electrathon

The size is arbitrary to your artistic interpretation. But as a general rule, on small items you use a small stamp. On big items you use a bigger stamp.

Slightly off topic from your question: Are you lining a holster? If so, suede is about as bad a choice for leather as there is. It tends to trap dirt, which will scratch you gun. Back on topic, do not cut the lining to size until it is glued in. Leave a generous border, glue with contact cement, trim to size and then sew.

I am out of the hospital and sitting on the couch. My leg didn't hurt much at all when I came home, but it turns out that if you are all doped up on pain killers you do not hurt much. I am pretty sore now, trying to take just enough pain pills to cope. I should be there on Saturday. There is about on 8" incision where the plate was, and a lot of staples holding it shut. Not that much bleeding, but I have been careful to keep it up, should be closed soon. I have to take antibiotic injections 3 times a day. All things considered I could be ding a lot worse and I am thankful things are going pretty well.

Jazznow graciously offered some info that he initially sent me in a PM. I asked him to post in the min thread hoping possibly others may get a better understanding of what needs to be done in certain unique shoe/foot situations. expresses concern that possibly the information may be misinterpreted, so please use anything he says with care. I got out of the hospital today. I had surgery to remove the upper plate in my leg. I have been on a lot of medication the last few day so have not got much done. I hope to be back to work on this tomorrow.

Thank you. Tomorrow is the surgery to remove the upper plate in my leg, which appears to be where the infection is centered. The plate has to be pulled to allow the infection to be killed. I am hopeful and optimistic this is going to go well.

The suede is chrome tanned. Chrome tan does not burnish.

My understanding is the most proper way I dry-cleaning. I have never done it but have heard that corn starch works as a home alternative. Work some in and brush it through the fur. Never tried it though, but a bump if nothing else.

Did little more. Pulled the tape off the lasts and split them so they will lay flat. You can see that the left an the right are a little different, but similar. The tape is cut s tat it will lay flat. The amount that it changes the shape is no big deal, the next step will change it even more.

I did understand it. Most people just do not understand that adding more black dye will not make your item blacker, just will make your clothes black. I have no other answer on the spots. Re-dying an item is always risky.

If it is black already, more dye will just make your clothes black when you wear it. If you want it shiny, I would use shoe polish on it and buff it.

If they gave you the big eye needles replace them with normal needles. They are easy to thread, break easily and are very hard to pull through.

Hand sewing has more opinions/controversy than any other area of leatherwork. To start out, the best avenue is likely what you are talking about. Personally, I do not grove because I do not like the look and it was also recently pointed out that you are weakening the leather when you do it. The waxed thread Tandy sells is grossly over waxed. Scrape off as much as you can if you are going to use it. The braided thread is decent to use. Just my opinion.

Slightly off track but I got back from picking this up:

I have thought of that but it is often difficult to get past the front door ad into the back where the real answers are. After I make a couple sets I will likely try to do it, at least see if I can get input. A lot of the orthopedic shoes I see look like they have two coats of ugly spread on them, I am trying to avoid that. If you have any input I am open to it, weather for this set or the next time.

Finally took another visible step forward. It seems like it should be easy to get work done, I have either been at the Dr all week, or sitting on the couch. I have the energy drained out of me so I just have been watching movies. But I got a little motivation! The lasts have been covered with tape to get a pattern. I seems no stores are selling tan masking tape any more. I first used blue and could not see my pen marks on it so I went over it in yellow. The lines are where there will be seams. I wanted them to be as simple as possible, both out of preference and simplicity of construction. The pattern is normally identical on both shoes. Also for some reason the left shoe is the one that is commonly used to draw up the design on. Not sure why, just what was explained to me. My left and right will be a little different, but as much as possible I want to make them look similar. I will have two separate but similar patterns for this reason.

The classes were hidden a little: http://pendletonleathershow.com/classes-available/ I will be at the pattern class too. Hopefully we can all talk there and get some pre-organization. I'll talk to the Dr and make sure hat his knives are sharpened properly. Don't want him cutting on m with a dull knife.

You can. It likely will not lay as straight as if you left it alone. It will sew just fine though. Think about how your Mom sews, always two threads when doing clothing.

Your best bet by far is to find a guy shutting down a saddle shop and buy him out. Even if you have to travel across the US with a truck to pick it up you would save thousands, maybe tens of thousands.

I just realized that I misread your one post. Yes, there are classes this month! One is a pattern class from a great carver. http://blog.leathercraftlibrary.com/class-schedules/portland-or-2/ Do not come to the one this weekend: I was teaching that but seems my leg is all infected and I am having surgery Monday, so it was canceled.

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Exactly! Anytime I see someone spouting of the time it will take tells me that are stroking someone. Think like this: One of the true masters can do a project in 40 hours. He gets $100 and hour so this is a $4000 project. We need to be fair so you send it out to bid and the hacking beginner bids the job for $25 per hour. He obviously should get the job. He sets out working and 700 hours later the crappy work is done. This guy tried and worked HARD. Devoted his life to it. Now the bill is $17,500, for bad work. But the guy tried, and worked hard. A job is worth what it is worth, nothing to do with how long it takes you. If someone is willing to pay for it then they were not overcharged. As for the album cover, if this is a real band, they should be paying real prices. I am guessing that if you do the work for free and they sell 10,000,000 albums there is no plan in place to spiff you an extra $50K or so. Charge what it is worth and all is good (free may be what it is worth if they are going to make you famous).

The 7th is the first time ever for doing this. I do not know if we will have 3 or 20 show up. Initially we will have no pre-planned agenda, just bring a project and work on it, ask questions of the group if you are stumped on any aspect of it. I am hoping to develop something more as time progresses, if that is what the group wants. If everyone is excited having a workshop location to hang out at, it can be nothing more than that. I am spearheading this, but looking for lots of support and participation. This is designed to be free for everyone. There will be two other weekends of the month that we can teach (or someone else can teach) at the shop. If one of you reading knows how to make flying widget birds and wants to teach a class on it, that can very easily be arranged. Also for anyone interested, Tana will put you on an email list that she sends out of classes. If you want on the list call the Portland Tandy and ask to be included.

You want to use vegetable tanned leather, about 5/6 oz. If you form it over plaster the wet leather will dissolve the plaster so you will need to cover the plaster with saran wrap.

Bobby, If this works well it will continue happening on a regular basis. We will see the input and participation we get and structure it forward from there. My hope is that if we get a strong core, as we move forward we will always have people that can not make it on certain weeks. On those weeks someone else can organize that week. It will be easier to structure weekly classes and major annual classes this way too. Hoping a combination of skill and luck line up for your son at the rodeo. and that under all circumstances he is safe.

I have no plans to sell them, just wanted to make a couple. I was leaning on making the ball over a soft core, like a sponge ball.