yaklady

I told the monkey he can't go to Sheridan. Since he won't be with me, no one will be able to find me by looking for him, so here's a mug shot with the monkey's hat. I hope he doesn't have fleas! Kathy

Pinky haunts people who don't pay thier dues!!!

I use acrylics all the time on everything. Delta Ceramcoat is my favorite, and it's cheap and comes in all sorts of colors. Tandy's has a set of acrylics, but they're not cheap. I've never used them because of that. I'm cheap. I also use acrylics in the tubes, because someone gave me a bunch. They work well. Bob Beard uses acrylics to the point that he even paints the leather a leather color so it will never change. You know how leather will darken over time. He keeps it from doing that. He uses it on wallets, checkbooks, and eveything else he makes, and it's beautiful. I figure if he can do it, so can I, and I've never had a problem. The only thing I did have trouble with is when I tried the Sheridan style of dyeing (see what Barry King wrote under "How do I do that?") and then put acrylics on top of that. Lacquers and acrylics don't mix! The paint peels off. You can use Eco flo Hi-Liter under it like I did with the checkbook I made for someone. You should always water acrylics down before use. Put on full strength, they can hide all of your tooling, not to mention that your leather stops looking like leather. Be sure to seal it when you're done. For pictures, I use Krylon Matte Finish (spray on), and for other stuff, Super Sheene works, but it should be sprayed on as well. Hope this helps! Kathy

Those are way too pretty to pound on! Good job!

If Charley wants his hat back, he has to come to a meeting and get it, along with his light that I bought for him a year ago! I think I look pretty good in Charley's hat, don't you? I'll have to wear it to the show. See you Saturday! Come early. Kathy PS: Pete is way too sweet to make fun of me. You might be a different story . . .

A passage to insanity If you have seen the new "freak show", you now know what an odd sense of humor I have. That humor often slips over into the newsletters that I write for Columbine Leather Guild here in Colorado. My favorite column is "Ask Pinky", by Pinkerton Hamstring, Ghost Writer in the Sty. Pinky tries to get reader participation, but rarely does, so he has to find tidbits of leather information on his own, usually from the comfort of his Lazy-Boar recliner in sty #1. Often, he has guest writers who reside in a Texas prison. Inmates really have nothing better to do than carve leather all day, and come up with some pretty resourceful methods and techniques. Also in the newsletter, I like to print patterns from other members of Columbine. Sometimes we get something reall good, like the one from Pete Gorrell in the May newsletter. If you would like a sample newsletter, PM me with your address and I'll be happy to send you one. To receive newsletters on a regualr basis, Associate memberships are $15 a year, starting at the first of the year. Pro-rated, you pay $1.25 a month, so if you join in June, you pay for 7 months at $8.75. There is also a one time $10 filing fee, making it a total of $18.75. There are no voting rights as an Associate, but you may complain about the crazy newsletter at any time, as if it will do you any good. Send a check to Columbine Leather Guild, Inc., 3100 South Sheridan Blvd. #1C-195, Denver, CO 80227 See you in the clouds, Kathy Flanagan Circulation Manager

Okay, Jo, I'll do that. Does that mean I'll have to do a better job than I did on this last newsletter? In the meantime, I'll get a newsletter sent off to you. Kathy

Johanna, I'm the Circulation Manager for Columbine Leather Guild, and I write all the newsletters for them. My newsletters are not quite like traditional newsletters. I like to make them a bit more interesting and use my past pet pig Pinky to write some of the columns in it. If you want a sample one, just send me your address and I'll mail you one. This last one was kinda boring, as I didn't have anything to write about and I was trying to complete my competition item for Sheridan, but next month's will have my exciting report on the Sheridan show. I leave that one up to Pinky (Ghost Writer in the Sty) and it can be amuzing. I should have freak write columns for me, that would be very amuzing. If you like the newsletters, and want one every month, all you have to do it become an Associate member of Columbine! Thanks for the great tip! Kathy

Hey Johanna, that's great advice! Mind if I use that in my newsletter? I'll give you the credit. Kathy

Hey, Barry! Thank you for following up with the real Sheridan method. You're about as real as it gets when it comes to Sheridan. I've learned several ways of doing this and they're all different. Mixing the paste and Tan Kote works well here because the paste is a lot thicker than it is elsewhere. I guess that's because of my cold basement, I don't know. Mind if I put your way in my newsletter? Marlon, feel free to ask me about anything. If I can't answer it, I'll find someone who can. Yes, do try out this method. I have lots of luck with it. Josh, the light colored whiskey case was done the way I explained here. I didn't add oil like Barry suggests because I had a lot of glueing to do and oil and glue don't always mesh. I didn't want to chance it. The one with the C on the front had Fiebing's British Tan dye in the background, Block Out on the braid and edge of the C, and a coat of Eco Flo Chestnut Tan Hi-Liter over the whole thing. I never used Eco flo before, and it's scary because it will run and spot if it gets wet. I'm sure it will attract moisture, after all it is holding glasses. I sprayed cheap hair spray on it, and tried to spray Super Sheene over that, but it wouldn't spray for me. I had some gloss sealant sitting around, so I used that. They say the hair spray sets the dye because of the denatured alcohol in it. They also say not to rub Eco flo dyes because they smear. The gloss sealant went on well and seems to seal it like I want. I got it at Hobby Lobby. Have you guys checked out the freakshow? Kathy

Whiskey marinated flank steak . . . I still have some yak steak in the freezer. Not a bad idea! My son brought over some Jameson Irish whiskey last night. He said it was smooth. I'd much rather soak the yak in it! Fishguy, I think you might have something with the bottle caddies. All I need is a bottle.

