are you into leathercraft I am assuming? If so I would love any pointers you might have for me! 
yes, iam a self tought leather crafter. and enjoy any time spent working leather.........
Man thats awesome i need to have a sit down winter hobby and this maybe it.
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are you into leathercraft I am assuming? If so I would love any pointers you might have for me!
Your question wasn't addressed to me but I've done a bit. Worked at it professionally for about a year right after I got out of the Navy.
1st pointer - latex/nytril exam gloves will keep you from staining your hands with dyes and other various stains and finishes.
There are other places to buy leather than Tandy/Leather factory, they are seriously over priced.
The more you do the better you get.
If you get halfway serious about it there are far better tools than what Tandy sells look for C. S. Osborne stuff
i use masking tape on the back of leather project prior to tooling. this helps the leather hold its shape.........
Nice work, dubs chops, especially for your first time out of the box.
Leather Crafter's & Saddler's Journal is a great mag - lots of good stuff on a wide range of product. I've got all of their issues - nearly 20 years worth.
I do a wide range of leathercraft stuff. This is the latest I'm working on:
Trying to incorporate the custom leathercraft work with the custom guitar making.
I do this kind of work in between making the holsters and such. I really enjoy sitting down and doing it and pounding away.
Leather Crafter's & Saddler's Journal is a great mag - lots of good stuff on a wide range of product. I've got all of their issues - nearly 20 years worth.
I do a wide range of leathercraft stuff. This is the latest I'm working on:
Trying to incorporate the custom leathercraft work with the custom guitar making.
I do this kind of work in between making the holsters and such. I really enjoy sitting down and doing it and pounding away.
K-Man that is sweet man! You made the guitar too? What can I use to cut the leather to make a neat edge that is easier to burnish?
I want one! 
Thanks, man. Yep, I've done most of the work on the guitar. There's some custom wood on the backside, and the neck is going to be an abbreviated neck with some ivory on it. When finished, the piece is slated to go on display in an art gallery.
With respect to cutting the leather, I use a utility knife with a sharp blade in it the majority of the time. I then sand the edge with either a belt sander or a dremel, trim off the excess, and then run it through a couple of custom edge slickers that I have.
Dubs, that looks great!
Trying to get more shadows can be accomplished by compacting the area more. The denser the leather, the darker it will be. Just smoosh it down a little more next time. I go just a hair more than I think I should. When it dries (from wet working it, not the dye part), it always puffs back a little.
This is a poor photo of my second holster. It's not dyed, just sun tanned, and treated with olive oil. It's a crappy picture, but you can kind of see how the shaded area is... uh, you know, shaded. I think I uses 2 different sized pear shaders. I remember beating the crap out of it. I think I did this in 1990-something. 98, maybe.
Anyway smoosh your shading down a little more, and your shadows will "pop" more. Leave it in the sun. That will make it over all darker too.
Keep going! You are doing really great!
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