Sylvia

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.

it does dissipate after a while. When you seal the leather it will help stop the smell too.

Is the inside finished as well? If not you can use any of the stuff above to oil, balm or lexol. It might be more tricky on the finished side especially if you want to retain the color since a lot of these treatments will darken the leather quite a bit.

Cat urine is oily, believe it or not, which is why it is so difficult to remove and why the Ammonia worked for Double C. The trouble I see is soaking the rawhide well enough to float out all the urine is likely going to change the texture of the rawhide. Who knows. since natives used urine turned to ammonia to make white leather, it might even tan it. I suppose if you've thrown the thing away a few times it can't hurt to try. Sudsy Ammonia (found at the dollar store) then Vinegar and Baking Soda. (place vinegar in container and soak, then rinse, shake dry... then bury in a box full of baking soda for a few days) Finally.. A good dousing of Listerine (the old fashioned flavor, if you can find it) I mean for you to use all three to REALLY get this thing clean.

I've used Angelus paints. They are smooth, but I do need to warn you that "gold" and "silver" are not solid colors they are more like sparkly glazes with silver looking more like a pearl. Yes you deglaze first. It's a good idea to deglaze even if it is Veg tan. Allow to dry after deglazing then put your paints on in very thin washes, allowing to dry between each one. DO NOT expect to paint it in one day. Plan on several days depending on the number of colors.

If you have a Walgreen's near you that is where I got most of my sharpies in kits. The silver and gold ones usually come in 2 packs. My BIC permanent markers came from Riteaid. If you watch for the rebates and coupons sometimes you can get a whole set for a couple dollars. (after coupons and rebates) And sometimes they are free. In fact along about July-August we should see some great deals on school supplies... then again in January. I think Bic or Sharpie have great coupons available...during that time.

Oh! It's a mallet... I thought you said it was a maul.

I'll take this one. Sending PM now.

Think Silhouette, Cheryl. Remember the things we did in grade school for our Mothers? Or for president's day? That looked something like this? http://www.peggymcclard.com/Day%20boy%204696%2001ac%2096px.jpg What happened is you picked a picture with "legs." I think you would have been better off with just a horses head in silhouette. Good for you for trying...

Sweet!!

Hi Trox: During the dust bowl in America... many many people just packed up what they could carry and walked away from their homes and farms. Across the midwest even as late as the late 70s there were abandoned houses which still contained furniture, pianos... etc. I've also seen old homesteads in the mountains of Oregon that still had stuff in the cupboards, old firebox cookstoves, and one had a piano. It is possible.

Hi: Do you plan on tooling the pieces for your bronc halters or are you just planning on painting the pieces? If you plan on painting only I think you can get away with pre-finished leather in the thickness you want. I've read where paints will NOT stick to oil tanned leather, so that is something to think about and or test. Good luck

I added color a couple days ago to test a color theme. I used a silver sharpie and green, red and orange sharpies and a dark blue fine sharpie. It turns out the silver sharpie works great! It is flexible and doesn't seem to want to flake off. hmmm weird that the icon is black but go ahead and click it to see the picture.

Hi Ed: Thank you for providing us with extra insight on the poly vs. nylon vs. rawhide thing. So let me get this straight... you are placing Barry King's Mauls in the same category as Al Stohlman ones?

Yes! Or finding an old abandoned barn full of old leather tools.... and an early Harley. lol

It seems the end punches work much better than the oblongs, that's for sure. My tandy one went right through the leather even without stropping it. BTW... I found that an old acrylic "tooth brush holder" from a bathroom set I had... worked great to keep my larger punches "sharp end up" and out of the way. Just make sure the holes in the holder are around 1 inch big.

Wow! Wish something like would happen to me.

Cheryl. I used to host a few people on Hostmonster... MUCH cheaper than $20 a month. They have a sale on now too. Read through things, because I didn't... but It was great a few years ago http://www.hostmonster.com/?gclid=CMK9hs-OjbACFaEJRQodVzcbpg

Cheryl. I used to host a few people on Hostmonster... MUCH cheaper than $20 a month. They have a sale on now too. Read through things, because I didn't... but It was great a few years ago. http://www.hostmonster.com/?gclid=CMK9hs-OjbACFaEJRQodVzcbpg