leatherman1457

I made this name placard for my wifes desk. It looks more personal then the ones you see in offices. hope you enjoy it.Easy project to do.I will do a whole story once spring hits and I can do my woodwork again.if people like it, maybe I can make an easy kit on how to make them. Gary

Now i see why you wanted to know about wood grain. Great job can not wait to see it finished

Spence,it is a fine piece of work you have done there. I like the color contrast you have used. and I like your lacing. keep up the good work and keep driving those animal right people crazy. I am a member of PETA (people eating tasty animals)lol. Gary

wizard welcome to the site. you will find a lot of knowledge on this site,and people willing toput in there 2 cents worth by just asking. as for getting leather click on the springfield banner on teh top of the page and buy from kevin. he is the best at what he does and will work for you business,unlike some of the big corporate store that think they are the only game in town. go to kevin and you will be happy. .Again welcome

I sold a couple of Rose knifes on ebay last year and sold one for $45.00 ond the other for around 25.00 depends on what shape it is in. The one you have pictured I would offer arond 30 to 40 dollars. It looks well worn and has seen its better days.but sometimes you just have to have it . I my self would wait to find a better one. It will come along ,you just have to have patience. Gary

This is a set of 1/2" mini branding irons that I traded a person here in New Mexico to get . I made him a leather mirror and delivered in two weeks and I had to wait 18 months to get them and still did not get all that we agreed to, but I got about 60 out of the 80 we agreed upon. They are just like the big ones we use to use at the feedlots when we did branding. and like the big ones you cannot let them slip while you are using them. Enjoy and if you want some go to amazon. they sell them in the craft section and they are expensive as all get out. but if you have to have them or if you have a friend that has a computer aided plasma cutter get them to make you a set. I have a complete set of 1/2" and an incomlpete set of 1" set. and a few of the pictorial brands. Here is a sample and a few picture frames made from the ribs of a chuckwagon with one picture of brand X ,and the other picture of New Mexico brands that was on a napkin from a BBQ restaurant here in New Mexico. hope you enjoy the pics. Gary

very interesting. I love that you use technology on one of the oldest industries around. I wish Ihad one now. What type of laser is this ?where can I get one?and how much do they cost.?

Bob all I can say is WOW .nice work. so clean and so professionel looking. Keep up the great work .it inspires all of use to be better leather workers. Gary

I have decided to show people that might have problems or wish to have clean sides on projects that can be seen from the sides. This is done very simple. I have used 4 different punches to show you that any scallop punch will work. Gymp is a narrow flat or rounded cord used for trimming .comes from the french word "guimpe" I will refer to it as gymp in all of my stories put forth. I cut a strap or two depending on if I plan to use a layered gymp, meaning one strap on top of the other. If using two straps cut one 1/4 to 1/2 inch wider. Do not worry about the scallops falling in perfect place ,it will never happen. just punch it out and let it lay where it will lay. You will understand more once you have done it. I will use the punch first by punching the strap all the way down.I case the leather so it will be easier to punch out. You can start on any side. Once I punch the first scallop, I place the punch in the end of the first scallop and punch it so that the punch makes a cut that will continously let the topwaste fall out. If it does not fall out you can use a knife to cut it ,you will learn how to do it real fast so you do not waste time. For the first sample I used a 7/16" 3 lobe handmade scallop punch. Once the strap is punched out ,I use tool D-606 and stamp all of the scallops with it. once I have done the complete strap I turn over the strap and use tool D-637 to complete the meander pattern on the strap.then I use a creaser on the strap to give it a finished look. this is what makes the strap come to life. For sample two I use a 3/4" pinking punch which I found on ebay. comes in various sizes. For this strap I punched it out and then I used C-454 for the scallop and used C-830 where the scallops meet. remember to turn strap over to do the C-830 This sampls was done with a 3/4" punch That Is a regular scaollop punch. You can buy one or you can make one by grinding down a 3/4" round punch like this one was.like the other strap with the pinking punch I used the C-454 and the C-830 on this strap This sample was done using a 3/4" scallop scallop punch. meaning the the scallop punch has scallops in the radius of the punch . this is another punch that comes in various sizes and can be found on ebay . Because of it being a 3/4" inch punch again I used the C-454 and the C-830 on it. When doing gymp you want to use a cam tool the will cover the scallops but not to big or to small. you want to have the meander pattern on it.. Once done you can dye it any color and then use solid brass tacks or nails so that you will get the patina on it . takes a few years but is worth it. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me. There is a sample of a couple of frames that I made using the gymp on the sides and you can use it on the inside of a radius for picture frames..hope you can use this story. Gary

Sorry my bad. It has been awhile since i have bought them. I did go to the site and in the search box typed in conchos and it came up with a couple of items. go to the nickle silver ones. The one I used were the 925 sterling silver conchos and I guess they do not sell them anymore. I would expand my search to google and see what they will give you. If you are still having problems contact me and i will see what I can find. Gary

tiger. they can be found . it is a little hard to find them.but ebay is the one place I can think of. I had 5 of them and sold three of them on ebay and the sold from 40.00 to 80.00. just keep looking. do a google search and it might turn up a set of them. they are calkled rubyat blades and they come in two styles regular and an angled blade. they sold for 3.95 in 1969 . they are getting a little rare to find. Good luck on the search. wish i could tell you more but that is it unless you want pictures if so pm me. Gary

Phil ,welcome to LW. you have just found the best site on the web for leather . we can answer any question you might have and are always willing to put in our 2 cents some times 3 cents LOL. If you have any questions about any thing do not hesitate to ask .one of us here will know the answer . if we do not know the answer the problem does not exist. as many people on here with experiance you have several thousands years of experiance here on this site . Gary

Luke I bought them at a jewlery supply store. they are sterling silver. I soldered a screw back on the back and a bezel on the front to set the turquoise stone in it. you can buy plain silver conchos at www.sfjsantafe.com That is where I buy my silver and stones from. you might be able to find them online If you look for them.but they will not have the bezels and screwbacks on them.

Here is a project that I loved to do. It was made as a sample for me to show people what i could do. I still have it and will be willing to part with it. I have it on my web site for $215.00 +10.00 shipping. www.leathertools4u.com It is two toned colored done with an air brush. the conchos are sterling silver and I set turquoise in the centers for the color. the leather conchos are made with a 3 lobe hand madescallop punch that I made for jobs just like this, I tool the lobes on the scallops to give it character and to make them stand out.I lined it with a yellow suede and used a double lood style lace.lace made of kangaroo. i then braide a 4 round braid for the ties and made some half round silver beads for the end of the ties. . I think it came out real nice

Queen of zippers and Queen of bling lol. Looks good . Gary

Annie. very nice work. I think you are using the same concept i am using in my mirrors. Great work Keep it up. I look forward to seeing more. to see what i am talking about go to the gallery and look for" leather creations by gary" and look at page 2.You will see that It is the same and I love your work.

Storm Nice tooling job on your card cases

lil1983 Welcome to LW and to the best place to be online. You will find the most friendly and willing to teach ,show,and listen to any leather problem you might have or we are willing to listen and learn. we learn from all of us including those who are just getting started to those who have decades of experence. Enjoy jump in and come chat with us. we are one big family . . Gary