MedusaOblongata

Is that the same as cold tape used to prevent stretching like this: https://www.amazon.com/Lanas-Fabric-Cold-Tape-Black/dp/B018JO5FDA ? I've done similar things for sure, have to stop, take it apart, try again. Done it more than once. Hopefully it's a lesson learned well about paying attention to detail. I've got on my workbench a nice leather tray I use for rivets or screws or spare parts for whatever I'm working on that's painstakingly carved and antiqued with a customer's wrong initials. I noticed after it was done and it made more sense to make him a new one than to try to fix it, so now I get to keep the mistake as an aid to memory. When we're lucky, we laugh at ourselves instead of getting upset.

Do you have a link to that aluminum top?

Did you make the video?

I second the recommendation for https://www.springfieldleather.com/ Their prices range from fair to cheap, they've got a huge variety of different types of leather as well as tools. Their youtube videos are pretty helpful too.

I just got back from an international trip and my wallet carry requirements were quite different from what they are at home. This is a good idea. I'll remember to do something similar before my next international trip.

I picked up a copy of that issue there, and signed up for a subscription. It was a really great show and I learned a lot in the classes I took. If anyone's on the fence about going to a show like this one, definitely go whatever you have to do to make it possible. Being able to learn directly from some of the best leatherworkers in the industry, talk leather with more people like us, and buy tools and leather in person, are all spirit-lifting and inspiring.

Start with a dollar bill and a credit card, figure you want it to hold a dozen or two of each, and build it around that. Then look at the back pocket of a pair of pants and figure you want it to fit in there. Then create some designs.

There are many different chrome tan finishes and they'll all respond differently. First thing is to run a scrap piece under the sink. If water absorbs into it then it needs a coating. If water rolls off then a coating would just be cosmetic. I'll often test a small piece of each new leather with resolene and Tan Kote, then see which I like better for that leather. Some chrome tans are designed to scuff easily in order to show wear and develop character; this doesn't weaken them, it's just cosmetic, but many like that look.

Only slightly off topic, but I've found Weldwood Gel formula (blue can) so much more useful than Weldwood's standard contact cement (red can) that the gel type is all I use now. It doesn't get stringy and spreads more smoothly and more thinly, and stays where you put it. Local hardware store doesn't carry it, so I order a few pints at a time online. Acetone works to thin it if I let it sit too long, but I haven't noticed it needing thinning when new.

The silver pens made for marking leather work great for me. Just lick a finger and rub it to remove the mark. Silver shows up on black leather, which many other colors wouldn't. Otherwise, a scratch awl.

Someone did a comprehensive long term test of different leather finishes outdoors. He found NFO & SnoSeal was the best combination. See the full tests here:

If you're going to use pliers, wrap the jaws in electrical tape. It adds a little bit of grip and won't scuff the needle. Hopefully you won't need to use them on every stitch, because that would take a long time and be annoying. See if a smaller needle or larger hole is a possibility.

I saw those pigs! They were floating out of giant mailboxes. Saw the tour in San Diego. They put on a good show. When doing leatherwork I'm often listening to a podcast (Sam Harris, Freakonomics, Philosophize This, Partially Examined Life). If we're talking concerts, these are the ones I remember. I wish I had kept better records, but I was distracted, and I've got ticket stubs so old all the writing is worn off and I can't tell who they were for! Guns n Roses X2 Metallica U2 NIN Marilyn Manson Pink Floyd Grateful Dead (San Diego & Vegas) Suicidal Tendencies x2 Megadeth Alice Cooper Lycia Death in June Boyd Rice Tori Amos x5 Lorena Mckennit Dead Can Dance Crash Worship Genitorturers AMF Switchblade Symphony Psychotica Sisters of Mercy Tom Waits Leonard Cohen The Cure Pantera White Zombie Deftones Bob Dylan Billy Joel Paul Simon KMFDM Einsturzende Neubauten Fear Hate Department Tool Social Distortion x2 Rage Against the Machine Cat Power Faith No More Tricky Bad Religion No Doubt Unwritten Law Green Day Ghoulspoon Hatehead Psychic Zoo Sprung Monkey Deicide Cancer Conspiracy of Beards Black Sabbath x2 Slayer x2 Soundgarden Penis Flytrap x2

If you get that Amazon press, or if anybody else has it, I'd love to hear how it works for you. It looks like a great idea, but the reviews are mixed.