WinterBear

Whoops! My apologies. The name is BearMan, not Bearman and it's BearMan and Beary that do the burnishers. Well, there's egg on my face.

Also, what wood is your burnisher? Bearman and Spinner use cocobolo. There's a natural oil in cocobolo that seems to help prevent binding, and it is a very hard wood--the burnishers I have from Spinner (Bearman makes them now) are nearly glass smooth and very dense, but even then can get hot enough to scorch the leather if my rpm is too high on the dremel.

Well nuts. Seems the box of snaps I sent isn't going to get to you. It's been tracked to the Memphis sort center, where it's been at for a week now, and still not marked as leaving the center or delivered. I think they lost it.

You aren't trying to work on it with it on the ground like that are you? You'll ruin your back, and you're likely to tear if you hit a weak spot with your full body weight on your blade. I agree with DoubleBarP. Do get or make a fleshing board, so you can raise the hide up to where you can stand up and work. You'll have more control and be able to accomplish more without accidentally putting holes in the hide. And find your local taxidermists and trappers. Some of these links or similar resources might help: A homemade fleshing board from PVC pipe: http://www.taxidermy.net/forum/index.php?topic=136184.0 http://paleoplanet69529.yuku.com/ http://www.primitiveways.com/index.html

So why not just tool shotgun shell butts and primers? A could of circular punches in the right sizes can be used to mark the end and the primer, the lettering can be done with a filigree blade, a modeling tool, or a small blade. Paint them black with a wash of light red-brown, then dry brush silver and copper on the raised portions?

What about "bullet conchos" chancey? They look like half a bullet. Or the shotgun shell concho, that looks like the primer end. I could get some measurements for you to see what the height is from the back to the front along the screw and you could decide if they'd make things too "fat" to fit in the case. You could always have a matching guitar strap later, with bullet loops and real (dud) "bullets" in the loops if you wanted to carry the theme forward as well.

Will do. I'll send ya an offer this evening or tomorrow.

I might be interested in the extra hame tips-- How much would you want for them?

Nice! Those would be handy. Could have used the one on the right myself yesterday. How is beavertail to work? I've been thinking of getting some vegtan tail, but haven't had the time to plan the project yet.

I also look for inspiration from woodcuts, cloisonne, relief and bas relief, chip carving, scroll saw and intarsia patterns, stained glass, linocuts (linoleum block prints), ink painting... A lot of the handcrafted arts can take inspiration from other arts.

I find them in fabric stores or hobby stores with a fabric or sewing notions section. Handcock Fabrics, JoAnn Fabrics, Ralph's, Michael's, and Hobby Lobby might be good places to try. There are notion eyelets and eyelets for scrapbooking. You'll want the notion type, which is meant for use in fabrics and shoes. Notion eyelets are sometimes used for scrapbooking, but scrapbooking eyelets are mostly not going to be useful in anything but paper--they are just too short and distort too easily. http://www.hancockfabrics.com/search.htm?profile=&path=c%3a537268~~c%3a537269&numHits=24&query=eyelet&y=0&x=0 You can also try to look for small assorted color grommets at these stores. Grommets have an advantage over eyelets in that both sides would be finished and there is a flange on both sides, which helps prevent the fastener from pulling out if snagged.

I'll be wandering along shortly as well. I have 4 Antique/Vintage Singers.

Talked to my cousin today, he said he thought the City Electric Shoe Shop in Gallup had a box or three of mismatched letter stamps they sold by the piece. Might be somewhere to call if you have no luck elsewhere. five-o-five eight-6-3 five-2-five-2

I like! Do the ends of the base strap overlap? And how comfortable is it all together?

I'll send ya some snaps I have that might work. I have a bunch left over from a project, so I'll rummage them out tonight and drop in the mail, most likely by tomorrow. Do you have a set and anvil, or should I see if I have a spare?

Or, you could grab a small offset screwdriver from the hardware store if you really wanted Chicago screws?

Yeah, it's the grease and blood caught in the pores and decomposing that is causing the smell. If the borax doesn't give you satisfactory results, toss it out in the sun. Secure it from rodents and dogs, and let the UV and the heat take care of things. A week or three shouldn't cause too much degradation, but I don't think it will take that long. If that fails though, you can always try a peroxide soak. For the ones that are still too rough inside, a round file should take care of that. Or, if you have no file, wrap emery cloth or sandpaper around a dowel to smooth things down. Even cheap manicure sticks with the abrasive surfaces can work, and can be split lengthwise to get into narrower spots.

Well, it might be worthwhile to have a camp "wish list", maybe not for solar lights, but for more or better lights in general? You'd be surprised how often someone who went to the camp when they were a kid, or whose kid had a good time there, or just wants to be active in the camp, church, and community will put money or time towards youth camps and youth programs. Sometimes, all you have to do is let people know of the need. I've seen everything found somehow from curtains for cabins to wheelchair access ramps to instruction pavilions to a new roof and a showerhouse (not all at the same camp of course).

Sounds like maybe you want a "lab thermometer". They come in varying ranges, so you can pick the span you want. You'd probably want what is known as a "total immersion" thermometer, which means that if it gets dropped into the water, the scale won't be hurt (candy thermometers have holes that can let fluids in if the top accidentally gets submerged). They are usually accurate, and most chemistry thermomemeters will state how accurate (e.g., accurate within 2 degrees, 3 degrees, etc.) Some will have a loop so it can be suspended (beats holding on to it). So...maybe something like this?: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00551NSNK/ref=biss_dp_t_asn

Terrific. I have a feeling you're going to be a popular instructor. I bet those headstones weigh a ton! No possible bounce on those things. Do you have any lighting options, or is this hut unwired? If it is unwired, they sell solar powered "shed" lights where the PV cell can be mounted outside in the sun and a 10 or 15 ft cord to a bar or spotlight that is placed in the dim area.

Sounds like fun. Will you be teaching all of that, or just the leatherworking? Do you have a good hammering substrate for the stamps, punches, whatever? If you find the tables have too much bounce, can I suggest what I've seen put to good use at one of the camps I was at? Cheap to make too if they've got a log pile you can raid. The best surface I found at the local camps around here was where someone took sections of log about 2 ft high and over 1 ft in diameter with perpendicular cuts and a level top and bottom. Some logs were bigger, about 2 ft in diameter and nearly 3 ft tall, but these were impossible for one adult to move easily. They'd debarked the logs and varnished the sides, but the top (cut surface) was raw endgrain wood--as the surface got beat up, they would run a sander across it once or twice a summer to smooth it out again. A metal strap was set into a groove about 6 inches from either end and in the middle to prevent splitting on some, and on all of the logs, they'd secured two thick leather handles to the sides with screws so that the instructor (or two kids) could pick the logs up and bring them into the storage area easily (usually to be laid on their sides and stacked under one of the tables). When in use, the logs were set up on a concrete slab with a short stool the kids could sit on with their legs on either side of the log, or if they were taller, they could kneel or squat, or even sit flat sort of cross legged with the log cradled behind their knees and against their thighs--this was the best way, as the kids were right above their work and their legs held the log steadier. Because the logs were semi portable, they could be moved out to the sun if the light in the huts was too dim (often was) or under a roof or tarped area to one side of the hut if it was raining.

Looks pretty good compared to some of the things I've seen and used. How many kids will you be teaching at a time?

Something like this? http://www.beadinggem.com/2012/01/how-to-make-paracord-knotted-cross.html

I quite like this book too. It has a lot of patterns for small things, like tome thumb coin purses, comb cases, key cases, placards, and a few other things. http://www.tandyleatherfactory.com/en-usd/search/searchresults/61937-00.aspx