Sylvia

I think great customer service and decent pricing is prize enough. I get nothing from this except knowing that you get a great deal and they can get some new customers. I'm still eyeballing that $49.99 3lb maul. lol Cheryl: I have the philosophy of ask for layaway when ever I can. Or at least ask to put one aside and get the sale price when the check comes. I figure all they can do is say "No." Syl

good gosh Bobby... how tall are you?

Please provide us with an example picture.

Some of you saw the thread on Mauls and Mallets recently. I ended up purchasing my Barry King and I LOVE it. In the process of searching for something I could afford and use without much trouble I found a small company from Texas called W rising. http://www.wrising.com.'>http://www.wrising.com. It was finding them that raised most of my questions about rawhide, nylon, poly headed mallets and mauls. Anyway after I ordered my BK maul... I went ahead and bought a simple 11oz mallet from Wrising.com and for good measure I got a craftool 3D wolf track stamp. I must lead a charmed or blessed life... it is the only explanation. This week alone I've received 2 surprise gifts from different leather vendors, which they included in my orders. And an anonymous person surprised me by paying for my membership at Jamplay for a year. ($139) Anyway, I thought I would share what arrived today. Not only did I get my 11oz mallet and 3D stamp... but they included the cutest little 2oz mallet (a $5 value) as a gift. I know most of you would go "Huh? She's excited about a itty bitty mallet?" To that I say, "Yep"... and I'll use it too when I get back to some wire jewelry making. So if you are struggling under the limitations of a tight budget but want something better than your wooden thumb smasher mallet and can't afford an Al Stohlman or Barry King... or Bearman Maul... I recommend the folks at http://www.wrising.com They are running a special right now too! Check them out and be sure to say "Sylvia" sent you. Here's a picture of my goodies I got this week including my two gifts.

From what I understand you want to be able to look down on your work. My "temp" set up is actually one of those couch tables... the tall narrow ones that are meant to place behind a couch... For a long time I had my chair set at standard desk height which made the work surface of the table/slab combo just at my chest. I found I had a lot of tension in my neck and shoulders and I often "flubbed" when stamping because I couldn't see well enough. When I adjusted my chair to it's highest setting, I could SEE what I was doing and all of a sudden I have much less tension developing. Here is a good video which shows a pro saddler's shop. Here's another video... watch it for a bit.. you get to see him work at his bench carving.

You'll find that a strap cutter from tandy will give you strap just fine Except... they will sometimes be slightly larger than the intended size. Nothing too big... but I find that when I set it for 1.5 inches.... I sometimes get 1 9/16" because of the cutter and the torque of pulling it. Something to think about as you weigh your options.

Rod... I think I've seen an old set for sale recently. Check your PM in a few minutes for the link... if I can find it again. S pm sent.

One of the things I've been tempted to try is "nature's" tap offs. The idea is to collect sturdy things from nature, like tree branches, twigs, leaves with good heavy veins, small interesting shaped pebbles. Case the leather well, lay out the pieces over the leather, cover with a bit of brown paper and tape that to the table so everything stays contained The go to town with a rolling pin or small mallet. Tap or Roll well all over... Remove the paper and natural bits and see the result. Remember to tell your kids that there are no mistakes with this method. Hmmmm... sounds fun.. I might just try that today. BTW... I found a supplier that has those inexpensive wooden malets for CHEAP. I've ordered from them before and they got it out right away. I bet they would be willing to give you a deal for the camp if you email and explain what you need. http://www.wrising.com/ (tell them Sylvia sent you) Syl

I feel for you Camp: It seems everyone swears by Oil Dye, but I've had just as many problems with it as any other spirit dye. I have a few questions. Did you let the dye dry between coats? I'm talking 24 hours here. The last "oil" dye I used was a black... it did the same thing that spirit dye did... but it had a tendency to move around on the surface instead of just rubbing off. I finally just sealed over the crap with eco flo and then sealed with an acrylic sealer. Unless you are under a deadline, I suggest that you leave it for a couple days to dry. Then check to see if there is improvement. Good luck.

