Jump to content

lightningad

Members
  • Content Count

    504
  • Joined

  • Last visited

About lightningad

  • Rank
    Leatherworker

Contact Methods

  • Website URL
    http://pinterest.com/lightningad1/

Profile Information

  • Gender
    Male
  • Location
    oldham, uk
  • Interests
    life, the universe, everything....except football.

    stopframe animating is another hobby of mine.

LW Info

  • Leatherwork Specialty
    wallets, journal covers, pouches, bags
  • Interested in learning about
    all things leathery
  • How did you find leatherworker.net?
    google

Recent Profile Visitors

The recent visitors block is disabled and is not being shown to other users.

  1. Looks exactly like the Blanchard I just picked up at an Antique dealers for just £15 ! An hour with Japanese water stone and it's got an astonishingly sharp edge...bargain of the year for me! Adam
  2. thanks... do you mean for me to draw up a pattern or a completed bag? i've never really drawn one up before other than the fairly basic design for a satchel. I tend to design and make as i go along. The method i find works for me is to use semi stiff card which i cut to the size i want then use staples to fasten along the stitch lines. Once I'm happy everything is working in card and i have a life-sized card satchel, then i remove the staples and I'm left with a pile of cutting templates.
  3. i'm with the marking only brigade - hitting it so hard the prongs pierce the leather will only knacker the Pricking Iron ! I use a very cheap Ivan iron, and a wooden mallet to whack it. Works ok til i can afford a better iron. To help keep the iron held vertically, i added a silicon putty (Sugru) around the shaft and molded it to my grip. Now i can hold it in the right position every time, and its less strain on my finger muscles - no more cramps after marking a big piece. adam
  4. I've not had much time to work on leather projects for the past few weeks, so thought i'd post the only thing i have done...a strap for my new camera! Its an outer layer of British Tan dyed veg tan, then a layer of spongy foam, then lined with a Paprika coloured suede. Very pleasant to wear, and it feels very strong and secure. The hardware used is the plastic buckles that came with the manufacturers strap. Having used it for a few weeks, i now want to alter it to use some quick release hardware, as the strap can get in the way when using the tripod! adam
  5. lightningad

    A Newbies Progress

    I started leather crafting with a Tandy Kit Christmas 2011 and now i'm hooked. Everything here is made from my own designs and patterns. There are more that i still need to photograph...
  6. At last! managed to get my website properly updated, and looking rather classy (in my opinion!)

    1. benlilly1

      benlilly1

      Nice website and great looking product!

    2. lightningad

      lightningad

      thank you…appreciate the kind words!

  7. depends on what you want to achieve - you can glue and stitch, you can just glue. If you want to fold the edges thats also possible. These two images are of my second wallet - no glue used, just stitching. I made the pcokets for the cards using a purple satin, that was stitched to the rear of the main pocket face. The satin cuts down on the overall thickness and it looks quite flashy too! (I did cheat slightly and used double sided sellotape to hold the satin in place whilst i stitched them into position.) I did not fold any edges, just used a wooden burnisher to smooth the edges of the leather. edit - looking again - i didnt burnish these edges very well !! thats something that improves with practice. The great thing about leatherwork is that its really easy to have a go and find a way that works for you. There are very few hard and fast rules - if it works for you, its probably right! adam
  8. Hey Jud, im also in a small town 6-7 miles outside Manchester! Wonder if its the same one? I get my thread from LePrevo - its pretty cheap linen thread but it does the job. Ian Atkinson who's videos you mentioned is also Leodis Leather who sells Tiger thread on Etsy. Its worth getting some to try out, and Ian is certainly the most cost effective way to try it, as the thread is usually only sold on bi reels costing close to £30 a go! You can get a really cheap diamond awl blade and handle from Le Prevo (mines from there) and as long as you spend some time sharpening it first, it should be perfect for making your holes. It also looks much better than the round holes a woodwork awl will make. As for buying leather - we're out of luck in this part of England…the nearest is J Woods Leather in Silsden, nr Keighley. You can go and look through the offcuts pile if you want a bargain, or via mail order. Le Prevo have been quite helpful - although the time it takes them to process orders seems very slow. I have also bought some lovely veg tan from Rolfords (Northampton). The biggest problem with mail order is not seeing before you buy…and the only way around that is a long journey! rgds Adam
  9. yes - very stable. Its made from 2 layers of 2mm thick veg tan, with a 1 mm layer of styrene inside.
  10. thanks! i was always a little wary of leaving the knife uncovered on the workbench - i tend to get carried away and end up with heaps of crap everywhere, and the last thing you need is a bare blade when rummaging for stuff…now i just need to remember to put the knife on the rack!
  11. Blimey! that was a fast response! Its only just been posted…thanks for the kind words. It was one of those serendipitous moments when i realised i didnt have enough wood to make the rack i had in mind then shoved some junk out the way and saw the old stool - the idea just clicked! 2 hours later i have a really cool tool rack!
  12. Its been a while since i posted on the forum, so i have just upload a couple of ideas posts - a litle thank you for all the useful tips, hints and general friedliness found on his great site. Ths is the second of those posts…hopefully it might inspire some creative ideas for recycling your own old stuff. I just posted a breakdown on Instructables.com showing how i converted an old wooden stool into a really useful tool rack. What do you reckon? not bad for 2 hours work and the £2 paid for the old stool a few years back! http://www.instructables.com/id/Leatherworkers-Tool-Carousel/ the round knife is held safely out of the way using two magnets embedded into the leg. adam
  13. I recently made myself a desktop stand for my iPad, from leather with magnets attached using Sugru. It was also posted onto the Instructables website in the form of a step by step breakdown. If anyone wants to see how i made it, you can check it out here….http://www.instructa...iPad-Air-Stand/ and if you like it, please click on the instructables vote button too - i might win a prize! I must admit the stitching is not brilliant, but in my defence this was made as a prototype. I wanted to see if it would work and that the ipad would sit at a comfortable angle on my desk. Happily it did, and should anyone ever want one making, then the finish will be much beter now i have worked out the process! adam
  14. why not just post it for all to see? I'm sure if he's doing it for money he'd be glad of the custom!
  15. good idea…i'll have to try that one!
×
×
  • Create New...