karl

thanks King's X, It's good to be back. This darn Rhumatoid Arthritis kinda puts the breaks on when I'm doing my leather work sometimes..but what the heck I love doing it anyway, and thanks for the compliment on the mini saddle. I love making those little critters. Karl

Hi Fellows, It's been a while since I've posted any pictures, but here's my latest one. It is a photocarved feather with a small portion of Custer's Last Fight by, Casilly Adams and an Indian village in the background. Elktracks sent me the pattern he did of an Eagle on a feather and an Indian village so I changed it a little with different pictures but the same format. Karl

Josh, Thanks a lot. I like to do all sorts of leathercraft and have been making leather feathers and embossing leather also for about a year. I started doing leathercraft about 1970 and I love it, but if you want a real challenge try embossing a photo of someone. Karl

Hey Deb, Thanks a lot. I'd like that. I live in Tecumseh, Ne down in the southeast corner about 65 miles south of Omaha and about 30 or 35 miles from the state line. Let me know and I will see what I can work out. Karl

Jim, Thanks a lot for the compliment. That really means a lot comming from you. By the way congratulations on winning the Al Stohlman award. I've been doing leather craft for about 37 or 38 years and winning that award is a dream I'll never see. I am sending you a message and a couple of pictures of an embossed bass I did. Thanks again, Karl

Thanks a lot Deb, I wish I could afford to take those trips and take some of those classes but they're just a little far away from Nebraska. I love your portrait it is super! , and I love that frame. I wish they would have some classes around here I could take. Karl

]Hi Fellas and Gals, I have been looking at the pictures ethat were done of John Wayne in Jim Linnells class and thought I'd give it a try. Karl

Cheryl, It is for deco. What I have in mind is to make a small fense at a 90 deg angle and put the saddle on one side and the small half size saddlegags I'm working on on the other side and have as hanging lampshade with John Wayne on it or a western scene hanging over it. Karl Mike, you might be right. Now I am looking for a "Small" heard of cattle to go with it. Karl

Kitkat, That looks great. I have made a couple of half size saddles and a full size one but I haven't tried any headstalls yet. For one thing I don't have a sewing machine to do it with and I half to rely on the ole' hands and with this arthritis, after a while, hand sewing gets kinda sore and I half to stop and wait a while and come back to sewing or lacing. Maybe I can talk to my lovely wife and she'll let me ruin,,,I mean use her sewing machine. All jokes aside that is a great job and I wish I could do that. Is that measured to fit a peticular horse or is it adjustable to fit. Karl

Hi Fellas, I've kinda been out of action with this darn Rhumatoid Arthritis, but I finally finished my ' little half size saddle I've been working on for a while. I put a rope roll cantle on it and I am making some rope roll conchos also, but they take a while to make. I did this as a tribute to the Texas Rangers and put texas rangers on the fork and the ranger on the jocky and the state of Texas on the rear jockey, and a basket weave on the skirt. Karl

Jordy, I've clicked a dozen times on that customer spot every day oor every other day for 2 or 3 weeks and all I get is PO'ed and a sore finger. When I first saw it a few weeks ago, I clicked on it and nothing happened so I kept clicking on it repeatedly and finally a web page came up and looked fine, at which time I clicked on one of the deals and tried to open up on the tools and sides of leather, and low and behold, it took me back to the international site to start over, and nothing since. Karl

Hi again, If anyone is having the same problem, I opened up the UK Tandy website and emailed them and asked them if they had any answers or if Tandy in the US is quitting their on line ordering or going out of business or what, maybe they will shed some light on the subject. Karl

Hilly, I scrolled down and highlited UK tandy leather and it opens up beaufifully,,,,if you want to order from England and pay through the nose. Karl

I don't know ! All I get is what looks like an international tandy website and it won't open up a web page no matter what I click on. Karl

Hi everyone, Can anyone tell me what's going on with Tandy Leather's Website? I have tried for the last 2 months or so to get into their website to order supplies and cant get in. Does anyone have any information on what's going on? Karl

jamzdean, I wouldn't worry about the light cuts in the hair. I use a swivel knife and a scalpel to cut hairlines. My suggestion would be to also let a little of the hair fall down over the side of the leg cause hair won't lay on a rounded leg like that unless it's bunched between the legs while they're held together. Karl

ATX, I try to keep it clean but if you're working on something,,, sometimes it gets kind of cluttered and messy and you just have to clean up after yourself, I don't have a maid to clean up after me in my shop,,,,,darn! Karl

Shoemaker' I started doing leathercraft in about 1972 and those are about 35 or so years worth of tools. Now for the past 6 or 7 years or so, when I go to Tandy leaather I always make a rule that no matter what I go after I always buy 1 at least 1 crafttool. Some I have double of but they were a little different design than when I bought it a few years before or I grind them down to fit my special needs. I have even made some home made bonefolders out of deer antlers and use them for embossing, creasing, folding, and slicking up the edges of my leather and they work pretty good. Karl

Hey David, Here is where I have my swivelknife stand setting on my work bench. There are some more pictures in the Leather Conversation section. Karl

Hi Fellas and Gals, Here is a partial picture of my little workshop showing my work bench and tools. Karl

Fellas, I just cut out a piece of the 1/4inch foam I have used to pad saddle seats and cut it a little over size and push it down in there and watch it so it doesn't turn sideways and the blade sets on the foam padding. Karl

David, Thanks for the offer, but I think I'll keep it, I bought that a long time ago when Tandy was selling them an also have 3 of the Al Stohlman swivel knives, and as you look at the stand I made, the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th swivel knives I have written on the wooden holder what they are. The 1st swivel knife, I bought on Ebay (no name on it) but its 5/8's inch diameter like the tandy one next to iy. Th 1st one has a C and a straight line to represent it is a ceramic blade and a straight blade. the next 4 swivel knives, #2, #3, #4, & #5 all have an "R" on them and designate that they are Ruby tipped blades and wheather they are straight or angle blades, and #6 is a Ceramic angle blade and #7 is labeled BB an is a stainless steel beader blade and #8 is an old tandy swivel knife that I made a home made combination undercut/beveler that comes in handy, But thanks for the offer any how. Karl

Hilly, It's a great Idea to have one made up with "the" swivel knife you're useing at the time and have anywhere from 6 to a dozen holes, (if needed) for the project you happen to be working on at the time. In fact that's basically what I use 1 of those plastic holders that tandy makes for; just for the tools I am using at the time. Karl

No problem Chuck, I have 12 swivel knives and I figured it was about time to figure out something to keep them together and I only made it long enough for 8 swivel knives and even at that it's 11 inches long and I think I am going to put 1 or 2 channels in the base the length of it a couple of pencils or tools I'm using. Karl

Hi fellas, here is a picture of a stand I made for my swivel knives. I have 2 of those stands made by Tandy thay hold some 97 tools and 3 or 4 of the plastic ones also and always looking for a certain swivel knife with the blade I wanted, so I came up with this. Problem solved and now can put a few more tools in the other stands where I have a few doubled up in holes. Karl