Sylvia

Very cool! I love the idea of the cord keeper on the strap.

I gotta ask. Does your fly rod have ceramic eyelets? It seems to me that your expensive rod dashing about in a round tube would damage those. (I worked for a sportman's store ages ago and Umpqua Feather Merchants. http://www.umpqua.com ) I think I would be more inclined to make it zip open with ridged sides and a padded interior with snap loops to hold each section in place. I know these rods can run hundreds. It would be a shame to have one go bashing about in a tube as you run to get the best fishing spot. :D

What an honor to repair such a precious book. Nicely done.

Condolences for your loss.

Hi Chris Relief cuts work to allow the leather a way to move so it can lay flat. Most wet forms require them. You can cut 2 parallel cuts or a V cut in order to achieve this. I tend to prefer the parallel cuts because I'm less likely to cut too deeply into the stitching line. The V cut can be tricky especially when you try to get the piece out....that's when the cut ends up too deep. that said the V shaped relief cuts are far superior to the parallel cuts when you are struggling with a lot of bunched up material. Hope that helps some. Sylvia

As I said before I would NOT get the basic kit but pay the extra to get the Deluxe Kit. You get a better mallet and better adjustable knife. You get better project pieces too.

Interesting. That code said that it was used successfully March 15th. Of course they could have shut it down now that it's almost the end of March. Do order the catalog though, it's a handy reference because sometimes the Tandy site seems to hide things even though they are available. Another place you might want to search a lot for things is http://www.harborfreight.com They have a lot of tools that are perfectly suitable for leather working including hole punch sets. The interesting thing about Harbor Freight is that you can "Stack" coupons. Yesterday I ordered a few things, used 3 coupon codes. INSURE20 (20% OFF 1 ITEM) and NOWFREE (got 2 clamps free) and SPRING10 (10 PERCENT OFF ONE ITEM) It says "Enter multiple coupon codes one at a time." after you click checkout but you can do it while in the cart too. I also like and recommend http://www.stecksstore.com they carry most of Tandy's stuff but their shipping is much less and often their prices are already at the gold membership price or a few cents lower. Also Bruce will match any sale price that Tandy offers, just email him if you see a better price at Tandy. StandingBears.com is a source too but unfortunately they don't have a way to order from their website. However for some unknown reason their Facebook page has a way to order a few things right from facebook.

I don't know if all Tandy's do this but if you put in Special instructions of your online tandy order. "Please, ship as first class... or as cheaply as possible" Often the $12.99 the site says is the shipping is reduced to like $8. also there is a code that gets you $10 off your order. 1kRet-CR-11 I do recommend that you sign up for at least the gold membership. (even better if you get the elite membership) Each month you get something free (I got one 7.99 stamp free last month) this month I got $5.00 off Leathercraftlibrary.com And you see deals that the general public does not. Do get the deluxe kit while it's on sale. The reason is you get a better knife, a nylon mallet and some project pieces... and some eco flo. Though some hate eco flo, it's enough to get you started until you decide whether you want something a bit better. The stamps suck eggs... but if you have issues with them Tandy will replace them if you email or call the store who shipped the kit. Learn to make Vinegaroon. I am in the midst of fighting Black once again. I look like a coal miner at the moment from the stuff. (hate black) Save yourself the trouble and start out that way. Couldn't hurt for you to get an airbrush and small pancake compressor. Also get a few pounds of SCRAP from somewhere. You won't want to practice your knife cuts on your project pieces... and you do need to practice. Look around your own garage for alternatives to help you.... Carpenter Squares, sand paper, rubber mallet, straight edges, rulers

Uhmm... what is buff leather? ah ha! It's defined as ": a strong supple oil-tanned leather produced chiefly from cattle hides." So perhaps you can ask some suppliers for "oil-tanned" leather samples and see what you get?

Today I finished 2 pick pouches, sprayed the guitar strap with dye and skived some more leather for the next batch of pouches. Oh and I started a batch of vinegaroon. And talk to a guy about making an accordian strap.

interesting stylus idea Dwight. I use a dental tool I had left over from my potters wheel days. It has a spoonlike scraping end but I use the back side of it.

So sorry for your loss.... sometimes I think a loss of a pet can be worse than the loss of a family member or friend.

There's also a project page at leathercraftlibrary.com I think it was like $3 search for embossing or repousse.

