BIGGUNDOCTOR

Even with math, you may be of some due to rounding up/down, etc. How do you make your patterns. and what are they made out of? Also search hat, and top hat here. Someone just posted some patterns, etc.

Cool, thanks for the update.

Take a look over at www.iforgeiron.com there are some smiths on that site that have a bit of casting experience.

Beautiful work, even though I have never been a huge fan of this style of carving. It is usually too busy for my taste, but you make it look good. How long does it take you to make something like this? The swivel knife work reminds me of the engravings done on guns, or automotive pinstriping. I had not seen this technique until joining this forum. It adds a nice touch to the piece. How does it hold up to wear, and tear from use? Does it open up any, or collect goobers like dust, etc?

I would surprised if you could get x-ray film withthe price of silver so high. They can reclaim it off of the old x-rays. The pieces used on pallets are called slip sheets, we used them at Jelly Belly.

I hate stuff that has no use, although I still use a ball mouse , so I could use a mouse pad. Why not make something that will be used instead of just getting tossed as soon as they get home? Coasters, rawhide chew toys, Christmas ornaments, key fobs, luggage tags, etc... may be better choices. If it is usable it will keep your organizations name in their eye for a longer time.

Cold rolled steel is normally 1018 (18 points of carbon), and you need 25 on up to get any hardness. 40 will start to give a decent hardness-more though than hard, and something like 1095 will achieve a glass hard state. The question is why harden it at all? Soft steel is harder then wet leather. To harden a low carbon steel you can case harden it. This process adds enough carbon in a thin layer to accept a heat treating. There are case hardening products out that can be done at home. Now just because it is called tool steel doesn't mean it is very expensive. W-1, and O-1 tool steels are very inexpensive, and there are tons of scrap yard tool steel items (coil springs, hay rake teeth, etc) that can be used to make tools. Again, soft steel vs wet leather, and hit with a wood, or rawhide mallet--why worry about heat treating? I have seen old tools that were made from large nails that have held up just fine. I can buy bar ends from work in copper, brass, stainless, aluminum, steel, and beryllium copper. Sizes range from .0625"-.875" typically, but occasionally 1.00" Some materials we run are only in certain sizes, but some are from one end to the other. Just depends what is being made in the shop that month. Any of these would be easy to shape with files, or a Dremel type tool. The Beryllium alloys though can be an inhalation hazard though when sanding, or polishing. It is when a fine dust is made that gets airborne that they become a problem. A process like filing is not hazardous to your health. Neat stuff,and it will heat treat. For more metalworking info you can go to another site that I am on www.iforgeiron.com it is like LW, but with metal and fire.

Hey Treadhead, thanks for posting. Hopefully some more will see this and keep it going. It can be a good resource for networking when you have craftsmen from different areas, and expertise. I am a member of the Vegas Artist Guild, and also attend the First Friday events in the 18b Arts District. I haven't seen much done with leather at either one yet. So far at the guild meetings I have just shown off some of my ceramics, and a forged piece.

Hmmm, a name that sounds better than slaughter free for the intended customer. Natural Selections , pasture perfect, no kill, end of the pasture, happy cow (from UKRay), Au natural, Mother nature, naturally demised, organic, ..................................... One thing that has always bugged me is paying more for something due to its size, quantity, etc. Why is whole wheat flour more than the stuff that has far more processing? Why is that individual serving ham steak 2x more in cost per pound than a whole ham? Why is organic anything so much more than the "non healthy" stuff. My point is, make items with this leather and sell it at the same rate as regular leather, or say 50% higher. That way the cow huggers won't feel that they are being taken advantage of, and you may end up selling a lot more. It isn't like this leather works any differently than what we normally use, it just came to be by a different route. So why use it if you can't make a much higher profit? To attract a new customer base that would otherwise buy something else. An option, that's all. I know that a much higher profit could possibly be made, but if it is too high of a difference it may not sell at all. Just explain that there are fewer naturally demised hides than the other style, hence the slightly higher premium in cost. Most nature loving hippie types that I know have one thing in common, they don't have a lot of cash. I pay extra for USA made items because I like to support the home team, and they generally have the quality that I am looking for. So, I do understand paying more when principals are involved. With that being said I do have a pain level. If the cost is too high, I do without, or find an alternative; used, import, etc. I haven't been able to go USA, or nothing, due to so much being made overseas now.

I have some 4/5 oz leather that I just laid on the counter top, I don't have a desk. It is fairly soft, and drapes over the edge. Size is approx 6x16 on the top surface (the amount hanging over the edge is 4"-5") Optical mice might do ok on a textured surface, but I would think that a ball mouse might be jerky on a heavily tooled surface.

