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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

When doing a long item I dip dye. I dilute the dye 1 : 1. I use any deep container that I had to hand. Then roll the item up in a coil and place it in the dye for a minute or so then a I see-saw it; an old technique for developing films; I bring the two ends of the item out of the dye then with each end in each hand I slowly dip one end in the dye and pull the other end further out, then that end gets dipped and the first end comes out. I do this for as long as necessary to get an even dye 1.5 ft by 2 ft; I wet the leather first, then use a 1 or 1.5 inch wide paint brush to apply the diluted dye, working from the center to the edges

hello everyone, what is the best way everyone found when dyeing a large piece of leather. think is little over 1 foot and half to 2 feet? other item looking to dye would be 3 to 4 feet long once get made. has anyone dipped leather into the dye, if so what is best to use like a plastic bucket?

It was also dependent on location; the southern and plains tribes utilized Spanish horses first because the Spanish were in the South and West for 200 years before English folks came west. I'm sure the native Americans in the east had predominantly English bloodlines, then the trading and mixing began, the Plains tribes had huge herds of horses that they traded and sold from what i have read.

Typically they used the Spanish mustangs but later on would trade horses. So they may of had a few different types, plus they would cross breed their mustangs. The Spanish mustangs has Barb and early Andalusian, think of a Spanish war horse. Today's American mustang has very little Spanish and a lot more European blood lines, it's closer to a Quarter horse.

Oh, I’m aware of that part — the introduction of horses by the Spanish and also the British, and their later spread is something we cover in Europe, not only in history but even in English classes. We’re taught fairly early on how the Americas were colonised, at least in Germany and Sweden. 😉 My question was more specific: I was wondering whether there were particular horse types or bloodlines preferred by the tribes using these saddles, or if certain mustang families were more commonly used. For example, horses with stronger Spanish-type influence versus those with more later Anglo-American breeding. I’ve read that some feral herds even show traces of European cavalry bloodlines, including breeds like Trakehners, which I find fascinating given their original use as military horses. I’m curious how that might have influenced saddle design and fit.