Excellent observation, Jason. Thank you.

Whoa! Burned by a Texan. Well, at least my instincts aren't failing me. I pay no attention to "famous people" I figure they all put their britches on about the same as I do... and they all "sit to sh**" When I can find one that poll vaults into his britches from 100 paces away.... then I'll be impressed. :D Otherwise, they are just folks to me.

Dang... you must be drinking way too much coffee or tea then. (bah duh dump!) I've not noticed any skin tinting with mine. Go figure.

Dennis: Have you tried contacting the local pawn shops? Or placing an ad on Craigslist stating you want their old broken ones?

I really don't have any idea unless Springfield leather carries it.

Hi John: First, Do these Lederhosen still fit properly? The reason I ask is if they are tight your repairs will cause you issues. If these were mine.. I would attack the crotch area with a pair of scissors, cutting the area out about 2 inches (6.5 cm) centered on the seam line. All the way up one leg and down the other through the crotch area. Then I would use that piece to measure and add a seam allowance all the way around to make a piece to lay in, glue and sew. Then your back tear I would create some sort of patch to overlay and glue and sew. Is your repair material at least a good color match? Syl

Here's the walking stick grip kit. The kids will need to find or cut a stick. http://www.stecksstore.com/servlet/the-411/Walking-Stick-Hand-Grip/Detail I recommend contacting Bruce Steckler directly to see if he will give you a camp discount. At least the walking stick idea could get you talking about some bible stories as they craft. ??

Here's another... pretty simple stuff in this one. http://www.macscouter.com/cubscouts/PowWow00/Crafts00.pdf This one has some interesting leather stuff including mocs and braiding. http://dankohn.info/~scouts/resources/projects.pdf I know I have more... .just need to find them.

Let me dig around in my list of links from researching a few months back. Seems to me I found a PDF put out by the scouts that you might find helpful. One thing I know is a good project for Christian camps is a walking stick with leather handle. Give me a few minutes to find it all again. S Ok, here is one of the ones I found. Basic Leatherworking-1.pdf

LOL somehow his smiley got truncated... he meant to do this.

I'm adding Glendon's pencil grip idea to this thread. It's a rectangle of leather fit around a standard pencil then sewn with a few stitches. Here is his link. http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=39905&pid=247992&st=0entry247992

Unless you are made of wood or veg tanned leather... You wouldn't change color. Vinegaroon turns things black by a chemical reaction between the 'groon and the tannins in the leather or wood... or tea as Chuck mentioned.

Chuck I have a question: I assume from your posts that you are a holster maker. I don't as a rule make wet-formed items and I tend to tool first then 'groon afterwards. Have you tried tooling previously 'grooned leather, perhaps after the baking soda bath and rinse? I am wondering if that would be a better way for me to deal with the things that need to be vinegarooned. ??? Syl

Well, she knows I can do better than that... but he gave it to her because it was purple... her favorite color. (she probably threw it away) lol But that's the point... practice on scrap and when you feel your skills are adequate and you are comfortable with the tools, then try a kit. I suppose one could just say... "I screwed this up... JUST for you!!" LOL! Syl

Ever notice how the most simple looking image turns out to be a PITA to actually carve?

You sound a lot like me, except my "jr high" was in the 70s. I would slow down a bit though. You need some practice time before you tackle those projects so go back to Tandy and get a couple bags of scrap pieces and start by practicing with your swivel knife,... and beveling. Practicing on scrape takes some of the stress away. If you "practice" on a project... and screw it up. It's done. If you practice on scrap and screw it up... no worries... use it to test dye colors out, then toss it. I did something similar to what plan on doing... and I worked on a purse kit, right off. It was so stinking bad that I wanted to throw it away...but my hubby sent it to his sister.