Jacko P

Really Nice work Brushpopper I have been using a Leather Water Bottle for more than 15 Years. I bought it from a Mate, it is sealed with Beeswax and I have never has any issues with it from a food safe perspective. I have never put anything but Water in it and store it empty with the Stopper out. regards Jacko

Thank you for posting this tutorial MagiKelly. I too am self taught and was rapt to see that I had worked out some of your techniques for myself. I mold my pouches over this form I came up with The major difference in our techniques being I use multiple rubber bands to hold the leather to the form and them clamp the female piece of the form over the base until dry. Occasionally a stubborn bit of leather requires staples around it's edges outside of where I'll be trimming it to hold curled edges down before I clamp it.<br /><br />Something as obvious as varnishing the timber had not occurred to me. I originally waxed it but have got lazy with this. I'll give my form a sand and lacquer it. I will also give your tacking idea a go as on occasion I have problems with the leather not molding perfectly, particularly around the bottom corners. I intend to make myself up a template to place over the top of my pouches so I can reliably trim them to the same profile. I will also be making a new form as the mood moves me using thick plastic from a cutting board as the base and female part of the form. I may laminate several thickness's together to make the pouches body mold.<br /><br />The longer I spend on this forum, the more I'm liking it - thanks again<br /><br />regards Jacko

In a word "Beautiful" regards Jacko

Very edgy - I like it, top effort ! Puts my mind to an oriental theme - why not expand further by researching some folk tales / legends involving fish regards Jacko

Packer Leather http://www.packerleather.com/ , there not my favorite place to shop but only 10 minutes from home so they are convenient regards Jacko.

Lasse C I am on a budget myself and restrict my Roo leather to lower grade hide. I never pay more than $22 au most commonly $11au for my hides and am rarely disappointed with their suitability for my projects. Admittedly I most regularly use Roo hide for linings or overlays for my Archery Accessories but have made some very durable items from this poor quality hide that after 15 years are still going strong and have not abraded , stretched or worn appreciably . I regularly cut lace from this inferior Roo hide and it has proven very very strong and durable. I do stress the point made before though thats Roo lace will stretch and narrow so pre-stretching is vital There have been times when I could not afford thicker leather for a Quiver for instance so I simply laminated 2 or 3 hides together to build the thickness up. Works a treat. I work around the limitations, I've never had a project done this way let me down such is the strength and properties of even poor quality Roo leather. You do get what you pay for but I often wonder is a top quality Roo hide actually worth anything like the $80au to $100au plus thats being asked. In my view NO! I'm very happy to put up with scared up hides or uneven dying, they add interest. I have struck projects that require a quality hide and have found that there is usually enough top class leather in a 2nd or 3rd quality Roo hide, particularly if the hide come from a female Roo. Male Roo's kick the heck out of each other and the Belly hide from a mature male is always scarred up Have you investigated mail order/ importing your own hides, 3 or 4 will fit easily into a mail tube and weigh no more than a couple of kilo's. regards Jacko

G/Day Thistledown, welcome to the site, only found this forum a few weeks back myself. I know what you mean by can't stamp or tool worth a damn only too well. At the moment I'm doing lots of contrasting overlays to dress things up but love the honesty of unadorned plain leather that's stitched or laced. It has a quality and appeal all of it's own regards Jacko

Very timely thread , nice belt. My kids have just asked me to make a similar belt for a school friends Dad. I like the tapered ends and double stitching - will have to borrow these idea's regards Jacko

This may be an old thread but I'm a new member and it's particularly relevant for me. You might notice in my profile I have an interest in Archery and Lever Rifles and being an Aussie I am deeply affected by a political knee jerk decision to satisfy an ill informed society's fears. I'm not going to go into a political rant - don't despair, the last political word is that Bows or Firearms are nothing more than a tool, they are inanimate and it is the responsibility of the user to do so correctly. My interest in Leather Craft is directly connected to my enjoyment of my Archery and Firearms. I have the skills to make every item of a primitive Archer / Bowhunters equipment from natural materials. I reload my own cartridges and cast my own bullets. It was only a natural extension of these skills to make Leather accessories that not only function as intended but are beautiful , well to my eye anyhow. Since childhood I have also been developing my skills as a Hunter, I am able to supply meat for myself and my family. I am honest enough that on occasion I do my own killing instead of paying for someone else to it it all the time. This skill has also supplied me on occasion with the raw materials to make my own Leather, more often my own Rawhide for use in the construction of my Primitive archery tackle. Some folks in society see these skills and the tools required as redundant. I see myself as a self reliant individual gathering and passing on these skills to the next generation as they have been for millennium. regards Jacko

Evening Barrie always good to meet a fellow Archer - especially when they are a leather craftsman of some note. Lots of folks your age shooting lightweight Trad bow around the traps. No matter if you shoot a Compound bow it's all good. Just for interest there's a very talented traditional bow maker hails from Gosford - Norseman bows http://www.geocities.ws/norsemanbows/. Really enjoyed your profile, something to aspire too regards Jacko

G/Day Lasse C I'm not 100% sure of all the different grades of Roo hides available but every piece of Roo Hide I ever seen or used is what I would class as "light". Roo skin is very thin, every hide tanned or raw that I have on hand is between .030 inches and .040 inches thick.. No worries with strength, it's incredibly tough regards Jacko

I'm new myself, love your work Fred, an lovely and practical combination you have there. You have me intrigued with the knife sheath design as I have never seen something like that before, very cool. regards Jacko

Thanks for the welcome and kind words folks. I've seen craft on this site that has left me slack jawed, something to aspire too. I especially like the mix of professional and amateur leather workers sharing tips and secrets regards Jacko

G/Day folks answer to a wide variety of names nice or nasty but here call me Jacko. I live in Sth East Queensland Australia I am self taught in my leather craft which means I make a lot of rookie mistakes and spend a lot of time and imagination hiding them. I guess this is what I have grown to love most about my Leather craft. I mostly make items associated with my pastimes of Traditional Archery and Lever Rifle shooting. I am not content with the status quo and like to kid myself I'm innovative in the designs of things I make. Invariable 5 minutes after I've dreamed up something I find someone somewhere has beaten my to it Here's a little of my work Looking forward to looking and learning regards Jacko