Sylvia

I use a rubber hammer sometimes. I saves me a lot of whacking to get an impression I want. So much better than the little wooden mallet that comes with the kits. I imagine the 96oz maul was developed for the same reason. One whack, done! I agree that the site is nice..... I had to click out of it quickly because so many thing I wanted on the first link I clicked. ha! Good luck I hope you sell lots of tools.

My Gosh... I just read last night's post. I must have had typoglycemia... lol LOL I just read the About Us since you mentioned it. Sounds like an interesting and varied life.

I searched all over the net too. I found that Angelus dyes (and paints) can be purchased quite cheaply at http://www.dharmatrading.com/html/eng/10144464-AA.shtml it's cool because Its where I get my tie dyes. ) 2.89 for 3oz ... yay! (when you guy 5 or more) Works for me! Has to be shipped ground ... but they get their orders out fast!

Hello people! I'm a tie dyer as well. and I found a source for fiber reactive dyes and made in USA cotton blanks online last summer. I want some leather dye colors and my source has Angelus dyes, and Angelus Acrylics. for CHEAP, I'm talking if you buy 5 or more you get them for 2.89 for the 3oz bottles (every where else is $4-7. ) Woo hoo! They have other Angelus stuff too. The place is http://www.dharmatrading.com/html/eng/10144464-AA.shtml Psst... Free Gift with First purchase... choose from a plain white T, a silk scarf or hanky... and something else. The choices are on the home page. Just select what you want and add to your order. Has anyone tried these Angelus refillable dye pens? http://www.dharmatrading.com/html/eng/10803574-AA.shtml It has to ship ground (1 quart max) ... but I was able to get what I wanted and stay within my budget. )

Hmmm... It almost looks tie dyed the way it is. I know in the old days of waxed floors women used ammonia to strip the wax build up, before applying new wax. I have no idea what that would do to leather but if you can try a little in a corner and allow it to dry it might be a cheap and effective solution. You'll probably want to rinse with fresh water afterwards. Before you go and throw this in the can, ship it to me. I could use some practice leather. And I'm too poor to buy any!

ha ha ha! I swear you two are birds of a feather. The photos really shows that you are the "Cat's Meow!" I love cats and have owned a Seal Point Siamese... but whoa they are mouthy!

I just found this star that might work for you... the small size is 3/32 http://www.pjtool.com/stardesignmetalstamp.aspx?gclid=CKbvtKSJ7qwCFQVwhwod7HdrQg

Hi. This is probably way too late to be of much help but I'll throw this out there for future projects. I notice on the original piece, the leather has a wrinkled texture. I recently made a belt for my husband that ended up with similar texture. I "caused" the wrinkles by rolling the belt tightly toward the skin side before I added any finish. My intent was to straighten the belt from it's packaged state. The wrinkling was quite by accident but I do think it made an interesting texture. Now don't go critiquing my work... It was my first piece back to leather working after many many years... I had no edgers or a slicker yet. LOL! At any rate, I hope this helps!

Let's see, my brother is 73 and I know he's been using this since he was a teenager. I don't have an object he's made but I do have a machine embroidery file I made for his wife. It will give you an idea of what he hand draws.

I know this is an old thread but I had to add a few things. Man, I don't miss neighbors sharing a wall with me at all! You could try overlaying some acoustic dampening materials over your shared wall to help you both out. Some thick polystyrene sheathing would help and would give you a little more insulation too. It looks like this. http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R-100320352/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053 I have some of this in the music room to keep the amp noise down. (I still like to keep my neighborhood happy... even if we don't share a wall) I have a wooden maul too... and the noise was driving me nuts so I glued some veg tanned leather on the ends with contact cement. That quieted it down quite a bit. But I bet your new maul is much better. I'm actually working on a 16" x 16" metal bistro table that already had a cracked ceramic top. I've busted through that completely trying to punch a hole. So I put an inch piece of board up there.... still noisy. Hubby stopped by a local Granite counter top place today and they gave him a 17" x 13" x 2" piece of granite. It's actually the "doughnut" hole piece left from cutting out the place for a sink. Free is good! I've not tried it yet but I am pretty excited about it.

That's good to know. I don't have the funds to get a stitching pony and I'm not that great at wood working. So I try to use what I have and just "make it work." I absconded with my husbands bench vice... dedicated a hard back cook book I don't like and pinched my work between the pages with the vice. Of course I kept catching the lace on the vice's handle but it was much better than trying to lace with my piece free. I really like your pony... and it's comfy seat.

