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WinterBear

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Everything posted by WinterBear

  1. I have some Singers from around the same era, and wallets might be pushing it, depending on what you plan to do. The Singers I have can sew lightweight vegtan (4-6oz total in 2 or more layers) as long as the temper isn't too hard, and I can sew fabric and lamb/kid skin bindings on 6 oz with them. However, none of my early Singers are motorized, which makes them a little weaker when it comes to sewing difficult materials, but I'm also less likely to damage something if it is overburdened. My strongest machine is a Singer 66 retrofitted with a hand crank, and can sew two layers of 3 oz veg tan, but it will chew up the bottom leather if I go any thicker than that as it isn't a walking foot machine. It sews 2 layers of upholstry leather beautifully though. "Old Iron" domestic machines aren't really made to handle leather and canvas, and can't handle high speeds or heavy threads, but I think they can be used for minor leather work as long as a person is careful not to abuse the machine or force the needle. If you want a true leather machine for heavier leather wallets, belts, or similar, I think you'd need to talk to some of the people here on the forum like Darren (Anne Bonnys Locker) or Wiz for starters.
  2. http://www.pandahallstock.com/article-step-by-step-knots-tutorial-how-to-tie-a-chinese-button-knot-354.html ?
  3. http://www.tandyleatherfactory.com/en-usd/search/searchresults/3005-00.aspx Tandy has an oval punch set.
  4. WinterBear

    Beadwork

    I'd have to play around with this idea some to step down the beads around the curve, but it could be done. I might just have to play with this some when the weather keeps me cooped up and stir crazy in January and February. Oooh, I'd never do a guitar strap or belt, or at least not with that small of a bead. Nobody would ever buy it for the price I'd want to charge, there is too much labor involved in those long strips! Thanks!
  5. WinterBear

    Beadwork

    Hadn't thought of that. Might have to collaborate with someone in that case, especially with a holster, since I don't make those.
  6. WinterBear

    Beadwork

    I'm not sure exactly? I have no idea how long it took me to string the silly thing (first time with this style of loom) for starters. The actually beading was something that I worked on in the evenings and after work before meetings, and I didn't track the time. I got faster as I went along though, unless I was watching a movie at the same time. Towards the end I was spending about 2 hours per repeat when watching a movie, which isn't too bad when you consider each repeat has 1,190 beads and I was looking up all the time.
  7. WinterBear

