abn

Welcome, Alan. It's nice to have you on board. And thanks for sharing your pic; really nice work. Best, -Alex

I've used DAP Weldwood for four years, and I agree with Jack's comments. Easy to find at most hardware stores and inexpensive.

I'd love to visit Spain someday, so I'll be sure to try some of this when I do!

What I want to see is a photo of you actually eating this stuff! :biggrin:

Extremely well done. I'd say your first attempt was successful!

Dave, you're a true glutton for punishment! At that rate, there's no way in the world I'd have the patience to hang on for a full 36" seam! As always, awesome work. Best, -Alex

Welcome, Decker. Nice to have you on board! Feel free to ask questions... There are certainly a few folks around here that know saddles -- though I'm not one of them! Best, -Alex

Wow. That's fantastic! As a non-carver, I'm continually impressed by the amazing work posted on this forum. Welcome, R.H., we're glad to have you here! Doesn't look like you've lost much talent in your 30 years away from leatherwork... Best, -Alex

That's an understatement. I can't believe how much lacing you've done on these projects -- my hands hurt just looking at them. Welcome to the forums, and thanks for sharing your pics and your intro. Really nice work! Best, -Alex

Romey, Here's a similar thread with information I found helpful... http://www.leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=349

Ed, that's a fantastic looking briefcase. Thanks for sharing the pic.

I see new members showing up on this board daily, but only a few actually introduce themselves in the Member Gallery forum. So, if you're new, please consider giving us a "shout out" in this forum, so we can properly welcome you! Thanks, -Alex

Major, I think it's nice that the customer is trusting your judgment when it comes to making an attractive and functional item. (I wouldn't take it as disinterest on his/her part, they're just counting on you as the expert.) Use this opportunity to grow, and play around a little with the execution of the item. Try out a few new subtle things... Things that you may not have the luxury of trying if the customer were the demanding, detail-oriented type. Have some fun with this one! And post some pictures when done! Best, -Alex

J, I've never done a project like that, so please take my advice with a grain of salt. I have seen something like that, though, in a book, and it appears that that the author used two pieces of leather to accomplish it. One piece was cut to fit the base exactly, and the second piece was wrapped around the cylinder and then stitched (or laced) to the base. I tend to cut corners quite a bit and stay away from complex constructions. Unless there's a reason why you want the base of the bucket to be covered, why don't you simply wrap a properly-sized piece of leather around the cylinder part and then lace or stitch up the seam? Good luck, -Alex

J, If it's dyed black, odds are it's either chrome tanned or drum-dyed vegtan, and in either case, it won't be optimal material for stamping a good pattern. As you mentioned, the best way to get a good stamped pattern is to start with properly cased vegtan (or tooling) leather -- the "tan" stuff. Below is a snippet from Johanna's post on carving leather (in case you need additional information on casing prior to stamping)... Good luck and welcome to the forums! -Alex

I second that motion!

I know... I'm a real pain in the :biggrin: Edited to add -- I like your new avatar, Holly. Growing up fast, I see...

Seriously --- WOW

At least in my experience, many knifemakers care only about the knife, and either ask someone else to provide the sheath, or build the quickest, most basic one they can get away with. I think it's great that you're interested in the entire process, start to finish, including the sheath. p.s. Your knife reminds me a lot of the classic Randall #5, but with a higher grind. Very nice.

You mean, there's just nothing like a finely made tool. This is a skinner, after all.... Nice knife, Romey. Can't wait to see the sheath.

I'm no expert on saddles, but that looks like some good work to these eyes. Looking forward to seeing some more pics in the future! Best, -Alex

Not much to critique here -- this should be in the Show Off forum, Bruce! Thanks for taking the time to share your photos. Really nice work. And I agree with Don -- with proper care, this sling should last its proud owner a lifetime. Best, -Alex

Art recently posted the above response when someone mentioned their fingertips tingled when using deglazer. Now that I've read this, I know deglazer is a nasty product to work with, and Art provides some good suggestions for how to work with it in a safe manner. (Many thanks.) My question is this: Are there other chemicals that are routinely used in leatherwork that we should be cautious about when using? What are the dangers and how can we avoid them? I haven't spent much time thinking about this topic, and it's probably worthwhile for me and others to start. If you have any experiences or suggestions, please share them for the good of all of our health. Thanks, -Alex

It all looks fantastic to me, Steve. Congrats on some really nice work. Glad to see some historical patterns making it into the 21st century.

Regis, I know what Kate is referring to when she mentions large holes, etc., since that was my experience with these types of tools. However, your stitches look just fine to my eyes, so if what you're doing is working for you, I say keep on doing it! Best, -Alex