Cyberthrasher

I looked at that one before and it did seem pretty tedious for what I'm looking for, but if there's a good automatic function that will help me to get comfortable a little sooner - I'm in! Maybe vector work would be a good topic for one of the newsletters

Very good information. It's all stuff we mention a lot, but having it all in one spot from a trusted source is bound to be helpful to many starting out.

I've been meaning to sit down and take the time to learn Inkscape better. Every time I try I get confused pretty quick and realize I can get what I need faster in GIMP compared to the time it would take to learn how to do it in Inkscape. I know it's a more powerful tool for what I'm doing though, I just lack the time to sit down and do it

Budgeting is the only reason I use it. I HATE buying software and the differences between GIMP and PS don't justify the price differences in my book.

That's usually about what I average unless it's a single color piece. If I have to separate colors, it definitely equals the tooling time. I'm working on ways to alleviate that right now, but it's probably always going to be close.

We are in the motorcycle and biker gear section, and when he posted this question he posted another one or two exactly the same in other sections which specified "Biker Masks".

Here's some really cool gator that Springfield has. It's not quite croc, but it's pretty highly embossed. You might give them a call to see if they have anything on hand that's closer to croc. http://springfieldleather.com/18700/Gator-Cow%2CEmb%2CChocolate/

Since we're talking about the type of mask that would be closer to a bandanna, 6-7 oz is WAY too thick. 3-4oz will flex and move with your face while riding down the highway. 90 on the freeway is no time to have something rigid blocking your field of movement.

See, those are a pretty classy use of something that would have normally been garbage. That maker's mark one is pretty slick.

$1.50 for a pack of tracing paper (not film) at walmart. Line the back with packing tape and good to go. Someday I'll try the overhead sheets, just haven't gotten there yet. I still hand trace everything as a final step in verifying my lines, but that's just my OCD kicking in pretty hard.

We don't need you to be a chemist - just keep doing what you do!!

Man, That pictorial bracer is SMOKIN'!!! Lot's of good work there!!

Do you think it's a lack of pigmentation? The only thing that should really be evaporating is the base (alcohol in the case of Fiebings Pro), so you should be able to add some to it to bring it back to life. I've never had that exact problem though, so I'm just guessing.

Please see the very first post in this thread. There is a link to download them directly. MODS - can we lock this thread?

I use it to spray resolene all the time, with an internal mix. But, you HAVE to thin it 50/50 and turn the pressure up on the compressor. I usually set it to about 40 - 45 PSI depressed.

Do you like working with leather? If so, scratch the kit and use it as a pattern to cut some real leather. I've never assembled any of the kits myself, so I'm not sure if that's by design.

it's hard to explain, but you'll notice a difference in the firmness of the back. The first thing I check for is a big fleshy spot on the rear of the hide (stringy mess where the rest of the flesh side is nice and solid). A lot of times those are primarily located on the belly (not always though). Also, you'll notice that belly has more give in it. If you push up on the flesh side of the back, you'll see how it pushes up most of the leather because it's rigid. If you push up on the belly, it might give and look more like a dent. Use the charts available as a guideline to get you looking in the right location, but just use it as a guide. The main thing to remember is why we don't like bellies for belts - because they've been stretched out by the animals natural contractions. So, any part of the side that has these stretched out characteristics, whether it's technically "belly" or not, should be avoided.

Thanks , I just wish I had time to get more of the stuff in my head put onto leather and then added to the page!! Now, get rid of those bottles. They're just a gimmick. For spirit and oil dyes, you'll never need to mix it. But, the main reason is you'll probably hardly ever need that much dye at once. I can't even use up a full load in the metal paint cup on a full length guitar strap. The one jar I have that's a standard jar just has my 50/50 resolene mixed up in it. Unless I spill it, that last quite a while itself. There are lots of external mix airbrushes out there, but for finishes, I don't see why the HF model wouldn't work just fine.

If none of those fit the style you want, here's the tutorial I used for my first one. This filled in a LOT of the gaps I was struggling with figuring out. http://www.knifenetw...ead.php?t=41280 Here's the sheath I did off of it.

Do you have a link to which one you bought? I have the HF Deluxe model - dual action with cup and bottle. It's a Badger knock off and has been pretty good for me for $20. The one that's on the way is a Paasche VL for $58 from TCP Global's ebay store (comes with hose, 2 bottles, cup, different size tips). It's another highly recommended one. There are lots of parts easily available for it too. Springfield even carries some of them. There have also been some articles by skilled leatherworkers (I believe I read them in LC&SJ) who have been using them exclusively for decades. I figured that was good enough for me - that and Spinner's endorsement

There are LOTS of options. The two that are easiest to acquire are Barry King and LeatherWrangler's. The LW is a highly recommended extremely quality knife. I just can't afford one right now at $135. The Barry King knives are great knives and come in at about $50 with your choice of barrel size and blade. I have 1 BK complete swivel knife and blade, another angle blade I just bought to go into a Tandy barrel (another option for you if you can't afford the whole knife - just buy a blade from either one of them), and once I can justify/afford it I'll be buying one of the Leatherwrangler's SK-3....I'm kind of in a tool mode right now.

That's one of the companies I've been trying to reach. I have a different email to try now, so hopefully I can get something going.

I have their deluxe model and always get dye dripping from the spout of the small paint cup. I've wanted to find additional jars, but never had. Since you're having such great luck, glad I didn't. I have a new Paasche on the way, so I know I'll have a good setup there. Then my HF deluxe will be assigned to acrylic/resolene duty

Think of anything where you'll want to cover a lot of ground at once. For beveling, a "large" pattern would be something that's several inches of straight line. For matting, it would be a large open background (still subjective, I know). Veiners and Cams though would be a little different since the imprint they make will be seen as a large design. I can't really figure out a way to describe that one. So, think of those as something you'd want to be able to see the veiner pattern on a saddle from a few feet away, where a small pattern would be the kind of thing you'd look at on a wallet. I know it goes against what I said earlier about the pattern vs. the product, but that's the only way I can think of to explain the difference right now.

There has been some proof posted here that airbrushed dye does not penetrate as deeply as dye applied with a brush or dauber. But, there is a way to help it along. I got this method from Spinner and it has worked well for me. apply a light coat of oil to your leather and let it sit for a few minutes. Spray on a 50/50 mix of your dye. If you're final color is 50/50, start with 25/75. now go back over with your final mix. The oil helps to pull in the pigments, and the lighter pass to start with furthers that process. Depending on how lazy I'm feeling or the complexity of the work, I'll sometimes skip the initial 50/50 pass and I still don't have any problems whatsoever.