bluesman1951

For the caviar of leather tools explore the site at www.goodsjapan.com Simon will treat you like royalty and you will satisfied beyond words with everything you buy . Cant say enough good things about them .

Thanks for your words! I dont believe there are greater or lesser compliments in the end we are all equal some how . Every ones opinion matters and is important . When I make a new product I test market it first ,showing to as many people in as short a time as I can looking for honest opinions . My favorite test group is women espically ones who do not know me or any thing about leather ,they are brutaly honest (LOL) and if no one say "How Cute " the product is dead on arrival ,will never sell . Why this is I have yet to figure out ,but 25 years of experience has convinced me this is etched in stone .Your opinions are valuable your input is welcome and your participation will be aplauded ! Here in New Mexico the bar for artists is very high no doubt about it the talent level is superb in all mediums pottery ,leather ,silver the list is endless . One never knows who's hand you will be shaking on any given day . Beating one's own drum is considered tasteless and those who are full of them selves are soon forgotten . Deep down we all are aware that these talents are a gift from the creator and not sharing them blocks the flow and delays gifts we might be reciving ourselves . I try to donate the proceeds from one product I produce to make the world a better place keeping only the money to get another hide and repeat . Iam very set on helping : www.smiletrain.com if you take a moment and look you can see why . So thanks for reading ,have a great day and may all your projects turn out as well as you dreamed they would . It must have a little love to be finished and your time is worth something so sign your work . That makers mark says you cared enough to put your name on it . Gives your customer a bonus if you ever get famous LOL !!! All my very best Bill

Thanks I am honored sir by your words . Bill

I like this a lot . Very nicely done ! Trying to find words to describe it so I ll go with my first impressions : Bright , warm ,friendly ,happy ,timeless ,well loved . This belongs in the hands of a very special person . Over all it just has a warm friendly look to it . Just guessing but its my feeling that you have put a bunch of yourself into this work . The love shows . Ill bet you are a right interesting charcter . Thanks for showing us this work . Made me smile and go back to the bench thinking I am lucky to know some vey talented people . My sincere compliments on time well spent . Bet you get a nice smile from your customer when it gets delivered . Well Done !

That may be true ,(the response thing )but we can all do better all we have to do is say yes and begin . I intend to inspire a little country store atmosphere here every one can pull up a chair and get closer to the stove and talk leather or life . No reason not to make the world a better place . Drop me a message say hello ask a question and I ll give it my best effort to respond . I would like you try the deep end of the pool ,just jump in . Advise : When you start to smell feet stop ! (Dont insert foot in mouth) LOL ! That has worked just fine for me for some years now .

Some times there arent words to decribe the thousand early mornings at the flea market in bitter cold waiting for customers. The realization that some one has taken a nice piece from your table without paying for it . Then there is the thousand Pow Wows where you put up a table ,the different cultures and manners you must learn on the fly . There is an awakening when you are in the heart of the Apache res at a Pow Wow selling Native music and you are the only White face there. LOL Had a good time made friends and got invited back as well . how do you explain that ? After a quater century of having tables at flea markets all over and the wholesalers in Gallup how does one put that in words . Just way to hard to explain in a few words .Every one is welcome here and I dont believe there is a COOL group at least I hope there is not . I dont tool anything so my comments are limited to my thinking : 1.) Would I ask this person to put some of their work on my project ? 2.) Would I buy this ? 3.) Could I sell this to one of my customers ? 4.) Can I see this in my friends saddle shop ? 5.) What is the competition like for this project ,how does it measure up ? 6.) Is what I am looking at STORE SHELF READY ? After that my intrest is who made it and why . There simply has to be some measure of love in a project for it to be complete . Its my feeling that if you have some leather on the bench or a tool in your hand we are already friends . Simple as that . Leather has been good to me ,for me it has given me my freedom from a real job for 25 years it has fed me ,given me a measure of respect ,made tons of friends , given me the ability to help a ton of kids its kept me at peace and there has not been a single day I sat at the bench that I did not wish to be better at my craft . Iam grateful for the memories and who ever ends up with my tools when I am done I hope you enjoy them as much as I have . So to all my new friends Thanks . I have enjoyed all your words and comments . lets rember to be kind to each other and I would like all to listen just once to Keb Mo's "Better Man " on you tube then try to live alittle each day by those words . Make the world a better place .

