TexasLady

Yes, the inventive solutions we come up with in making our creations are a big part of the fun. Glad you could see the photos better this time. Sorry if this seems off-topic, but it occurred to me in this situation that when it's our own creation, and as in your circumstance, a gift to be given to your own loved one, then no kosher rules of leatherworking should infringe on our joy of making the article how we want to make it. And this lovely Scripture came to my mind: Romans 9:20 20 But who are you, O man, to be answering back to God? Does the thing molded say to its molder: Why did you make me this way?

I'll try posting straight from my 'gallery'. Also, I apologize in advance that I can't go back and retake the pictures. I gave away the wallet to the grocery store fellow who gave me all the salmon skins. After posting, I see there's no improvement in quality of the photos. Basically, I'm saying that I reinforced the edge by gluing (with contact cement) a thin strip of black seam binding (sewing store variety) around the edge of the wallet. Then, after the glue was completely dry, I did a double-loop lacing stitch all around the edge of the billfold, covering up almost completely the black seam binding that I had glued in place for extra strength and stability, and to give a clean, straight-looking edge that the fish skin wasn't giving me without it.

He probably did.

I have a paralegal degree and was working on a Masters in Modern Language (when I was hit by a car), so I was probably your maximum 'target audience' for seeing the humor in it.

I had a similar problem with ugly edges when I made a billfold out of salmon skin. I solved it by gluing black binding tape (fabric) around the edges, then doing a double-loop lacing stitch on top of the binding tape, all the way around. In the first photo, I'd just started the first inches of the double loop lacing.

Agamemnom, I think that sewing a strip of the other leather over the edge sounds like a great idea,...a good save.

So funny, thornton. I laughed out loud.

Whoops. http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_jKFTqI7YKI

What 'he' said! Plus 'woulda, shoulda, coulda'. I've also seen suede with 'piping'. Here's a short video on sewing piping, but working with fabric in this video.

This is probably sacrilage here on our leatherworkers site, but...(on a scrap first) you might try painting the edge with a polymer acrylic, like Liquitex from a hobby store. If you want the edge dark, there are permanent markers (other than just black) that you could carefully touch it up with, and then after the marker dries, the polymer acrylic would be applied. The polymers come in several 'finishes', from high gloss to matt, and there's probably more than one viscosity. But high gloss might not be the best choice in this case, being as the suede is inherently a little rough. You'll be able to smooth it with your finger before it dries. http://www.dickblick.com/products/liquitex-acrylic-polymer-varnishes/ http://www.dickblick.com/products/bic-mark-it-color-collection-permanent-markers/#photos

Irish pipemaker, Thanks for the pronunciation (ill-inn) of Uilleann. I'll do a search for the group. I'm in Meetups, with interests in foreign languages. Possibly I'll find the Uilleann group there under other headings. Yes, Riverdance! That surely popularized the bagpipes. I danced ballet, tap, and jazz as a teenager. By the time Riverdance came out, I was too old to dance (...well, too out of shape), but was still enamoured of the bagpipes. Why would we depend on out little lungs to always supply the air to the 'whistles' when we can pump air with our arm? One of our ancestors must have pondered the air supply issue. BTW, I played an old pump organ (piano) as a child. It belonged to that same Uncle's inlaws. The bellows were deteriorated, so I had to pump really hard to get enough air built up to play it. That was my first experience with bellows. Bellows used to be made exclusively of leather, didn't they?

I saved the photos that Butch posted on page one to my cellphone. I thought that was all there was. But I'll private message my email to Butch and get that zip file while it's offered. I love satchels.

...laughing at myself now. I accidentally did a quote of myself here and tried to erase it, but the website software won't let me. It says, "You must enter a post." So this is what you get,...a record of my frustration.

Irish pipemaker, I'm so glad I clicked on your Thread. I watched the first video on your website. I'm in Texas USA, so when I saw the words 'pipe maker', bagpipes were not the first thing that occurred to me. I don't smoke, and I thought, "Oh, he carves pipes." But I'm mesmerized with (what we usually here call) bagpipes. My now deceased Uncle on my father's side used to either win or take second every year at a fiddle (violin) contest in San Antonio, Texas. He couldn't read music, but his daughters would play 'reels' for him on the piano until he learned them. My grandmother's maiden name was Stagner (English name?) and we were Irish somewhere up the line. Anyway, I love leatherwork and folk art and crafts from other cultures, especially those that I have a family relationship with. Congratulations on your magnificient work making 'pipes' for musicians to use to make beautiful, inspiring music. Yes, and it's good to leave a legacy one is proud of. TexasLady

That's great, Grey. Thanks for pointing that out. For Western Australia, this page says: Animal skins & hides (must be free of plant material, seeds, soil & pests) http://www.quarantinedomestic.gov.au/destination-western-australia.html I've been tanning my own salmon skins, so that would probably be considered of dubious and origen, and not permited. Jars of honey are another item that were being confiscated enthusiastically in Western Australia,...though 'off topic' here.

