WinterBear

Hi Turkish. Welcome. Your attachment is a "2-sided halter ring". Try Hardware Elf?

Whip rope ends, use lengths of it to temporarily be threaded through holes to align parts while sewing or repairing, bulk up the center of the cores for knots (just wrap and glue the layers down, cover with a bit of leather if desired, then go over the shaped center with the braided lace of the finished knot), or from less traditional uses, weave dream-catchers, weave netting and beads on a gourd, or twist several lengths into heavier cord and hang leather Christmas ornaments from it. You can also split it down very fine and use it to make nearly invisible stitches in very thin molded veg-tan (1 oz), especially in creases where a thread might be prone to bulking up a seam too much or where it might be prone to snagging-- I use split sinew to sew parts of wallet guts where I don't want any bulk (pocket seams between layers of leather) or to hold bits of inlay in place to the backing leather if glue might ooze through.

Your other options are perhaps to try finding an acceptable color in waxed linen, which is used by shoemakers and bookmakers (see Royalwood, Bookmakers,Starlit, etc.) or using unwaxed linen thread and dying it youself. Because flax/linen is a natural fiber it will accept most fabric dyes, although the absorption and binding of the dye will vary--some types of linen fibers just do not accept dye well. Rit dye would probably work, in concentrated amounts in small batches. You'd then have to make sure to dye and set each hank to make it as colorfast as possible, then twist and wax it yourself. You'd definitely want to make sure you have more than enough hand-dyed thread for your project, as you'll not be able to match the color again if you run out. If it wasn't needed for critical strength (that is to say, just mainly a decorative stitch), I'd simply twist a heavier cord out of what I have if I can find a cord/thread thick enough to start with as a base cord and close enough in color (as long as it isn't common thin sewing thread--not enough strength and takes too long to make a decent cordage out of it). Jeans threads and linen cords work pretty well for twisting your own though, and some other natural fibers and thin cord/thick thread as well. I'd then follow by waxing the ever-living daylights out of it, sort of like how linen thread is prepped in the book "The Art of Hand-Sewing Leather" by Stohlman.

Maybe try the Thread Exchange? I know they have size 69 nylon in a color called Screamin Green. (Size 69 is a thick thread, you'd use about a size 18 needle on a home textile sewing machine to sew with that). If you don't need a spool that big, I'm sure some of the other members might know of who have colored linen thread.

It's that pretty scroll work bikermama. Like line drawings or calligraphy in leather with no tooling, only blade cuts.

Exactly what I needed to know. I'll toss the cover and lining that came with the kit into the Scout box for the Troop to mess around with and cut a new piece.

Mind if I ask you a question leatherrookie? You make such nice notebooks that I got inspired and decided to try one of my own (and probably make a complete hash out of it, but have fun doing it anyway). Getting to the point, I bought a kit to give notebooks/address books a try, or to at least to use as a pattern until I figure out what I am doing. I took a look at the veg-tan in the kit for the outside cover yesterday, and it's a piece of neck, I guess. Considerable texture,and all over--not a "clean" spot bigger than about a square inch. Is it worth trying to turn into a notebook cover and just tool the entire surface, including the spine, to disguise the wrinkles, or should I use it as a pattern and cut a piece from something smoother and less likely to be stretchy?

That's a kind offer wildrose, Go for it Sixer!--the cost on fleabay is eeksome, and right now that's the only place I have been able to find them. I've been tracking the USMC stamps to see if I can find one for myself since I field a few requests for it per season and am just boggled at the prices. The craftool 3-D stamp has been running around $42-$53, shipping usually runs $3.50 for a single stamp from most of the sellers. $45 seems about average, although I saw one sell for $35 flat. Tandy Craftool-$45 + shipping, Tandy Craftool-$35 flat. There is also a limited edition military craftool stamp set, that comes up only rarely, and the lowest I have seen it sell for is around $45 + shipping. Limited edition set The Baron stamp is a little different, and the only one I saw went for $46 + shipping, and that was with the handle cut off. Baron stamp

Hmm..Don't know of any Australian companies, but maybe you can see if the two companies below have a supplier/seller in your neck of the woods. Hardware Elf: http://www.hardwareelf.com/elf/handlehardware.jsp Ohio travel bag: http://www.ohiotravelbag.com/Products.html Pages 37 and 39? I think they only sell wholesale though.

From what I've read and seen on this site, the stretchy belly stuff is good for things leather bottles (both the beeswax coated leather and the leather stitched over glass bottles), some masks, some canteen covers.

The big problem with people getting sick from antlers is usually inhaling the residue when cutting, which introduces any bacteria present in/on the antler into your lungs along with a lot of sharp, irritating antler dust. Or even just a load of that dust and an opportunistic nasty already lurking in the lungs. Or from people using manky bones and antlers that came from a decomposed carcass, which can have a large load of bacteria in the marrow/spongy bone, joint ends, crevices and sutures, and any rough surfaces. If you wear the proper safety equipment and take reasonable precautions to avoid inhaling the dust, I don't think you'll have much to worry about--the antler looks pretty fresh (it hasn't been decomposing in a damp place where bacteria will flourish, like in a fouled seep), it isn't chalky and looks still hard (so there aren't a lot of crevices and soft areas), and it didn't come off a rotting carcass. You can wash it in soap and hot water and even wipe it down with bleach followed by a rinse with water. You just don't want to soak it in bleach, leave bleach on the surface, or boil it, as it is the long exposure to bleach or heat that begins degrading bone and antler.

