whinewine

budd: could it have been the vinegaroon? i mean, did you treat it with oil after vigarooning it? maybe the oil caused a lack of penetration for the supersheen??? I don't know, just a thought. I've never used vinegaroon but I plan to at some point. This is something for the vinegaroon folks to discuss. (personally, I don't care that much for supershene, either in liquid form or in the spray form- I only use it when neatlac or saddlelac is incompatible with the dyes/antiques, etc that I've applied) i never try to use supershene over water-based dyes & finishes- if I must, I spray it, & then, only with several very light coats, rather than a heavy spray). russ

Or use Bick 4, which won't darken leather/skin like NF oil or even lexol.

Amen to that!

I never really know what the final outcome will be, although I can 'see' in my head as to what I'd like to do- but they may not end up that way. Projects/concepts roll around in my head, more often than not in the subconscious, mulled over & mentally masticated, till they pop out, generally at a later time. I create as I go along & don't know where I'll end up until I'm there. If, for instance, I'm stamping an item, I'll pick up a tool, then another tool, and another, & incorporate them all into a very different design, all the while letting my subconscious take over & my mind just flow without being totally conscious of exactly where I'm going (the subconscious is doing the driving, the conscious is along for the ride). It was always that way for me- whether it was writing an article, writing poetry, doing photography for myself (rather than for others)... I've been told I have the 'eye'- I can 'see' things that others don't (even though I may not recognize it on a conscious level myself)- I once won a Nikon SLR in competition with a shot of my son at the beach- but it had that 'something' that appealed to the judges. When I spell, I can actually picture the word in my mind (although occasionally I may need to physically write 2 or 3 variations just to be sure) & people will often ask me "how do you spell...?"

Andy: There is a product called 'spar varnish' that isn't too common anymore. It was primarily used to waterproof wood on boats (like teak, to show the grain). This may be something that works for you. It's a nice amber colored, incredibly tough durable finish. It'll out perform standard polyurethane many, many times over. I haven't seen the real product in years- what i've seen is 'polyurethane spar varnish'- it's not the same thing & I haven't used it so I can't vouch for its waterproofing vs the real spar varnish. A specialty wood products store online may be your best bet- you're probably not going to find it at the neighborhood hardware store or wally world or kmart.

You NEED to seal it, no matter what type of dye you use, if it is going to rub against your clothing in a damp environment (can't comment on vinegaroon- haven't used it yet- and technically, it's not a dye anyway- it affects a chemical change by reacting with the tannins). The only fairly safe bet is drum-dyed leather, and i'd still go ahead and seal it too. russ

SIMPLY BEAUTIFUL! (Is the snake cobra?) russ

Just a simple question: how heavy did you apply the finish? Some people apply a really thick application of finish & it will crack because it mostly sits on the surface & doesn't soak into the leather. This is especially prevalent with a lacquer finish like neatlac, but I've also seen it with super shene. russ

While not much of a sewing machine person (I only sew when I need to & can't find someone to do it), I did pick up an older (read: ALL METAL PARTS) Viking Husqvarna model #6270 for about $150 including shipping that I use for sewing wallet interiors, bags & tool rolls together. It'll also handle at least 2 layers of garment leathers. It came with almost a full set of stitching cams, too. What I really like about it is that it has a variable speed control that can sew down to one stitch at a time, so I can see what I'm doing, and it'll sew in reverse, too. While it is a home machine and not an industrial machine, it'll handle up to probably 5 or 6 oz leather (- the only limit being how high the presser foot can be raised), very nicely with a teflon foot. Any of the old 6000 series, if they are well maintained will be a good starter machine if all you want to do is light stuff. Just a suggestion to think about for just starting out & intermittent use. russ

Steve: You're right- WHAT DOES THAT MEAN??? (Could be whatever they want it to mean, or mean nothing at all). You need to ask very specific questions of the seller: how thick will it sew, will it do leather, does it have a speed control, what thread sizes does it handle, etc, etc, and {VERY IMPORTANTLY}, what have YOU sewn with it (& I want to see it in operation if I come to see it- AND I'LL BRING MY OWN LEATHER ALONG, TOO). If they can't answer any one of these questions, I'd say walk away, 'cause they ain't got a clue. russ

What Pella was saying is that if the metal repelled a magnet, it was not silver, which is NOT magnetic and would NOT REPEL a magnet, so if it pushed the magnet away (repelled it), it had to be some sort of high nickle content/iron/steel/magnetic based metal. If you mean that the magnet wasn't attracted to it, then you're back to square 1- a non magnetic metal like zinc or silver or copper or gold or white metal (etc, etc) will not attract a magnet... if you can remove one, a jeweler could simply test it, quickly & easily. Or you could make it difficult & buy a test kit online & try to test it yourself. In all probability, though, I'd say they are either silver alloy, but perhaps could be a copper/nickle alloy (less likely). Silver was cheap during the '60s & the US only stopped making 90% silver coins for circulation in the late '60s ('67?...'68?). Sterling silver (both as finished pieces & as components for jewelry making) was also cheap throughout the '70 until the Hunt brothers tried to corner the silver market in the 1980s. Mexican silver coins remained relatively inexpensive until people, who had disdained them as somehow 'inferior' to US coins, finally realized that silver is silver, whether or not it is .925 pure, or 90% or 85% or 40% silver.