Halitech-I wish I could get to make things out of kangaroo hide like you are. Must be nice. Maybe later, when I've improved my skills. I found somebody's site with a nice description of why 'roo' hide us so special. Stronger and lighter weight than cowhide, for starters. [Excerpt] "Kangaroo leather is lighter and stronger than the hide of a Cow or Goat. It has 10 times the tensile strength of Cowhide and is 50% stronger than the skin of a goat." http://www.waynesplaitedleads.com/why-choose-kangaroo.asp

... and I hope you'll continue to be able to do so. Sometimes there's no rhyme or reason to import laws. They can be relaxed for a while, then suddenly there's a clampdown. In the movie Roadgames, Stacy Keach plays an American truck-driving in Australia. He's wearing old beat up leather boots, which the movie makes a point of saying is illegal. I tried to find the spot in the movie, but couldn't. Anyway, here's a link to the whole thing on YouTube: http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=W32HPqf741E

I love the belt, too. And as already mentioned, the photo looks artsy and professional. I'm not wanting to derail our "pretty belt" topic, but, on shipping internationally, I do know that certain places (like the Australian outback near Norseman) has laws against bringing in/sending in leather. They are terrified - probably with good cause - of receiving our hoof and mouth decease, etc. So any leather goods shipped there could feasibly be confiscated and destroyed. Or, yes, it might be returned to sender. But this is something to keep in mind and to check into before shipping internationally. The buyer might not even be aware, especially if he is not a native. [Gov website] "Why cant I bring or send goods into Australia that are already available in Australia? The items you buy in Australia have been commercially produced and imported under strict biosecurity conditions. Similar items that are home-made, traditionally produced or purchased overseas could carry biosecurity pest or disease risks and cannot be imported." http://www.agriculture.gov.au/biosecurity/faqs

Thanks for updating us, Alex. What I still wonder though is if you won't need to grind off some of the irregularities before attempting to follow those instructions.

Admin- please remove this duplicate thread.

Mark- Thanks for that information and the links. I'll investigate them. Once a person has pancreatitis, there's always a propensity toward having a flare-up, so even when I become pain-free, it'll still be common sense to find an alternate stamping method such as those you suggest. Winterbear- Right on! I'm glad you added those SBA links to this thread because one of their loans/plans could turn out to be the only way to fund a new small industry such as I'm contemplating. Right now though, I'm hoping that I won't have to go that route. Like I said, I've already got a lot of tools for various types of leatherwork. But if I need to buy an expensive piece of equipment, it's good to remember that avenue. BTW, I worked for the U.S. Small Business Adminstration back during the Katrina aftermath. I was a Bilingual Paralegal Assistant, and I did loan documents.

Yeah, personal message. Let's spare the rest of the forum from hearing about what we hope they never, never have to experience. Anyway, I'm no wimp. And I still get happy when I look at leatherworking supplies and tools. There's so much to learn, so many skills to hone, and such works of art yet to be created.

Hi shadowryder. Yes, it looks real good. It doesn't have the richness of hand tooled, but the detail is great and it looks as good as the stamped logos I've seen on some products. I'm paraplegic with a broken back. I'll be trying out your method soon, so as to avoid swinging a mallet.

I guess everyone is talking about JLSleather's comment on how much people get while on welfare in comparison with how much one's time is worth when doing leatherwork? Maybe I'm just in a good mood this morning, but what he said sounded perfectly logical to me.

Good story, Troy. I'm glad you broke your silence and told us. Great story. My accident apparently shoved gallstones over into my pancreas. The pain after eating is the worst there is, even worse than cancer (according to med sites). The pain has been incapacitating. I say that I 'apparently' have it, not because I don't know what I have, but because it hasn't been 'diagnosed'. Online I see that the diagnostics themselves are an ordeal and dangerous, so all I want is to go home where I can use herbs, natural remedies, and possibly a Vietnamese (licensed) natural doctor. The nursing home confiscated my herbs that were helping me. "I wanna go home",... think Beachboys, Sloop John B.