Ferg

My wife and I have done many shows with many kinds of merchandise we manufactured. First RULE for shows: Know who/what the attendees are. Teenies don't buy anything with much value when they are shopping a show, they may tell Dad about something they saw that cost more than $5.00. Unless your show is a juried show you have less chance of selling medium to high end stock. I would make a bet with you, there will be a Dude selling imported trash for less than you can buy the leather. I have never kept track of how many shows we have attended. We sold everything we hauled a few times. Most, we covered our travel expenses. We don't do them anymore, we hate the hours you sit waiting and standing talking to someone that has no intention of buying anything anyway, he is probably waiting on his wife. Reality sucks! ferg

Hi Mary, I have the exact same machine as you. This is what works for me: Remove bobbin, turn little adjustment screw counterclockwise until you feel it stop. Turn 1/4 turn clockwise. Replace bobbin, go to the upper tension adjustment. Back the knurled knob out until it is about even with the end of the post it screws onto. Now, turn it clockwise one turn. Sew into scrap piece of leather that will approximate what your final piece thickness is to be. Check the stitch. If the knots are pulled to the top, turn the adjusting screw on the bobbin another 1/4 turn clockwise leaving the top tension alone. If the knots are showing on the bottom of the piece increase the top tension about 1/2 turn. Continue this until your stitches are equal. After this procedure you will learn about where the settings need to be for each thickness/type of leather you are using. CAUTION! That little adjusting screw on the bobbin is very short, do not get carried away with backing it out. If you turn it a full turn you may not need to adjust anything but the top tension. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE YOUR MACHINE THREADED CORRECTLY. ferg

Ohio Travel Bag products: http://www.ohiotravelbag.com/Products.html ferg

Have not done a lot with the two hides I bought. Tooling was a piece of cake, as in tooled like butter. What I have is beautiful and absolutely void of any defects. I will definitely buy more. ferg

Sonja, I don't know if this will help you out but I think the pattern in lower left corner of this photo is the bag you are looking for. http://cgi.ebay.com/Tandy-Leather-Pattern-Pack-6033-00-Handbag-Craft-NWT-/160606217420 ferg

I am sure there are some materials that would take some kind of "stamping" less likely on the cutting/tooling. That said: You may be able to find someone with a laser that could "engrave" on faux leather that would satisfy the lady. ferg

I seldom do anything like this. A family member sent this to me this morning, thought some of you might like to read it. Hard to not pass this on... True Story..... Luke AFB is west of Phoenix and is rapidly being surrounded by civilization that complains about the noise from the base and its planes, forgetting that it was there long before they were... A certain lieutenant colonel at Luke AFB deserves a big pat on the back. Apparently, an individual who lives somewhere near Luke AFB wrote the local paper complaining about a group of F-16s that disturbed his/her day at the mall. When that individual read the response from a Luke AFB officer, it must have stung quite a bit. The complaint: 'Question of the day for Luke Air Force Base: Whom do we thank for the morning air show? Last Wednesday, at precisely 9:11 A.M, a tight formation of four F-16 jets made a low pass over Arrowhead Mall, continuing west over Bell Road at approximately 500 feet. Imagine our good fortune! Do the Tom Cruise-wannabes feel we need this wake-up call, or were they trying to impress the cashiers at Mervyn’s early bird special? Any response would be appreciated. The response: Regarding ’A wake-up call from Luke's jets' On June 15, at precisely 9:12 a.m. , a perfectly timed four- ship fly by of F-1 6s from the 63rd Fighter Squadron at Luke Air Force Base flew over the grave of Capt. Jeremy Fresques. Capt Fresques was an Air Force officer who was previously stationed at Luke Air Force Base and was killed in Iraq on May 30, Memorial Day. At 9 a. m. on June 15, his family and friends gathered at Sunland Memorial Park in Sun City to mourn the loss of a husband, son and friend. Based on the letter writer's recount of the fly by, and because of the jet noise, I'm sure you didn't hear the 21-gun salute, the playing of taps, or my words to the widow and parents of Capt. Fresques as I gave them their son's flag on behalf of the President of the United States and all those veterans and servicemen and women who understand the sacrifices they have endured.. A four-ship fly by is a display of respect the Air Force gives to those who give their lives in defense of freedom. We are professional aviators and take our jobs seriously, and on June 15 what the letter writer witnessed was four officers lining up to pay their ultimate respects. The letter writer asks, ’Whom do we thank for the morning air show'? The 56th Fighter Wing will make the call for you, and forward your thanks to the widow and parents of Capt Fresques, and thank them for you, for it was in their honor that my pilots flew the most honorable formation of their lives. Only 2 defining forces have ever offered to die for you....Jesus Christ and the American Soldier. One died for your soul, the other for your freedom. Lt. Col. Grant L. Rosensteel, Jr. USAF

