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Bluegrass, I'm a Satin Shene user, too, but I think that's a lot like Fiebing's Acrylic Resolene, so your results should be similar. You're doing the right thing by buffing the dyed surface before applying the finish. Using a sponge is one of the best ways to apply Resolene, so no problem there. Give your project the lightest coat you can, and then wait 10 minutes for this to dry. Don't buff yet -- now, apply a second very light coat and allow another 10 minutes to dry. Now you can buff lightly to bring out the shene. This should reduce any color transfer. Let dry overnight for the most durable surface. If this doesn't fix your color transfer problem, then try another dye or another top finish. You could switch from a spirit dye that requires buffing to an Eco-Flo dye that doesn't. Or, you could try a wax-based top-finish like Leather Balm w/ Atom Wax. There are lots of options out there -- you just have to find the right one for yourself. Good luck, -Alex

Amy, I haven't seen much in the way of Native American designs carved in veg-tan leather. As you're probably aware, American Indians have a long history as very adept leatherworkers, however their decorative efforts for moccasins and clothing revolved more around beads, fringe and colored dyes. Regardless, modern Indian artists are experimenting more and more with incorporating traditional designs into non-traditional materials (a good example is Preston Singletary's work in glass). The designs I felt translated best to leather carving are those found on pottery. Two books in particular appealed to me on this subject: Southwestern Pottery, Anasazi to Zuni by Allan Hayes and John Blom Tammy Garcia, Form Without Boundaries by Benjamin Rose If you're looking for designs online, you might want to google "Santa Clara Pueblo Pottery." One of the best galleries for absorbing the tremendous artistic expression of Native American artists might be Blue Rain Gallery, a site well worth visiting. One of the few pieces I've carved was done in the Santa Clara style, and I attach it below. Lots of fun to do, but definitely a challenge to come up with an original design using another culture's aesthetics and design techniques. I hope this information helps! Best regards, -Alex

Carl, maybe Jo knows another trick, but I think the only way to get a lighter background color is to select IPB.Board Pro from the drop-down menu at bottom left (instead of Mocha v1.2 (Import)). I know the brown hues were picked to give folks the feel of a leather forum, but I definitely appreciate an alternative choice. That said, I certainly understand how it may not be worth it to offer this option if it means double the work to create enhancements... : Regarding font size, you can bump that up in your browser. In Firefox, pick View... Text Size... Increase from the menu. In Internet Explorer, pick View... Text Size... Large. Of course, this changes the text size on all web pages, not just Leatherworker.net...

I think I might be the "one forum member" Johanna refers to above. Since I prefer a more neutral color scheme, I tried the IPB Default Skin, but abandoned it same-day due to its many bugs. I switched over to IP.Board Pro and found that one worked almost perfectly. Seems to me I found a bug a while back, but it wasn't anything major... I can't even remember what it was. I'm kind of surprised that changing skins can wreck functionality on IPB forums. I thought the whole idea behind a skin was to give several visual options, without affecting the underlying functionality. I guess Invision still has some work to do there... Alex

Make it 5-3. I think the new seats are just fine and have their own unique style, but I'm having a hard time believing folks prefer the new stuff to classic artwork like this and this. No doubt the quality and craftsmanship of the new seats is spectacular, but I think Sucker Punch would be better off giving Dave more creative freedom. Then again, I've heard the customer is always right...

That rocks. Truly awesome job on that.

FYI -- this site has some autoloading music, so turn your speakers down... :excl:

I think the stitching detail on that wallet is the best I've ever seen posted here. Incredible! :beer:

Here's my favorite: http://www.tandyleatherfactory.com/product...number=66502-20 Its size is good for small to medium projects, and it's pretty forgiving. Rarely can I finish a basketweave without hitting the stamp wrong at least once, and mistakes are kind of hard to see with this stamp. Plus, you can't beat the price -- $5. Regards, -Alex

Hey, thanks. That's real kind of you to say.

Whipit, I'll never attempt this in my life, but I'm still interested in knowing how it's done. Thanks for taking the time to share this. Would you consider adding photos to your posts so that folks get a better idea of each step of the process? Thanks again, -Alex

I like the wild, bright red lacing. It really works for this project. Now a question -- I've never considered lacing a wallet because I've always assumed it'd make it more difficult to fold and more bulky in the pocket. However, I notice most wallets shown off on this forum are laced. Is my assumption incorrect, or do folks just prefer the looks of a laced wallet? Just wondering...

TZ, it's nice to hear that someone else feels the same way I do. I meet my daily stress quota at the day job and don't need any additional aggravation in my "off time." Against my better judgment, I've accepted a few custom orders, but found I didn't enjoy leatherwork much when deadlines and customer specs loomed over my head. Nowadays, I take "limited production" to the extreme. I make probably 15 or 20 small items a year, on my own schedule and according to my own designs. I enjoy taking my time and being creative. It's also fun to be able to give friends and family gifts that are unique and handmade. -Alex

Welcome, Aaron. Doesn't scare me at all that you're working for Tandy. I'm a customer at the Richmond, Va. store, and the staff there really treats me like a VIP. That's not the case everywhere. Lots of suppliers don't want to deal with the hobbyist, have high minimum orders, and still treat you like a second-class citizen when you're spending your hard-earned money with them. Not so with Tandy. Great group of folks, in my opinion. Good to have you here! -Alex

Great to have you here! Best regards, -Alex

Truly off the hook!

Wow. His loss. That's one fantastic piece.

He, he...

I found this page, Venta de Cinceles, but it states that tools are only for sale to students of his classes. Plus, I didn't see anything that mentioned that he made these tools himself...

Thanks for those links, Candy. On the last one, en-cueros.com.ar, the content is pretty dense, and I can't find any mention of this fellow making his own tools. Where did you find that part? -Alex

YAY! Thanks for figuring this out!

Let me test to see if this worked...

I use subscriptions (under My Controls... Subscriptions... View Topics) as bookmarks to posts that I find particularly interesting. To save a subscription, I select Options... Track This Topic from the upper right-hand corner of the post. Lately, I've noticed that every topic in which I post becomes a subscription, filling my View Topics with posts I'm not necessarily interested in keeping. Is there an option to turn that off? I only want subscriptions that I have specifically asked the forum to track. I hope I'm explaining this well. Thanks in advance for any advice, -Alex

Great to have you here, Tom! Be sure to post any questions you might have about leatherwork... There are lots of really helpful folks here that are sure to steer you in the right direction. Best, -Alex

Doug, it's great to have you here. And many thanks for your Contributing Membership. Your donation of any amount helps defray the costs of keeping this site online and helping leatherworkers around the world. Regards, -Alex