsonEllis]

If I had a 'big brother' figure who might watch over my stuff and trade me tool time in exchange for my scutt work, I would like to try some sheaths and perhaps a holster rig ... but until I know I have local support I don't think this will go much further .....

I do have a project kind of half thought out .... taking some of the Midway Silicone impregnated socks, splitting the seam, and lining some long gun leather socks .... which should protect the gun during transportation .... plus, one could put the gun in the sock and rub it and the gun would be getting its outer surface cleaned of the acid left by fingerprints ...

What do you think guys; worth the effort?

[Dr. Bob]

Looks great!