JD Alan

[Dalton Masterson]

Thanks for the compliments, JD.

As for the stitching, what works for me is a vintage diamond shaped awl I found. I polished it, stropped it,  and it is sharp. The other benefit it has is it is only about 1 1/2" long or so. It is very controllable for hand stitching. It may be helpful to go ahead and cut your awl down, and give it a renovation. Even if I bury mine all the way to the handle, the hole is not so large as to look wrong.

I mentioned on another post the other day that I go back after I get my seams glued and grind them even and smooth. I then take my edge groover and groove the back.

Pop in a good movie, get situated with thread, 2 needles, something to grip needles with (I use the firehose with rubber lining), and your awl.

Go real slow into the leather, gently guiding the awl into the groove on the back side. If the tip is starting to poke elsewhere, pull it back and restab. You should be able to go slow enough to notice if its not going to be lined up.
Once you get the hang of it, it dont take too long at all to stitch a nice line.

I hope I helped ya out JD.
DM

[JD Alan]

Thanks for the tips Dalton. From the looks of your stitching, it's good advice. I bought a Bob Douglas awl with two blades, and it is as good a quality as I think you can find. One blade is a little thinner than the other one, but they both came from Bob super sharp and polished. I'm not sure when they get dull that I will be able to bring them back to as good of a condition as when they arrived in the mail.

Little Al send me some wax-pitch blend (thanks again Al) so I need to order some linen thread and give that a go. What type of thread are you using? Are you using harness needles, and if so, are they Osborne, Tandy, or some other brand?

If I remember correctly, you used one of Will G's patterns for that holster, and you built a great representation of that design, including the carving and coloration. I also seem to remember the belt keeper was sewn on, is that correct?

Your help is very much appreciated. I pray that your new baby is doing well; and momma too of course! God bless, JD