whinewine

If you go to any good gun shop/gunsmithing place, they will probably carry shooting rests for target practice/sighting in your rifle. Some are fancy (aluminum, clamps, high tech, etc) & some are very basic, made of heavy cowhide splits that you fill with sand yourself. Look over a set of these to get an idea of construction methods. I don't believe they are lined with anything, as they need to be very flexible to take on the shape of what you are fitting into them (the various rifle barrels & stocks) & they are of a heavy enough weight that you don't need to worry about sand coming out. (Of course, since you're in the UK, your choices of gunsmiths/gun shops are probably quite limited- how very stupid of me...). In that case, google things like: gun rests, shooting rests, sandbag, or google gun shops, gunsmiths, gunsmithing supplies, shooting supplies & the like, then check out those websites for the rests. I'm sure you'll find some useful data from which you can develop the appropriate sandbag for your wife. I do hope this can help a little bit. russ

My name is russ holzer & whinewine is for what my younger son would do occasionally (whine) [& what I do on occasion, too, when stupidity tries to rule over reason] & for what I used to make in fair quantities (wine) [and beer, too]. Ergo: Whinewine...

Thank you also for the pdf. russ

Very definitely neat!!! russ

I bought some 1-1/2 qt canteens on ebay- they are the round (I guess you'd call them the 'western' style, as opposed to the military-type canteens) ones that can be hung from a saddle. They have the opening on the side, NOT on the top. Does anyone have patterns for them so I can cover them in leather? Actually I need the outside patterns and any variations [- I can do the tooling/stamping patterns myself (although any & all carving/stamping patterns would be appreciated, too). ] I'm in a rush right now to get stuff ready for shows & I don't have all that much time to screw around with making the patterns from scratch. Thanks, all. russ

I bought 3 cores on ebay from Desert High Leather (hello, are you part of the site??? If so, please let me know, OK...). They are very nice, but I am looking for any canteen patterns (preferably stamping-type patterns- but I'll accept carving patterns, also) that I can use to cover & decorate these covers. Does anyone have patterns (including outside dimensions, too) for the western-type canteen, [the round one, with the filler on the side, NOT the top]??? Thank you in advance. russ

Wolve: a] oxalic acid is sold as a dry powder labeled as wood bleach at various lumber/hardware stores (just read the label to make doubly sure). b] If I'm not mistaken, I don't believe neatlac is compatible with antique, neither with the newer fiebings (garbage, IMO) shoe polish-type antiques, nor the older fiebings turpentine-based antiques. c] I do not have a clue whether or not the water-based eco-flo antiques are compatible with neatlac. I haven't used them. d] Fiebings tan-kote is mixable with fiebing's antiques (at least, the newer, shoe polish antiques), in a ratio of, I believe, 20% tan-kote, 80% antique. (But then, it's NOT waterproof... nor is the straight antique waterproof, either. It says so right on the label.) I hope this helps a little. russ

Yesss! I did it! I figured it out! Now I'll have to wait till my son comes by to upload the picture 'cause I'm too stooopid to figure this out for myself. russ

Ok, I stopped what I was doing to screw around with some scrap. Maybe it'll work, maybe not...

Just speculation- (I'm busy making stuff for 2 upcoming shows- if I get time, I'll try to make one)- I'd say, a leather washer, soaked & stretched on the narrow end & shrunk a bit on the wide end...

Not to hijack this thread, but don't forget Tim Russert, too- fair, balanced, honest- a straight shooter also What's the old song... "Only the good die young"...? russ

Yes, Tom, it is similar (perhaps the same thing formulated for spraying- Fiebings makes a lot of Tandy's products). I use it instead of the supershene on top of the water based eco flo products- otherwise. the supershene will cause the eco flo stuff to run and/or splotch unless sprayed. Standard supershene will clog sprayers & airbrushes if one tries to spray it on full strength- so if I gotta use a water based finish over a waterbased dye or antique, I'll use the fiebings spray. russ

I like mine, once I figured out its limitations. Shortly after I got mine, I tried to adjust it to sew light weight leather & ended up getting it all out of adjustment. The support staff at Tippmann are superb & helped me get it back into adjustment & I've kept it set that way ever since. It'll sew 4 oz & up++ consistently with no other major adjustments. Mine is an aluminum model that was a new (but out of warranty) machine & came with the bench, extra bobbins, the edge guide, 2 different presser feet & some other extras, all for a reasonable price. (For the very lightweight stuff & garment leather that I occasionally and rarely need to sew, I picked up an old model 6270 Viking Husqvarna which absolutely will handle that- 2 speed, lots of torque and inexpensive, built to last, all metal.)

