JLSleather

So they left you still not knowing the cause of the problem? How will you avoid it happening AGAIN if you don't know what it was? "never mind the problem - we'll just swap it for another one that may do the same" doesn't strike me as "customer service"?

Marking ...

That 31 is tough, aint it! '30' jeans too snug and '32' jeans baggy... and hardly find somebody selling 31's. But.. that was then I make a point to get up out the chair and exercise a bit, but I don't see me ever eating LESS Back to the question asked.. the only belts I ever laced were those done in snakeskin... and that was largely to protect the scales from getting "rubbed the wrong way". Worked well. and, I recently remade a buckstitched belt for a gal's husband.. original belt was over 40 years old. The lace was in rough shape, but still holding, and the lace is easily replaced if that's your issue.

darn things do shrink, eh? still no reason to throw a .tif

Angelus paints (acrylics) are actually quite good. I'd guess that if you were getting issues when applying 'finish" that your paint wasn't sufficiently set up yet. Our process is not the same as yours, but I would recommend applying the dye, then allowing to set up (and with black, also buffing it out), THEN applying the "paint", and allowing THAT to set, and THEN applying a finish. It really sounds like you aren't allowing enough time between steps.

https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/disney-reportedly-going-etsy-shops-092253412.html

Sorta, yeah. If you were embossing this, you would depress the petals and RAISE the pod. Since you're not raising it, just don't bop it down. So bevel firmly (not necessarily "deep") and then "fade" away from there gradually. Some folks didn't like my banana, but I think it's a pretty good NATURAL illustration. Basically, it's a "leaf" coming off a "stem".... So, don't 'shade' or 'thumbprint" the banana... you want to leave that in the forefront. Be a little light beveling of the banana in the front in the middle (between the red arrows at the bottom) just like you did on your piece. Then the rest of the banana is NOT tooled, and the area ALL THE WAY AROUND it is 'set back'. I wrote "no bevel ridges". Might have been more clear had I said "THERE ARE NO bevel ridges" (that "halo" you get around tooling that so many think is okay to leave there cuz it catches antstreak). And by "deepest tooling at the protrusion" I mean it's "heavy" beveled (or shaded, or what you use) where it protrudes, and then "fades" from there. There is NO TOOLING on the 'back end" of the arrows -- that is the HIGHER part. BTW I think you're background looks pretty darn good. You got a little chop on the water at the 6 0'clock position for a minute, but it's not severe and still the piece looks nice. Toss on some lace or thread in "sheridan tan" or something close and that's a nice lookin' article fer somebody. Seriously, yours is some of the smoothest floral tooling I've seen on this site in a while (I might have used a 'vein' tool around the scrolls, but I rather like what YOU did here).

Overall, I still think it looks purdy goody. But you can gain a LOT of sharpness - "realism" - with very little added effort. Red arrows → ya missed a spot with the cam tool. The top section you covered much more evenlly (no bald spot). Blue arrows → DON"T shade here. Leave the pods "round" (i think) Green arrows → Maybe heavy on the antstreak... puddly Yellow arrows → Maybe light on the anstreak... it's very light where it should be deep. I like to really drive this deep here. Or maybe even this ? Again, I think it looks pretty good.

Wallet? Notebook cover?

That looks purdy good -- but you still didn't tell us the size

me too. I'll likely quit that when people can tell what I used

So... WHAT was the issue?

Exactly the point of using 'craftaids' -- get a fella right into the carving.

I LOVE craftaids. Granted, they're limiting because you're locked into that design, but I CERTAINLY recommend them for the new guy. Lets a 'rookie' spend practice time CARVING instead of TRACING and DRAWING. And, seriously, I STILL get asked to make those goods shown in photos from the 50's - 80's, many of which became "craftaids". Last month I did a wallet of a Stohlman pattern from the 80's for a gal's husband, and yesterday there's an email for a belt with a design from the 50's. A guy making them today could make a MINT. Not the imitation, seen everywhere, standardized "templates" you see everywhere due to the falling cost of laser tech. But like clicker dies, where a guy could get his own design put in a 'craftaid'... Your carving looks good - quite smooth. Only suggestion ... modeling spoon over the long beveled lines/curves. Round the edges, adds a LOT of realism in the finished look for very little trouble. Where you used a 'cam' tool along the scrolls appears more 'round' because the tool depressed the edge, "rounded" it. A spoon do the same thing on the stems where cam not used. ANd the seed 'pods', or whatever we're calling those thingies in the flowers.

