whinewine

If it cannot be sewn on a home sewing machine, it can be hand-stitched. I've used an overstitch wheel (5, 6 or 7) to mark the holes on the part that will overlap (the top part of the seam). Tandy makes an inexpensive sewing hole punch with #00 replaceable tubes. You can use that to punch the sewing holes on the overlapping part. Use rubber cement to align the overlapping with the underlapping part, and use a pointed object (awl, or needle or some such) to mark hole positions on the underlapping part, using the previously punched holes as a guide. Take apart, punch holes in the underlapping seam, realign the holes and hand sew using appropriate thread & hand sewing needles. I know this sounds complicated, but it really isn't. Good luck on your project.

Yes, it is done with a heat tool. As I said before, it is my very first attempt at pyrography.

Here is a small section of the banner, showing only the pyrography. I havent rotated it to a vertical position ('cause I don't know how- it took me long enough how to figure to post it here- [assuming I actually did it correctly]). I don't know if they will use the article. As I said, it is in submission stage & I'm waiting to hear. Russ

I presently have an article in for submission to Leathercrafter's Journal on creating a hanging business banner: it is meant as a visual advertisement to show off a few of my leatherworking skills and incorporates pyrography, carving and embossing on several different panels sewn onto a suede hide. This was my very first attempt at pyrography, and I plan to experiment further, but right now, I'm really strapped for time & have other commitments. Btw, the maps are really quite neat!

My sincere condolences to you. It's hard to let go, even though you know it's for the best. Last year we had to put our 18 year old cat, Kelly (because she was a 'kellyco cat') to sleep because of kidney failure & on October 20th of this year we put down our 17-1/2 year old dog, Goober. (He would be the equivalent of an 85 year old man and was deaf as a stone, and could only make out shapes, but thank goodness didn't have the terrible arthritis affliction that many dogs suffer.) He did suffer a stroke that day & his organs were shutting down, so I made that decision, as hard as it was to let him go. He was a good dog, and he did his job well- he protected his boys (our two sons).

Are you talking about the punch I refer to as "The Starship Enterprise": it has a circular disc with various sized holes & rotates, but the round spear-shaped top stays in position? If so, the top round spear- shaped item (puncher, to use your words) should not be bent sideways. It is meant to be removable & screws in & out for replacement, so it must be straight. If it was bent so that it can match up with all the rotating holes in the bottom plate, then I'd have to say you have a seriously misaligned frame. If it only matches up with 1 or 2 holes, your 'puncher' is bent. In either case, return it. Go on tandy's website & look up the illustration of the punch. You can get a fairly decent idea of how it should look. It is difficult to judge without having pictures (& closeups, at that) to see. My descriptions may not make sense, either, especially if this is not the problem you're trying to describe, so if I'm wrong in what I'm visualizing, I apologize. Inherently, they are well made punches, however, as with everything, things can go awry. My son had purchased a punch and after several weeks, one of the handles snapped off: obviously the casting was weak in that area. I've never had a problem with mine.

Has anyone a clue what a 'rope roll belt' is? Hidecrafters has a video on 'rope roll belt making' on sale for $5.00, & I'd like to know what this is exactly. If anyone has a picture, I'd like to see it. Thanks in advance. Russ

tandy does have a craftaid that helps in laying out various regular, repetitive designs. The number is #76600-00 ($5.99 ea) & it is listed as a geometric grid craftaid. Because it lays out a grid, it may be useful also in helping with a basketweave, although it specifically is designed to help properly align three sizes of craftool stamps (#69008, 69009 & 69011)). I hope this helps a little.

During the '70s, Tandy Corporation (separate from, and the parent company of, Tandy leather Company) acquired a bunch of different companies, among them Color Tile. The stock was split several times & while the shares increased, unfortunately, the values tended to go down.

I like. A lot!

However, you can write for permission to use their logo. A copy machine can enlarge or reduce any image.

What I had been told by another manager is that the tooled items that show off the latest kits in Tandy stores as finished displays have actually been tooled in China. When I commented on the tooling on one of the items (the tooled travel cup), I was told that is where it was done. The tooling on the various items does vary in quality, if you do take the time to compare. While I think the rotating calculator is pretty ingenious, I am turned off by the rest of the folio. I think the leather looks too 'plastic-y' ... To me, it looks like a nice quality vinyl folio, rather than a distinctive leather folio, with all the distinctive quirks in the leather we'd expect. Likewise, the finished black belts are exactly that= finished. You can't tool them, anymore than you can tool TLC's motorcycle accessories & bags. All you can do is assemble them, or punch holes & put conchos or bling-bling on. While the quality is nice, I don't think it is a particularly good trend for Tandy to follow. I attended one of those 'thunder in the mountains' (or valley, or plains, or whatever) motorcycle get-together functions and saw basically the same general stuff- non tooled, black & with conchos or bling-bling added, for a lot less $$$ than TLC is selling the kits for. Granted, the quality probably isn't there, but if it looks the same & is a lot less $, guess what the biker's going to spend his money on?

Because of the possibility of the felt or cotton batting losing loft & flattening because of weight, this is why I recommended the use of the neoprene foam camera strap as padding: it will not flatten and will support a tremendous amount of weight. When I did professional photography shoots on location, I would carry a camera case loaded with 15 to 20 lbs of equipment slung on my shoulder supported by one of these straps. I think a portion of foam camera strap used as inner padding, possibly skived toward the edges, would provide for a comfortable padding.

