WinterBear

Depends on how big you need your pieces to be. Sheep hides, rugs, and shearling can be found at lots of places, and most sell scrap as well, with pieces ranging from palm sized in most cases to the 1 square foot sizes. Shearling tends to be shorn to a consistent height and is most often used as a jacket liner and under saddles. http://springfieldleather.com http://www.theleatherguy.org http://www.hidehouse.com http://www.chichesterinc.com http://www.hideandfur.com

Maybe time for a new marketing plan? Emphasize the mystique, the feel, tradition, the mellowness and patina leather acquires with age, and so on. Kydex just doesn't have the "feel appeal" genuine leather has.

Since you're not making things that require a large piece of leather, nor long straps, but maybe don't want the stretch in a belly, why don't you try buying double shoulders? They're going to be little mushy on the neck portions and you'll get some flanky stuff near the leg, but they're generally more cost effective than the backs because they don't have the length that belt and tack makers need for the really long and strongest straps. You'll have some fat marks and wrinkles marks in the shoulder that you won't find over much of a back, but I don't see that it will impact your tooling or dye any.

You should only offer a full refund only if the wallet is in perfect condition and can be resold. If she's unwilling to do so because she's ripped the pockets by jamming 3 or more cards in each pocket, she may go away at this point. I and several other people I know have had experience have had experience with someone who screws up something they've bought, and have gone on the attack to try and recoup the money that they've spent now that the item is ruined. They screwed it up within hours of buying it, but they are demanding their money back because of their carelessness, not because of bad work.

If you have the time to cut out and burnish a lot of pieces, maybe a "link belt" type strap? http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=14749 https://www.tandyleatherfactory.com/media/downloads-lptg/Ecology-Non-Tooling-Link-Belt-47250-11.pdf

I think we do have something similar through the SBDC: http://www.sba.gov/content/small-business-development-centers-sbdcs

Twisted? Was it maybe "hitched"? http://www.purecowboy.us/Antique%20Hitched%20Rawhide%20Quirt%204.htm or like these slides http://traditionalrawhidebraiders.com/shop/rings-slides-keepers/hitched-5-8ths-slide-knots/

There are some nice examples of various types here too. http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=44514 leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=49762 leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=55236 leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=54509

I like it. Gives it balance against the antler accent, and a little "pop".

Anything from Tandy needs to be sharpened or at least stropped, including the razor blades.

You might tell her a big problem with velvet is that the nap is made of cut threads. When exposed to rubbing, those threads will break or pull out of the weave, leaving fuzz everywhere (and probably not good for the gun to get those clogging things up), and the weave that is left behind becomes the very definition of threadbare. Velvet gowns, velvet children's toys, and velvet upholstery all tend to show wear quickly where the nap is rubbed--so where the arms of the dress rub the ribs, where a child carries their teddy bear and drags the leg on the ground, and where the seat of someone's pants rubs the seat of a velvet chair. A thrift shop might have a article of children's clothing worn threadbare that can be bought for a very minimal price that you can show her, and then maybe you can coax her into something more appropriate after viewing it, while making her think that the change is her idea.

If it has a pocket, you could sew two pieces together right sides together. On one side, on what will be the inside of the flap, there is a slash or a slot that will allow access to the pocket that will be formed by the two sides of the flap. Turn the flap right-side out by turning it through the pocket "hole". Either that, or the front of the flap could be made as a two-piece top that is top-stitched to the underlaying part of the flap. The pocket(s) formed could potentially be accessed by a slash on the underside of the flap, or possibly at the top of the overlaying piece where it bends back around to the back of the pouch.

http://www.leatherwranglers.com/contest.html Maybe also Bob Klenda? And I've seen Johan do some nice things too. http://leatherbyjohan.blogspot.com/2011/05/swivel-knife-cuts.html

They're only $20 on the outlet site because they are discontinuing them Eccho.

aww.. Sorry. Never my intention. I've a sporran to do for an Eagle Scout, so I really like the idea of the Scout stamp on a concho for that. (The fleur snap by itself might be "too French" for a Scout who is proud of his Scottish heritage. )

Glad I could help Jaymack. I like Tree Reaper's idea too. I might have to dig out my Eagle Scout stamp and try that idea out sometime.

