raysouth

Hello Jempy, Very nice work and happy that you have joined the site. God Bless. Ray

Hopefully someone can help me locate a member on this site that no longer seems to be active. We were emailing each other, several times per week and all of a sudden he disappeared from the site, no response to emails, no longer any activity on his ecrater site and all of the issues seem to have taken place around same time. I miss chatting with him and always looked forward to his email. He is a former U.S. Marine, and was a police officer in, I believe, Tulsa, Oklahoma. He used the id of Leatherworm on this site and Leatherflair on eCrater. Anyone know what may be the situation with him? Pray that all is well and can locate him again. God Bless. Ray

Hello Twin Oaks, Thank you for the praise. Just another fun thing to do. Hope more folks decide to get on the list and send me their mailing address and info @ what they like to collect. Was able to walk around the shop yesterday and caused me to stop and wonder how I ever amassed so many things. Just never seemed to have enough. lol. Hope all is well in your area and that you were able to find others in a guild. God Bless. Ray

In an attempt to keep things as easy as possible for me, I have decided it would be best to have a cutoff date for the collectibles offer of free items for postage only. To allow any other interested folks to take advantage of the offer, I will now leave the offer on the table until December 31 at midnight. Good way to end a great year. Then should begin my selection of items to ship in the new year, during January or whenever folks would like to have the items shipped. As we wind down another year, I reflect on the pleasure life has brought to me and hope that the same would be for the folks on the site. We are truly blessed and enjoy sharing my time with everyone here. May the Christmas Season and the coming New Year, be filled with nothing but good times for all. God Bless. Ray

Hey Snubbyfan, Great looking setup. We are fortunate to have wonderful spouses and at times, wonder how they put up with us. lol. Tramps mentioned that he has a cat that looks like yours. Make that three of us. Had one like that as a child and he was a real pal and in later years we rescued several cats and amongst them was my "Mick". He is a character and loves to ride in the car and UTV when I am able to get to the shop. Noticed the skull on top of the shelf. What is it made of? I have an anatomical skull, used by a med school and still don't know why I picked it up in my scrounging travels. Just something unusual, I suppose. Keep up the good craft and enjoy life every day. God Bless. Ray

C'mon Guys, I thought that stabbing yourself, cutting fingers, grinding them on the sander, smacking with hammer, spilling dyes, glue, and other potions, was all normal activity and was to be expected. Now I learn that these are all no-no's. What's a guy to do? lol. Then add the dropped Chicago screws and learn that they just flew to Asia, smacking a rivet that just will not hold or bends at an angle, clearing tangled thread when you begin to learn the art of hand sewing, and then there is the misplaced tools and hardware that you just know you have, someplace unknown to anyone. Goes on and on but isn't it fun, in the end, when it all comes together? Love it. God Bless. Ray

BIG, WELCOME TO THE SITE. God Bless. Ray

Hello Harry, I would love to be able to visit again but that is no longer possible due to physical limitations. Wife understands German but rarely speaks and I am still able to read and speak, to some extent, but do not have the opportunity to enter into many conversations in my area of Alabama. Regardless, I can still dream about the times I had there. All wonderful and when I begin day-dreaming about my experiences, it seems as though it was yesterday, bringing a big smile to my face. I can only imagine that many things have changed since my time there and friends from Germany have told me that it is no longer the same. Change waits for nobody. Again, very nice to have met you on the site and hope I hear more from you and your adventures in life. Best regards to all and God Bless. Ray

Hello Harry, and welcome aboard. Happy that you found this wonderful site and certain that you will be able to find an answer to any question about leatherwork. Austria is a beautiful country and visited there often. Always had to hurry through and was not able to remain as long as I had wished. My wife's mother was from a small town outside of Vienna and wife attended school there for a few of her early years. Hope you have a great time working with leather. God Bless. Ray