Wood stuff to hold the leather tools and leather stuff to hold the wood tools. You been keepin' busy

Now that i see the pics, I'm even more sure that's all it is. Line up edges, lace, form, ... dunn.

I think that's Joey Smith. How big is the design?

By the way it's cut, I'd say it was made just as you said.... somebody laced it "traditionally", and over time it "rotated" out.

ALREADY looks great, but I WILL be back to see the color

They're waiting for breakfast.

This 'information sharing' is out of control. Nobody needs to know my location to tell me the web site for Hermann Oak. I've been in about half the states in this country, and ordered stuff from most of those places... didn't matter where I was when ordering - none of those sellers needed my address until it was time to ship something to me. If they aren't shipping me something, then they don't need my address. I have shipped leather all over the world [almost] and my patterns are pretty much everywhere. ZERO need for me to know where they were until it was time to calculate shipping charges. Bob ships sewing machines, parts, and consumable "accessories" (thread 'n' needles 'n' stuff). I can give ANYBODY his web site address without knowing ANYTHING about them. IF they make a purchase, then BOB needs to know their location where they want it... but JEFF has no need (and no business) to know that. While back, I took one of the boys for a hair cut. Gal wanted to "register" us - needs our name and phone number. FOR WHAT? You gonna call us when you're ready? Cuz the boy will be sitting right over there where you can see him! Gal says "it's how we put you in the computer". WHY do I want to be in your computer? Gal says so we can look you up next time you come in. IF there's a next time, which isn't guaranteed because we seem to be having trouble getting to THIS time, then he would again be STANDING RIGHT THERE. You said you do "walk in- no appt needed".. so was that true or not? You don't need my phone, my address - you don't even need his name - to cut his hair. So only question is - do you want the job, or NOT? When faced with that choice, gal decided she'd just cut his hair in exchange for money.. really no need to "register" his information. SO THEN... when somebody asks "where do you get good leather" or "my sewing machine is weird".... DO YOU REALLY need to know where they are?

You didn't get any of that?@! Did you see ANY of that up there ↑ Ah, no matter. Next time I know. I get thread at thethreadexchange.com, superiorthreads.com, and Bob (red link below)

NONE of the splitters I've seen for under $500 (granted I haven't seen that many) arrive sharp and ready to cut. I'm pretty stuck on that.. I know I have to sharpen cutting tools, but it irritates me to no end when I have to sharpen a NEW tool before I can use it. Unless you're doing lap skives, I don't think splitters are worth the cost. Granted, if you're one who likes to buy tools so you can say you have 'em, there's that. Each his own. But ... $500 NOT spent on a bench splitter will get you enough leather already wallet weight to make about 200 wallets. $2500-3k for a "powered" stationery blade splitter costs the same as FIFTEEN SIDES of leather. And for "billfold" style wallet backs, figure 60-70 of them per side, or roughly 1000 wallet backs. So the question then, would I be willing to trade roughly 1000 wallet backs to have a "splitter", but still need leather? Again, there is a place for them. Maybe a benefit to some to reduce inventory - you could just buy ONE weight and split what you need from that. I'm not that guy, personally... doesn't pay to save that space and a few extra minutes of inventory counting/ordering but then have to split something every time you start a project, provide space to keep and use the splitter, sharpen the splitter (or have it sharpened), .... It is nice to be able to cut a belt strip from say 8 oz leather, then cut the keeper loop from the same leather for the color/texture match, then split to about 4/4.5 oz for function.

Welcome to LW.net where "Where's the good thread?" returns links to pictures of sides vs backs 'n' bellies, discussion of various types of needles, and a suggestion to search elsewhere Actually, I don't know the answer to your question, EITHER. I use bonded thread, even when I hand stitch, and it's already dyed. But you sound much like me, and I simply wasn't passing the opportunity to throw in a "told ya so" Sadly, much of what you'll find here is the same "information" parroted over and over again, often by people who didn't understand or have no experience in what they're repeating (I have been told more than once about the great quality of a particular sewing machine... by people who have never used one). I'm with ya -- simple question should result in simple answer, and I'm never offended when the guy who doesn't know just doesn't reply. So I'll return you to your question without further...stuff. good luck!

Use tax is not the same - there has "always" been a use tax, separate and distinct from sales tax.