I have questions, assuming you are talking about artists watercolors...: 1) How will this hold up as far as fading in light? (Most artwork, water color included, is recommended to be kept out of direct sunlight or away from strong lights- leather, however, is routinely exposed to strong light, especially purses & cycle seats.) 2) How will watercolors react to the leather: [a] in the short term, and, more importantly, over the long term ? (Remember, leather is more acidic than most papers, and artwork watercolor paper is archival {pH neutral??}) The reason I pose these questions is that, in my experimentation with various paints, dyes & coloring agents not specifically developed for leather, I have found several substances that, over time, (actually in a relatively short time) reacted with the leather & discolored to the point of unuseability. You don't want to color something & then months later, find, to your dismay, that the item is ruined because the coloring agent had a bad and irreversible reaction/interaction with the leather's tannins. (Ask me how I know.) Just something to think about. russ

Do they take water? In other words, if you put some water on them, does it soak in right away? If so, then they are vegetable tanned, and can therefore be tooled. If not, they are chrome tanned or something else. russ

Springfield Leather (Kevinhopkins' site) generally has them, but I don't know what the shipping costs would be to the UK, or even if you'll need a special importer's license to being them in. Hope this helps. russ

Tracing vellum is a heavier grade of tracing paper. I used to get it in long rolls years ago, (and used lots of it & really liked it), but I haven't seen it in a long time. Hidecrafter sells vellum in packs of 10 sheets in various sizes. It outlasts standard tracing paper many times over, but the tracing film sold by tandy is more durable. The only problem is that I feel it might become brittle over time (I have some tracings I made on tandy's tracing film back in the '70s & some {but not all} of them have become brittle & split). I also think tandy's current tracing film is more flimsy than what they sold years ago (maybe it's a different material- but that's another topic entirely). As far as transferring, you lay the vellum over the pattern & trace it. That's all. Then lay the tracing over the damp leather- use a tracing stylus to trace the pattern. The advantage of vellum or tracing paper or tracing film is that you can see the leather underneath & can do a better alignment, plus you don't waste your original pattern. russ

Beautiful, Kate. Absolutely stunning! russ

Not to dispute the cruelty aspect, nor to dispute the cultural aspect, either, but this was a way to tenderize meat before modern methods were invented (like keeping animals confined in cages for their entire lives without exercise & forcefeeding them is not torturing them either?...). When animals roamed free, the meat was mostly muscle & meat was tough. "Torturing" animals, as it is put, to the point of exhaustion, causes lactic acid to be released into the muscles, which in turn tenderizes the muscles. This is why atheletes don't run 2 marathons one right after another- their muscles are loaded with lactic acid, & they are weak & can't perform again until the lactic acid is out of their systems. Again, what is perceived as cruelty may or may not be in the light of the origins of the practice. The second last time we were in Mexico, the one cable channel provided live bullfighting every Wednesday, I believe. It was, for me, both abhorrent & fascinating at the same time. The dead bull was awarded honor & had his picture displayed after the match, almost as a rock star. So how different cultures view certain events is dependent upon the culture.

Now I know this goes way, way back, but if you have access to The Mother Earth News (maybe their archives are available on line??) there was a big push for this back in the '70s, but unfortunately this died along with other possible alternate technologies. While the technology has certainly improved many times over what was available then, I'm certain those articles are still a wealth of knowledge. I would suggest a contact with Mother Earth News ( http://motherearthnews.com ) to do a search for relevant articles & request reprints. I mean, it's worth a shot. I do know that some people did produce sufficient energy to sell the excess back to the electric company, but that would depend upon the constancy of the wind flow, along with other factors. Unfortunately, around here, many people are violently against windmills & wind farms (because, I guess, they feel that they'll ruin the pristine look of the stripmines). Personally, I don't care one way or another, but I do think they are neat & imposing structures that look cool on a far away ridge. I also feel that if we can get energy from God's wind that would otherwise go to waste, then lets go for it. I hope this helps. Good luck! russ

