Art

No real need for the EVOO, we're too short on virgins as it is around here. Regular olive oil should suffice. Don't make up a whole lot of it, the olive oil is susceptible to oxidation. I have no idea of the ratios they use. Art

Yea, what Knut said. Steve from Cobra has delivered several machines over there and knows all the shipping stuff. Your budget is good, and you should be able to purchase for considerably less than that, maybe 40.000 SEK, check with Steve on that. Steve's Website, the machine you want is the Cobra Class 4 with needle positioning motor for 220 volts. Art

Back in the '80s I used to do that for knife sheaths. I had a electric roaster full of the stuff. It worked very well but gave a very noticeable coat, you could brush and buff it and it looked like you polyurethaned it. Anyway, I've given-up the DYI ethic, if someone else is making it and doing a good job, I'll buy it. Montana Pitchblend oil has Pine pitch and mink oil, and works very well. They make a paste that has Pine Pitch, Mink Oil, and Beeswax, and it is a lot like my old concoction, but a little easier to apply. You don't have to heat it like I did my old stuff. Montana Pitchblend Here. Art

Tribes people do eat culled elephant, they even eat poached ones when they come upon them. They even eat 70 year old ones that just fall over dead. Protein is protein. Generally, bull elephants are the ones that are culled. The occasional rogue female is taken for safety or humanitarian reasons. These animals are totally consumed, ivory, skin (this is what we see) and bones (soup, tools, trinkets, etc.). When I say the tribes manage the herds, they actually do it scientifically and socially; there is considerable discussion and selection. They know their animals quite well and would only take a matriarch if she went rogue, they know what a decision like that means. Like I said before, the herds under management have increased. There is good and bad in every situation. Art

Hi Cheryl, In Africa, some of the governments have turned over management of the elephant population to local tribes. The tribes are taught species management and often sell tags for elephant the way we do here for moose elk sheep and bear. In lands managed by local tribes, the elephant population has increased because it is seen as a continuing resource, in other words, it provides income. Poaching in these areas has become a thing of the past because poachers disappear, or worse. Poachers are always in season in the areas and they know it. The tribes cull the overpopulation of elephants and any rogues that cause trouble. The culls are where the elephant panels come from. Look at them as a rather large version of the cow (however I wouldn't attempt to milk one). When governments attempt the management of elephant herds, the poaching problem is much more prevalent, penalties for poaching are not nearly as severe as in tribe managed areas, and the government agents are not nearly as adept in the bush as indigenous tribesmen, nor as brutal. When you buy a culled animal hide with a CITES tag, you are feeding an African tribesman. Poachers don't worry about CITES tags or any laws for that matter. Poachers seldom take the time to skin out an elephant, and there is too much further processing necessary to market it. Art

On a busy weekend, we'd be a rockin' in the shop, at least to the point where we would all fall down. Last man standing make sure all the caps are on the containers. Art

There is a pretty good explanation here. Durable Dot are Ligne 24 Baby Durable Dot are Ligne 20 Segma are Ligne 16 Glove Snaps are Ligne 10 I think Stainless Steel Durable Dot snaps are used in the marine canvas business, they have a very hard action (they are hard to snap and unsnap, really hard). Art

I have always had a suspicion that the pumps for high speed machines don't quite preform at lower speeds. I have two self oiling machines and I oil them by hand. I also use very high performance oil on them occasionally just in case. That is just a suspicion I have had ever since they started putting pumps on sewing machines. If you run them fast there does not seem to be an oiling problem. You seem to be getting some oiling so there might not be a problem for you. A dermatologist friend told me there are only three things you can do: 1. If it is dry put oil on it. 2. If it is oily put astringent on it 3. Don't do anything, it might go away on it's own. The first one is really important for sewing machines. Art

I don't knot them, just go back one or two stitches, pull the top thread to the bottom, burn them off with a soldering iron or Bovie and while they are hot, mush them down on the other thread. You can also use fray lock or other thin cyanoacrylate cement to seal the stitches, but do this after dyeing as once the glue is on the thread or the leather, it won't take dye. Commercial boot companies flame their boots as a final step before inspection and packing. Art

Hi Christine, It is a little stiffer, but not brittle. The skin is pretty much unmarkable with a fingernail, and scratching with a fingernail produces little if any change. Under magnification the plate structure of the skin is obviously different than cow. Email me your postal address at artvanhecke at gmail dot com and I will send you a piece so you can see for yourself. Also the elephant is about 6 or more times as expensive as quality calf. Art

Was the acetic acid neutralized properly and thoroughly? If not, the results could be very similar, if it had a vinegar smell, them maybe that is the problem. Other than that, it looks like it was stored in very dry conditions for a long time and/or the oils were not replenished after the vinegarooning process. The copper rivets will tarnish in no time even under the best of conditions, if you really want them to look old and greenish, try ammonia; just a dab will do ya. Art

