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Gawdzilla

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Posts posted by Gawdzilla

  2. Posted · Report reply

    Gawdzilla, If you do get answers from the tannery on this question, please post them here. It would be great to have the information "from the horse's mouth", so to speak, :) posted here for all to read.

    I'm in St. Loser almost daily, so it won't be hard to consult with the experts. There are several tanneries in the area, perhaps I can get information from all of them.

  4. Posted · Report reply

    Post for a friend:

    Just wondering: do you know whether or not the tanning and treating process latigo leather goes through would render it toxic?

    I've seen it used in dog muzzles, which the dog can presumably safely lick, and I've seen it used in stuff for human use too. As well as horse tack.

    The reason I ask is because someone wants me to have an experimental go at making a leather bit for her horse and I thought latigo leather seemed the most sensible since it's robust and already used for tack but I want to be sure it's going to be safe.

  5. Posted · Report reply

    You can use a rubber bath mat or the foam rubber mats they sell for people to stand on at the sink. As for the tree stump, I use a 6"x6" post about three feet long. It has the mass to absorb the pounding. Lay it flat on the mat, and the mat on the table. You can also get rubber "sliders" to fit under the legs of the table to further dampen the noise.

  10. Posted · Report reply

    I noted elsewhere that you can have patterns printed from disk at a professional copy shop, as well as having large patterns scanned to a file. There's another way to save a back-up copy of your patterns, by using a digital camera. I use a Nikon Coolpix 12.1 megapixel camera and a stand I built myself. (See here for pictures of the stand.) You can put a camera on the stand and get plumb pictures of patterns up to 4 feet on a side easily. For really big patterns I put them on the floor and use the stand on a table.

  11. Posted · Report reply

    You would need a large cylinder. Probably at least a four or five inch diameter. Throw is available as a variable.

    I have built quite a few of the machines we use in our shop,some are nearly 30 years old and still going strong. I have done a lot of work with the air cylinders.

    When I have time I will work on the idea and post my findings on the forum.

    ferg

    Excellent! I'll keep an eye out.

    To compound my "fun" I broke a rib coughing last night. Four hours at the VA. Happy blinkin' New Year.

  12. Posted · Report reply

    i think I can understand the frustration of your condition.

    I would go a step further: In lieu of the C-clamp use an air cylinder from Graingers for instance, Mounted in a bracket with a multitude of fittings that are available plus home made. A small pancake compressor will supply sufficient air to the cylinder as long as you don't get carried away with the diameter and length of "throw". Amount of pressure can be regulated with a pressure regulator. Small cylinders are usually good up to 120 psi.

    If you wish I would be glad to experiment for you in using the cylinder. That is, if you do not need it quickly :)

    ferg

    Thanks for the suggestion. I have a few more months before I know if I get full use of my arm back. So I'm still uncertain about what I will need in the long term. I already have the attitude, time will tell if I have the tools. The compressor sounds interesting either way, however. Can it be used to set 5-6 stamps at a time?

  13. Posted · Report reply

    Last Halloween I had a stroke. Face down in the driveway trying to reach a cell phone that was in the wrong side pocket while the planet went into spin cycle.

    This thread is not about that, however, not directly. When I got out of the hospital my left side was weak and I couldn't stamp leather because I couldn't hold onto the stamp. So I sat down and considered my options. I came up with a way to stamp without hammering and in the process found a better way to keep the stamp where I wanted it and make impressions only as deep as I wanted them.

    How? I used a C-clamp. I'm sure you can picture how that would work, but if anybody wants pix of how I do it, just let me know.

  14. Posted · Report reply

    I like dirtclod's idea of using poster board and taping it together and I have used the pallet liners he's talking about....they work great also. If you want a more permanent pattern that will last for years then I would recommend using high impact styrene. It comes in 4'x 8' sheets and is pretty easy to cut. You can write notes on using Sharpies and it is impervious toeverythig except heat. It will be available from your local industrial plastics supplier.

    Bobby

    Ever tried linoleum? Tough, but easy to cut, and you can roll it up when you want to store it. The guy at the local Tandy's uses this system for most of his patterns. The price per square foot is reasonable.

  15. Posted · Report reply

    Tandy or Springfield Leather co. have a coupla of nice Wolf Stamps that would look great on Key Rings or even Book Marks.

    Good Luck.

    Thanks. I've located everything Tandy has and will be using them. I want to focus on the low ticket items so a family can buy each child something to remember the place by. I think the bracelets will be the upper end of it.

    Once I get the carving classes under control I'll be looking at carving the Wolf Center logo into mousepads, folio covers, that sort of thing.

  16. Posted · Report reply

    Professional copy shops can print your pattern on very large stock from a disk. I did a vest that the buyer wanted to be in one piece, no seams except at the shoulders. It was 56" when done and I had it printed on heavy stock measuring 48"x60".

    These shops also have large-format scanners that will digitize a pattern so you can modify it in a computer program. The one I use charges $0.50/square foot for a scan.

  17. Posted · Report reply

    Hi, I'm new here so if this goes somewhere else, including folding into an existing thread please notify me where it went.

    I'm hoping to make and donate several kinds of small items for sale at the Endangered Wolf Center near St. Louis. I have dyes and wolf-related stamps, and have signed up at the local Tandy for carving lessons.

    I'm a novice at leatherwork, some basic skills and I know which end of a mallet to use. What I'd be interested in hearing from you good folks is what I should make for sale. Key fobs? Bookmarks? Mouse pads? Pendants and necklaces? Bacelets?

    I want to do things that will sell, not waste leather and shelf space at the EWC store.

    Thanks in advance for any feedback and suggestions.

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