I never even would have thought of making a case for these glasses on my own. I guess I would have to buy a bottle of whiskey to make a caddy for it. What would I do with the stuff inside? Get my yaks drunk?

Howdy Hi Josh, Antique is simple, but I don't always like the outcome. My favorite way to finish something is the Sheridan way. Put a good coat of Neat Lac on (do it outside if you can, the stuff stinks) and let it dry over night, or in the sun for an hour. Two coats won't hurt , in fact it might help. Then get some Fiebing's paste antique and mix it half and half with Tan Kote. Put this on heavy with sheepskin and wipe the excess off with a paper towel and a damp sponge, in that order. The antique darkens the tooling while the Neat Lac resists the color on the rest. It's a fool-proof technique and looks darn nice. No need for any sealer on top of that. The only thing is, Tandy's doesn't carry the paste antique any more. You'll have to get it from Hide Crafters or somewhere. Another thing that is easy to do is oil it. I prefer extra virgin olive oil, but pure neatsfoot oil works, too. Some people have trouble with olive oil going rancid, but I don't here in my cool, dry environment. Oils darken the leather evenly and soften it at the same time. Put it in the sun and it will get darker yet. If you want to put a finish on it, Tan Kote works well, and can be reapplied as time goes on. If you choose to go with Eco Flo dyes, seal them with cheap hair spray, then spray on a finish, don't rub a finish on. Hope this helps, Kathy

You're quite welcome, Mr. Natural!

What's the saying? May snowsies bring June posies?

A small tutorial is excatly what it'll have to be, since I didn't take many pictures along the way. My batteries were getting low and Walmart is a long ways away! I followed Al Stohlman's book a lot, "The Art of Making Leather Cases" Volume 2. The handle is on page 6, only I shortened it to 9" total length. The "One Piece Box Case" on page 41 was very helpful for the pattern. I used thinner leather than Al did on this one, 4/5 oz., and I added stiffeners. The stiffeners used were from Hobby Lobby in the cross stitch section. "Self Stick Mounting Foam" it's called, with 1/4" Polyether White Foam. I stuck this on with contact cement in the places shown in the picture, but not before I lightly grooved the fold lines and folded them. Peel the foam off the strips that go on the edges of the flap. The stitch lines were grooved and holes punched before the cardboard was put on, too. I use a hand stitching chisel made by Osborn (Hide Crafters sells them) instead of the awl. The stitches come out a whole lot more evenly for me that way. Just make sure the holes on the sides are even and the same number. Also before the cardboard (I like to give instructions backwards) attach the handle and the lower part of the clasp, the part with the turny thing that goes under the handle. The other part of the clasp is attached at the very last. Once the cardboard stuff is in place, pull off the paper and stick the lining on. I used velvet pig suede. Be sure to put some slack in the hinged section. Cement the edges down real well and re-punch the holes. I do the holes to begin with to be sure they're even. Trim the lining and sew it up. Then you get to burnish the edges and attach the other part of the clasp. That's all there is to it. Oh, the divider floats. I peeled the foam off a piece of cardboard and cemented it to the back of another, and covered it with lining leather. It simply pushes into the center of the case. Hope this helps! Kathy

I was approached with an unusual request to make cases to carry fancy Irish whiskey glasses. This couple sells the glasses and thought it would be a good thing for people to be able to carry the specially made glasses to bars and restaurants to savor their favorite whiskey. The cases have a Celtic design, of course, and a padded interior to protect the glasses. They're taking the cases to a show this weekend. Let's hope they sell! Kathy

Sorry it took me so long, Ed. I was off in la la land. Here are the pictures you asked for.

8/9 oz. would make an interesting card holder! I just made a couple out of 4 oz, and it worked very well. I stretched the pockets to make them hold more cards. Guess it doesn't matter to you now, does it!!

You can order the book directly from Pete Gorrell at 3000 CR 570, Gardner, CO 81040, Phone, 719-746-2311. It is an excellent book. I have one and find it extremely useful. Pete would be happy to send one off to you.

hardwareelf.com has them, too, for $2.59 each. You can order any amount from them, and it comes quickly.

My yaks would rather rub a dog, with their horns. Rubbing chickens isn't their thing. Actually, yak would make a good dinner diversion. Well, a good dinner anyway. Is rubber chicken on the menu for the banquet?