Hello Melanie, and welcome to the site. Happy that you have found this great place to share and learn. No longer good enough to write in German but still have the ability to read and speak, to some extent. My time in Germany found me primarily in Nurnberg, the largest city I frequented, and small villages in that area such as Stein, Gebersdorf, Zirndorf, Furth, Ansbach, and more. Enjoyed my time in any part of Germany I had the opportunity to visit. Attempted to visit the entire country and interact as best I could. Many memorable moments for me. I still think of the many friends I made there, places I visited, my workplaces, and the superb selection of foods and beer. Oktoberfest was always fun, Garmisch was adorable, as were many other areas, Munich, Stuttgart, Frankfurt, all had special attractions for one to enjoy. I am sitting here, writing this and dreaming of the past. God Bless. Ray

Billybop, I love anything that has to do with aircraft. Had the bug early in life and much enjoyed my time in the air, especially when I did my solo. WOW, what a treat that was. Forgot all I knew when the wheels broke the ground and the crosswind got hold of me. lol. You are correct, nothing better than being around the aircraft goodies. I enjoy them all but must admit, the WWII era machines are favorites. JREESER1, I have never seen elk ivory but certain that it must be splendid item to have around. Not many elk in this area, or anywhere close. Found a few antlers that were shed in the woods and still have them somewhere in shop, I believe. Thought I might make something of them one day but that day never came. Last week I responded to email from person residing in New Mexico and I mentioned that I always wanted to move to that area, especially around Kanab. lol. Think I had the wrong state in mind. Somewhere up your way would fit better if I hoped to get to Kanab. Always able to make a fool of myself and enjoy the chuckles it produces. Thank you all, for responding to the topic and hope we can keep it rolling on. I know that there are many more collectors among us, and with some very interesting collectibles, such as those you mentioned you have. God Bless. Ray

Hello Stel, I am a big fan of pyrography on leather. Been at it for some time and regulated tools are the only way to go. Different effects at various settings, allow you the option of shading anything you do. I also use mine in place of the swivel knife as seems to be easier for me. So many different tools available from great manufacturers. I use pens from Leisure time, Colwood, and others. The controller I use is the Detailmaster, both single pen model and dual pen model. Much different than stamping but if you enjoy art pieces on leather, pyrography offers many interesting variations to try. Have used on holsters, fobs, cases/boxes, and much more. The unregulated pens are not what I would advise someone to use on leather, to achieve a good result. There are some crafts folk out there that have done some very nice work with non-regulated pens but it takes much practice to learn how to manage the pen without ruining a good piece of leather. I have held small classes fro those interested in burning on wood and have sold them kits from Walnut Hollow, that work well on wood but also, being unregulated, practice is the norm. Hope this helps. God Bless. Ray

Hello Rooster, I recently purchased the Cobra Burnisher and am extremely happy with the machine. Having the added ability to raise or lower the stand to a workable height for me in a seated position, was also a big plus. Hope this helps. God Bless. Ray

An interesting topic. After thinking about the issue and reading the opinions of members, I feel that all have some valid points. It comes down to, will I or will I not, make something for someone without my makers mark. This is an issue that must be decided, I feel, by the maker of the item and what they are willing to do. I am not amongst the master leatherworkers so for me the issue is not something I dwell upon when making a piece, either for myself or others. If I were in the marketplace, perhaps I would like to display my craft with my own mark. I have a variety of maker mark stamps in the shop but rarely use anymore. Most every company that wishes to make a name for itself, or sell good products, has a mark/logo somewhere on the item. A good way to tell us who made the product and if they confidant enough to display their logo as a way to represent their product. If we are pleased with the product purchased from the company, then we remember the logo and look for it in the future. On the other hand, if we are displeased, it has the opposite effect. Unbranded items also hit the shops on a regular basis and may simply read, made in China, Pakistan, India, Korea, Japan, Indonesia, etc, where I don't think a name or mark would be of benefit to any of us here. A mark is also a good way to express the pride in what we have made so it also has some psychological benefits for all of us. I love to see the creative marks of others and at times, I envy the creative talent that went into the idea. In a nutshell, it depends on the benefit received by the maker, by applying the mark to the item in question and if there is a willingness to forego for someone who may have a reason, good or not so good, for asking that the mark not be present on the piece. I, as many others, would be curious as to why it is being requested, if for no other reason than to decide if I wish to pursue the matter and make the requested item/s. A decision that can be made by only by the maker and great topic for discussion. Good luck and hope that it ends well. God Bless. Ray

