jstrm1

I have lurked around here long enough. I really enjoy reading about you and your various posts. I just determined that tonite I was gonna say something "about me", good, bad or indifferent. I guess most importantly, I came to work at this craft in 1976 while I was doing consecutive 15 year sentences in NC & GA. Most of the guys in the joint were broke as convicts but the guys in the leather business were makin' it, at least. I cashed in some bonds I had, bought the leather & tools to get started and 5 years later I had 20-30 guys working for me, mostly making bilfolds. I had guys cutting, guys tooling, guys dyeing, guys gluing up interiors and a bunch of guys lacing. I paid almost everyone in cigerettes and little Debbie cakes. I sold alot of biker stuff , made Sam Browne gear for cops, tooled alot of handbags, guitar straps so I guess that makes me a saddle maker, belts & buckles, hats, visors, cigerette cases, saddle bags, tool rolls & bags and pretty much you name it. I even made a few of those little saddle lamps The word no was not in my vocabulary. In the joint we had a saying " I've done so much, with so little, for so long that I think I can do anything at all, in no time at all,. with absolutely nothing at all.

Got saved by the Grace of God in '79, got out in '81 and only picked up the leather tools a few times since then. In 2002 I got hit by a car, run over by a truck and lived to tell about it. Praise God! Anyway, now I'm gimped up (from the wreck), have developed Parkinson's and wanna tool leather again. I'm enclosing a few photos at my meager attempts. It's gonna take some practice to get my stroke back. I'm still po' hustleing for tools; I've made tools outta everything for nails to bolts. Yes, I've read your amazing stories about tool making but I've had to revert back to my old Joint techniques. If you have 2-3 of everything laying around, I can really use some figure carving tools. I never did much with the geometrics but I'd give it a try. Well, how's that for an "about me." Just so's ya know I'm still living hard for God and it's easy.

I've noticed that some of you guys are real touchy but some of you, like Doc Holiday, "the huckleberry' just crack me up.. .Looking forward to new & long relationships, maybe even profitable..