Hi Mike I thought that might be the problem. Thanks for the tip! It's funny you use the south end of a northbound cat as your Avatar. My brother has used a similar katsass on his wood working. But his has a crescent moon, so his is actually Kats ass by the light of the moon! ha! I didn't think there was another one of you guys in the world. ha ha ha. That's awesome. Syl

Here ya go! http://www.ebay.com/itm/rare-vtg-CRAFTOOL-1-2-WOOD-GRAIN-LOG-ALPHABET-STAMP-SET-leather-TOOLS-8142-/170737753609?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27c0c35e09

Now that pony is very cool! I have a question though... do the shelves where you put the awls catch your thead or lace while you are working?

Hey Guys. I've done some pyrography and have wood burner with an alphabet set and some simple tips. I tried some branding with it as an experiment but notice that steam marks seal the leather so that dye doesn't take as well. Is there a secret? Should I be branding after dying? Any insight or help would be greatly appreciated. Syl

Hi CJ: I've recently returned to leather working (hobby) after 30 some years away from it. My first piece looked much like your first piece, and I said to myself, "@#$@#%! What the?!" . I discovered that I had too much water when I cased the leather which made it kind of mushy and the impressions, no matter how hard I pounded, just didn't seem to take. I found a lot of visual aids and help on Youtube. Some are from Tandy and may mimic the DVD you got with your kit. But there are plenty of others on there that have helped me quite a bit. I found that a heaver mallet works best for me. I have confiscated my husband's dead blow rubber mallet and that works pretty well for now. The thing weighs a good 6-8 lbs and as long as I don't grip it too hard and just let the tool do the work I get some nice impressions without having to beat the living daylights out of the tool. (I have to remind myself about my grip, since just like playing guitar... there's no need to strangle the python.) LOL I think you are well on your way...

ooooo OUCH! I think (being a woman) I would skip the Christmas Gift for the wife this year. Then if she says something about it... tell her the money you would have spent on her, you used to restock your supplies, since she went and spent the Ren Fair profits. You still might be in the dog house.... but at least she will get the point.

I guess I should probably say that I used to work in a production shop with commercial machines. I know the machines you are speaking of quite well. I don't think I'll do much sewing with my Brother. I just don't like the stitch length... even if I don't plan on doing much leather sewing on a machine. My old singer can do that until it croaks and I wouldn't care. Thank you for your insights. Very good information.

Wiz: What about an old sewing machine which has a walking foot attachment?? I have a 2011 Brother CP7500 home machine that has a walking foot. I was able to successfully sew through 5 layers of 5oz pliable leather with the walking foot and a denim needle. ( I also have leather needles but this was just a test) The only thing I didn't like was the machine's max stitch length was a little shorter than I would have liked. I have an older singer too which I will probably use with a walking foot. As with most things one is only as good as the box of tools with which they work. But if I go out and buy yet another sewing machine I think the spouse will disown me. LOL!!

Hi David: I'm originally from the Roseburg area. I know that Paul at http://www.sodhoppers.com has a video apprenticeship available on DVD. I don't know if this is something you are interested in but the Course is $500. I would give my arm and leg to be able to do afford that. (maybe when I win the lottery?) Paul seems like a very friendly soul, so it couldn't hurt to give him a call. Maybe you and the gent from Gresham can lure him up to the big city for some private lessons? Couldn't hurt to give him a call, all he can do is say "No." right?

Ha ha ha Good one!

I had a Native American friend who chewed her stiffened hides to soften them. I mean she literally sat there with a caribou hide hanging out of her mouth for days! I must say the parka she made was fantastic and extremely pliable. I was envious but could never bring myself to chew hide like that.

Did you step on a pop top? As to the soles of these I'm wondering if Barge Cement mixed with Tire Dust from a re-tread operation would make an acceptable sole for these sandals. Heck, Nike' started with the founder using a waffle iron and some sort of rubber. I know this fellow in Winston, Oregon uses the Tire dust on his custom mocs and boots. http://www.sodhoppers.com

I think you've come up with a nice solution to a bad situation. It reminds me of the "nature" finishes we did back in the 70s where the depressions left by the stamps were left natural.