More interesting collectibles. WWII items are very popular. Stumbled upon a WWII wire reel that the commo folks used to use to string the phone lines during combat. I can recall movies that depicted a commo soldier, running and unwinding the wire. Dangerous occupation. Watches and watch straps surely can produce some very interesting items. Enjoy seeing them and doing a bit of day dreaming about when they were developed and where they may have been used. Cabochons are indeed, beautiful collectibles and so many opportunities to create desirable items with them. Must keep your mind in overdrive, planning your next wonderful project. Whenever I found one I grabbed it, if for no other reason that amazing beauty. Keep on collecting and hope more lend some input. God Bless. Ray

Hello Cheryl, The clipper is very similar to the Fargo Caravan I had and when I can locate pics I will send. Computer crash and Microsoft combined, brought about loss of most of my materials. I know that some of the items are still on the computer but seem to be a nightmare to locate. Picture the Clipper with another window along each side and will give you a better idea of what I had. The Clipper was a lighter version of my Caravan but the Caravan was a custom build for physician in Nova Scotia and was the only one of the type made. Was very unique in many ways. It was made up as camper, or rv, for the gent and he had custom window screens that snapped in place for each of the rear windows, a folding step between the rear doors, metal box recessed in the floor for ice and cold storage, bed with storage underneath, fly rod holder above the rear windows and more. It was upgraded to travel todays highways with Dodge power train, auto transmission, etc. I added many more custom items that made it a real pleasure to drive, visited many exhibitions, won tons of trophy's, and the greatest thing for me was the fact that I would never see another one like this car, in the world. I could go on and on but certain you understand my thrill of ownership. Fargo became a division of Dodge/Chrysler and remained a Dodge likeness in Canada, Brazil, Australia and was produced until 1972, I believe. If my information is correct, it may still be in production in countries other than Canada. While I was in a very desolate village in Mexico, some years ago, I went to the Mercado with friends and lo and behold, there was a Fargo flatbed truck from the 40's and best of all, it was in pristine condition. Owner would not part with any piece of the truck, no matter what I tried. He loved his truck as I did my car. lol. Rattled on enough. God Bless. Ray

Hello Smahon, There are probably more talented folks out there, that can better answer this question for you but I will tell you what I have done to achieve such results. Mix pearl with green stains offered by Tandy. Also, even though water based products are not supposed to work with spirit based dyes, I have achieved good results using the pearl stain of Tandy's, mixed with Kelly Green spirit dye and other green spirit dyes of Angelus and Fiebings. These are something a friend and I achieved by experimenting with different color combinations. Hope it works for you. God Bless. Ray

Good Morning Drakkon and Cheryl, My wife is a book hoarder and could never read all she has in two lifetimes, lol. We both enjoy good books, although I don't have the desire to keep them around unless they pertain to some research, or ideas for future use with my many and varied projects. I have sold a few via Amazon but it has become more hassle that I care to handle so decided to give them all away to others expressing an interest and willing to pay postage. I understand the shortage of cash that folks are experiencing. Tough to amass enough to purchase the "goodies" we just have to have. Everything a challenge of late. Cheryl, Collecting glass is a fragile thing. Always feared I would break a valuable piece so only collected drinking vessels, ie; cups, mugs, steins, etc. Have over a thousand that will soon need a home but need to find the right collector that is willing to take in all of them. Many are not displayed as I was no longer able to install hooks in my work area, to hang them, so just packed them loosely in boxes and hid them in the small loft. Was fun and have them from many parts of the world, along with a few very special items I was attracted to. As for the old vehicles. WOW!!!!! My favorite Power Wagons. Love them and they are outstanding treasures. Could never get enough of them. Only one left here is the 67 Dodge d-100 hot rod and hope to locate a buyer as weather improves and gets the collecting fever in motion around here. It is a very nice truck but I am not able to operate the fast vehicle and traded my 29 Fargo for it as it was completed and ready to go. Miss the Fargo but time waits for-------------, as the saying goes. Those pics are treasures themselves. I still enjoy looking at the vintage power wagon site and MVPA, just to keep my memory bank and dreams intact. Keep in touch, God Bless. Ray

