Urshag

Thank you so much!

Thanks you guys! The praise of my colleagues is highest praise I could get!

I'll check with them tomorrow. Thanks!

I need to purchase a small amount (2 - 3 square feet) of a shiny gold leather for a custom order I am doing for a client. Similar to: But the customer really likes: But honestly, I would be happy to purchase any shiny gold leather less than a full hide. :/ Thanks for any help you can give! Dennis

Thank you all so much for the kind words! I only have a small selection of stamps. mainly the ones that came with the kit I bought from Tandy many moons ago. So I played around with them and ended up using the camouflage stamp. It took many scraps of leather before I got the look I was after.

This was my first time stamping a scale design, I think it turned out well. The buckle was chosen by the customer and is from an Etsy seller. The belt tip is from Raymond's Quiet Press.

I recently started making wallets. Below are some photos of the second one I have made. Most people I have shown it too have loved it. However a friend of mine looked at it and said it looked weird that the stitching doesn't go all the way around the top of the wallet. Stitching across the top (on both the exterior and interior) would be completely decorative and not functional as it would be only be on one very thin layer of leather. What is the norm for wallets? Do you guys feel it needs the stitching for aesthetic purposes? Thanks for any help!

Thanks! I was able to locate several iPhone and iPad dummies. Still need some kindle dummies though. None of those for sale as far as I could see. Great suggestion tho. Thanks again!

Well that would require giving the woodworker the actual devices to make an exact copy so that leads back to the initial problem. Just giving the dimensions to the woodworker doesn't give him all the curves, slopes, etc.

Well I need the most current ones and people want a lot even for a broken iPhone or kindle fire for example.

I want to make form fitted cases for various phones, e-readers, tablets etc. I sure as hell wish I could afford to buy one of each and wrap in saran wrap to use as a form for wet or dry molding for the cases. I even tried looking into buying broken one being sold on eBay "for parts", but those are still pretty expensive. I looked but could not find anyone selling forms for these items. In other words, someone who would scan the item, then have a milling machine cut a form for the item, and then make a mold to pour plastic, rubber, resin etc into and sell them to those of us who need them. Does anyone know of someone who does this already or has the tools and might be interested in doing this? Thanks! Dennis

Ah OK. Well again, this is something I am using to widen a stitching hole with. What I have is an Osbourne #32 stabbing awl round point blade. http://www.csosborne.com/no32.htm But the Awl handle I have it in doesn't grip the blade hard enough because when I pull the awl back out of the hole it pulls the blade out of the handle. Which means I have to get the pliers and pull the blade out, reset it in the handle, etc. etc. So what I am looking for is something that has a blade already in it that wont come out. Like a scratch Awl. After looking on the Osbourne site I think one of their Heavy Duty Scratch Awls, # 4-1 or # 4-2 might do. I'll look around and see if I can find one. However, if anyone comes up with a better suggestion, I'm still open to them! Dennis

Can you provide a link to the Barry King tool? I looked on his site and could not find it. I found the page called "Hand Tools" and he lists a "Marking Awl" for $35.00. Is that what you were referring to? http://www.barrykingtools.com/handtools.htm# I've looked in Home Depot and the scratch awl they have has a thick blade with a point that then narrows to a point in less than a 1/8 of an inch. Not really good for what I am using it for.

I appreciate the suggestion. But this is a awl handle with a chuck at the end of it that tightens. I'm not really looking to repair this one I will be using the handle for other types of awl blades. What I'm looking for is a replacement. Thank you for your suggestion! However, I live in an apartment and I don't have a grinder so that would not really be something I could do. I'm looking for for something that is ready to go out-of-the-box so to say.

I have been using what I would call a scratch awl blade in a stitching awl handle to widen stitching holes. The blade is ice pick like in that it is round in profile, very sharp and tapers from a fine point to a width of about 2 mm. The problem I am having is the blade keeps popping out of the handle when I withdraw it from the leather. Does anyone have any suggestions for a more sturdy replacement?

You're not bursting any bubble. I've been aware of them for a long time. My site is www.stormyleathers.com. The "S" at the end makes all the difference. When I chose my name that site didn't exist. Nothing I can do about them. But lets keep this thread on track, it's about the review of Phillips Engraving and the maker's mark. Dennis

A little while ago I ordered a maker's mark stamp from Phillips Engraving. http://www.phillipse...her_Stamps.html The staff was very friendly and helpful in helping me get my design finalized and ready to be made. After about 10 days I got my new maker's stamp in the mail and I must say I am very happy with it! For the price of $55.00 with shipping (I also requested the backers plate for handles) you cannot beat having a metal stamp of this quality! I would recommend them to anyone who is looking to get their own maker's stamp made.

Wow! Fantastic answer! Thanks so much for taking so much time and effort to answer the question. I hope this thread helps others who are looking for alternatives as well. Again, thank you so much! Dennis

I understand what you guys are saying. I haven't found anything else that works as well either. It just seems that for as something as simple as a thin sheet of translucent plastic, that there MUST be the same product out there that's being used for something else that's not as expensive. It is just thin plastic after all. Oh well. I appreciate all the responses! Dennis

That was my experience with the black oil dye as well. I always rub a cloth over the leather before I put on a finish and the black oil dye had hardly any rub off at all as compared to the USMC Black which is spirit based. That stuff always takes several coats and a lot of it rubs off after it dries.

Well I've just started using the oil dyes and it seems to me that it penetrates better and even does seem to condition the leather a little bit. I have a feeling that I will be purchasing more of the oil dyes as my supplies of the spirit based dyes run out.

Thanks for the reply! What do I thin the first three with? Water or paint thinner or something else? Thanks again for taking the time to reply! Dennis

Thanks for the suggestions guys! I like the shelf paper idea as well. If I have any more questions I'll be coming back here. Dennis

Does anyone know of a less expensive substitute for Tandy's Tracing Film? I like the properties of the tracing film, but it's a bit pricey for me. There must be some other film or plastic sheeting out there that can be bought for a cheaper price, maybe in bulk or something? If you know of anything please let me know! Dennis Green

I'm going to be using an airbrush for the first time and I'm going to experiment with my leather finishes. I'll be using a Badger model 250 with a can of Propel (I'll get an air compressor if I like what happens with this experiment.) I'll be testing with: Acrylic Resolene Super Sheen Leather Sheen Bag Kote My main question is, Do I need to cut these with anything, and if so, what and in what amount? Or can I use all of these straight from the bottle? Also, what do I clean the airbrush with in between finishes? Also, if you have an suggestions, tips, warnings etc. Please feel free to say so here, I am a babe in the woods when it comes to airbrushing anything. lol Dennis