If you can't find a specific Scout snap, the fleur may work as a universal Scout logo. I know one of our sponsors, Zelikovitz, has a Line 24 snap bright silver Fleur-de-Lis. I also think Tandy has the fluer snaps in a matte silver or nickle color as well - I was looking at some a few weeks ago at the Tandy here.

I am afraid they are no longer with us. Ann passed away in 2004, and Al in 1998. http://iilg.net/honor/iilg-memorial.html#stohlman

It could just be the people with the knowledge haven't had a chance to log on and read the post yet.

Be sure to protect your lungs when working with any bone or antler, especially if cutting, carving, or sanding the bone. You do not want to breathe that stuff in. Even a dust mask is better than nothing, but a respirator with filters for small organic particulates is better.

That's what he was telling you right there. Embossing and plugs. Look up plugs and "leather putty" on this board, and on you-tube, and you'll find a lot. A leather plug is a piece of leather that is cut to shape and glued into an embossed hollow on the backside, usually with contact cement. Leather putty is a bunch of ground leather scraps or the residue from sanding, mixed with glue until it forms a paste, and is pressed into the hollows in much the same manner. If you go to Clay B.'s tutorials and click through the Buffalo Feathers Tutorial or the Bear Paw, he has pictures or the embossing methods. http://badlandsleatherart.com/BadlandsLeatherArtTutorials.html The hollow is filled with leather putty on page 32 of the bear paw tutorial: http://www.leatherworker.net/bearpaw/pages/bearpaw%20%2832%29.htm

Don't know where to get the hologram skingray other than Roje, but you might take a look at Shark King out of Florida for stingray in bright colors, metallic flake, and camo, zebra, leopard and tiger patterns. http://www.sharkking.com/ Leather Guy has stingray in giraffe prints, various colors of ring lizard, various frog leather, and some cow in a frog print. Also has genuine cape buffalo with an embossed pattern. http://www.theleatherguy.org/ Check the "falling leaf" and "tan" colors of their embossed alligator cowhide--it looks similar to that tack of yours. http://www.theleatherguy.org/STOCK-LEATHERS-147213/8146727-STOCK-LEATHER-Leather/ProductInfo.aspx Hidehouse has hair-on calf in leopard, cheetah, zebra, and cobra patterns.

Thanks, I'll have to give a wallet a try now. This seems like a good choice for a first one. What weight do you all recommend for the exterior pieces, and the interior pocket pieces? I don't want it too thick from what I've read on the forum, but I don't want a "floppy" wallet either.

That is exactly it. The glycerine in the soap itself is preventing the dye penetration. It is less of a problem with black because the dye is so dark that an area that has slightly less dye penetration is completely hidden/darkened by what dye does penetrate. I know some people bevel, then dye, then burnish to avoid this, but I'm not sure how well that works and what problems that may entail either. (it may mean that the unburnished edges may pick up more dye, or may dye unevenly, for instance). Some also will only burnish first with water to prevent the fats in soaps and conditioners from getting on the surfaces they wish to dye, and to keep the dye from penetrating the edge so much. They will then often re-burnish with glycerine or wax after dying to finish the edge and bring the edge to its final gloss. Edit: Seems Tree Reaper popped in as I was typing. Yeah, what he said.

That might be a hard weight to find. You may have to get something thinner and bond it to something to get your correct weight? Leatherguy has some Cape Buffalo (not waterbuffalo, but similar species) with an embossed pattern in a rosewood color in 3-4 oz. http://www.theleatherguy.org/BISON-BUFFALO-LEATHER-143933/Cape-Buffalo-147296.aspx Hide House has a pull-up waterbuffalo in brown in a 2.5-3 oz weight. https://hidehouse.com/products/index.html?Category=UW Zack White has some waterbuffalo, but it seems to be in the 8-9 oz range, and I don't know if they'll split the leather to something thinner.