It would have been nice to have a rug made from the 1,200# show steer I rolled under the front end of my 3500 Dodge 4x4. Man it had a nice thick all jet black coat. They ended up just burying it with the rest after butchering it out that night. Someone else hit, and killed it, dropping it into my lane. It was dark, and I didn't see it till it was too late, so all I did was tenderize it a little more. Drove the truck home with a bent center link. Aaaahhh, life in a rural area. When the insurance agent asked if here were any fatalities, I told her yes, there was one. Just wish I could have keep a straighter face when she asked for details.

My Mom used her 1950 Singer home machine to sew some of my early Knife sheaths. They were around 1/4" thick. Thin goatskin, and canvas should be within the realm of a good home unit. Seems everyone here has a machine at home. Then again, you said that you have time, so maybe there is a lot of hand stitching in your future Are you located in Singapore? Or is that just where it passed through on its way out? I'm not up on all of the different country flags Something else to look at would be covers for E-readers like the Kindle. Too bad the UK military wouldn't buy them from you. Could always market them to video games as authentic military grade hides.

See if you have an industrial foam, and rubber supply house around. Foams, and rubbers can be purchased in just about any durometer hardness. I used to buy some stiff neoprene foams for the winery equipment I worked on. Also check with Smooth - On they make a full line of products for molding, casting, foams, etc.

Other venues to sell the whole hide As much as I dislike them E-bay. AKA E-pay, evil bay, etc..................... Local leather shops. Craigslist.org Etsy.com Since you don't have the sewing machine, do you have someone who could do the sewing for you? You cut the parts, and have them sew them up. Wonder how they would work as a Chamois for drying a car.With them being camo they might appeal to truck owners/hunters. You could get all artsy with these too. Find a taxidermy mannequin of a goat, and put the hide on it. Make a few up, and set them around. Camogoats

Glare can also be from the flash. I have a diffuser that I put on my Canon 30D to cut the glare. It is really high tech-a yogurt container As to megapixels . More isn't necessarily better. The lens is a big factor as well as the sensor being used. Optical zoom is far better then digital zoom. Then it comes down to how big of a print is to be made. The less pixels the smaller the blow up will be before the graininess gets too bad. The Canon 30D is only 8.2 MP but it will work great for this type of work, and on up to some decent sized posters. Now if you only wanted to do large pictures like 24"x36" on up more MP will be needed to keep the sharpness. I know a landscape photographer who is still using a large format film camera because he doesn't want to spend the $17,000 for the 50mp Hasselblad digital back. Again I would suggest finding a local photography club, meetup group, or photography class to learn more about all of this. It really helps to have someone right next to you with more experience when you are getting started.

I have had good luck with Carnuba wax. Wipe on, let sit, then buff off.

I have used the perchlorethylene solvent at work to remove ink , and oils from other items. This is used by many dry cleaners. It needs really good ventilation to use-outside would be best. After using a solvent you will probably need to retouch the color some. How big of an area are you talking about? Could it be camouflaged somehow?

Cogs, Backgrounds should be simple, so they do not distract fro the item being photographed. Incandescent bulbs will give a yellow tint to pictures. Tripod will eliminate fuzziness. It is spelled with an I not a Y, you were close. Even all over lighting to prevent shadows. This may mean several lights sources from different sides / angles. Try putting something (paper, cloth, translucent plastic,etc) between the light, and the item to diffuse the light. This will prevent glare in most cases. More details are needed about your equipment, as Ferg said. Many community colleges have photography classes, and there are some on Meetup.com here in my area. Meetup is a worldwide activity website, there are over 800 in the Las Vegas area alone.

An overall picture from the side would be helpful, along with some dimensions.

I think in order to use up this quantity quickly you will be looking at larger items like purses, backpacks, jackets, skirts, leggings for brushy areas, etc. Learning to use a sewing machine may be a good thing for you to do. It will increase your capabilities for future projects. One is never too old to learn, and gain new skills.

Anyone know how the myth of Viking helmets with horns got started? IIRC their ancestors used either horns, or antlers, but I may be mistaken. Funny how certain myths get perpetuated over the years.

I have just used the basic Tandy knives, same with my Mom-who taught me. Like you mentioned earlier, you may want to test drive a few to see what you like best. Being a tool maker/machinist, if I want a fancy one I will just make it how I want to.

The leather would probably give way before the ring would. A lot of military rifle sling loops were just bent, not welded, and this was when rifles were pushing 9 pounds.

Still looking............................

I posted last year in hopes of getting a roll call of members in the Las Vegas area, but it didn't go any farther then myself. I know that there is a gal who does custom motorcycle seats on here too, but other than her I haven't seen anyone else. Don't want to hijack this thread, so I may fire up that old post to see if anyone bites this time around.