Man, what a shame! I had the pleasure of watching one of his performances here in little ole Altoona several years ago. Very sharp, very intelligent guy. He had gone far away from his famous oxymorons ('JUMBO shrimp') and the 'hippy dippy weatherman' persona that many people remember, into a lot of very, very dark humor & satire. Pissed off a lot of people who were looking for that kind of image & many people walked out of his performance because it 'SHOCKED' them... Huh? George Carlin 'shocking' people???

You can also go to the hardware store & buy a piece of threaded black iron pipe (used for natural gas line in houses). Slip it over the end & you have instant additional leverage. Auto mechanics have used this trick for years when needing extra leverage in breaking loose stuck lug nuts on wheels. russ

John: the composition of supershene is such that, while it appears to flow like water, & is water based, it WILL clog spray equipment, from preval sprayers to airbrushes. Trust me. I know. From experience! Try the spray version (I know fiebings makes a spray version - leather shene, I believe it's called... I am not sure [& don't think so] that tandy has a spray version of supershene). Anytime I need to use a supershene-type liquid over a water-based anything, like eco-flo stuff (or something that neatlac isn't recommended for, like antique, or cova colors), I'll use the spray version by fiebings.

Congrats! It's great to be able to get into a job that you love (if you can- most people don't have that opportunity, unfortunately).

Very nice, Murse! Good job. russ (I'm glad to have been a little help to you.)

Regis: that is a nice selection, especially of the croc. russ

There is also the kneecap, which also has a different characteristic pattern than the other parts. Incidentally, the legs themselves have a very dinosaurian scale pattern which makes them very suitable for sheaths. When I buy legs, I always request that the kneecap be included, if at all possible. russ

They do look like mink, roo. I don't know if they are legal or not in Australia. In the US & other places, they are farm raised for their pelts. You'd need to check with the part of your government that deals with importing things like, tail of mink, wing of bat, eye of newt, etc...

Chris: my own preference would be to do a 2 piece seat (1 for the top, 6-7 oz or thereabouts & 1 single piece of 3-4 oz for the sides). It's easier & looks cleaner & less cluttered. While I can't speak for Outcast & Beezachoppa, I believe they would also opt for the same construction. There are posts throughout showing pictures of construction techniques, works in progress & finished seats. Check out posts under the names. russ

Atx: the top is not a problem- the sides are what need to be stretched, pulled, molded, fit in order to be nicely tucked underneath. That's why I used thinner veg-tan for the sides- that's why my caution about the alligator sides- will they stretch? can they be molded? Or will you need to sew on a piece of thin veg-tan below the alligator, just so you can wet/stretch fit it under the seat in order to be fastened? If it's embossed VEG-TAN alligator, & thin enough, you can probably do the wet/stretch... Again, it certainly can be done, & once it's done, you'll say, wow! lookin' good- i did that! But for your first, you'll have a lot of second thoughts & gut-wrenchers until it's finished. And once it's done (done being the operative term), you'll say to yourself- 'it wasn't that bad'. good luck. don't be discouraged but keep your eyes open about this. russ

Atx: check out the previous posts by Outcast & by Beezachoppa to get an idea of how to construct a similar seat. The only difference would be the sewing vs the lacing. I've also done a similar seat & I have a few posts, also, on its construction. As far as using the vinyl as a pattern, well, good luck... I can't speak for all vinyl seats, but when I tore the one I did apart, I found out that the plastic was stretched & no matter what I did, I couldn't get the pieces to lie flat. I used hair dryers & a heat gun & still couldn't get it flat. At that point, I thought "OMG, I'm screwed! The seat's in pieces & now I gotta make my own pattern" (which Outcast definitely walked me through the process). I don't want to disillusion you, but just expect some surprises & think this out well and thoroughly. For the sides I used 3-4oz veg-tan, which, when wet, will mold nicely around the curves- I don't know if the alligator will mold when wet. If not, you may have problems with the fitting around the curves. It's a big project, but it can be done. Check out all the posts first, though to get an idea of what's involved. good luck russ

Thank you all! I used the Krylon clear (gloss) this morning: no runs, no bleed through- the gold color shines beautifully.