yaklady

May you celebrate this wondrous day with a trip to Wickenburg! Your crazy friend, Kathy

The 4-H club in Grand Junction, Colorado has had a leather craft weekend workshop run by Kay Orton for the past ten years. It has developed into a huge event among the 4-Her's in that area. This year I was invited to join them. GJ is 250 miles away, straight over the top of the mountains. A week before, one of the passes was closed due to avalanches. That instills much confidence for the drive out. I lucked out, the weather was beautiful for my drive. The advanced kids were under my care at the workshop, and I taught them how to carve a horse and personalize it with their initials. It's hard for kids to sit still as long as it takes to carve a horse, but they all did it and did a great job. I also taught anyone who wanted to join me how to make a leather feather. Both kids and adults were happy to do that. Even one of the younger kids had his hand in it. Kurt, from the Colorado Springs Tandy store, brought a store with him. Since there is no Tandy's on the western slope, that was a big hit. Well over 100 people were there to learn about leather, both kids and adults. I think Kay's whole family was there to help out, as well as Bob Klenda, president of the Colorado Saddle Makers Association. What a wonderful thing Kay does for those kids. I'm certain the majority of them will be doing leather craft as adults. My trip back wasn't so great. All the ski traffic was going the same way I was. Sitting in traffic for an hour waiting to go through the Eisenhower Tunnel isn't my idea of fun. Next year, I'll soak in the hot springs at Glenwood on the way back. Kathy

It really is Peter! Now we have him and Jim Linnell. We're going big time! Maybe we can talk some of the other big guys into joining. Wouldn't that make a great chat?

I bought one of Riley's folders last month. It works much better than a normal bone folder, and is big enough to get a good grip on it. I like that one and the cocobolo one I got from Hide Crafters.

I had the opportunity to play with some McMillan tools last weekend. Really nice tools. Only problem is, I have no idea where to get them.

I thought all men knew how to use duct tape! Just put some on your rough edges and you won't have to worry about scratching your leather any more. You can get chunks of granite from guys who do kitchens. They're usually round for sink cut-outs, but they're often free. I have some marble in weird shapes, why not granite? Kathy

Try some extra virgin olive oil. When I make belts or gun belts, I want them soft and supple. I put on a few light coats of the oil, letting it sit a spell in between. Then I work it in by flexing the leather all different directions. If you want it darker, set it in direct sunshine in between coats. Makes a fool proof method of dyeing leather brown, and it won't ever crock. I slick it down with a bar of glycerine saddle soap, and finish it with Tan Kote. Tan Kote can be washed off at a later date to add more oil when needed. I don't like Super Sheene, I've seen it crack and peel too many times, but I don't have a decent answer to the crocking problem. Do the Eco-Flo dyes crock, too? Kathy

I see you have Al Stohlman's Figure Carving Finesse book. There is no better way to learn how to carve figures. That's how I learned, and I still use the book every time I try something new. Al knew what he was doing. Keep up the good work, you're off to a wonderful start on faces! Kathy

Thank you, everyone for the nice comments. I had fun doing the "fryer" as Hidemechanic put it. Sorry I forgot the grill marks. A couple of you questioned the chat. At the bottom of the main page, if someone is in the chat room, they're names will be listed. Simply click on the "Live Chat" at the top of the page, and you're in. I've heard talk of organized chat sessions, but don't know when they will be. It's a good way to get to know the other members, and always a lot of fun. Kathy

I think I can finally post pictures of the crazy things I make, with my husband's help. Computers don't like me and try thier best to embarrass me. This is a check book I'm making for an order. They wanted a Walleye on it. What on earth is that, I thought! If they hadn't supplied pictures, who knows what it would have ended up looking like. Here goes nothing . . .

