DoubleC

Oh for heaven's sake, I had to come back and edit because I downloaded your pic of the eye and was going to copy and paste what you said and I missed all of the first part. Thank you Kevin, it is hard when you are trying to figure out by trial and error and any help you can give will be greatly appreciated. I'm going to let you see the picture I went from, that might help. All of these are pretty much scrap conchos. I started out making blinged up leather concho sets that no one wanted so now I have tons left over. You're quite right about the two places, and it really looks like an eye on the 2" concho, LOL or if not turned right, pop art done badly. I drew it all first, and then tried to use my beveler but it was going to mash my other things. so I ended up using a utility knife and pushed the edge back with a nail. Actually I made the whole thing with a stylus, utility knife, small round metal concho and nail. I guess I'm saving all my tools for something else :-) The same thing happened with the eyelashes like I told you, didn't pre plan so ended up having to carve and paint them 4 times and and not so well by number 4. I learned a lot about carving as far as PLANNING on this. On the pic I was looking at it was 2 dimensional, and I didn't realize that to carve this, I needed to do it in layers, or stages or something. Kevin what do you do your cutting with before you bevel it? I had just heard about 'undercutting' on here and wanted to try it on here. I learned it's not with a utility knife and nail :-) Thank you so much for the help. Cheryl

Hi Bruce. Could you put up a pic of these tools. I started less than two years ago, and when I did a friend of mine sent me a 'care' package. It had these wooden handled 'somethings' also in the box that I just put away because I'd just gotten the basic set of 6 tools. Recently when I was trying to find something I needed on eBay I realized the man had sent me a goldmine that I just couldn't see at the time. I'm using a vintage wooden stitching awl, and I have figured out I have a number 5, oh darn, round thingy that marks where to stitch, two bevelers, a french beveler and one I finally asked him about, a 'gutter tool' to make sewing easier? It kind of gets away from me still, and I don't know how to control the depth, and it leaves a raw edge. Is that where you use a 'tickler' to smooth it? I want to make sure I know what I'm doing before I start on my first headstall. I practice on leather conchos because i have a gazillion of them but I'm still feeling very unsure about these tools. Thanks, sorry I ran on, but I'm just trying to learn so much. Cheryl

I never cease to be amazed on this site....I mean everyday. I would never think of modifying some of my tools for what I need. Hat off to you (if I had a hat, LOL)for this creative solution.

Hi JK. So far everything I use is Tandy, but I've been getting my things at eBay instead of Tandy. I've bought from the same man there for two years and he'll answer any questions you have. I'm not sure you'll get the same type of help from Tandy's website. I can look up his webstore for you and his name is Bruce (no I don't get a commission, LOL, just mean what I said.) You don't have to join eBay to look! http://stores.ebay.com/stecksstore?_trksid=p4340.l2563 Oh and for edge dressing, Bobby Parks, a member on here did a great tutorial on that. Since I don't know what forum I downloaded it from I'll upload it for you. His work is pretty renown on this board. I hope this helps. Cheryl

Hi Chavez. I just had a friend me acrylic in all kinds of sizes. I haven't actually made a pattern yet to cut though (well only got it yesterday). I'm going to try some grave rubbing techniques with rice paper and India ink on parts of an old saddle I have along with a Victorian embossed leather chair seat. He also sent me an exacto knife to cut out the patterns after I trace them onto the acrylic. I am the world's worst at cutting things, so will post a picture after I run through the house with scissors AND an exacto knife

Well I didn't even SEE the third one, shouldn't come here this early. Great job. Cheryl

Kevin, I noticed the nose right off, which I didn't on your first one so I went back and looked at it. But I swear I can't figure out why they're different. I just carved my horse's eye looking at a picture I took, on my laptop while I did it. It was my second attempt and I thought it looked pretty good, but I couldn't get a good picture of it for the life of me, to put on here. So I hooked up my scanner to this computer and took another one to post, and let me tell you, it shows every hair out of place. Things I could see with my poor old eyes. Like the eyelashes...I'd painted over them 3 times because I didn't really pre-plan, just painted. When I did them the 4th time I scratched down into the raw leather and didn't get them covered up again. I'm not upset, but like you I know it's not right yet. I think animals are hard but when you get them right, it's so cool. I am not up to even trying my dog yet, has all this wild spaniel hair, etc. Has 4 different colors on her face, and some that are kinda blended, LOL. Anyway, I'm going to try and make a template of the eye, run the pic off etc. but it was fun doing it free hand. Anyway, both of yours are beautiful, just different and I can't tell why on the nose. Sorry I could be more help. Cheryl

You crack me up woman!

