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DoubleC

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Posts posted by DoubleC

  1. Posted · Report reply

    I thought I started this because i saw a blue jean purse I liked. Then I thought it was a soft-sided leather bag a friend of mine has. I thought I did it so I'd have it to carry my products in on my first sales call later this month. Maybe it was all these, but I think I did it to see if i could. That and use up all my 'mistakes.' because i never throw anything away. The case is made out of a piece of leather I got for $12.50 to make rhythm beads with. But it is so soft and stretchy, I cut one strap and that was all I had patience for. The red pigskin I bought to upholster a chair seat, and it wasn't big enough. Also $12.50. Still have some left. The inside molded box I made but my top didn't work. top's becoming a checkbook holder, and the box will hold my 'In the Eye of a Horse' samples. The pocket behind it will hold a slinky sample, mine is in it but it's red so it's hard to tell. The eye on the back is a watch actually, and idea I came up with for making the glass dome part the iris but haven't gotten it worked out yet and this one isn't good enough to sell. The strap is an old martingale piece. The piece with my company etc. is actually a nice piece of leather, and wasn't a mistake, just looks like it. I was being a tad silly when i did it. The latch is off an antique suitcase that was beyond repair. The bit is just, well a bit, belongs to my horse but not using it on her. A couple of us figured it would collapse the middle, and it does but it's just too appropriate as a handle to take off. The pigskin holds folders. All that's left is trimming it and it's good to go, although I'm going to have to move the latch down more now that i added the bit. It seems like it took me forever to make, and until tonight i still didn't know if it would work like it is supposed to, but it was a lot of fun finding things around the house to use on it. Is it good enough to sell? No. Will I use it? You betcha :-) Cheryl

  2. Posted · Report reply

    ramrod,

    I don't recall where I picked up the pelican hooks. I just did a search like chancey77 posted, only not for stainless. I paid somewhere around $5 or $6 apiece for them.

    chancey77,

    I've been reading the swivel knife and carving tips here. One of my problems was I thought you just barely cut into the leather. Now that I'd reading about cutting almost halfway in I am starting to understand how the 3D effect is created. I'm planning to start experimenting in the next week or two. Maybe this weekend if I have some time.

    Cheryl,

    I never thought of using Vaseline. I have Lexol conditioner and Obenauf's leather cream and conditioner, but they didn't seem to do much in the way of softening the leather. I've seen some folks recommend Neatsfoot oil, but I don't have any of that laying around. I may try the Vaseline.

    Andy B.

    Andy, I am making a product bag for myself that isn't nearly as nice as yours. I was throwing it together out of 'mistakes' I made on other projects. I had decided to leave it soft-sided until i remembered this old, I mean really old suitcase I have that's very light. I'm going to use that inside the leather I laced together. I noticed just now the suitcase has a leather hinge on it, and I'm getting ready to clean it all up so I can glue it inside mine, and i wouldn't even consider using anything but Vaseline on that old hinge. I love it for all the conditioning I need to do, I really do. Cheryl

  3. Posted · Report reply

    I have made a few small projects (like a pocket watch holder to wear on a belt and some other very small items), but this is the first project I have ever attempted with more than a couple of dollars worth of leather. It came out exactly like I envisioned it, but my vision at this point is limited, since I am a leatherworking newbie. I really need to start learning how to do carving and stamping, as there are some beautiful examples posted here by others.

    I had the bag partially sewn, and decided it was too long, so I cut it apart and shortened it by a few inches. It didn't affect anything, just took me more time, and I ended up using the cutoffs as the strap guides and some other items, so none went to waste. It is Craftsman 8-9 oz veg tanned tooling leather from Tandy, and all hand stitched because I don't have a sewing machine that would work to do this. I still have to soften the leather a bit and use it to give it a bit more worn appearance, but it came out pretty good.

    post-7975-099046600 1330895957_thumb.jpg

    post-7975-013225500 1330895982_thumb.jpg

    post-7975-033372200 1330895997_thumb.jpg

    The one tip I would be interested in, is how to soften the leather. I know veg tanned stuff isn't going to be as soft as other types, but any amount of softness would be good.

    EDIT: I forgot to add, one half of the shoulder strap is a section of military sling. I liked how the hooks for adjusting the length worked, so I used the sling instead of pulling the hooks off of it.

    Andy B.

    Andy that's a beautiful bag. I am going to be the oddball here and tell you I soften everything with Vaseline or bag balm if I'm out of Vaseline. I have used this on all the old reins I some how accrued that I'm turning into rhythm beads and i use it on the rough out part too. Since the reins had already been finished before, I wash them with warm water and saddle soap which leaves them stiff as a board after they dry, and then I start hand rubbing Vaseline into them. On my things, being older and not so well taken care of it can take 2-3 applications, letting them dry 24 hours in between. Yours should only take one application since it's new leather. Good luck, great bag. Cheryl

  4. Posted · Report reply

    Probably just as well it's not til 2013 Caroline. :rolleyes2: Not sure I could have made it this year, as much as I'd love to. :rolleyes:

    If I was to buy leather for lace cutting, can you recommend what I should get eg. weight etc.? From a cost-saving point of view especially, I would love to cut and dye my own lace.

