DoubleC

This is such a cool challenge and I love working on my dragon. It's teaching me patience and that not all projects are finished in a day, two at the most. Trying to do these scales, and lava, etc. from looking at a picture is hard, plus trying to do what I thought Allen meant. Only one thing worries me now that I've committed to and following a certain style of doing the details, COLORING the details. Picture didn't scan well but I think it's clear enough for people to give me suggestions while I still have time to take them.

Thank you Jax. It all made sense and I'm whining but the thing is I have enough of everything to make four straps not just one so I'll get at least my investment of these tools back. You first suggestion isn't really an option for as far as 'carefully cutting' anything. My hands just work when they want to and they never want to do any careful cutting. Over run by 2" yes, or undercut, or zig instead of zag, but never a nice neat cut. I have no idea what a dead blow mallet is but I can try one. I saw that mentioned a couple places and it even SOUNDS cheaper than a 2# maul :-) And I will move my marble next time too and see if that helps. I'll try anything at this point so I can start on the strap; I've been planning it out for about 3 weeks and I'm chomping at the bit to get started. I watched the youtube tutorial twice already PLUS took notes. Thanks so much for your help, Cheryl

This is what I meant about the silver at the top......

Oh yeah I used it on a concho tonight just to practice using the punch and doing an inlay before I start on the guitar strap. No it's all black except at the top and and the part of the silver that shows, isn't painted I mean, is angled where one end has more showing than the other and I just wondered it that was a guide for punch dummies like myself, end with most silver goes left or right or whatever. I'll scan a picture Bruce and show you, I am talking like an idiot. brb. Below is concho I practiced on.....

Mike you are a real sight for sore eyes. No, I'm using an oblong punch on a guitar strap I WAS making for a friend, but trying to decide if I really like him THAT well :-) I have a strap end cutter coming, probably tomorrow that Bruce figures will need sharpened too. The maul I've needed, I've been using a cheap Tandy wood mallet for about 2 years now. Time I move up to grown-up tools. I just can't this month. I already got the leather, 2" end punch, 1 & 1/2" oblong punch, 1/2 lb exotics, contact cement (I've been using leather glue) beeswax, rotary knife; the list really does go on a while Now these aren't perishables, well mostly, but even those I'll use before they do, but the whetstone and maul has to wait until next month. I can't squeeze anything else in this month. I'm not talking about you Mike because you know me and my situation better than most, but people don't understand at times when they say 'you need to get this, that and a few more things to do ONE thing' that someone like me might try, and plan but when you have nothing but cheap tools, conchos, and dyes, etc. man you should see how fast it adds up. I've been buying what I had to have for my 'eyes' and little else and I have a lot to catch up now that I realize I am not going to be able to use 7 tools and a wooden mallet :-) I saw a frog doing research for something online and immediately thought of you. Welcome back buddy

Thanks Sylvia. Now I just need to figure out where in the heck you get a whetstone these days. I haven't seen one of those since my uncle died 10 years ago. Oh and lets not forget I need a maul....and who knows what else. This is quite the expensive addiction we have :-)

Yup, mine is 1 & 1/2 inch too, and using a strop didn't seem to do a thing, and I had to bash my way through one of my thin conchos. I was trying to do an inlay on it to practice. It didn't do too bad after the bashing but when I decided to sew the concho, lizard and suede my 15-91 got away from me, LOL so it's my eye now. I haven't ever made me a new one, still wearing the last one I made by hand. I wanna tell you Sylvia, I don't look forward to bashing out 5 more of these in a guitar strap. And I can't get a maul right now, so it's either wait to get that and two kinds of whetstones or bash my way through.

I checked Springfield and got this one a few bucks cheaper than theirs on eBay. You get what you pay for, what can I say. And I'm just now starting to buy what I'd call good tools. Fortunately I did get my end punch at SLC. Now I need a maul. My fault, I should have been picking these up a little at a time but hindsight is 20-20. When I decided I wanted to make a guitar strap for a friend, all these tools I needed to get hit me pretty hard but of course they aren't gonna disappear after the first strap. But no making it now until the first of the month because I just can't spend anymore this month Glendon.