Ok, the scanner hooked up and a new pic straight off the press......Thanks, Cheryl

I'm really sorry She....better one tomorrow after I get my scanner set up. Cheryl

I know Ferg. I'm transferring my all-in-one right now, but couldn't find the installation disc so having to download everything from Epson. I I'll and have a better photo up tomorrow. Thanks for looking. Cheryl

from a picture of my horse. I apologize for my picture, I know it's blurry, as all mine are unless taken from a distance. I don't have my scanner hooked to this yet but will get another picture when I ever do. Anyway I went for it all, LOL, everything I've heard people talking about on here, like undercutting. I want you're honest opinion; you don't even have to be nice, LOL

John see what you inspired me to do. I was at the barn yesterday afternoon and took my camera with me to get a picture of Sienna's eyes. I know it won't be anywhere as dramatic as your eyes, but man did i get the shots I wanted. She was being wiggly and silly while I was grooming her, but when I took the pictures you can (hopefully) see how soft her eye was. I put up the original picture then cropped it to show the part I want to be able to catch on leather. Thanks for showing us your beautiful work.

I don't know, maybe the dressmaker shears might have been a clue. Not that there isn't an abundant supply of lovely leather apparel but I don't think it's the 9oz weight, LOL. You keep me laughing, you are a really special person Sylvia.

$100.00 sewing shears? And your husband tried to fix them instead of stab you with them? Oh I've done that kind of stuff before (well maybe about weekly) but I don't have anything in the house I paid 100.00 for except my computer and so far I haven't tried to paint a wall with it, or clean my shoes treads.....

Well years ago you wouldn't have been considered a legitimate company without your address, and that was the last time I built a website. The internet, like the world has changed a lot since then. ROFL, is that the smell of money pouring out of your pocket into others? Since you put it that way I BETTER savor it, LOL. ROFL, sounds like my 'tweeks.' A little turn of a screw there, and realignment of this or that, and it's not like the computer, no UNDO button in sight!!!!!

I haven't worked with either of those products yet from Tandy, I intended to get some super sheen but someone told me resolene would work better for what I am doing. Now I love the idea of pearl pigment in it. I think it's beautiful, really I do but did notice the letters. Thanks about the site......worked on it on and off last two days in between other projects. My MAJOR project today was going to see my horse and I'm sitting here in the sweat pants I wore to the barn enjoying the little bit of left over aroma, LOL. Lace looked at the site and really liked what had been done, except thinks our addresses on there is too cheeky for her. I thought about it a few minutes, and I think she's right. I don't know, the craigslist thing has me as worried as anybody I guess because I've used that a lot in the past. So I'm on my way to take the addys off. Wanted to swing by here first to see what you were up to, LOL.

John, I keep coming back here to look at how you did those eyes, they are mesmerizing. I want to try and do a horse eye and see if I can bring out the detail like you did. Great job.

I think it's beautiful Sylvia. I'm not sure I would have had the guts to under cut it now that I even know what it means. Will you put a pic up after it's dyed? Cheryl

OH I so hope you are right, I'll add another application to the pieces I have already done today and see what it does. I will be honest, it's soaking it up as fast as I can apply it. Thanks so much. Cheryl

I recently bought a black tack set online, quite nice actually, tooled but the black dye hadn't covered it all. So I asked for help on here and got it down to the type of dye to use and how to use resolene on tack. I noticed when I started redyeing it, it looked brown. The pictures I'm putting up show the brow band, with missing dye, brow band dyed, brow band on the towel with black pigment coming off just as it should, and the brow band after a little rubbing. It is really nice brown, almost a reddish mahogany, but as you can see next to the undyed pieces, it's definitely not black. Does anyone have any ideas on what happened and if it can be corrected? Thanking you in advance since I ask so many questions here. Cheryl

4 years ago, I bought two Victorian embossed leather seats online for a slipper chair I got for a buck. Of course I didn't do anything intelligent like measure the seat and back diameter first. The embossed leather was too small. Well honestly it was in too poor of shape to really use to support anything, too so I decided to use them as wall hangings. I stuck them back in closet and forgot about them until they practically fell on my head a few days ago. I was just standing there looking at them when my mind flashed back, well let's just say a LONG time ago when I did some grave rubbings through a university class as a high school student. When you get old your mind can remember way back, just not yesterday. I also have an old saddle in the basement I bought online specifically because the carving was so beautiful. However on the right side it had been left SOMEWHERE with water dripping on it or slung on that side in a puddle, and just left. So the seat on that side wasn't attached, and that fender had copper rivets all down it where someone started using it again and was trying to keep the fender on where it had rotted. Anyway, both pieces are beautiful, the seats have a shield with a bird inside holding a sword that has a helmet slung over it, and has other more traditional Victorian designs like ribbons, and it has a column that goes around the circle, etc. I had intended to fix the saddle up a little at a time but got one that looks brand new and fit my little chubby hobby horse really well for $50.00, that I researched online and found out was the saddle from the King Series started sets. May not be a Billy Cook, but a really nice saddle for the kind of riding I do. So I sent an email to friend of mine to see if he still had the paper you make templates out of, and told him about the grave rubbing idea, and have rice paper on the way. Have any of you ever used this technique for a design? Thanks, Cheryl