    Thanks.

    Teresa

    Hi Teresa. I can't answer your question, just still following your thread. It seems you're in good hands here, so I'm happy about that. Cheryl

  6. Posted · Report reply

    Hello, I appreciate all of the great information I've found here and I thought this would be a good place to ask this question...

    I have a job coming up to clean some old sports equipment and I was wondering it there is anyone with experience with how to make an

    old dried out baseball glove look and feel like new again? Everything looks like it was used hard and put away dirty and wet.

    There is the body of the glove that says it is real leather and also the rawhide laces that are so stiff you can't untie them.

    Sooo, is there anyone out there with ideas about this?

    Also there are old basketballs and foot balls. They also look like they are made out of leather.

    I was thinking of starting out by just wiping off all the dirt and then cleaning them with a solution of Murphy's oil soap.

    But I can't guess what would be best to do after that.

    Hi Cheryl, it's Cheryl, LOL.

    I somehow ended up with half the old tack in VT some how, and I don't even know who gave it to me. As for softening it after you clean it, I use plain old Vaseline for everything. Man does it work. I slather it on and rub it in as bast I can and then let it dry overnight, and if it's all soaked in and not soft enough, I do it again. Plus afterward you can still go ahead and redye the glove, or whatever you want to do with it to make it look newer. Say, if it takes three applications to soften it and then you're left with some Vaseline on the outside? Just wipe it off with a cloth and rub it all really good (I use my hands to really try and work this stuff down in leather. softens my hands at the same time, plus I can 'feel' if there's problem spots). This method has worked for me every time I've used it. Good luck Cheryl

  7. Posted · Report reply

    Use the "Macro" setting if your camera has one (represented usually by a small pic of a tulip) and better lighting.

    The blur comes from not using the flash combined with not being steady.

    Try resting on your wrists or elbows.

    Good luck.

    Kevin

    Thanks Kevin. You hit the nail on the head with the steady part. I can take better pictures from a few feet away and I always find something to lean on and put my Hands on to do it. Bur I had to use my hand to keep the watch open on this (which of course you can't tell because i had to use m y hand.......LOL) Cheryl

  8. Posted · Report reply

    I would recomend GorillaPod - The Flexible Camera Tripod by JOBY - you can find them on the net from $15 - $20 and then use your timer

    if the camera has a timer, you get much better photos, but in due time - I really am enjoying watching what you are doing with the horse eye

    project - very impressive,

    I spent the weekend in East Texas, little town I spent many years in back in the day. Only 1000 folks live there so its not that small but

    it has a great community spirit - but what I saw a whole of were the younger girls were wearing ring watches, in all kind of designs. I dont know

    why that caught my eye - but it did and after that I started looking for them on hands.. lol - So I can see what you are trying to do if I follow along.

    Keep up the great work.

    Thanks Don, and I appreciate you following the 'progress' which I hope there has been some :-) I don't think my camera has a timer. It's a digital vivitar and I've had it for years but it still works good for some thing :-) Cheryl

    A gorilla pod may be good for some things but in her case i think a regular tripod would work alot better.

    I don't even know what a flexible one is so I think you're right John. At least I know what the LOOK like, LOL. Cheryl

  9. Posted · Report reply

    Yeah. I was just about to suggest the same thing until I saw he beat me to it. You can pick up really cheap ones - or really expensive ones. I'm sure a cheap one would do you OK for now until you get some cash flow happening.

    My sister bought me this years ago so I'd have one, and I wanted one with a zoom but it doesn't help. If i can get back far enough to lean against something, and remember to brace my arms and hold my breath, they come out ok, but not if I have to hold something in one of my hands. Thanks guys, i'll see if i can scare one of those up!!!

  10. Posted · Report reply

    Have you considered getting an inexpensive tripod for your camera? It would make life MUCH easier and can be a business expense because you need to take pictures of your work for advertising/sales/portfolios.

    No Mike, i didn't think about that. Some one else mentioned lenses but she said it in Martian and I'm not sure i'm going to respond to her anymore. Things like myograpevine and dipsydoodle or something like that. I wish I had my old (did i mention OLD) Olympus and gray card back. But a tripod might be the answer because i think it's 'shaky hands' that does it.

  11. Posted · Report reply

    I was bored a while back so I decided to try my hand at making a new collar for my lab. Bailey wanted to show it off, so she sat and modelled it while I snapped a couple pics. It's sort of a mash-up of a few different ideas I had. I wanted to make something "beefy", so I used a big 1 3/4" wide buckle. I used veg-tanned leather lined with elk hide. If I made another I'd do it differently, but the one thing I really like is having the loop on top to hook a leash onto.

