abn

I agree with Tex -- it's probably the blade. However, when you get the new blade, give it a try both on dry and slightly damp leather. My grooves always come out nicer when the leather has been dampened ever so slightly. Good luck! -Alex

Hey, I'm grumpy sometimes, too -- especially on Mondays! Thanks for adding that option back, Jo. Much appreciated.

Great to have you here, Chuck. Regards, -Alex

I doubt there will ever be a "pressing" need to re-add the default skin, it's just I found that color scheme a bit easier on the eyes... Well, if you ever get around to it, just let me know! Thanks, -Alex

An unrelated item: On the old version, I could set my display options to the IPB default skin, which consisted of shades of blue. I can't find that option anymore. It's not a big deal, but I'm wondering whether other skins will ultimately be available? Thanks, -A.

Very nice sheaths for a truly classic folder. Congrats! I love 'em. -Alex

Pete, All I use are Tandy belt blanks for my belts, and I've found that Tandy's measurements on width are a bit "rough". I bought five or six blanks a few years back that were right on. The most recent blanks were 1/8" undersized -- all ten of them -- so a 1-1/4" blank was actually 1-1/8". I was somewhat irritated that it was off this much, but finished the belt and it looked okay. I'd be really if I finished a belt, like you did, and found out the buckle didn't fit due to Tandy's poor measurement. The lesson I learned is to always buy blanks in the store, and carry along a small ruler so you know what you're getting. -Alex

K-Man, from the sound of your topic's title, I thought you were going to be sharing baby pictures... (Well, I guess this is your new baby, just a different kind of one!) Congrats, -Alex

Ed, Infinity makes some great stamps -- that's where I got my maker's stamp (the "abn" that's shown in my avatar). Top quality stuff, and exactly what I wanted. Delivery time for me was about a month. Infinity has a list of fonts they support here: http://www.infinitystamps.com/fonts-photos2.html Take a look and see if one jumps out at you. I went for a script/cursive font due to personal preference. Unfortunately, the above page doesn't show the letter "W", and I think it's probably pretty important to see the actual letter. You might want to contact Infinity to see if they can provide samples of that letter for you to review. Regards, -Alex

Welcome, H.B.! Good to have you here. How's the weather out there? (You might have seen the recent thread on the heat...) -Alex

Super Glue works fine for me, as long as I'm very careful. I put about a quarter-drop on the end of a stitching needle and lightly run that over the top of the backstitched threads. However, I like Mike's method, too -- thanks for sharing a glue-free technique for locking stitches! Regards, -Alex

I love its simplicity of design. Really nice work there. -Alex

Yeah, I'd agree with that. Belly from anyone is going to be about the same. Works great for testing out dyes or testing stamps or carving techniques, but I wouldn't use it for final projects. -Alex

Beautiful work there, Mike. I really like the way you put those together. Welcome to the forums! Regards, -Alex

Johanna, you might want to give Mozilla Thunderbird a try. Why continue to be frustrated by Outlook Express when there's a really good, free open source program out there?

Now that Bill mentions it, the time I had this problem I was using Fiebing's black leather dye. The dye was extremely loaded with pigment and that's what caused my chalking. Normally, it's only the last 25% of the bottle that's loaded ('cause the pigment settles), but this bottle had a ton of pigment right from the very top. It didn't matter how little I put on -- lots of buffing was required and the only fix for the streaking was neatsfoot oil. I eventually pitched this bottle and bought a new one. Maybe your problem isn't the leather, after all...

I've had similar experiences, and fixed them the same way you did -- by adding a coat of neatsfoot oil to remove the surface dust and even out the dye job...

Good point. I think a cheaper alternative might be diluting with denatured alcohol...

Very nice!!

Vera, On the first and second folders you show, you probably aren't getting many wrinkles because it appears the flesh side is showing on the interior. The flesh side is naturally going to bend and compress. On the third folder, my guess is that it shows wrinkles because you're bending against the grain side. Since that side doesn't compress as easily, it can get bunched up and wrinkled. If it really bothers you, I'd just make sure to construct each folder like the first two, with the flesh side showing on the interior. But my opinion is to forget about it -- you do outstanding work, and this is a small detail I suspect no one will notice. Plus, leather is a natural product, and natural products wrinkle and show other tendencies that the synthetics don't. Beautiful work! Thanks for the pics. -Alex

Real nice work on all this stuff, Grumpy. Thanks for snapping the pics and sharing. -Alex Edited to add: Do you have a pic to share that shows the other side -- the interior?

No, I saddle stitch with two needles, but I always start the stitch from the back of the project. I think the idea is to do each stitch exactly the same so they look more uniform.

Welcome, John. Thanks for the intro -- great to have you here. -Alex

Freak, thanks for your kind remarks. Much appreciated. I do handstitching in an unconventional way, so bear with me as I explain. The first thing I do is create a deep stitching groove. Within the groove, I use an Overstitch Wheel to produce an even row of marks. With the project flat on the bench, I strike a Stitching Awl with a mallet to produce the stitching holes. (Most books tell you to slant the diamond holes made by the awl for a stronger stitching line, but I keep the diamonds lined up straight up and down for the straightest line. Hope I'm explaining this well.) When doing the saddle stitch, I always start the stitch from the same side (normally the back of the project). I use Tandy nylon thread and regular old needles. As you can see, this isn't the recommended way of hand stitching, and is probably slower than using a horse, but it works for me so I can't complain. I tried using a dauber with the All-In-Ones, but didn't like the results. Nowadays, I'm using a slightly damp paper towel to apply the finish, and a completely dry one to take off the excess. As you mention, All-In-One is a finicky finish when doing large projects. The folks at Tandy told me to get it all on at once since you can't do a second coat. It seems all the second coat does is pull off the first one, and I can confirm that is indeed the case. The only problem is that I'm too clumsy to get that first coat on just right. So, this is what I do: Do your first coat as best you can. Then remove a lot of it using a damp paper towel. You'll be left with what I call a base coat -- a much lighter and duller color than you really want, but definitely darker than the leather itself. Let this dry for a while, and then go back and very carefully apply a second coat with a scrap of white cotton t-shirt. For me, at least, this technique allowed me to get a more even color on a larger project. Sure hope this information helps. Regards, -Alex

Pete, I don't have any experience with Fiebing's Leathercolors, but I've been working with Tandy's Eco-Flo line for several months now. I can assure you the Eco-Flo products are water-based (and thus, more environmentally friendly). They exhibit no alcohol odor, they thin and clean up with water, and they're water-sensitive, even when dry. I like the Eco-Flo line a lot better than the old spirit dyes. I can understand taking Kevin's advice under consideration, but ultimately, I think you should buy a bottle and try it out for yourself to see if it works for you. Regards, -Alex