Mike Craw

Hey Benlilly! That's a fantastic seat for an outstanding cause. Just beautiful. Mike

Hey Steve! Take it slow is the best advice you could get. All the friends I have who have had shoulder surgery found that they did better letting the doctors and rehab specialists dictate the pace of their return to normal activity. The ones who thought they felt well enough to get back in the weight room or back into martial arts did much more damage to the shoulder that those who actually listened and followed direction. Best of luck with your recovery! Mike

From Kane Funeral Home Website On a quiet Sunday morning, the Lord called Don Butler home. Don was born on September 28, 1946 in Billings Montana, and was a cowboy from day one. After proudly serving his country in Vietnam, he returned to work as a cowboy on several ranches in northern Wyoming and southern Montana. Don began leather tooling as a teenager, stamping belts for Ernsts Saddlery in Sheridan. His interest in saddle making began one summer while working on a cow camp in the Big Horn Mountains. Don and Kitty opened the Custom Cowboy Shop in 1976 in Sheridan, Wyoming and a second store in Cody, Wyoming in 1990. Don perfected his craft and became well-known in his field, winning many awards and accolades including the Saddle Maker of the Year Award and the Governors Arts Award for the State of Wyoming in 2009. His passion for his craft extended into silverwork and artwork as well. He worked for the Wyoming Stock Growers Association as a brand inspector as well as a Sales Representative for several years. His passion for life and his work were unequaled. His greatest joy and pride were in his family, wife Kitty of almost 45 years, son Michael (Colleen), daughter Julie (Matt) and youngest son Steven. His two granddaughters, Molly and Nora were the apple of Papas eye. He is survived by one sister, Sheri Butler of Billings, Montana, and countless friends. This kind man had a big heart and was a mentor to many. He never met a stranger and will be greatly missed by all who knew him. He will be remembered always for his infectious laughter, the sparkle in his eye, his humbleness, generosity, honesty, unwavering integrity, sense of humor and willingness to help anyone in any situation. He was a true top hand and lived every day of his 67 years. A celebration of life will be held at 3pm on Thursday May 15, 2014, at the Sheridan County Fairgrounds Pavilion Building. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Westrust, P. O. Box 1645, Eastlake, CO 80614, the Lunch Together Soup Kitchen, c/o First Congregational Church, 100 W. Works, Sheridan, WY 82801 or the donors choice. Kane Funeral Home has been entrusted with arrangements.

Hey truenorth! Springfield Leather sells it online. Hope this helps, Mike

Welcome to the site from St. Simons Island. Mike

Looks like the rig worn by Nick Nolte in "Extreme Prejudice". His holster and belt are copies of the leather that Texas Ranger Jackson actually wore. The holster is the style credited to A.W. Brill and a variation is available from El Paso Saddle company. Hope this helps. Mike P.S. Just went online and searched both Ranger Joaquin Jackson and A.W. Brill. The Jackson search had a couple photos of him, but none showed useable close-ups of his leather gear. The A.W. Brill search had quite a few detailed close-ups of this type of rig that you might find useful. Mike

That's for sure! I have a 1911A1 that's about 3/32" too small all the way around for anybody who'd like to build a REALLY tight holster! Mike

Hey Dwight! That's a neat job. It looks, and I mean this in the nicest and most respectful way, exactly like the slot punch Tandy used to sell made out of aluminum. I be yours will take a lot more of a pounding. Thanks for showing us! Mike

Pretty happy?? You ought to be freakin' giddy! That is a beautiful seat, and you have every right to be happy with it. Mike

Just now saw these photos. Outstanding job, both in design and execution. I wonder if he'd let you go back and lace the tool bag to match? Mike

Hey Dwight! Normally I'd agree with your solution, but I clicked on everything I could and it kept on underlining. This time when I clicked on reply, I get no underline, but it's in a different font. I just think I was born 100 years too late, and computers hate me! Mike