    Here are a few pics for anyone that might be interested.

    P1020813.jpg

    P1020818.jpg

    P1020806.jpg

    P1020807.jpg

    P1020805.jpg

    What a pretty Lab AND collar.

  13. Posted · Edited by DoubleC · Report reply

    I saw these cool finger watches on eBay and since they have colored glass domes, I thought they'd make cool irises. Finally ordered some, and by the time I got them Kevin was making me a mold, and I forgot them. I ;put one together last night and today and I wanted to see what you thought. The watch has a spring on the glass that closes it, so couldn't scan it, had to take pictures and they AIN'T good.

    It's a gruela horse eye with a watch in it. Thanks

  14. Posted · Report reply

    Got fed up doing the edges by hand, had no money to buy a production model edge burnisher

    so I made this one out of scraps... it worked like a charm.

    1. Used a electric washing machine motor to drive it - strapped to a piece of scrap metal for a bracket

    2. direct drive through a broken hand grinder head stock end bit

    3. connected an old drill chuck to the end of it

    4. got a friend with wood turning machine to turn this wooden burnisher edger

    5. connected wood burnisher to the chuck with a bolt straight into the drill chuck

    and away it went , good as gold.

    Shit this could be a commercial idea..... ok you guys dont look. ( C ) Terry O'Brien 2012

    Regards

    The LEATHERBARON

    Terry O'Brien

    I think I'll keep using my hand sander with a cloth velcroed on, LOL. Unless all those land on my steps with the help to ;put it together. But it is cool.

  15. Posted · Report reply

    Ever had one of those jobs that you were suposed to finish last month and you still have not started it.....

    Well this is mine.....this log book cover was all paid for and for some reason or other with moving house , then moving states , the got lazy ,

    then lost the paper work on what the hell was suposed to be on it.

    Well after more than six months I finally finished it and sent it by mail to the gent who ordered it, he was amazingly understanding about

    all my reasons for not finishing it over the 6 month period, some were even true.

    Anyway check out the - South Australian log book , the log book is about A4 in size maybe a bit bigger....

    tried to do a greekish carving with a tinge of royalty built in to it.... dunno if I achieved that but I was happy with it anyway.

    I promised myself never to take such a long time to do a job ever again, you just feel too guilty , and boy when they ring you out of the blue

    and you try to find some reason that you have not finished it yet......

    I made the guy a free wallet and a free belt to compensate for my slackness.

    The LEATHERBARON

    Terry O'Brien

    I'm the worlds worst about shipping b ut i've never taken quite that long......very nice job!!!!

  16. Posted · Report reply

    Hi All,

    This is my latest tankard that I made for a friend who is a big Wicker Man fan. For those who dont know, its the classic 70s film with Christpher Lee and Edward Woodward about a pagan community on a remote Scottish island. I was trying to get a branded or burnt in effect in keeping with the burning of the wicker man.

    It was dyed yellow but soaked in a bath of molten bees wax. I'll be lining it with pitch later. Its made from 3-4mm thick leather.

    Odin, you do beautiful work. The girl who can't draw horses, LOL

  17. Posted · Report reply

    Hey leather workers - I like lining the inside of my projects with fabric. So far i have been dressing the edges with clear nail polish. It works ok but still the fabric ends up fraying after a bit of use.

    1) what do you guys/gals use to treat the edges of fabric to keep the threads from fraying?

    2) Edging Kote - do I need this or is it a scam dreamed up by Madison Avenue type shiny pants marketers ?

    3) when burnishing edges - i understand that I need to apply a bit of "swift" to the burnishing motion, but how much weight do I need to apply ? I mean do I have to press down hard with all my weight (sadly im 92 kgs !) or is it a gentle pressure but a rapid movement ?

    many thanks for any help that you guys/gals can provide a leather newbie.

    I do the same as wareagle. Actually just glued a piece yesterday. However, I can't tell you yet how well it's going to wear because i haven't used it yet. I hope it wears well.

  18. Posted · Report reply

    Howdy folks,

    There is 2 basic deerskin pouches I have made today. It has been request from the person who likes sorts of Native American items. Started doing these I suddenly discovered I have no any beads, completely! :(

    Well, I had to do my best having just leather on hands... so I did :)

    Hope you like them. More pictures in my gallery.

    :welcome:

    Suicide, that's wonderful. Those are really gorgeous.

