Sylvia

ha ha ha! Good one!

he he he... you are welcome Cheryl. I link because I care.... and because I wasn't sure an Aussie would know what a zip tie is. ha!

Hi Busted: Nope, no kick press here. I've looked at a clicker dies for belts but the problem is.... I make completely custom, made to fit guitar straps. And while one may only adjust 2 inches in either direction another might adjust 11 inches in total. Good idea though. I have gotten a "belt template set" recently that has helped with the distance between the holes but I still spend gobs of time making sure it's centered left and right. I'll find a way to foolproof the process eventually. Thank you very much for your idea though. S

The only "vegan" product I'm aware of that can be carved is WOOD. Without getting political or in a huge argument about the rights and wrongs of leather. I would like to remind everyone that synthetic materials, plastic, naugahide, and vinyl.. are made from OIL. (long dead plants and animals (diatoms)) and the production of said synthetic materials create more pollution than Leather ever did. So I think your friend should resign themselves to wear cotton, linen and hemp...

you all can see that link? All I get is a page of symbols.

Thank you, Art! I was aware of Grey Ghost Graphics... but my necessary frugal nature kept me from buying from him. I just do not have $95 for a belt template set... and holy smokes $145 for the guitar strap set is way way out of my budget. I do covet his petal lifters though... but again $100... out of my budget at least for now. <sigh> This is exactly why I like Black River.... everything they have thus far is under $20 a set. That is something that even us "church mouses" can afford.

Hi Chavez: As they are now, you mark through the template, then center the punch. However, if you consistently use the same size belt punch I see no reason why Jerry couldn't adjust the template holes to accommodate the punch at least on the normal belt size ones. That is something you would want to talk to him about though. The "traditional" English point is shorter.... normally it is laid out with your wing dividers. On a 1 inch strap you measure up 1 inch from the end to be cut... then set your wind dividers to the width of the strap (1 inch) then drag the wing divider point of one side to the other side across the leather, pivoting on the other point. Reset and drag in the other direction. The result is a short point formed where the scribed arcs meet. The set that Black River has identified as an English point is not exactly correct. That's why I refer to it as a Long Point. You want the "strap end template set" if you are looking for the traditional pointed belt look. There is nothing wrong with the "engish point template set" excepting that it's points are too long. I've used mine a few times in various ways.... especially when I want to point off a strap that I want to sew to another strap. The longer more graceful curve works nicely for that. Practical difference? I think it's more of a preference... I prefer the points but some people prefer the round ends. I may be wrong but I think that the points would be easier to slide under a belt loop. S

LOL YES you are a giant cheater-peter-pants. Looks really good though. It's funny how we get used to using certain tools and rarely return to the "basic 7" set. I've somehow completely misplaced my speed beveler knife... can't find it anywhere. Must be time to re-organize.

Anacott... you might try Chancey's trick. Align and punch your first hole, then use a tiny zip tie to hold it while you align and punch your second hole... etc., etc., etc. http://www.9thtee.com/zipties.htm

Oh no! If you spill a bottle of "stain" or dye.... just go with it and get all "Jackson Pollack" and have a grand old time "spatter painting" https://www.google.com/search?q=jackson+pollock&hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=27v&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&prmd=imvnso&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=WTGbT_iZLcGQ2gXcqvz7Dg&ved=0CEIQsAQ&biw=1280&bih=639

Yes, I see it now... if you order 50.01 or more you get free standard shipping. I guess I never ordered that much from him. :D

Bruce is awesome. I've used him a lot. Was your "free shipping" on his store site or on Ebay?

Hi Again. I got your PM yesterday but the Invoice never came. Try again? S

Necro-bumping a 2 year old thread I see. :D

Nah... frustration and a minor freak out had come over you. As a beginner, no one can fault you for that or not thinking of doing a test like that. LOL We've ALL been there and some off us are still learning and re-learning things all the time. It's part of the fun of leather working, I think.

Man! That just stinks.... I hate thieves.

It could have been the wax from the thread... I suppose. why don't you try running some waxed thread across a piece of undyed scrap... then try to dye it. See if it gives you the same issue. If it does then you'll know. Who knows you may have accidentally figured out a new way to create a cool affect.

ha ha ha... NO.. ammonia is poisonous! But if you do make your own... a half gallon of Everclear, some sudsy ammonia and mostly water... you could have your dye prep... and plenty of Everclear booze to make cocktails with. The ratio is something like 90% water, 6% everclear... the rest sudsy ammonia. The Safety sheet was pretty vague... and said "ammonia and proprietary soap" ummm yeah "sudsy ammonia" ha! I paid $16 for a bottle of the stuff from Fiebings... heck I could have made my own! (I will be when this runs out actually)

I have never EVER heard of cleaning the leather before dying with saddle soap... Fiebings has a dye prep cleaner that is basically water and sudsy ammonia and clear booze. You are supposed to clean the piece with it and dye immediately. But I tend to agree with Benilly... that looks like glue or something that resists dye.

The point of this exercise was to use 4 of the tools from the Basic 7 set. If your basic 7 came with a textured beveler... ok... if not... sorry does not qualify. And you have to use the A104 backgrounder that comes with the kit if you choose to background. http://www.usaknifem...amps-p-368.html I'm sorry but the only ones I see that can by pass this is those who never bought the basic 7 and don't have similar tools in their kit. It sounds to me as if you DO have these tools.... so please use them.

I'm not fond of math either. It's not something most of us would go hmmm that's beautiful because it's in proportion... or has golden ratio spirals. But when we don't see the proportion or the spirals aren't right.... we notice something is just "off" about it. Luckily you don't have to be a math wiz now. I've had a template maker fix me up with some spiral templates. I got them yesterday and boy are they helpful!! It's a set of 8 templates for about $20 shipped. I spent some time yesterday fiddling with them on paper with colored pencils and wow... so easy to make scrolled designs! There's another post that is about the template maker... http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=39395&st=0&gopid=245311entry245311

Chavez. I'm probably the only one who has these templates since Black River just started making them. They are the perfect solution for someone that can't afford sets of expensive end punches and doesn't like the "multi-size" punch The set has 7 sizes for straps 3/8" wide up to 2"... one end is the English point... the other is the round point. The other set of strap templates have a "long point" I think most of us would use the English point. However, I have used the long point ones for making a tapered point on a strap end that was being sewn to another. That worked perfectly and refined the look of the attachment. ) To me the best part is they have holes to poke through to mark the places to punch for holes. ) It doesn't completely solve my personal issue with punching belt holes but it does speed up my process. The holes on the templates are every 1/2" (13mm) so 1/2" and 1" and up can be marked easily. The material it's made from is about 1/16" (2mm) thick so they will hold up well. I used the English point and the long point set on the guitar strap I just shipped. Easy peazy.... lay the template on the leather strap, mark the end with the stylus. follow the cut with your knife. I do intend to try cutting while holding the template on some scrap... I've not done that yet. I think clamping it to the table is my best bet to accomplish that... we'll see. I had previously made my own template but being cut by hand from aluminum, it wasn't perfect. This is a ton better. ) Be sure to ask them if they even ship to the UK Chavez.... I have no idea if they are willing to do that. (I bet they are though) S

Start one... or request to start a chapter of the one in Houston.

It really depends on what you are sewing, what stitch you are doing and the stitches per inch. I try to make sure I don't waste the thread... but at the same time I have to be able to successfully work the needles... so I try to keep them no longer than my arms length. If you have any of the books on stitching or have taken the time to watch the videos on Tandy... there is a rule of thumb of something like 1.5 times the perimeter of the piece to 2.5 times... but don't quote me on that! lol