Migthy fine work sir ! Who would think a perfect edge would be so elusive. I have used a magic marker to fix some spots on my work when this happens . That aside ,the stitching is perfect ,overall look very SHARP and CRISP ! I was struck by the shape of the bag its very appealing . It takes very good dimensions to make a bag work . Just a 1/2 inch in any direction changes everything . In my opinion you have nailed it on the size (Perfect) This is without a doubt leather craft taken to its highest level . You have done with leather what Beethoven did to music ! I am impressed ! Thank you for posting your work . This needs to be sitting on the WOW ! shelf in the leather hall of fame if there is one . I am grateful to you for showing me this ,if I had another life time I might get close to this level . Thanks ! Bill

Call me impressed !!!!! I would like to join the others in a big round of applause ! Not a single extra stroke ,elegant refined ,classy ,very nice . One and only comment : Work this good needs to signed period . So my friend where is your makers mark ? LOL Seriously its not done till its signed or stamped . My most sincere compliments on time well spent . I would be in traction for a week from patting myself on the back if I did this . LOL ! This is a new level of craftsmanship one to aspire to . Yes indeed Ill stand and applaud this with enthusiam ! Well done !!!!!! Bill

Well done ,now you are getting a small taste of things ,doing the shows . Just relax if you need a chair its a slow show LOL ! If its a good show you arent going to be sitting down . No time for that . Keep your money organised when the bills get to be too many divide it in half and put it away in another pocket. Dont pull a big wad of money out ,never know who is watching . Above all have some fun and enjoy . Its a grind sometimes ,watch the veterans they have the set up and tear down to a minimum effort ,see what works and make it your own . If you have a good show it will be days before your feet touch the ground so I wish you well with this . Cant wait to hear the story after you are done . All my very best Bill

I cant stand being obligated by having money up front . Most of the time I make what I please and then go sell it ,there is always a fall back position so what ever I made sells . This is not one of my regular customers so some rough spots are expected . Here being nice is a sign of weakness. You either keep your word or the deal is off and any money payed in advance is forfit . No exceptions . Its one of those days when the shop is in way too big of a mess things arent working and if there was money and a place to go I would run away from home . Way to much of everything today . Thanks for the advise ! I am at the bench 15 hrs a day most days time for time away from that . Bill

They sell a wavy blade for the rotary cutter at the fabricstores . Use the Olfa model as it holds up better . Heads up to all people using the rotary cutters the blades will not interchange from model to model . Pecker woods went propitery on the shaft thickness so blades wont cross from one model to another . You have to buy the blade for your model . Hope this helps . Bill

Thats sad very sad indeed .I am sitting here waiting on call to make a delivery . Work has been done for a week and the buyer is a putz so I am waiting to be payed . If that fool dont get his act together Ill sell it to some one else and he can wait a month or so till I feel like making it again . I am getting real sick of the song and dance . I used to like this now its a business and I want the money so I have to perform . Tired of being the dancing monkey doing a jig for pennies . I have maybe 5 years left before I cant do this any more . I have threatened to walk away many times and I must say I am looking forward to my last day at the bench . I was under the delusion that if you got really good things got a lot better . You just gave me a big reality check with your words . Thank You ! If its still tuff when doing your quality of work perhaps I should see about food stamps as it appears my future is a bit dark . My work is a long way from yours . I am grateful for your response and your honesty it will change my direction for sure . Bill

This is only a opinion: I think you are trying too many elements at the same time. Focus on them one at a time. The edging is the simplest and yet the one with most things to do . There is no substitute for a good clean edge well dyed . The sayin :"Less Is more" applys with many projects . Keeping it simple is often the best course . I am reminded of those old Kung Fu movies where the student shows up at the temple and says to the master : I dont have a lot of time forget the basics and just show me all the cool stuff .LOL . Believe it or not we all start in the same basic place with our projects as a fellow artist I honour the time you spent at the bench . I am at a loss for words ,that dont happen often , I guess it can be summed up in less ,slower ,cleaner and simple. Bill

I came to see this and I did . Not being a carver I am not qualified to say a single word with this . Looks cool colour is good I would not mind it on one of my bags . Beyond that all I can say is thanks for showing it I am grateful you took the time to share . Bill

Welcome ! Glad you are here ! Pull up a stool and join in . Bill

First impression : Wow !!!!!!!! Nicely done ! Superb work ! Now thats the way it should be done ! Funny how one stroke of the hammer can change a life ,sending this from your belt to that of another . Perhaps it was meant to be and you were but the instrument to make it possible ! One never knows why things happen the way they do . I can see the love of your craft in your work ,mighty fine work .

This a labour of love and it shows ! Mighty fine work both on the bike and the bags . My compliments well done .