That's a copy of Page 17 of Al Shohlman's book "How to Make Holsters. It's available at your local Tandy store or online for $10 or $12. I got mine for $5, but that was about 32 years ago. I have no idea why this stupid system has decided to underline everything. I can't seem to make it quit, but at least you have the answer to your question. Hope this helps. Mike

Hey Guys! According to the latest issue of the Leather Crafters and Saddler's Journal, the "Georgia Leathercrafters Guild" meets the second Sunday of each month. The contact number provided is 770-979-0406. I think that's an Atlanta area number. Hope this helps. Mike

Welcome from the opposite corner of Georgia. You can find the answer to just about any question you might think of from the resources of the membership here. I would suggest that you search the topics you are interested in and you might find tutorials already written. Looking forward to seeing photos of your work. Mike

Thanks Matt! We call those "heel bar" buckles over on this side of the water. If you Google heel bar you might find additional sources. Mike

Hey Captain! If you are really new to leather work, you need to check out some books by Al Stohlman at Tandy Leather. To say that Al "wrote the book" would be an understatement. He wrote a ton of them, and he's probably the first leather teacher most of us on this site ever had. He wrote a three-volume set called "The Art of Making Leather Cases" which would serve you well. Vol. 1 has most of the basics of working with leather and directions with drawings on how to make a bunch of small cases. Vol. 2 gets into larger cases and covers the construction of 20 different leather handles with several variations of some of them. All of the questions you have asked so far are covered and the drawings will make some of the answers you've gotten more clear. Hope this helps, Mike

Maybe I need an English - English translation dictionary, but what is a "West End" buckle? Thanks, Mike

Thanks Guys! After lacing the first one I started thinking maybe she'd like something else, but I finally got the second one laced and now that they're shipped I'm glad I did them. Mike

Thanks! They're lined all the way through. Reversed stitched at the wrist, wrapped inside, pulled out the top and folded over and trimmed. Lots of laughs with arthritis!! Mike.

I made these cowgirl cuffs for the brand new daughter of some friends out at the Grand Canyon. Seemed like such a good idea at the time. I think I'll stick to the adult ones. They are a LOT easier!!

Hey Alex! In the example you show, I'd be concerned about the inside (liner) puckering when you fold it. I would decide what size the inside layer needs to be in order to stitch the holster. I would cut out the inside and make the outer layer larger. I'd then apply glue to both layers, adhere the inside back portion first, keeping the layers apart until I curved the inside layer. I would then start adhering from back to front around the curved inside. Then you can trim the outer layer and sew. That's just how I would do it anyway, Mike

First of all, that's an outstanding job on the pouch, from the original tooling to the re-purposed slicker pouch. I would disagree a little with your statement that a slicker doesn't need a pouch. I think it really does. The slicker is used on cased leather to "slick" it down and temper it. Any marks on the slicker will be permenently transferred to the leather. An unprotected slicker, even a glass one, can get nicked and dinged in a drawer so a pouch is an excellent idea. Mine's in a pouch, too. My 2 cents... Mike

Hey Alan! You will find that re-wetting is dependent on the thickness of your leather and the scope and complexity of your design. For saddle parts the leather is fairly thick, and putting it in a closed plastic bag over night should allow you to tool the next day. For thinner pieces, a small spray bottle or "damp" sponge will do. One trick I heard of is to dampen the back of the leather and bag it over night to let the moisture even out through the leather. Wetting the front runs the risk of softening the tooling you've already done and cause you to lose it. Running water makes the problem much worse. Most of us are self-taught through Al Stohlman's books, and trial and error. The worse the error, the longer the lesson lasts! Hope this helps, Mike

Hey Stef! Rod and Denise Nikkel are long-time members of this site, and are tree makers in Canada. If you go to www.rodnikkel.com, the site has a whole section on "Understanding Tree Measurements." These folks are really helpful and they make fantastic trees. Hope this helps, Mike Guess Bruce hit "SEND" a little quicker than I did!

Hey Cowgirl! Call Chuck Smith at 760-749-5755. His wife, Lana, usually answers the phone. Tell her what you need and she'll fix you up. She's a doll and fun to talk to. Hope this helps. Mike