I think most of us have an issue with staying motivated at one time or another. For me, I spend as much time as I can on research when my hands aren't working leather. Youtube, google books, the library of congress, websites, supplier sites, and of course Leatherworker.net have all become essential during my learning journey. My work space initially was an 18"x18" bistro table with a bathroom granite sink cut out on it. Trust me not having enough room, as Reddevil says, is a huge problem. My space is still not ideal,.. it's schlocked together tables shaped into a U so I can spin from my computer to my tooling area to my layout area. I still have to put up and take down my cutting space and I have to go out into the garage to do other things. But I'm slowly creating a space that works for me. Then a funny thing happened. I started "inventing" things. I created things for another of my hobbies, jewelry making and guitar. My first piece made on a lark, sold on Yardsellr. And I had interest from other guitarists... so I made another "Thing" and it sold. I hate to say it but $ is a great motivating factor, but it can also be a creativity killer if you have a particularly demanding customer or one that feels they need to have updates every 20 minutes. Keep in mind you can "practice" by drawing designs as well. If you can draw it chances are you can carve it. As far as comparing your work to what you see here. Keep in mind that just like guitar... 6 months of practice does NOT make you into (insert favorite guitarist here)... It makes you, a guitarist with 6 months worth of practice. So give yourself a break. No one here with average ability just jumped in brand new and began carving and putting together perfect projects. The mistake is part of the learning process... and it's what you learn from your mistakes that makes you a better artist. Finally, one motivating factor is not having to worry how something will come out. For this reason get yourself a few pounds of leather scrap and practice on those. Knife cuts, stamping, designing your own art, even doodling on some leather that you aren't going to make into a wallet or whatever allows you to make those mistakes, try new things and learn without the stress of having to be perfect. Just have fun. If you make a cut... and it sparks something take some stamps and turn it into a tree. Good luck. Sylvia

Couple things can happen that causes this. Cutting from the leather in the wrong spot can cause the leather to twist and roll. Soles, and the main body of the Moc should be cut perpendicular to the spine of the animal to help prevent this. Another thing that can be done is to skive and glue and stitch a heal piece inside the moc. I learned most of this from a fellow who makes mocs and boots similar to these. http://www.sodhoppers.com/ PM me for a tutorial on how to make them. I have the link somewhere... but too tired to look it up now.

Depends on your airbrush. the Angelus paints can be atomized with the right tip but most would dilute it to the consistency of milk and spray thin coats.

Ideally, the idea is to get some scrap leather and start building a tool and reference book collection. Then start practicing Buy the best tools you can afford... and try to practice your swivel knife cuts daily. Other than that it's just a matter of finding suppliers. I'm sure the saddlers will jump in and recommend tools and suppliers.

Hey PL01 Would you try something for me? Grab a scrap of the same leather and dip it into some water and rub the smooth side over that little scratch on the right side in the picture. I have a theory and if it works for you too... I'm going to make me a tool. (I'm looking for the scratch to virtually disappear) Oh and color scheme.... Black or dark brown background... and red knot .... and antiqued... and made satin(black)/shiny(red)

@Cyberthrasher I like that a lot!

He he he... GH is a cool old dude. I really can't answer that since I've never used resolene. The only thing I can offer is to try it on a practice piece. My supply of dyes and chemicals are limited and I chafe at having to buy yet another bottle of googah to use. LOL I recently bought a quart bottle of "Fiebings #5 dye prep" for $16 plus shipping. When I got it it smelled just like ammonia. I shook it and it got sudsy. So I got online and looked up the safety sheet. It's 90% water, and the rest is varying %s of ethol alcohol (clear booze), ammonia and "proprietary soap" What the?? So.... when I run out of this stuff I'm going to go buy a half gallon of Everclear 190 proof Booze, A bottle of Sudsy Ammonia from the $1 store and mix my own dang $16 bottle full of stuff and have enough to left over to make 40 more bottles.

Hi Mike: The only stupid question is the one that remains unasked. So no worries ok? The two tone affect is done by putting the shene on first in several thin layers allowing time to dry between. You want to be sure the shene is only in the areas you want to remain light such as a border or letters. Then use your antique gel and make sure it is worked down into the carving and stamp work. and wipe the excess off. Since you've already done this backwards... and have a uniformly antiqued piece that's finished with shene. The only thing you might be able to do at your own risk is dye carefully with an artist's brush through the shene. I was tired last night so I neglected to find you the video from Tandy.

Hi Raquel The older Tandy stuff is good. Anything marked Craftool USA, Craftool Co and even older Craftool with numbers like 943 (no alpha at the beginning) are all old USA made tools that are smooth looking and tool nicely. I've not bought from Bruce Johnson, but he has quite a collection of vintage tools for sale. http://brucejohnsonleather.com/blog/?p=268 On ebay I look for tools that are marked Craftool Co and Craftool USA mostly. The trouble is most of us are out there looking for the next tool we need for our kit. If you are looking for new... Check out http://www.barrykingtools.com There are others but they escape me at the moment. Also check out estate sales in your area for good deals I've seen some folks get great deals on old tools .

Yes, bluesman. Please re-read my post above.... I know.... and I have also gotten 30 emails from the system because I watched a particularly chatty forum. To me that many emails is more annoying than some dope quoting long posts with pictures.

Hi Mike: Satin Shene well resist the color from eco flo hi-lite or eco flo antiques. It will NOT resist the color from pro water stain or dyes. So be sure you know the difference. The result is a two toned effect .