    Beadwork

    So, I've been talked into making a beaded buckskin shirt, with loom work, thankfully. I don't think I have the patience to lazy stitch this much. This is a strip that will go across the shoulder, front to back, and will be matched with a similar strip that will go down the sleeve, and of course, matched on the other sleeve and shoulder as well. The beads were quite a bit smaller than what I am used to working with, but the end effect is quite worth it, I think. The total strip is around 33 inches long and took some 14,450 beads.
  8. When you do get to the point of wanting one of those old quality round knives, take a look at Bruce Johnson's website (www.brucejohnsonleather.com/ ). He sells old Osborn, Gomph, Rose, and some others, and the tools are clean and come sharp. He also has a lot of other good old tools. Punches, splitters, rounders, gougers, groovers, etc.
  9. Ooh, we've got one at work, it cuts 20 pages at a time. Maybe I could wander into the workroom with a couple of different weights of leather on Monday and let you all know if it works?
  10. I can tell you how they clean old army tents used by the Scouts here. Some of these tents are old army surplus and have been used extensively in all weather for more than 20 years. You can get most of the mud off once its dry by holding the fabric taut and whacking it gently with several long dowels that are the slenderest you can find and that are held loosely in the hand. That way, if you hit too hard, the dowels will break rather than damaging the tent. I don't recommend a carpet beater or a broom as the beater can be too aggressive on woven fabrics and can cause microscopic breaks in the threads. Corn brooms also can cause tears and the bristles can be too abrasive. The mud that doesn't come off by beating can be cleaned off by brushing it off when dry by using a horsehair brush, like a brand new horsehair shoe shine brush that has never touched polish. The bristles are stiff enough to work quite a bit of the crud out of the weave, but not so stiff they will tear up or degrade the threads themselves. Any mud that has worked its way into and between the fibers of the threads will likely leave a stain, and may need careful cleaning and reapplication of the waterproofing. We've had good luck with spot cleaning the stain with a gentle detergent like diluted woolite worked into the stain with the fingers and then by pouring water on just the stain until the water runs clear. The waterproofing we use depends on the tent, tent type, age and material, so it will depend on what was originally used to waterproof your tent, and whether it will need to be brushed, sprayed, soaked, or poured onto the area after it dries.
  11. You do really nice work. What kind of thread do you use for items like these?
  12. Campbell Randall is a company that has been recommended by some of the users here. They carry 1lb spools and ship UPS. http://www.campbell-randall.com/shop/index.php?route=product/search&filter_name=linen
  13. Can you tell us more? There is bound to be someone here who can help. How are you applying the oil? Are you using any kind of applicator? How warm is warm? At what stage of the process are you adding your oil?
  14. Wow, I'm not even going to ask how many hours that took you. That is really a fun and whimsical hat.
  15. I'm glad it went so well. You'll have to write down what went well and what didn't, because I'm certain you'll be asked to do it again when the net batch of boys comes in. Might be for the best that they took the blanks home though. There have been instances where it was easy for the kids to misremember which ones were theirs if they haven't seen them for a week and if the items didsn't have names marked on them, and squabbles broke out. At least this way, they will come with the right ones and leave with the right ones.
  16. Such a shame that it bled, but it is still a beautiful piece of work. The depth on those flowers makes my hands itch to hold it, and I love the little scrolls you cut down the middle ribbon.
  17. Well, that's enough to drive you bonkers for sure. Just call up the nearest store and nag them a bit. If they don't have any in a fair sized piece, message me and nag me a bit, and I'll wander down to mine and see if they have any decent sized pieces that you could order from them.
  18. Look at the sheepwool remnants that they sell for dyeing Sugar Lady, if all you need are smaller pieces and if you don't want that orange stuff. The last time I got some from Tandy, it was all in one or two large pieces in the remnants bags. One piece was almost a square foot of a misty gray, and the other bag I picked out had a buttery yellow piece tipped with rust that was maybe about twice as large as the piece on the underside of your noseband.
  19. Thanks Chuck. I didn't know that, I only knew that wildlife parts can be a touchy business in the states alone, and I've been given the advice that if I send anything overseas, I should stick to cow, goat, and sheep, and maybe ranched buffalo. All of the companies I deal with all state that they will not export without a the buyer obtaining a USFWS export permit, and even then, some items they will not sell unless it is to people in-state. And the laws change so much, what is not legal today may be legal next month, and vice versa. Sounds like a zealous agent can really muck up the works too. Kate, I've dealt with Crazy Crow and Moscow Hide and Fur for small amounts of things, and been pleased with what I've recieved from them. Other suppliers you might look into are Chichester Leather (http://www.chichesterinc.com/index.htm) and Centralia (http://furandhide.com/default.asp).
  20. Before you go after roadkill, you should call up your State Game and Fish Agency and make sure it is legal. Some states have laws forbidding the posession or transport of roadkill. Some states require you to have a permit (and sometimes every item will require an interstate game tag from a game warden--costs about $8 each here). Your State may also forbid the sale of such items made with salvage, or may only allow sales if the interstate tag goes with the buyer when the animal or its parts are sold. Past the State laws, some counties and cities may also forbid salvage of roadkill within county or city limits. And lastly, you won't be able to sell anything to an overseas buyer if it has any wildlife parts without a USFWS/CITES export permit. I'd also be cautious of animals found dead. I'm not sure if rabies is a problem in your area, but it can be here, and even those I know who have the appropriate permits, furbear harvest licenses, and ability to get interstate game tags won't salvage roadkill here because a dead animal is suspect. Sorry, don't mean to burst your bubble or anything. Just trying to help you avoid some trouble if I can.
  21. Good luck with the kids today. Let us know how well it went.
  22. Hello, I'm a sew-a-holic. I have 6 old machines in various states of repair (ranging from working to doorstop) and two modern household machines. None of them are leather machines (but a couple of them do pretty good anyway!). I quilt too, which makes thing worse, as it also means that I have heaps of farbic lying about too.
  23. The first snow of the season feels like an uninvited houseguest. It plops down right down into the middle of whatever you had planned, hogs your favorite chair in the backyard, makes demands on your time, and pokes into everything.

    1. DoubleC

      DoubleC

      What a vivid image, and how much I am dreading that uninvited visitor.

    2. LNLeather

      LNLeather

      Usually - I'd rather have snow than rain... Although it has been dry here for record days and WA has also had record fires burning - By Thursday, we will have had only 1 day with minimal measurable rain in 83 days... http://earthsky.org/earth/view-from-space-us-west-continues-to-burn

  24. Oh good, the flat ones are easier for the kids to manage. Flat "cookies" cut off of logs work pretty well as a stamping surface too, as long as they are level. Short ones a couple of inches thick can be placed flat on the ground or floor, and the taller logs are useful too. I usually lug a log end or two around that's about 1 1/2 to 2 feet high and about 3/4 as wide as it is tall--the kids can kneel on either side of it, and the stance puts their body directly in line with the stamp. Seems to help a bit with the ones that tend to flail around. And you can always bring a bit of regular acrylic metallic paint to "rub" on the high points of the stamp for a bit of color. Copper and gold look nice on undyed leather and the kids like the highlighting effect.
  25. Oooo, guess I'd better ask. It this the sort of triangle flat piece slide, or the one that rolls up into a tube?
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