I think the fact you rushed it shows. Your photograph is skewed so the stitch line may be also. If not you need to make a mark for the stitch line and follow it. Your stamping and carving are well done but I would get rid of the Bucking Bronco unless you carved it, then don't use black as a finish. The Meander tool is a difficult tool to use, you done a good job but the design lacks something. I would need to see it to clarify that statement. ferg

I have some arthritis in my hands accompanied by some cramping when using the knife. Non medicinal: I stop every once in awhile and rub my fingers, notably the base of my thumb. Medicinal: When it gets too bad I take two Bufferin Back and Body. Mostly, I just live with it. When you are 77 years young you expect annoyances. LOL ferg

Welcome to the forum. Just do a search on most anything pertaining to leather inside the forum, you will probably find much of what you seek. ferg

Try these folks, they have many products. http://www.leathercoatings.com/clear.htm ferg

May I suggest you get a "splitter"? You could get the colors you desire by using an Air Brush. ferg

Crystal, I am in awe. Your craftsmanship is superb. Attention to repetitive detail is an art and you have the "Touch". ferg

Welcome to the forum. We like pictures of folks work. ferg

Yes, I have said many times, the Shell Cordovan is one of the finest leathers you will ever use. Fantastically beautiful wallets from these, they wear like iron. ferg

Chris, YOu need to dig a little deeper on this site for the dyeing info. There is a lot. I googled "How to dye Leather" and got about 15 sites with varying degrees of info with two pages. ferg

Mack, Are you pulling the thread through a piece of brown wrapping paper, paper grocery sack same thing? After you apply the wax? This creates heat on the thread and melts the wax into it. You can actually feel the heat between your fingers. I assume the thread we buy pre-waxed is run through a wax pot such as the larger sewing machines use. You could buy some of the wax and a pot from one of the sewing machine folks on here to pull the thread through. That would likely give you the heavy coating you desire. Try Bob Kovar at Toledo Industrial, I bet he has a pot to sell. Buy a pound cone of the thread you like, mount it on a pedestal, run it through the wax pot and onto a hand winder on the other side or use a fractional gear motor connected to a shaft with a large spool. That just might work for you. ferg By the way I believe I bought the linen thread from the Thread Exchange at : http://www.thethreadexchange.com/

Ken, I too am amazed at what some folks regard as professional product in many fields. I have done stained glass and am simply appalled at what is on the market with soldering that is total trash. Not into sheaths so haven't ventured there. I have no doubt the problem exists everywhere. High dollar with what you can get away with seems to be more prevalent every day, sad. For the most part everyone on this forum does extremely fine work. ferg

I certainly agree that the discount is worthy of consideration as is the equipment. I would really need to sharpen a lot of knives to warrant even the $275. A side note: I believe I could build a pretty close facsimile of the equipment. That is not taking anything away from the WE, ferg

Actually I don't care for the waxed thread you buy in the small spools from Tandy and many other sources. When I hand sew I wax my own much the same way you are doing it. Never occurred to me that it was such a hassle. ferg

You must have a Tandy store near you. That would be a great start. ferg

Clever pattern, I like it. Your design? ferg

Bobby, As always your work is as near to perfection as I have ever witnessed. I sit in awe every time I study one of your pieces. ferg

Actually the cordovan shell will cost you about $150.00 direct from Horween. It is some of the most beautiful leather I have ever had the pleasure of working with. Dyed the cordovan color. ferg

Joe, If you want some more of the wood let me know. I may be able to find a chunk in the wood pile, if so it would have been air drying for two years, under cover. Just let me know ferg