Beaverslayer

Beautiful sheath Chuck, I really like the way you've hidden the stitching on the front. Also the Ray inlays are very complimenting. Ken

Another masterpiece Tina. You do some very intricate coloring, I love it. Ken

Tina, I just love this. You have done an exceptional job. The Peacock on the inside is just beautiful....well done. Ken

You do amazing work Tom, love this helmet, and also the others on your Flickr site. Ken

Man, and to think I just renewed my hosting account 4 days ago. Next year Johanna for sure. Ken

Outstanding looking belts, I just love the colors, and the detail on the inside. Ken

Very nice looking gifts. Happy faces all around this Christmas. Ken

Great looking work for your first project, you'll do very well with leather from what I see. Did you also make the knife? Ken

Real cool looking mask Roo, love the color. Like Clay said, it reminds me of the black lagoon creature. Ken

Just as Bruce describes. Make your holes about 1/4" apart, then forward 2 holes on top, then through to the back, go back 1 hole, then through to the front. Be sure to always bring your lace out on the same side of the front lace each time. Then on the opposite side, bring it out on the opposite side to make the mirror image. Ken

It's going to be another masterpiece David, can't wait to see the finished product. Ken

Yes the color, what color is this? It's the first thing I noticed, and it looks quite nice. Ken

Very Very impressive. To be that good, something to strive for. Thanks Marlon for sharing. Ken

Beautiful looking holster, and may I add that the photography is also exceptional. Ken

If your looking to make a motor bike style jacket, go with a 4/5 oz cowhide, you can get a good chap hide from Tandy and this should work quite well for durability and strength. Elk is more suited for the cowboy look, it is stronger than cow, as it will not tear as easily, but it will get damaged easier by scuffing and such. Also, it is way more expensive than cow. Ken

Welcome Todd, this is a great place for you to learn the art of leather. There are so many helpful and friendly people here that are very willing to answer any questions you may have. And yes, we do love pictures. Ken

Ed, this is by far the best I've seen, great looking bag. Ken

Beautiful combination of colors on this one Kevin. I really like it. Ken

Great looking belt Josh, you've come a long ways since I was away. Keep it up. Ken

Very good eye there Art, yes it is a drum throne. I spent a whole day looking for something that would work and be durable. all the normal bar stool types I looked at, just didn't seem to make the grade. Then it came to me to try the music store. It is very strong, and should last him many years. Ken

Hi Andy and welcome to the forum. Elk compared to cow hide, well for starters, you are going to find that Elk tends to be a heavier hide. In most cases it is going to start about 4.5 oz and go up from there. Where with cow, you can get it all the way down to 1 oz. Elk is much softer than cow, and you will find that it is more stretchable than cow. Where cow tends to only stretch easily in one direction, elk will stretch in all directions very easily. If you go to your Tandy store and look at both at the same time, you will notice these differences. I've made a few vests from elk and also deer, and they were much heavier garments than the ones I make from cow, you can really feel the garment on your shoulders. As far as the corset goes, good luck, I've been meaning to try one some day as well. Ken

As Marlon has said, the slits do look far better on a wallet and such. These days almost everything I make conforms more to the use of a round hole rather than the slit. If I were to be making a wallet or a belt, yes I would use a slit, as it conforms to this type of construction. Also, as I cut all my own lace, usually from the same hide I am making something from, this in most cases gives me a lace that is in the 3-4 oz thickness of lace. This thick of lace is in no way going to be pulled through a slit with any ease, and will also be frayed and worn within minutes. Marlon, I have always admired the lacing that you do on your projects, you can see the time and effort you put into them, just by looking at the lacing. I do agree with you on the round holes on a wallet style project looking very unprofessional, and like a Tandy kit. Ray, depending on the type of project you are wanting to lace, I would say that this is the biggest factor to determine the type of lace and holes you are going to use. If you are using the pre-cut lace from Tandy, that is quite thin, then go with the slits. As mentioned previously, the slit placement from the edge of the leather is determined by the width of the lace. And as Marlon has said he does not like the slits to have any space between them. You accomplish this by using the angled prong tool, and having your slits punched on an angle rather than parallel to the edge. Ken

Well, this is a topic that has and will always have a lot of different opinions. I myself have over the years, pretty much tried them all and have found that, with a little bit of modification to the "Perma Loc" needle (that's the round one) they work far better than the ones Marlon has mentioned. What I do, is take a file and round the end to a smooth point, taking away the flat tip they have when purchased. This way they will enter a hole, slit or between two laces. Personally, I will only use the round needles. On the topic of round holes or slits. This all depends on the type of lacing you are doing. For wallets and belt edges, the slits are the best way to go, but if you are going to be lacing the edges of a bike seat, or a garment like I do, then the round holes are the way to go. Sorry Marlon, but I and I believe a whole lot of others would argue the fact that "Round holes look unprofessional". I'm pretty sure you will agree that the lacing I do on one of my vests, is very professional looking. Depending on the width of lace I am going to use, I will punch my holes 1 size smaller than the lace width. This way, when I'm done the seam and rolled it with a roller, not pounded it with a mallet, the holes are not visible any longer. I have never used any wax on my lace either. I will, as Johanna has mentioned, only lace with a piece of lace about an arms length, then splice as I go along. If I see the lace getting frayed or wearing faster than normal, I will splice it at that point. Splicing takes practice to master, but once you've got it, you will never be able to see where the splice is. When I first started out in leather and took up the tedious task of lacing EVERYTHING I make together, (sewing machines scare me) I spent countless hours trying different things to learn how to start and finish the lace. I read all the books, studied all the pictures, got real confused a lot of times. So what I did was to take a bunch of pieces of poster board, punch holes in it, then practice with that. This way I could just rip the lace out of the poster board and start again if I made a mistake or wanted to try a different method. It really saved on lace to practice with. If you go to the main page of Leatherworker.net, there are 2 tutorials I did on a vest and a hat, each shows how to start, splice and finish lace. Also, one more point on the round hole over slits debate, round holes will not rip if you try to pull oversized lace through them, as a slit, can and will at times tear open, and then my friends you have a whole new adventure on your hands. Hope this helps you out. Ken

I also have and use the Olfa cutter. For the thicker leather, where it tends to creep as you spin it, I will just use it to cut the surface, then I can use my good shears to follow the cut line. Ken

There's a real good chance that this guy may be looking for it though.... Ken