dirtclod

Nice looking holsters you have made. M5 your right about learning things on here. I learn something new ever time i look.

You might want to take a look at the Amour threads. It seems they want their leather to be hard and i bet their are some threads on the process they use to make it harder.

Jockey you did a real nice job on the bridle. I'm sure your friend will be proud of it.

Here are some links for resizeing pictures. http://www.google.com/search?q=resize+pictures+for+free&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

Nice sheath ! But your pictures are way to big.

8th i belive if you will set down and pratice with the swivel knife it will get alot easier. I just went at it on pieces of scrap from little to big and i know it has helped me alot. Now i don't really think i'll get as good at it as some on here. But i'm trying.

Oh that is funny...LOL. You did a GREAT job Storm !! Looks like Planet of the Apes is here finally..LOL.

Here's a bunch of places to get pans and kits. http://www.google.com/search?q=motorcycle+seat+pan+kit&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

Hi Dawn, what about getting a plastic pitcher and cutting it half length ways. Then you will have two molds to work with. For the bowl get a bowl the size you want and form over it. You might need to put some plaster of paris or something along those lines in the pitcher and bowl to help keep the shape when you mold over and around them. It might not work but i think it will. Won't cost much to find out anyway. Good luck and post some pictures when you get it done.

Ray if i have to use a I . Lay all of the letters out and measure them to find the center. Then i make a small mark in the center of where they need to go and start in the middle and work to either side. Works for me.

It Looks to me like it goes to the tree and is probely nailed or screwed to the tree. The stiching is there because it is lined and to look pretty or both. The reason it's made going back to the tree or back rigging if to keep the front D ring from pulling forward.

I have used 1/4 neoprene a few times and it works fine. On the bottom i would use a piecs of suede to keep it from slipping. You can get the neoprene on ebay. Look for neoprene sheets. I belive that whats i found it listed under.

You could try mats like these in the picture. Their comfortable to walk on to. You could cover the whole floor in that room. The ones i have are black and i got them at Sam's club. They didn't cost alot either. http://www.greatmats.com/products/kids-foam-mats.php

I use cardboard sometimes and it's free. Other times i use a piece of plywood from a old drawer i took apart. Both work fine. John

Hi Ray, i use Ziplock freezer bags in the quart size to keep my hardware in. Pull them apart and zip the top back when your done. Plus i use these plastic baskets that fit 6 or 7 in a drawer in the cabinets. I was really lucky and found a store that went of business and they gave me the cabinets if i would haul them away. The cabinets are for VHS movies a thing of the past i guess...LOL. John

Have you tried just using modeling tools no cutting with a swivel knife or using a beveling tool ? That said i was guessing that you might of used a swivel knife and beveler. I think theirs some information in one of the Al Stohman books on doing faces. I think it's in the figure craving book.

Hi Al, your site looks real nice. For me it would be easier to read if the fonts were a little bigger. The black on the brown / tan kind of run togeather. But that might just be me.

Nice car !!

Nice bracelets and a great ideal. Email sent. Thanks.

What the other person said about Alamo was that the saddles were puttogeather in Mexico with US materials. If thats the case they may bea decent saddle. Personally i have never seen a Alamo saddle. So i can't comment for sure on how their built. Maybe somebody that has one will answer. All of the Mexican saddles i have ever worked on or seen that were made in Mexico were junk !! I have seen beer cans put in for strainer plates, masonite used to line skirts. Rawhide on the trees just covered the edge of the bars and if you found one that had the whole tree covered alot of the time it was so thin you could tear it with your fingers. Leather wasn't any count and most of the ones i have worked on were Buck Stiched. I've seen sturip leathers that broke the first time somebody went to get on their horse. They were made to sale not to use.

It's different for that's sure ! Is that a 4 door VW ? Makes me wonder how many sides it took and how long to cover it.

My table is about 35 inches tall and 4x8 foot. On the end i do my punching i screwed and glued it solid across with pieces of 2/4 about 36 iches down the length table to help keep it from bouncing so bad. It has 5/8 playwood on the top. I was lucky to find a store going out of business and got 5 sets of drawers like they use for VHS tape rentals for free. I keep the tools i use all of the time in one set and hardware and nylon in the rest of the drawers. In the near furture i hope to build another table to roll out and straighten hides and lay out patterns like Steveh has.

For my headstalls i use 10/12 oz most of the time.

Another really nice peice of work. Who gets it will be very happy and very proud of the cover.

Hi Jason, the only ones i have seen hang from a belt on your waist with a loop/tunnel for your belt to go through. It seems to me that hanging it over your should would get in the way plus wear your shoulder out. Having said i have never used one either so i may be wrong. If you pad it i would use some neorpine and put a piece of suede over that to help with it sliding off. As far as softing it up you might try pulling it down across you leg. Take a compass, divider or a pencil and mark light lines and you will have a guide line to start your tooling from. I try to start in the middle and work out to either side.