ArtS

He looks so proud of it and happy with it. Great job. Art

Mine was a cigar holder for a friend. Pretty bad. Art

I'm in IT. I was a Network Engineer for BellSouth working on Business internet turnups. Then I was made the manager for the team. Then AT&T bought us. I also went to Art school for commercial art but that was always a side line. I grew up loving animals and our trips to farms. I always begged for a horse ( I wanted to be like my childhood hero Roy Rogers). Never could afford one though until I got out on my own. I got into it big time first working part time on a Dressage manor. I learned a lot there and got free riding lessons. Then I got my first horse - a really green Arabian then another one. I trained and showed them. Took me a few years to realize showing wasn't making me happy. Started trail riding and fell in love with it. When I started riding I didn't have time for the art work any longer. Wife, kids, work and horses just didn't leave much time for it. Then one day I figured if I couldn't really afford the saddle that I wanted I'd make it. I got some tools and a stitching pony at a flea marker and started learning on my own. Then about a year later I got in touch with a saddle maker. Then I really started to learn something and fell in love with leather working and saddle making. I love being able to make my riding friends items that they can use and that I can also use my art background to design. Functional art work!

That was funny! Thanks Art

Tonight I bought a Weller battery powered Soldering Iron from Lowes for $15.97. You can get it on Amazon.com for $11.61 ( http://www.amazon.com/BP645MP-Battery-Powe...s/dp/B000EM98KW ) This works well for cutting your thread instead of using scissors. It heats up in 15 seconds. I was using a battery powered medical catherize tool but this is better and much cheaper. I like it. Just a thought for yawl. Art

I got mine in the mail today and I'm real happy with them. I can't wait to put them to use. Art

Hey folks, I'm just curious who is planning on attending the Hides to Art Workshop in a couple of weeks? I'll be there and I hope to meet some of you face to face. Art

Cool! Art

Really nicely done Elton!!! Art

There is a lot of personal preference with a gun selection. The first one my mother in law got was a semi auto and she couldn't pull the slide back. I told my father in law to return it and get her a revolver. Sounds like your mother is stronger though. I bought my wife a S&W Airweight .39 special revolver with hidden hammer. She likes it. I also added a laser to it (picture included). It's very light weight. It only has 5 shots so you may want to get her a semi auto that holds more. Art

Looks great Tom. How does it connect in the back? Art

Beautiful job! I can't wait to hear how it sells. It looks VERY difficult to make. Is it? Art

Excellent!!! Beautiful work Art

I'm not seeing anything different. Art

Where do you get silver ferrules like this? Thanks, Art

Let us know how much they are please. Thanks, Art

Awesome job! I really like your work. I like that design. How do you treat the rough our seat? Just oil? Top coat? Art

I'd put it in a glass case! Fantastic job. Art

I received these replies from my post on another leather guild site. Very good info. I love it when I learn something (it happens every once in a while). Art Cattle numbers are really not that low. They have been declining for some time now because more people are eating chicken!!! Just like the commercial tells 'em to do. As a point of reference, Jan2009 cattle inventory stood at 94.5 million compared to 96 million last year or down only 2%. Going back 5 and 10 years, Jan 2004 inventory was 94.9 and Jan 1999 was 98.5. Gary An old Ag Economist from VaTech ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Art, It will have little short term effect on leather prices. Those prices seem to be more driven by demand than supply. That demand seems to mostly hinge on orders from the Asian tanners. With sagging auto and furniture sales, the demand will slow for hides processed into upholstery leather. There is yet another glut of dairy cows and many of those cows will coming on the market. Also the US is not the only source for hides globally. Also like most other agriculture commodities, the cost of the raw material is a small part of the final consumer cost. Transportation, processing, and marketing add much more to the final price. Bruce Johnson

I bought the system from Weaver and bought a grinder from Harbor Freight. I reversed the stand and took the stone wheels off and added these. Works well for me. Art

Whats wrong with it? I'm glad you posted. Looks good on her. What kind of dog is she? Looks a little like my dog Bullet (half lab and half boxer) Art Here he is.

You are setting teh bar high in both guns and holsters! Super job. Art

I use one and like it. No close calls yet. I also reversed it so that it rotates away from me and I can hold the blade on top. Art

Coming along really nice! Looking good. Art

Nice job. Looks great. Talk about smooth edges!! Art