>>389947$160 not including tools. I have about $750 of leather specific tools which add to the initial cost. All you really need is a knife, hole punch, rivet setter, hammer and cutting board though.
That suit is worth 2250 and even at that price this stuff sells like hotcakes
>>389970I bought a karambit that came with a nylon sheath. I had enough of all knifes having shitty sheathes so I went to Michaels and bought a bag of scrap leather and practiced til I got good enough. I was leatherworking for 3 months before I made that suit. I don't really take pics of my stuff. Looking at pics does nothing for me but seeing fighters in my gear or soldiers using my sheathes makes me proud as fuck.
I can give you a shit ton of tips, it all depends on what you're making though. The best tip I can give you is on how to properly harden leather for armor. There is a huge debate about this online and I did a ludicrous amount of research to find the historically accurate method.
1. Soak your assembled leather project (may be dyed but not polished or sealed) in the hottest tap water you have til bubbles stop coming out. My tap water is 180F which is perfect.
2. Toss it in your oven for 45 minutes at 180F. If it's for a knife don't put the knife in it. Pull the item out every five minutes and touch up the shape quickly. You an get a very precise finished shape this way. For knives jam the knife in and squeeze the sheath flat, arch the snaps so that they won't cover the handle. That way they spring out of the way of the knife when it's opened.
3. Take it out (assuming it's bone dry) and let it cool. Finish your project in any way you please.
This is the actual method for cuir boulli, you don't boil the fucking stuff in water or wax. That's stupid and it makes it shrivel. Even if you can shape it the end product is brittle as fuck.
For your finishing shine use Aussie Shine. It's like dubbins paste. conditions and seals your project. It also reimparts slight amounts of
