Cyberthrasher

No worries I have that problem trying to explain most things.

Wow, thanks Chief!! I don't think I've seen that in any of my references (though I've only had Grant's books for about 3 days). I'm definitely printing it out to add to my cheat sheets.

Definitely agree. Since he seemed confused on what each item was normally used for, I limited the scope of my descriptions to that. I highly encourage experimentation in art and doing things outside the box. How else do we find new and interesting techniques

I was concerned with that as well, but found a post by Spinner at one point where he mentioned that he oils first and then applies a 50/50 mix of dye with the airbrush. The oil helps to pull the dye into the leather instead of leaving it on top. Doing that with a couple of coats, I've never had any issues. For a thinner with the oil dyes (Fiebings Pro Oil) I use plain old Isopropyl alcohol with good results, but many people actually recommend using denatured alcohol since it's closer to the true base of the spirit dyes. I'm just cheap and I haven't had any issues with the Isopropyl at all. As for the differences in the dyes (at least as far as my experience goes - I may be wrong on occasion): Dye: Available in several different types - the most common being spirit dyes and water based. These dyes will actually penetrate the leather and color it, hence the previous discussion regarding the penetration of airbrushing dye. There are a few different types of spirit dyes, Feibings Pro Oil being my favorite. Acrylic: These are more closely related to paint. The color doesn't really penetrate the leather and just sits on top of it, leaving it vulnerable to cracking and peeling. Some people have great success with them though. Personally, I'm afraid to use them for anything more than accents. Antique: This is more like a shoe polish. It's meant to highlight the tooling and/or give an older appearance to the leather. It will color things, but I would think it would be hard to get an even uniform coverage. Usually you would use a clear finish over the entire piece and then apply antique so that it will settle into your tooling without coloring the rest of the leather. One more clear coat after that and you're good to go.

I love lacing and everything I do is laced as well. I'm just not that quick at it since I really have to focus on keeping consistent tension. I've been thinking I need to start making some of my own lace to keep some prices down as well.

I prefer to use an airbrush when possible, but I'm still not that good at doing detail work with it. So, I end up doing a lot of brush work as well. For me the key to using a brush is to follow Peter Main's tips on loading the brush. Dip it in your dilluted color and then wipe it off on a piece of paper to get the large quantities down. This will help to keep your application even. The same goes with the dauber. Just get the bulk of it off so it doesn't apply too much to the leather and then apply even and consistent pressure to the work. I also like to apply color to large areas by using a blue paper shop towel which gets an even coverage over a larger area. You can get a decent airbrush setup from harbor freight for under $100. They have small compressors that are frequently on sale and the Deluxe Airbrush is usually only about $30. You will need the hose too for $10 and some filters. I got all that and some quick disconnects for it for under $100.

So how did old Charlie do on that horse butt? I've thought about getting some just to try out.

type "red lace" and you'll see a few options for pre-made stuff. I didn't see much else available as far as hides, so you'd probably want to find something else and dye it yourself if that's they way you want to go. That is a really cool example, but I can see that taking a VERY long time to complete. Maybe it's just because I'm not that quick at lacing

To add to what Chris says, you'll notice that many of the edging tools just knock off the corner to create a 45 degree bevel, usually leaving a high spot in the center as well. Sanding will help to make it a truly rounded edge prior to burnishing.

1/4" round braid is going to be a pretty big accent. It may be what's wanted, but just want to make sure I point that out. Springfield has some red Kangaroo lace available in 1/4" by request, and you can probably get it from y-knot as well. Is the lace going to be structural or just decorative? Either way, all the laced garments I've seen haven't had eyelets in them, so I'd imagine it should be fine. Plus, it seems to do fine with my lightweight lining leathers as well.

+2. I'm not out there purposely abusing my guitars, but if it's gonna happen then oh well. I have a beautiful Les Paul without a scratch on it (somehow), but then I have a Strat that I completely refinished from scratch and it's got all kinds of dings just from grabbing it and playing on the couch. They're called character marks and set each guitar away from every other one. So, go for it. Put all the hardware you want on it. No ding in the finish is every going to effect the sound of the guitar, and that's really all that's important.

Keep us posted if you find something. Between me and my wife I'll probably need something soon. I just refuse to pay for technology, so sometimes it's hard to find something suitable to my needs.

Small stuff. Right now I'm working on a line of card holders that I want to try inlaying with some lizard, and probably some bracelets and stuff. The bag has some really nicely colored brown and chocolate lizard skins in it - and a strange hunter orange piece that would be good for a hunters knife

Sorry, I wouldn't have any Idea of how to make it work on such a small scale. I have lots of experience on the enterprise scale though, but only with pretty specialized products. So, I'm no help to you. But, I was wondering what kind of things you were thinking of using it for in your business? Basically just accounting and customer data and such?

I don't apply anything to the flesh side. I pretty much always leave them natural. I don't even slick them, but that's just a thought I had. Usually I try to find a part of the hide that has a nice firm and compacted back to it with nothing stringy hanging off. If it does have something like that, then I'll sand it up the best I can and make sure that's positioned on the back side of the strap. I'll send you a PM with my aftercare that I send out.

No problem. I searched for a while when first starting out to find some good scrap once I realized the Tandy stuff was JUNK. I still use the remnant bags for practice and small projects that don't warrant cutting into a good clean side. I just got a good bag of "exotic" remnants from Springfield too that I can't wait to start playing with

Shouldn't be a problem at all, but if you're really worried about it, try to slick it up and mat the inside. That will help keep it from sucking up too much moisture. Just make sure your customers are informed on how to properly care for the leather and there shouldn't be any issues. All of my guitar straps are made from a single layer of 8/9 oz leather and I send each customer an overly detailed care sheet. I've never had any problems to date, and they get some pretty heavy use.

I didn't even notice the lack of spring mounts..... duh But, the holes appear to be there for it if that counts for anything.

They're pretty much all setup that way, but the shipping stays pretty much the same if you buy a bunch of other stuff, so I tend to make a list of everything I need and just wait until I have enough to order that I don't get hurt so bad on shipping. Make sure to post up what you're doing with it not that it arrived

You know, if you'd quit playing rockstar and start hammering some flesh, you wouldn't have to bump old work up

If you're not sure of anything along the way just post it up. I can get a couple others involved too if we get hung up on how to explain something.

For reference for you. The 3lb bag is pretty good, but the shipping is about $10 or so if I remember right. Still a pretty good price though. http://zackwhite.com/xcart/product.php?productid=16305&cat=491&page=1 The 2lb bag here is assorted and I think the shipping is about the same. You can call and email to get an exact shipping price, otherwise you'll get charged an estimate in the web checkout then receive a store credit for the difference. http://springfieldleather.com/30018/Pieces%2CTooling%2C2-lbs-Bag/