HMMMMMMMMMMMMM So many views and no words , hard to make a good comment when you arent quite done . Posting this picture is a tiny bit premature . Things to think about : on the handle with the gusset issue perhaps attaching it on the back would work using the same set up you have .On the flap straps (personal opinion only) I would have sewed them on and perhaps moved both just a bit more towards the center . Cuttin the fastners and sewing them on works if they are perfect hard to do by hand a clicker die is the only way . So using a slot punch and concealing the fastner is perhaps a better way . (opinion) I find that my first choice is not always my best choice so I often cut a few choices (Flap staps )different widths and put them where they might be on the bag and just look at them for a bit and take a break and then decide .Sounds like you made all your holes both sides and then assembled thats not the way to do this (Smile) I can imagine all the counting .Trust me there is a better way . As a fellow artist I respect the time and effort you spent on this ,its not going to fall to pieces and will give good service ,no doubt . As a learning lesson it will be a invaluable tool sort of a before and after picture thing . The dimensions are good and that is a big plus bag simply will not work with out that . If you send me a PM I'll offer some solutions for attaching your d rings that you might enjoy . You posted this looking for feed back and opinions so for better or worse these are mine . My advise : Finish your edges burnish them and see what it looks like then . Call this a test ,trial run or what ever ,get as much feed back as you can ,in other words let others design your next piece use their input . Then go back to the bench and use what this one taught you and begin again . My compliments on a very fine effort . I hope you take my words in the manner they were given kindness. Thats the purpose of feed back to improve . Send me a PM and I will help in any way I can . Some one should make a clicker die for all those fastners and just sell the rest of us all those pieces nicely done in a bag for our projects . Maybe thats a job for me ???? Bill

Sorry I thought I could find the solution in my library of chaps pictures . So far no luck ,there is a cowboy ,ranch feed store here in town later this week Ill take my camera ,get on the bus and take a ride to that store and take a bunch of chap pictures . There is a saddle repair shop in the same area and I will stop and speak with my friend there about the best way to do this . next I have a friend that lives way across town takes all day on the bus I,ll go vist him and pick his brain about this he lives on a ranch where they raise fancy race horses . maybe I can get him to make a drawing of a nice solution to this fastneing problem . Thats why I asked for a couple of days to solve this . Replying here lets me upload 1 picture ,a email lets me send lots of pictures thats why I asked for that . I am old maybe a little off my rocker but generally there is a reason for every thing I do . To quote some one I admire : If at first you dont suceed,just use more duc tape ! (Red Green) When I solve this rest assured I will share with all . Bill

Hi from New Mexico. Welcome . I am very intrested in your tool making skills . Using something along the lines of Tandys snap setter I wish to create a press that will cut uniform perfectly spaced holes for cartridge loops in gun belts . Should have a moveable fence for different size belts . Something to index the space beween the holes adjustable for different sized cartridges . Depending on the price I am okay with one tool for one job . I am thinking also of removable tools and multi purposed for other hole making operations . Is this possible ? Bill

Jason ,I can find you a solution for this complete with pictures ,send me a email and I will get back with you shortly . Bill

Some time ago I pitched some of my work at a fancy mens clothing store,the place where expensive lawyers buy a $1,000 suit . gave me a reality check my stuff is okay but in reality not okay enough for that store . Oh well back to the bench and try again . I would like to say that your card holders are what that shop keeper was looking for . Thats the level of superb craftsmanship that his customers expected . My compliments ! Some days you have to say to your self : If i cant see that in the hands of a $1,000 per hour lawyer ,why am I making it ? That market is out there and in my opinion your work would fit right in . Over the years I have seen truck loads of stuff so I am hard to impress ,been searching for the right words to close this ,so here goes: Simple ,Elegant ,Refined ,Classy , Stamped and signed with out a single extra stoke . Nuff said good as it gets . I would most likely sprain my arm patting myself on the back if something like that came off my bench . LOL Time to go back to the bench shift to a lower gear and try harder . Simply put : I am inspired ! Thanks for showing us your work ! APPLAUSE !!!!!!!!!

Very nice ,well done . I have one question : When one achives a master level of craftsmanship does life get any easier in this trade . This is as good as any factory stuff I mean that as a compliment its just plain good . My question is does it put enough money in the wallet to live like a master of your craft ? My compliments on some very fine projects . Bill

There is no substitute for a good pattern and some 4 spaces to a inch graph paper . I use dividers for hole spacing for stitching and lacing helps a lot with lay outs . My rule is : A perfect pattern makes a perfect product ,no exceptions no deviations period . I can buy lots of paper and erasers leather is a bit more expensive and a lot less forgiving than paper . Depending on the inside construction and gluing I believe with a rotary cutter and a straight edge the uneven stitch line could be cut off and a new attempt made with holes . It appears that there is enough margin to pull this off with out affecting seriously the dimensions . Some days at the bench are just better than others ,this is still possible to save . Now between you and me I have a vision problem and need glasses to work ,think for a moment is the focus of the camera and a wandering straight line related in some way ? LOL Perhaps some reading glasses would improve the situation ,I know it did for me . Best of luck with this and thank you for showing us your work . Bill

HMMMMMMMMMMMMMM All very interesting solutions . Any one who does ballroom dancing knows there is a wire brush designed to rough up the soles on dance shoes for traction on the floor. This is used not to remove material but simply to remove the polish from the shoe bottoms . Amazing how many ways there are to solve a problem . As a former dry waller I cant imagine useing a Sur form rasp on leather ,but I learn something every day . Bill