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Hello all. I've been gone for a while with traveling and moving houses. Moved two kids from Boise to Big Fork, Montana, then my wife got the bug to move too. Fortunately we didn't have to move all the way to Big Fork, just a better home in Boise. I finally got my new workshop set up, and a friend asked for a knife sheath to go with the knife that she received for Christmas. Gave me a chance to warm up the tools again.

I've been looking for period images of these saddles, and often finding Navajo riding western saddles or the saddle being covered with blankets and clothing, but did find this one that appears to be a Navajo saddle, circa 1900. source link

Thanks! I really appreciate the kind words. Next is the LOTR trilogy. The books will be in the same style but the box will be a bit different. It'll be a clamshell/slip cover hybrid so I have to invent it lol. I want to make it so the front opens like a pair of doors with the doors of Durin on the front.

I guess the difference is between working on live skin and dead skin. 😄

FWIW: If I have to take a long break during tooling, I will spray the project and my stone work surface with a misting sprayer (light mist), then cover the project with plastic wrap. The wrap will seal to the wet stone and hold the moisture in the project for at least a day.

Still waiting for materials. I'm chomping at the bit to get started.

lol i asked my daughter about this, she is a tattoo artist. She laughed and said, can I make 200 bucks an hour doing it? She wasnt very impressed but did say it would be good practice for the real thing. I think if you're already an artist and have some skill in painting and such, it could be worth trying.

I think that this tool can be used along with hand tooling for best results. Used by itself, looking at the results on the listing in Weaver, the results look rather flat. Reminds me of the tooling on the leathers sold to tourists in some South American countries and elsewhere. Of course, I am only looking at photographs which is why I asked the question that I did, above.

I will add that firearms have to be protected from their environment. Here in the high plains desert of Wyoming, the culprit is dust more so than humidity; we basically have no humidity to speak of, so oiling my weapons is diferent and much less than in more humid environments like down south. If I oiled up my gun and inside the holster i would come home with a gun and holster full of dust and dirt.

Yeah, you're the man!! those are the coolest books I've ever seen. Your work is master-level for sure. I can't stop looking at them lol.

VERY nice!!

Something I've only heard mentioned once is the use of a VFD (variable frequency drive) for a 3 phase synchronous motor. The guy claimed the control with this setup totally outshines any servo motor. You can get these drives with single phase input and variable frequency 3 phase output, so you don't need a 3 phase supply to run a 3 phase motor. These drives are often used in industry and have many adjustable settings. Some that may be of interest are: Current limit - this will limit the torque of the motor and could be used as an electronic safety clutch. No need for a mechanical clutch. Max speed - these drives go from 0 hz to a frequency you would not want to run your machine at LOL. However, the max frequency can be set. External braking resistor option to reduce stopping time. This is a guess but I bet they also have a ramp up option which will be adjustable. Likewise my guess is they will have a ramp down option although this may not be wanted/needed. Probably some other settings that would be useful. Google and find a user manual and you'll get an idea. Something I should add is that I've heard running at very low rpm can cause motor heating as the internal fan of the motor is not doing anything useful. I'll leave anyone interested to do further research on that one. However, if the current limit is turned down and thus the current is low relative to the normal operating current of the motor, perhaps this heating effect will not be of any concern.

I can't believe I've now got two medium/heavy walking foot sewing machines. Came across a good price on the Singer so just grabbed it. Would anyone say one machine would be better suited than the other to thread heavier than V138. I'm waiting for parts to convert the Seiko to a large U size hook (the one used in the Juki LU-563), but I also realise that Juki lists an optional U sized hook for "extremely heavy" thread. So I'm toying with the idea of having one machine set up for V138 thread, and the other one for larger thread >>IF<< it would be OK to do that. Just don't know if one machine is better suited to the heavier thread than the other.

add; and my wee engraving pen, which I've never used. That cost me £6.50 ($7?) But I need to find them in my storage unit!

You could do that and earn your money back by offering the heads to other leather workers eg, on here. Do it the 'Airfix' way; make the parts and let the buyer assemble them and paint it (if they want to)

I have one of those Burgess wood carvers. You might have a good idea. Anyway, it warrants some thought.

Wow, that's stunning. The interior is so beautiful it's a shame to ever close it.

Paper mache might be a good option. At least it could make a "master" bust that I can perhaps make a silicone mold from to make my own hollow plaster or resin busts. I think the labor and initial pattern is where people make money on these. The materials are cheap.

Thanks for all the ideas guys. Keep em coming!

a silly thot; ask dieselpunk.ro. (Tony See) I bet he'd come up with a pattern to make a leather one! edit; to correct a word

Maybe check this site - she sells patterns, but might be able to help you connect to someone who could make them for you. https://www.ultimatepapermache.com/patterns

Airbrushing for both the dye and oiling. kgg

Ha! I didn't notice the size. I started out looking for a taxidermy form called a "Shoulder Mount". That would be life sized. Seems like the forms run to under a hundred bucks. Maybe a taxidermy shop could source one?

That might be a bit small. Might do for a Shetland pony tho

Interesting machine. I see it could have its uses. I might try something with my old Burgess wood carver. Might have found a new use for it