You could use foam, or cotton batting (from a fabric shop, or from an upholstery shop). You don't need a lot, so an upholstery shop could get you scrap stuff for filling for very little $$$. If you have a source for the neoprene strap material that is used for camera straps (stretchy, resilient, about 1/8'' or 3/16'' thick & won't lose its loft over time), this would be ideal. Check out walmart for neoprene camera straps- they're pretty reasonably priced & you may only need a little for the strap padding, in which case, you have additional stuff for the next padded strap. Whatever- you need to factor the strap into the final cost. If walmart doesn't know what you're looking for, go to a camera shop- they could at least show you what they look like so you can go back to wallyworld & find it. The neoprene needs to be sandwiched between your top piece & an underside piece of leather (suede is a good choice, cause it doesn't slip as easily as would a piece of smooth leather. Glue the 2 pieces of leather together & handsew (unless you have the luxury of machine sewing)

Very, very nice work! Interesting style of sheath. I like it.

Nice Work, Clay!

Concerning horse meats & horse slaughter... Just a little aside: when I was stationed temporarily at the Philadelphia Naval Station awaiting assignment (1969) the chow hall there served, in addition to its regular meal swill, hamburgers... I used to joke that they were made of grease & gristle- the gristle is what held the grease together & the grease is what allowed it to go down. Years later I read that they were fined for serving and passing off kangaroo as beef hamburger patties!

And happy Thanksgiving to all the members & their families, and you and yours, Johanna. Russ

I have always bought kits (from Tandy & others) and used them to make patterns, before I assembled them, to make more (& more suitable) items. Some of my best sellers are made from patterns I made from long discontinued kits. What's old is new again!

Just my 2 cents worth: the Craftools all used to be made by hand, so the quality varied from tool to tool, depending upon the skill of the person doing the engraving/cutting/finishing. Today, they are all supposed to be made by computerized machines (or so I 've been told by a Tandy manager). Guess what: the quality is still almost as variable as when they were made by hand! There are tools with good impressions & there are tools with awful impressions. The bottom line is: if you can personally try each tool in the particular series till you find one that you particularly like, that is the ultimate. (I have a Craftool B198 beveler that I use exclusively & would not part with for any amount of money- it just works fantastically). This goes equally for Craftool, Hidecrafter Pro series & Craft Japan. The quality is NOT equal. If you have the option of trying, do it! The yardsale thing is a good deal, too. I bought a bag of 5 tools, some of which are no longer made... and the only duplicate to the tool I already own had a much finer impression, so that's the one I'll use. And yes, the high end tools are really nice, but they tend to be 'niche' tools: they fill a need that the commonly available cheaper tools can't fill. I saw Robert Beard in action with all his tools at the IFoLG show in Butler, PA, and WOW! He has designed a tool for seemingly EVERY need! I also purchased a Barry King modeler which fiils a need not commonly available in other ball modelers (the ends are massive & will emboss smoother, faster & easier than standard ball modelers). I also tried out the Hidecrafter Pro-series there & played with many, many tools till I found 2 steep bevelers that I liked.

I don't like the life-eye needles for standard, flat lacing, simply because the needles are much bigger than lacing slits. I prefer the flat needles, and yes, they are a PITA. However, for me, the flat needles go in much easier. (I have my own system of not letting go of the lace- I put the needle between my teeth while I pull the lacing taut.) I use only the larger life-eyes (or Perma-loks, as they are now known) for the latigo- type laces; however, the smaller ones I do use for the round 2mm lacing. Something that works for me is to dip the cut tip of the lace into fly head cement & let dry before screwing it on to the lace. It stiffens the tip which helps it to screw onto the life-eye & seems to help prevent the lace from pulling out of the life-eye as easily & also helps to prevent the lace from breaking off at the needle.

Thank you. I have decided to go ahead & purchase the Boss (in payments, so it's manageable). For what I can afford to spend, and what I want to spend, it seems like the best deal. I don't want electric at this point: I need to be able to know how to learn to sew manually (before I'd want to zip off the end of the project with electric). If I don't like it, I can always sell it on ebay for what I paid for it. Plus the bench itself can be used to attach my rivet/snap setter/embossing machine. When I do finally pay it off & have it in my possession, I will most definitely email you and take you up on your offer of how to tweak it. Again, thanks to you and thanks to all who gave their valued input. Believe me, it is appreciated. Russ

Years ago, I got a used manual machine. I don't remember WHAT it was, or WHO made it. It looked like a huge Singer (my grandmother had a treadle Singer that looked like it, but was much, much smaller). It had no instructions & no manual. Bottom line is that I had nothing but problems with it (broken needles, skipped stitches, ... who knows what else- I don't remember, it was so long ago)- got rid of it in a heartbeat. I hate handsewing (if I'm busy) & I don't trust an electric machine. I need to have full, conscious control & I'd rather learn on a fully manual machine that works well & HAS A MANUAL or VIDEO to guide me along. That means a lot.

The $1300 is for the Boss & bench, he wants $1000 for the Boss alone [which is $200 less than Tandy's price]

For $1300, I can get a new (but out of warranty) machine with standard package (with all that comes in the standard package) + video + 2 extra bobbins (4 total) + the centerfoot presser attachment + a cobbler's bench with mounting platform (looks like a stitching horse but has a mounting platform for the boss). For me, it is a substantial chunk of $$$: I retired last year and decided to get back into leatherwork after 35+- years. I'm teaching my son to carve. We've done a Celtic wine & music festival and a first year Renfaire (that went bust) this year & I've put out a pretty large outlay into leather & supplies & plan to spend the winter making stuff.