  19. Posted · Report reply

    Thanks Cheryl. I appreciate your advice. I have now ordered a lace cutter, bevel, fid, lacing needles and a book on braiding so hopefully I am off to some sort of start. I will see how the leather I have behaves and if I have no luck cutting lace or beveling it, I guess i will simply have to order roo lace. No biggy! :rolleyes2:

    I kinda have a weird philosophy......nothing leaves my house that isn't as perfect as I can make it, and I'm like a leather chef, I eat my mistakes, LOL. By that I mean I am making a 'products bag' for me and the only thing I hadn't made less than perfect was the blue jeans I am using. almost everything else was intended to be something else and I didn't make it right. Now you might not have noticed it, or a buyer, but I KNEW it was there and it was all I could see. So I'm making the absolutely coolest whatever they're called, LOL. Messenger bag? Big blue jean and leather thing holder? Working on it right now, just wait'll ya see it. I told a friend it's gonna be wild, and cool, and colorful and fun and all me. If the leather doesn't work out after you try to bevel it, and round braid it, make yourself a round braided bracelet, necklace and ankle thingy, all matching from the leash. People'll stop you on the street to find out where you got it, and give'em a business card, LOL.

    Seriously, I couldn't help you much with the technical stuff and I'm sorry. But I do have a little bit that will help....have a blast doing it, or just don't do it? Good luck.

  20. Posted · Report reply

    NO I can't make out the name. It is Probably the makers company name. The tool is called a glazing Iron. It is used to put a finishing wax on just built boots on the soles between the ball and heel, also on the exposed heel edges.You can also refinish used boots. You don't use it on upper leathers. Frank

    I've owned two pair of boots in my life (cowboy I mean not winter) and both were Justin's. I got a pair last year from eBay for 20 some dollars that didn't have a mark on them. I am keeping that, seriously just for those boots. I guess I'm weird. Some people wouldn't care about a used pair of boots no matter how good the deal was. I appreciate nice things and I can't remember the last time I bought something new that went on my body, well except underthings of course. I got a saddle Frank from a woman for $50.00 she had thrown in the corner of her feed room. it was all dusty, etc. so I put it on a trashcan outside because it was a windy day. It ended up being one of the King show series, black suede seat, natural every where else. Again, stiff from no one ever sitting on it. Once I realized what it was under all the dust I tried to give her more but she wouldn't take it. It is not their top of the line but it was basically new needing a cleaning. the 15 or 30 piece silver plate pieces, whatever it is they use. My boots that I bought later ended up being black and tan :-) but that's not why I bought them. They were a beautiful piece of work and Justin's are comfortable. So I cleaned up that tool just so I can keep wax on those boots. Thanks so much, Cheryl

    Oh, Pic is of my horse right after i cleaned that saddle all up :-)

  21. Posted · Report reply

    Cheryl, i grew up and spent my life in new orleans, very catholic, hows this for tortured, we have those same madonnas on the front lawns as a kid we were playing football and ran face first into the holy mother, definately left a mark. Weird too that you mention marble, i work at a monument company when im not offshore cutting marble and granite all day long

    I just answered this and forgot to hit post, LOL. Maybe the blessed mother was trying to tell you something, LOL. Seriously I am not disparaging catholics, I just don't belong to an organized religion.

  22. Posted · Report reply

    Not so much a direct connection with the catholic church more just iconic images, alot of the west coast choppers bikes use alotta lowrider style street art and mexican and chicano influenced art and madonnas and rosaries and the like are used alot in that style

    Icons, thanks, couldn't think of that to save me. Well I was hoping you'd have a long tortured tale to tell. I mean not really, I don't want you to feel tortured. This is getting worse by the second, LOL.

    I live in VT. and it was primarily settled by Italians I think. (I'm not from here). And you see a lot of Madonnas in the front yards surrounded by marble, which is what the Italians worked at. Actually I have a huge marble catholic church behind me that our apts share a parking lot with. They did a lot of restorative work this summer, and it truly is a sight to behold, LOL.

    I don't know anyone here with a motorcycle. You know Easterners, more apt to ride a bicycle and save the environment, fight big oil, and leap tall buildings in a single bound, LOL I hope I'm not getting myself in trouble here, I'm really just joking around not bashing anyone's cultural or geographical background. Anyway I love your seats. Cheryl

  23. Posted · Report reply

    Thanks cheryl, about 75 percent of my seats are commissioned but as im sure youve found out , leatherworking is a bit addictive, so even when the pressure of keeping up with orders and deadlines does let up I find myself still tappin away. They all seem to sell and its alot more enjoyable for me to come up with the entire design. Rick

    I heard that loud and clear......So can you tell me what the connection is I'm missing between the catholic church and motorcycles? LOL Salvador Dali used to always have a little man somewhere in his modern works, I guess it was supposed to be a father issue. I swear I've started looking at your seats from every angle, LOL looking for some form of, oh well whatever the catholics call that, my mind just went blank. All I can think of is stigmata and that's not it, sigh. anyway would love to hear the rest of the story when you have time. I'm working on a self-designed project today and having a blast!!!!!

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