4-H is a great thing for kids. I wonder how many people on this site started out there. I did. The trick is to keep them interested as they grow older. Let them enroll in as many units as they want once they pass the basics. They may or may not be able to show in more than one unit, depending on the rules in your county, but a number of units gives the youngster a choice. When the kids are starting out, I have them enroll in units 1 and 2. If they can handle the swivel knife, they can skip unit 1 altogether. Those 2 units chase off more kids because of too much repitition. Sure, they'll get it down real well, but they get bored in the process. Very young kids like the stamping unit, Unit 8 here. They can do a simple stamping pattern and have fun with it. That's the whole thing right there, keep it fun. I introduce new projects to them that they can get done in a 2 hour meeting that has nothing to do with their project, just to keep the interest there. My meetings run two hours every other week from January to August, and I usually have around 10 kids. This is my 17th year in this county. They need the basic 7 to get started. I have a stash of other tools they can use, and our 4-H club owns a set that I can lend out to kids who don't have any. Make sure they keep a record of what they do at the meetings! It comes in handy when they're doing the record books. If you keep it fun, it will be rewarding. Kathy If you can go to Idaho, Jim will be a BIG help.

Things like that don't come out of my head, Jim. Maybe if my head was run over with a steam roller something artistic would pop out! I don't think I'll try that, I'll just keep struggling! Kathy

I have never tried W&C's colored leather. Let me know how it works. Yes, small pieces are much easier than the big ones, and that one was real big! The extra virgin olive oil has never failed me, even on big pieces. Well, maybe it wasn't too great on cheap leather. I stay away form that stuff now.

Or you could try using 60w Harley oil! Oh My! Wouldn't that have a fabulous odor! It might be cheaper.

There's a reason for the similarity, Jim. I got that pattern from your class, but changed it a bit to fit a project I was doing at the time. Did you draw the original one? Kathy

That's almost as nice as my dead fish, Clay! :angel_not:

That's a really cool piece. Next time you do one, try using extra virgin olive oil instead of any kind of dye. With a few light coats, you'll end up with about the same color with no smudges. If you want it darker, apply the oil and set it in the sun for a while. That may be difficult this time of year depending on where you live, but the more coats and the more sun, the darker it will get. Kind of a fool proof way to get a rich brown. Kathy I tried oiling my yaks, but they get too slippery.

Isn't it amazing what a good tool does? I own a number of Barry's tools, and love every one of them. They are worth the money. I also have some Bob Beard tools and some Chuck Smith tools that I can't live without. Today, I made a trip down to Tandy's and they showed me a camouflage that they hit a total fo twice. You might be able to use it to reach into those hard to tool areas! The thing was twisted so badly, you could hardly tell what it was for. Those tools don't have enough steel in them. If you must buy tools from Tandy's, take a magnet to determine if it's really steel. If the magnet doesn't stick, don't buy it!!! That wasn't the first tool that bent on them. Kathy

Hey Dave, that is a great work of art! I'm wondering, do you ever have trouble with the tooling flattening out on a seat like that? Kathy

Hey Tracy, I see you're in Loveland. Care to come to a Columbine Leather Guild meeting? If you brought your guitar you'd get lots of attention. Kathy

Oh yeah, I see the Belgian in him, but that's awful short for a draft horse! Love the color.

What a fabolous project! I wanta do that! Does the leather wrap all the way around the guitar, or is it just on the front? I'm wondering . . . A violin is made with fir on the face and maple on the sides and back to create a certain sound. I don't know if a guitar is made in a similar fashion. When you add leather to an acoustic guitar like that, does it change the sound of it? Kathy

I hope people like you don't mind all the constructive criticism you get. I have a suggestion on your pear shading. One hit on the tool isn't enough. Note the length of the thumbprints you used on part of the pattern. Your pear shader should end up more like that. I like to start the shader by making a light impression where the shading will be. Start where you have yours, and walk it down toward the center of the flower, tapping lghtly as you go. The part of the impression closest to the flower center will be the lightest, while the edge of the petal will be the deepest. Go over the impression a few times, getting deeper each time, concentrating on the end near the edge. Keep in mind that there are no straight lines on flowers. Always curve the shader impression to fit the petal, the way your decorative cuts are going. See the shading you did on the long, slender leaves? That's how the rest of your shading should look. The same thing applies to your leaves. Don't point the shader toward the center vein, but rather curve it downwards toward the base of the leaf. Use the same method I described above. Once again, the deeper shading will be out at the edge. Your veiners need to go more with the contour of the leaf as well. Point the loose tip of the veiner more towards the point of the leaf so your impressions are going up rather than across. You've got an excellent start. Keep it up! Kathy

Actually, I think Pete Gorrell's concave method of carving would do great for an x-ray. I'll get right on it! Definitely get in on that one, Marlon. Adsk him is he can applique some broken bones!Kathy