Today I finished my dog Skadi's collar and did an inlaid eye. It took me two days to do the collar because I kept using her old one to measure things with and she kept wanting it back. On the inlaid eye things went pretty good except my 15-91 got away from me as you'll see. Baby's got a LONG learning curve!!!! But was a fun day. Cheryl

Thank you Bruce. It's a Taiwan Tandy special so no, not Osborne. first time I looked on the handle. And besides needing sharpening, I realized my 2 YO cheap wooden mallet from Tandy is no longer going to get it. I'll be over to see what you have available. Thanks for your help. Cheryl

Thanks.... mallet's got me I'm sure. So need to get one of those before I start whining....going to the thread. Cheryl

OK Bruce I stropped it until my arms fell off but no noticing much difference? Does it need a whetstone too? Or just a good toss out in the street? Thanks, Cheryl

Yes first time I used it. I think it's an Osborne from TLF but it may be another brand. So I should strop it? Should I wet the leather too? Odd I can remember wincing from hitting the buy at 40 bucks more than I can if it's Osborne or not :-) The leather I'm trying to cut isn't thick, maybe 1/16th of an inch?

OK< so I get a heavy duty oblong punch that practically takes a bank loan to buy. Of course no instructions come with it, and I couldn't get it to punch through a concho. So I tried a piece of left over leather that had been dyed but wet it, and again, and again and it did finally punch through. The silver color on the end is angled, have no idea why. I'm assuming it's a directional thing, but have no idea if the wide part goes right or left. Do you need to use these on cased but not yet colored leather? And what is the angle for? I'm so frustrated at being bumfuzzled over something this simple. All help appreciated. Cheryl

Well Sylvia I came to see who you were writing so I could figure out who I missed, followed the link you posted and how very, very cool. I think I'll wait a while before I try one of those :-)

If you bought things from Jeff, you're going to be pleasantly surprised. I love everything I got which was quite a bit. Cheryl

OK Allen. I don't know any other way to do it from what you told me. I cut every single one of those new marks before I enlarged the 'dip' for the paint with my stylus. It's going to be a witch to paint, almost will take a stencil dab and then wipe with a sponge. Then resit, and do the other colors. And it goes from red to orange to yellow to white. But I'm not in a hurry.

Hi Littleblue. Starting a business and doing it right is long hard work. I've been 'starting' mine since last November, and have yet to make my first sales call. But I'm involved with some agencies that are helping me and although that may take more time; it's going to make it a better business in the long run. I have learned to do excel and keep all my expenses on it so I can see the mistakes I DON'T want to make again. I'm doing a business plan with one agency and they wanted product cost basically to the nickle for my business plan. I just finished that last night. I am still doing market analyses for the plan. If you decide to make it a business you're going to be the book keeper, marketing specialist, shipping dept., ordering dept. research dept. well I guess you get my point. Plus while you're doing all that you need to be making your products for when you're ready to start selling. I guess how profitable this is really up to you. Cheryl

Hey sharpshooter...I do things sim ilar to Sylvia, but I use bag balm after I dye it and a blow dryer to really get it liquid so I can work it in the leather. I bend, and burnish with denim and do everything practically but run over it with a truck to get that leather soft. BEFORE I dye it I use yellow saddle soap and do all of the above. Hope this helps. Cheryl

Jessica, I PM'd you a week or so ago about just starting up my own business and being willing to help you but never received a reply. Are you still looking for help? Cheryl

Thank you Sylvia, but it's not good. It's not bad considering I don't practice like I should with making products but I know good swivel knife use and beveling when I see it, and this ain't it. But I'm going to round it and still use it for a stool, even if I lose some of the dragon and my but will wipe out those overcuts and swivel marks eventually, LOL

OK Allen, I got a grip on my feelings, LOL and every dot and mark on the dragon so far was done with a swivel knife, then I went over every one with my stylus. Is this what you meant? (My arm and hand is pretty tired, LOL)

I am gonna use my swivel knife though like you suggested. This is the picture I'm trying to reproduce

Well since I went to so much trouble to center this, I am going to lose part of the dragon no matter which way I go. So I'm getting ready to make a 1/2" frame for it with 4 short legs, lace it all the way around with rawhide instead of stapling it, or tacking it, whatever, and use it for my laptop in my lap, my lap desk in my lap or my dinner plate while I'm watching tv. Make it like a square breakfast tray. That way I can enjoy it all the time, and not lose the work I put into it. I'm just glad I didn't start tooling or carving the second camp stool. Well I just put the piece of leather on my lap and that ain't gonna work either. I'd have to angle the llegs a lot because I sit cross legged and so my lap is wider than 12 inches. I think I'm gonna make it a frisbee for the dog, grrrrrr.

Oh for god's sake, I cut the da*m leather wrong, a three legged stool doesn't have 4 freaking corners, it has three. I'm going to lose part of the dragon when I cut it right. I give up, I really do.