Bob: I am not a scientist, but there is a difference between soap & detergent. From what I remember from high school chemistry (several centuries ago), I think soap merely surrounds the dirt particles & allows them to be flushed away (think saddle soap- doesn't penetrate deeply & is not used for casing) whereas a detergent/surfactant breaks the surface tension of the water to allow for deeper cleaning by greater penetration. Photoflo is a detergent but doesn't make suds, so I'm thinking that what we think of 'detergent' actually has something in it to cause it to 'suds up' (maybe some soap???) to help flush away the dirt after the detergent has penetrated better than water and soap alone. So a tiny bit of baby shampoo added to the solution is more important as a detergent agent rather than the sudsing part itself, I would think. russ

Baby shampoo, or detergent, is a "surfactant'... It cuts the water tension & allows the water to run off (or, in the case of leather,) penetrate the leather more evenly than without it. Years ago, when we printed photos in darkrooms, we would use a Kodak product called 'photoflo' (or 'photo-flo' or 'photo flo'- I don't remember anymore- but you can still probably get it). It was a detergent (i.e., surfactant), and as such, allowed water to run off the freshly washed prints, negatives or slides in sheets, rather than in beads, thereby allowing them to air dry without water spots. The same thing goes for using surfactants in casing solution: they allow better penetration. By itself, it, I believe, has less to do with reducing drag than does the NFO or lexol. But it permits greater & more uniform penetration & this is a definite advantage when trying to case less than ideal carving leather. Soap, btw is NOT a detergent. russ

Ray: I feel so blessed: I have decent coverage through the employer I retired with. When my wife retires, she will have no medical coverage, except through my plan & the 'wellness coverage' she is putting money toward to purchase upon her retirement. My one son has fair coverage through his employer & the other has it through the military. Having said that, the woman for whom I deliver flowers is self employed and cannot afford coverage, so whenever she needs care, she is required to pay the 'suggested list retail price' that the hospitals/doctors/pharmacists tell her she's got to pay... When I became eligible for medicare, my former employer had a list of medicare supplemental plans from which I could choose for my coverage. Some were absolutely atrocious & some were very good, and some were available in my county of residence & some were not. So even in my State, available plans varied from county to county and coverage by coverage. The plan I chose is ranked 5th in the entire US among all available medicare plans, and the coverage is superb. Thank God for a good employer! (There are so few here with good health coverage.) And the Smokies are beautiful & wonderful & I'd like to move there someday. I used to travel there every summer to dig gemstones (ruby, sapphire, garnet, aquamarine [and further east, emeralds]). russ

Definitely photoshopped photo- this picture does lie!

Marlon: I took a drill bit & drilled out the hammer handle & then inset the blade pack & filled the space with epoxy, but you could simply drill out with a larger bit & use a piece of very thin vegtan (+or- 2 oz or so) as a collar to hold the pack in place. I have done the same to hold 3 linotype letters in place to initial some of the small things I make (stuff that's too small for a makers stamp). They are set in the other end of the same tack hammer handle, and they are removable when the letters do wear down after a long period of stamping. I was just trying something quick & dirty... so go ahead & turn one on your lathe- but just use leather to hold in place rather than epoxy. And thanks for the tip about stropping the hairblades. I'll try that on my homemade double ended hairblade tool: (but what color rouge did you use? I have red, white & ZAM available) russ

Tom: the line looks like a range scar or scratch, where the animal scratched an itch on barbed wire or a fence. As long as it is not an actual break in the leather it is salvageable ('a characteristic of genuine leather', you can tell the recipient). You can use a matting tool or a background tool over the entire outside of the design to minimize it after you've finished your tooling. Good luck with your back, Tom. I feel for you. Stay positive & don't give up! russ

Marlon: I don't think they would be sharpened, just like the basic standard hairblades that fit into a swivel knife can't be sharpened or stropped easily. They are applied with a very light touch, just enough to make hair or feather impressions/cuts in the leather & as a result would last for a very long time, unlike a regular swivel knife blade or xacto blade, which is meant to cut deeply into the leather. Also because the area covered by a group of blades together is much greater than a single blade, any force is spread out over that area rather than concentrated into a single point. You are essentially using the tips, rather than the whole blade, to scribe, rather than deeply cut lines in the leather. The only one of the Hidecrafter ones I had ever seen mounted in a swivel knife came in a protective case, so I guess the answer is to make a sheath of sorts to protect the tips (makes sense, also- you don't want this thing rolling around loose somewhere where it could hurt you more than you can hurt it.). russ If you need to replace it, I guess you make another, or you force-fit into the handle rather than use epoxy to mount the blade pack. Or, you could follow Hiloboy's model & use a spare exacto handle. Actually, I did use an extra xacto handle (medium) to mount 2 swivel knife hairblades (1 coarse, 1 fine lined) in imitation of tandy's double hairblade tool- I simply drilled out the solid end to the right depth & used a thin piece of leather as a force-fit collar around each blade shaft.