You live in Romania? Art

Hi Christine, This might help you. This picture is of the corner of an African Elephant skin, a definite CITES piece from Zimbabwe 2006. This would make a beautiful handbag or wallet. There is also a cow/calf embossed skin that kind of looks like this. If I were to make you a bag from this skin, I would give you a letter on my letterhead with the info on the tag which gives the origin, import/export document number, and the year. If travelling outside the country and re-entering, you would want to have this with you. If I made you one out of the embossed calf, you wouldn't need anything. The back of the skin doesn't tell me much, it is what it is. I have never seen a glossary, there probably is one. The smell might tell you how the skin was tanned. The appearance or mammal, reptile, and fish tells the genus and sometimes species. That is what the expert looks at, and the physical properties of the skin. The difference in feel between elephant and cow embossed to look like elephant are dramatic even if they might look similar. Art

I take the 1" pipe, chuck it in the lathe and grind a bevel to get the edge intersection with the inside diameter of .975" then dress the inside a touch, then smooth-up with ceramic. They don't hold an edge that long, but are easy to sharpen. I normally put the bevel on with a tool, then stone the final edge because Schedule 40 or 80 are relatively thick. Art

Hi Joe, If you are talking about Jim Martel, he was hunting on a polar bear tag in Canada in 2006. I haven't heard of another hybrid harvest. Taking a hybrid under any condition (you had a tag for a bear in the mix, or the bear had a non-specific tag for you) would not result in a violation. Self defense, nomatter what the species is not a violation of US law or State laws. Jim Martel was returned the cape, head, and paws after it was determined it was a hybrid of Grizzly (father) and Polar (mother for which he had a legal tag). As for Christine's question, Italian calf is probably the most luxurious leather, seldom subject to misidentification, and not subject to CITES. For something more subject to your type scenario, I would suggest the Lizard species, used in smaller leather items like wallets and handbags where it is hard to tell some of them apart unless you have worked with them a while. I can't tell any of the alligator/crocodile/caimen species apart when they are just skins, much less finished products. Good luck in your quest, I don't think there will be many readers aware if you take a little license. Art

Hi Amanda, CS Osborne makes one, Kevin at Springfield Leather should be able to get one for you. Just call Kevin. If you know someone who works at a power plant, have them get you a scrap piece of Schedule 80 304 stainless and make your own punch. It will last for a while, you will have to push the leather "holes" out of it or it will jam up. Art

Cobra Class 3 is what you want, although I paid the extra and got the Class 4. Cowboy makes something similar. Call Steve anytime, he is always in for phone calls, even when he is on the road. Where are you located. Art

Twenty miles from me. There is a quilting shop right next to the Harley-Davidson place in Hughesville, maybe she could set it for them. Art

Hi Cody, Don't know what use for leatherwork. You install them on (not in the septum like a bull) a pigs nose to keep them from rooting. They can still do most everything, but the rings keep them from digging with their snouts. Big boars sometimes require two or three of them. Sometimes this is a requirement if you are letting them forage on government land. Art

You know, they aren't made of stainless steel, 1018 steel, or O-1; I really don't know if what they are made of can be classified technically as steel. So they do bend and break some, on the other hand they are cheap, and Tandy will replace them if they break. You should know better than to use a well made maul on a cheap tool, Craftools are made to be hit with one of those rolled-up rawhide hammers. Art

I get into the Douglas Booth and they have to call the fire department to get me out. Costs me a fortune; and he comes to every show. Like I said, if I didn't already have Ron's, I'd buy Douglas. Art

Honestly, I am such a Bob Beard knife fan that I doubt I could be objective. I have a Barry King knife but no SK-3 to compare to. I like the BK, but would trade another BB for it in a heartbeat. A Barry King knife and blade is way above what others who do darned good work are using. Mine is made of brass, which some folks just don't like. With swivel knives, it is all so darned personal, just dive in and get started. The Henley is an excellent knife at a reasonable price made by a couple of good ol' boys down in Louisiana. And they knurl them fine, medium, or coarse. Henley Manufacturing Co, Inc. (318) 631-3545 4229 Pro St, Shreveport, LA 71109 Art

Yep, the overstitch wheel from Springfield will do it as will the one from JWP (Jeremiah Watt Productions). There is that difference in price. Can't say which is better or equivalent. Art

Do you want to use it as an Overstitch Wheel" or as a "Stitch Marker". They can be used for both, but there are separate tools for each. Some Overstitch wheels are sharp enough and were designed to be used as stitch markers also. The Jeremiah Watt Overstitch Wheel is meant to be used as both. The product that Kevin at Springfield Leather sells gives you all three wheels 5, 6, and 7 and works as good as anything for an overstitch wheel, and is ok as a stitch marker. A true stitch marker works only as a stitch marker, never as an overstitch wheel. Blanchard and Dixon sell those. Art

Bruce Johnson Art