Sylvia

I got my package today and I love these golden spirals and my new guitar strap template. They even sent me a piece of leather with "Sylvia's Leather Shop" laser engraved into it... with a hand written note on the back. How sweet is that? I'm telling you... I LOVE these people.

Hmmm... $45 shipped. I just couldn't do that. I would rather try to buy American anyway. Thanks though! I appreciate your looking out for me!

Oh dear.... Tandy had an open house last weekend and EVERYTHING was on sale. non members got Gold prices, Gold members got Elite prices... Elite members got Wholesaler prices. They probably got wiped out. Go to http://www.stecksstore.com See if he has your lace... He ships really fast.... I usually get things from him in 2-3days.

Wow! Those are awesome!

Chancy is a GOD!

Cyber.... make sure you compare prices between the stecks ebay store and the .com store. Sometimes the Ebay store is more expensive. AND if you sign up to stecksstore.com you get a 10% discount... I've been buying from him since December. I've been getting a 10% discount ever since I started buying from his site.

Ken: I just just checking out some of my OLDER tools... and compared them with the Deluxe kit numbers. For instance. I have this "star" tools from the 70s. Number is Z 609 Now... I also have some Z tools from that kit.... but they are numbered like this. Z-A104, Z-U853.

yep, you got it... didn't realize how dirty my hands where until I took these pictures. LOL Been working in the garden and stuff. I'm sure you are all good up to this point... make sure your tail is pulled snug. The end result There you go... no bulky twisty things to come undone... The tail does sometimes ride up and down if you handle your thread. But it's much nicer then trying to twist and wax... in my opinion.

It's interesting to me that there are so many ways of preparing the needle and thread. When I thread my needles... I pull the thead through the eye so I have about 2 inches or so through. Then I push the point of the needle through the long end and slide the thread up the needle to the eye... then pull the short end, forcing a not just beyond the eye of the needle... the short end is now longer so I poke through the thread of that end and draw it past the eye of the needle and the first knot.... and down the length of the thread. This secures the end to the thread. No twisting nonsense required and you don't have a bunch of bulky thread to try to get through the hole. As for it breaking at the needle, it sounds to me that you've got a burr which is cutting the thread. Get a magnefying glass out and inspect that needle.

I have fought black before as well. It doesn't seem to matter to me if it is Angelus, or Fiebings... The stuff just is nasty to work with. My first "black" project was awful. Rubbed off in places so I deglazed and tried again. It rubbed off again... I could see the color of the leather. I died it purple... that stuff also rubbed off. I died it navy... it rubbed off too. So I dyed it black one more time... let it dry two days out of frustration.... then put eco flo dark cocoa brown over it. It turned out black! What the?? Second time... it was Fiebings USMC black.... rubbed off. deglazed... put Fiebings OIL Black over it.... it rubbed off. or more precisely.... it moved around on the surface.. if rubbed in a different direction... it "hid" the see through. hmmm... So I oiled it one more time. Let that dry... then sprayed a coat of eco-flo black on it. Let that dry and then sprayed satin sheen. (no more rub off) I find black to be so bad that I was tempted to charge an additional $75 per coat of the stuff. So recently I brewed some vinegaroon. I stain with vinegaroon, then put oil over that... then black antique paste... then seal. And I'm still tempted to charge extra.....

Yep, the Z tools are from the basic and deluxe Tandy kits.

There's this lot too http://www.ioffer.com/i/howling-wolf-conchos-lot-of-100-over-50-value!-8766930

There's a nice one at this page. 2nd row, item on the right. http://www.cowboyblacksmith.com/Conchos.htm

Hey Kevin. Why not Contact Springfield's Kevin via his profile here? http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showuser=10151 If you look down on the left it has a link to "email me"

oh dear! Please tell me it wasn't his permanent teeth. I remember seeing a few kids get their permanent teeth broken in school. I always felt so sorry for them because it looked so painful. Nice weather... wasn't it last week you were complaining about show again? LOL We are looking at a temp of 88*F here. It's nice but I feel it is a portent of a things to come this summer.

LOL I know huh? That's what really got me giggling.

I hate to bother you but I'm still waiting for the invoice so I can pay you.

They sure make life much easier.

I KNEW you were smarter than the average Bear! Did you get it all figured out?

He he he.... Yes, but that would be a true miracle.

I know right? They apparently know me well enough to know that I've struggled to get the tools and supplies I need and they have my address. Yet they have not revealed themselves to me. If I find out who he or she is..... I'm gonna hug the stuffing out of them. LOL S

It seems I have a mystery on my hands. About 2 or 3 weeks ago I got a package with a BUNCH of very nice, line 24 snaps in silvertone. I had ordered some from Conchos.com but that package arrived with the order complete. Hmmm... The mystery box had no invoice, no packing slip, no clue to who is sent them, except that the box was sent from Ulysses, Pennsylvania. Today, just now..... another mystery box arrived. This one contained a brand new wooden Tandy strap cutter with a pack of blades and a used but still nice white plastic edge slicker. Now I KNOW I did not order these...so I have a generous person who knows my address sending me these things. I don't know who my benefactor is.... so I'll just thank my angel here. "THANK YOU!!"

Most airbrushes come with extra tips and needles to handle thicker and thinner fluids. I have no idea what you could use to thin it with, unless a call to the manufacturer can offer a solution. As for cleaning I would probably clean it with a regular solvent like lacquer thinner. (wear your respirator!) I've never heard of Ravens oil before so I read up on it on a forum.

Hi Ralph. I guess I get to be the first one to welcome you. There is a lot of information here... so make sure you have plenty of coffee! Syl

Simon: I really like that you are learning in this way. It is amazing to me how many just freak out, accept defeat, and toss it in the can and some even swear off leather working. You are showing tenacity and a willingness to take a bad situation and make it work anyway. That quality is essential to get good at this leatherwork thing in my opinion... I sometimes call this exercise, the art of the error... or art of the mistake. It can be frustrating for sure but it's really fun to find a way that fixes the error, or makes the error a feature. Jacks's comment made me wonder if my terms were correct so I looked up burnish. bur·nish (bûrnsh)tr.v. bur·nished, bur·nish·ing, bur·nish·es 1. To make smooth or glossy by or as if by rubbing; polish.2. To rub with a tool that serves especially to smooth or polish.n. A smooth glossy finish or appearance; luster.