4wheeler, Take a look at romefast.com. They have a selection of various sizes. God Bless. Ray

Hello 4wheeler, Have you tried Ohio Travel Bag? I do know that they carry a 3/16" eyelet wit 7/32" flange depth. I will look around and see if I can come up with something. I have seen them but not having need at the time I did not save the information. God Bless. Ray

Hey Snubbyfan, Holster looks great. Finish is very nice. Got out a bottle of tan-cote today and will be applying tomorrow if able to get to the shop. Thank you for responding. God Bless. Ray

No idea what happened a few moments ago. Was working on this post and all of a sudden I was knocked out of the Leatherworker site and lost the post altogether. Strange. Had thought that there were more folks into collecting on the site but I am looking at the collecting thing from my perspective. Never could resist starting another collection of things found in my travels. It just continues today as recently I was the recipient of some 30's thru 60's jewelry, of many types, both art deco and a some with precious metals. Yesterday, I came into a small parcel of watches, although none very old but not a good judge of these things. Well I have had enough collecting now and have decided that it is time to give it up. All good things must end but certainly many hours of pleasure along the way. I plan to continue my offer of free collectibles for postage only, through next week, unless of course, I am able to find homes for the goodies on site. See my previous entry of Dec. 1 and contact me if interest is there. God Bless. Ray

Received my veg-tan sides from Springfield and was very pleased with them. Very good for being considered low grade. Hope everyone else receives sides as nice as mine. At $25.00 per side, I think they are fantastic. God Bless. Ray

Hello Bemavu, You may also want to look at the embosser offered by Bunkhouse Tools at www.bunkhousetools.com or email at tiptoncompany@gmail.com . They also make many different rolls for embossing. There is another made by Amish Gent, and Itch, a user on the site can head you in the right direction for that one. I have the Amish embosser and it is very well made but is priced along the lines of Tippman or Tandy embossers. Should you be interested in the Tandy unit, contact Chance Chancellor at the Birmingham, Alabama store and he will certainly be happy to get you the best deal possible. God Bless. Ray

Thank you, everybody for the great input. I actually mixed a dye combination of Angelus Honey and Neutral and ended up just a shade darker than natural and on some of the pieces it was not apparent that dye had been applied. Used Angelus leather paints on parts of several items and now must figure out what to do to finish without harming or drastically darkening the leather. Then hope to burnish edges with the Cobra Burnisher received a few days ago. Sure that some of the fine machines that were fabricated by members would function equally as well, but I was not in a position to make something. Have played with this one a bit and really is a time saver and much easier on these old hands. Everything is a pleasure to do but some things just seem to have become more difficult lately. Think age might play a part here? lol. In addition, has anyone tried the new pro line of edgers that Tandy is offering. They seem to be well made and do a wonderful job on the simple projects I make. At times, I think I have an excess of finishing agents and now must look back to my test info so as to find something that will work. Get to do more testing, I hope. Away from this topic a bit, I was surprised at the lack response to my offer of free collectibles. I will allow to run until next week to see if anyone is interested that requires postage payment only. Check the last entry I made under leatherwork conversation, then what do you collect to find the information. God Bless all of you, and stay safe and be excited about the wonderful holidays ahead. Ray