Well, I've been poking around and managed to obtain a nice little Osborn head knife about 3 3/4 inches across, just right for my hand and weaker wrist. The tang isn't pinned though, it's just one that was wedged in and held more-or-less in place with the collet and the wood of the handle. The handle is is pretty good shape, no rot or cracks, the tang has just wiggled loose from it due to wear and the wood drying out over the years. The collet is intact and the tang is unrusted and undamaged. I do need to secure the head, so it can be a user, but I'd prefer to keep it's intrinsic "worth" if I might. From what I've seen, the options are to epoxy it in, or drill and pin with a brass rod. Which method would be best?

Oh, don't feel bad! I've been busy with other things anyway. Nothing quite like having the car go "boom" three times in two months to keep a body distracted, if you know what I mean. I've found a couple of sources for staves, but I am just waiting until I get moved out of my current apartment and getting through some deadlines at work before embarking on any projects right now. The sell staves that are about 36" long, about 1" thick, and the widths vary from 1" to 4 ". I'm thinking of getting at least 4 staves, so I can have a really long clam-type clamp using the entire stave, and cut the other 2 staves into unequal halves, so I can have 2 other clamps of differing heights.

On the way then. I'll send the three basic types I typically eat at home or at friend's homes: yeast, buttermilk, and baking powder. Most biscuits are sort of bready, but usually firmer and denser overall. The McDonald's things are what are sold here as "English Muffins" and aren't considered a biscuit. Entirely different taste and texture.

Ray, I'll message you a couple of biscuit recipes if you want to give them a whirl.

Try a little mentholatum ointment rubbed under your nose Tina. It tends to overwhelm the olfactory nerves to a degree and make rank stuff a little more bearable. Of course, some would say the smell of metholatum is worse....

Love it Art, I now have a new name for my computer, the muffing thing. I already have coworkers who yell "Cheese and Rice" or "Son of a biscuit" when the computer they are working on crashes, and yes, we have an office swear jar.

Muffin paper maybe? Those little crinkled/corrugated paper cups you put into the tins to keep from burning the muffins to the pan.

Hi Ray. I've worked with wax for batik and some furniture, and in a nutshell, wax can be a major hazard, but really only has to be melted, no heated past the melt-point.. In a nutshell: -Keeping the wax temperature close to the melt point rather than hotter means that if wax touches exposed skin, the wax will cause a painful burn, but not a bad burn. Never try to brush wax off of skin or peel it off--your skin can come with it-- instead, keep a bowl of water nearby (but away from the work area) to immediately cool and crack wax if you get splashed. -Be wary of anything wet near melted wax. A drop of water will flash to steam at temperatures that wax can reach, and can cause the wax to boil over or spatter (like water into hot oil!), and this is a risk with double boilers. Like with grease fires, NEVER NEVER try to put out a wax fire with water. -HOWEVER, a double boiler is recommended to melt wax because wax can very easily reach a flash-point if direct contact is made with the heat source, cause the wax to bust into flame and/or explode, spattering in all directions. I believe the melting point of beeswax at or near sea level is between 113 F to 151 F (45 to 66 C), below the boiling point of water (212 F or 100 C). Double boilers will not get hotter than the boiling point of water if the pans are not allowed to boil dry. Since the flash point of wax is above the boiling point of water, this gives you a safety margin. I know several people that use crock pots and the like to heat wax, but they keep a thermometer in the wax, stir like mad when its melting, and watch them like a hawk. Once it's melted, they usually unplug the crock pot if they only need it for less than an hour's worth of work. They also tend to never let the wax remain hot for more than an hour or two at a time when using it for longer periods and never leave it unattended, even for a moment. -Wax is generally hotter when melted than when in the process of melting. Never turn up the temperature to make it melt faster because the wax will heat unevenly, and may be near the flash point nearest the heat source but be cooler at the top. Beeswax begins to discolor at around 185 F (85C), but may not discolor noticeably until it reaches a higher temperature. If the wax is smoking or has changed color, it can be within a degree or two of the flash point. -The flash point for beeswax can range from 300 to 572 degrees F (149 to 300 C), but is usually at 400 F (204 C); differences are due to purity, types of bees, etc., and beeswax is a mix of over 200 different compounds that vary in their percent composition in any given sample. Boiling points vary widely. The flash point can occur at a lower temperature than the boiling point or vice versa. -I believe you'd want an extinguisher rated for grease and chemical fires.

I'm considering getting some wine barrel staves from Napa Valley and cutting them to the appropriate length at this point. They're oak, sturdy, come in different width and lengths, knot free...and come pre-bent.

Turquoise is a PITA to match or even find as anything but suede lace, that's for sure. For the Thread Exchange, maybe try Persian green in the polyester?--It might be close to what you want. http://www.thethreadexchange.com/miva/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=TTE&Category_Code=polyester-thread-size-138 For your next attempt (ha!, IF you decide to be nuts enough to do a turquoise bag again), Springfield Leather has some kidskin in turquoisey-colors, depending if you want more towards the green or blue turquoise color. Kidskin: http://springfieldleather.com/product/25471/Kidskin%2CFinished%2CAutumn-Teal/ http://springfieldleather.com/product/25467/Kidskin%2CFinished%2CNephrite/ http://springfieldleather.com/product/25764/Kidskin%2CFinished%2CBlueBird/ http://springfieldleather.com/product/25772/Kidskin%2CFinished%2CEmeraldBlue/ These companies also have turquoisey-color leather, mostly suedes. Deer suede: http://www.hideandfur.com/inventory/0983.html http://www.furandhide.com/showcat.asp?id=8 Pigskin suede: http://www.aaanativearts.com/catalog2/index.php?cName=leather-turquoise-pigskin Misc leather--Closeouts http://www.aaanativearts.com/catalog2/index.php?cName=leather-dark-turquoise-suede

Nothing pretty, which is why I use a program to do the thinking for me. 6-30 kg/ cubic meter is about equivalent to 0.4 to 1.9 pounds/ cubic foot.