B.J. Mantell

I appreciate you posting the site. I make armor for for SCA fighters and use these methods often. I am always looking for other peoples info on the process in hopes of seeing something new that can help me improve my work.

that is cool. What did you line the inside with for the orange color?

A freind and I are planning to attempt making some leather scrolls for our SCA group. I am hoping our scribes guild will have some info about inks and such if they do I will pass it on. We are also planning on accenting the illumination on the scrolls with silver and gold leafing same as it was back then.

Another good site for footwear and a few other garb projects is www.design.seamlyne.com

Thanks to both of you for posting those sites. Almost all my work involves celtic patterns and I am always looking for new stuff. Someday when I have my own camera and computer again I'll post a few pieces.

The Tandy store in New Orleans I go to is sometimes less sometimes not, but I am willing to pay the extra price just to be able to pick out my own hides. I do find their kit prices to be a bit over the top though.

Thanks. I was recently sent some ceramic blades from a friend and was afraid to use them until I understood the process.

Many times I have heard mention of "stropping" my swivel knife blade before carving to help keep a clean sharp cutting edge. I love my swivel knife and want to keep a good edge on it so I can do nice carvings with no drag; so could someone explain it to me. I have no doubt that it is something simple it just has never been explained to me how to do it.

My present workshop is an armory used for making SCA metal fighting armor I take it over during the day. It has been benificial because I have used the metal dishing forms for making some new armor patterns. The only down sides are my work area is limited and if one of the metalheads shows up to work on some thing I get a metal flake effect, kind of like what you see in car paint jobs, in my dye work. It actually looks kinda neet and sparkly and all and if I could get a more even effect I would try to use it on purpose. For now I'll just threaten to stop giving the metalheads straps for their armor if they don't wait till my stuff dries

I use a lot of the super sheen. Most of the SCA fighters in my area wouldn't wear leather because it wasn't as shiney as the metal armor. Now they get me to carve things into their leather armor, antique then cote it with super sheen that way they can have an aged battle hardened look and be shiney too. Oh the vanity.

I have a Singer leather sewing machine that dates back to around the 1930s that I need to get a treddle for as well as needles and may need replacement parts in the future. There was a machine shop that I went to in New Orleans for all that but they were flooded in Katrina and shut down soon afterwards. Does any one know where I can go or are looking to sell a machine. Hand stitching is nice and good for meditation but it is taking up time I need to finish other projects.

Hi I'm B.J. You told me about this forum in the leather worker101 forum, thank you. I have made a couple of medicine bags in the past. I was very proud of my last one which was to be a gift for a freind whose son was finally go through a right of passage ceremony in the Lakota tribe so I know that one was going to mean something to someone. I made it from a piece of Bear skin that he said his son killed himself somewhere in Montana. I did some decorative beed work (which was a frustrating first and maybe last for me) and then used a woodburning tool to put a picture of his totem animal the hawk on the cover flap. I would love to send you a picture but Katrina destroyed my personnal computer and my photo albums If I do another one I will send a picture. I would love to see the new one you make.

Hi my name is B.J., I presently live in Mobile AL. I am an amature leatherworker. I was introduced to the craft in high school in NV by my rodeo coach who was a leather craftsman. He taught me about making my own chaps, saddle bags and mending my tack. I fell away after my father was transfered to MS until I was introduced to the SCA (known there as Malcolm). Since then I have been self teaching myself how to carve, make patterns, form, etc... but am starting to slow in my progress. So now I turn to other crafters of leather for advice and help. At present I am the only one in my area doing leather work so I am inundated with SCA projects, but in the future I would like to branch out to participate in more renn faires and rendezvous so I will take all the advice I can get. I also look forward to making freinds with folk who have the same love of leather work as I do.