Studio-N

check with grey ghost graphics at: http://greyghostgraphics.com/ they have 4 sizes of a petal lifting tool.

This has been around a while...I think it's called a man purse.

Sometimes it pays to be up in the middle of the night. I was up about 2am the other night and got on ebay. Someone had just posted an American splitter: The auction link It had a buy-it-now option and I snagged it. there's a good chance no one else even saw it, but I've always wanted one. It came in today and it was in great shape and works GREAT. I may have to check the sales in the middle of the night more often. Score!

Check www.riorondo.com for miniature saddle kits. They are 1:9 and 1:12 scale.

I love topics like this. When discussing exotics, I think what we are asking is what is the best DENSE wood to use. Exotics usually fit the bill for density. Back when I was doing ornamental turning, I knew a lot more, but the bottom line is that the best dense hardwoods were those that had a density close to, equal to, or better than WATER. If water is the baseline with a density of 1.0, most north american hardwoods fail miserably with a density of around .62 at best for hardwoods like maple (which is tight grained) and a .60 for oak which is more open grain. The best exotics like pink ivory, ebony, Lignum Vitae or blackwood are fantastic with a density greater than 1. I can personally attest to these as after jumping in the shower, the dust from this would just lay there rather than run down the drain. The downside is that these wood are expensive but I've never had any problem with the dust from these. Cocobolo and other south american hardwoods have a greater density than american hardwoods somewhere in the .75-.85 range and are more reasonably priced. They therefore would be better for use for tool use. A lot of these have the same problem as cocobolo in that they have a lot of silicate in them. A couple of excellent north american hardwoods with a high density are Mesquite, which is member of the Legum species and a cousin of ebony. The only thing with mesquite is that it is subject to cracks, so make sure you get a clear piece. The absolute best wood is Desert Ironwood. Ironwood has a density greater than one and is one of the best woods I've ever used for anything. It will have cracks in the core but the wood gets better the further you move from the core. Great stuff if you can find it. A few may also suggest bod'arc (Osage Orange), but I've never cared for it myself as it shrinks and cracks. I hope this helps in some way.

The itching is caused by the silicates in the cocobolo. It can also affect breathing with constant use. I generally wear my tyvek coverall 'space suit' including respirator while cutting or turning it. Just make sure you wash up any exposed areas after working with it an you should be fine. As for pricing, 15 pieces of 1.5x1.5x30 is 7 bf or about $22 per board foot. That seems to be the going rate at Tropical Exotic HW and Eisenbrand. It's been a while since I bought any - that stuff sure has gone through the roof. Maybe I should sell of some of my private stock. :-)

Saddle soap seems to work just fine for me when tightening the knots from roo lace.

Hello. USMC black is what is termed a 'blue-black' color. It has a slight blue sheen which is prevalent on police and military gear. It reflects more light as a result of the blue component. IMHO, this is why many people complain that their projects aren't black enough because it is this version of black they are using. The box labeled as simply black is a 'brown-black' color and has a darker hue of black than the USMC. hope this helps.

Your friend is pretty lucky. This purse is a great looking chap inspired project.

Sheepswool definately works the best because it has some natural oil left in it. Besides, that an old T-shirt works just fine.

Hello and Welcome. Buffing accomplishes two things. First and foremost - when you dye leather, it will absorb dye to the point of saturation. Once dry, you have a residue left over on the surface of the layer. A very common novice mistake is to apply a finish without buffing the leather. This is one reason why the finish will crack. It did NOT bond to the leather as intended. Instead, you have a barrier of residue between the leather and the finish. So in short, we buff the leather to remove the residue and to expose the leather surface for the sheen to bond to. The second reason is to create shine. There is no rule that says you have to apply a finish. However, when you first dye the leather, you will find it looks quite dull. Buffing the leather creates a nice polish with just the dye. After a finish is applied and dries, it again serves to create a shine or light reflection. You have control how much gloss you get by the amount of buffing you apply. Hope this helps. Cheers!

Completely over the top! I love it.

Aw thanks, I'm blushing all over. Actually I think it's poison ivy I picked up at the park during the renfair the next day. Ouch, Ouch, Itchy, Itchy. -Nick

Hello. I know that many people recommend a head or round knife, which does work very well but there is a learning curve in becoming proficient with it. I prefer to use an industrial scalpel, such as: Industrial Knife One major difference of course is that you cut on a PULL which most people are already comfortable versus cutting on a push. If find it works well on all leathers. The straight blade that comes with it is for use as a paring knife, but the hooked scalpel blade works for straight lines and curves. Just my 2 cents worth.

I'm going to second esantoro's recommendation. I use Aussie Conditioner with Beeswax on a lot of items. I did a class where I had separate pieces of leather with Super Sheen (Acrylic), Neat Lac, Tan Kote (resin finish) and Aussie Conditioner with the beeswax. I poured water on all and let it sit. After 10 minutes the water had just started to penetrate the waxed piece. the Super Sheen and NeatLac had a big spot, but showed it holds up fairly well. The tan kote was the worst of the bunch. It didn't have a spot - the whole piece had soked in. Realizing that the Aussie would have to be reapplied occasionally, I still prefer it. Besides, it is a conditioner after all and should be periodically added anyway. 'Nuf said. peace.

Thanks to all who replied. I'm gonna try a couple of them listed.

Hello. Anyone have a good wholesale dealer of metallic cowhides? These would be mostly for trim and fringe, but the body may be done as well. Thanks in advance.

Now THAT'S COOL.

You can use the Fiebings dye reducer. Same stuff.

I'll field the laser engraving machine question. I answered a lot of these same questions before the crash, but since it is all gone, I'll add my 2 cents worth again. When looking at lasers, there are 3 considerations: POWER, speed and table space (including clearance). Leather does not require a lot of power. You can get a good engraving with as low as 20 watts. A good engraving is a dark burn with about a 1 - 1.5 oz. of depth. Cutting the leather all the way through requires 30-35 watts but it will char the edges, so at least with my work I use the laser to mark the leather pattern on the surface but still cut it with a knife to avoid the burned edges. Speed is a consideration and is tightly related to power. You can run the machine faster the more power you have. If it is small machine with a 15 -20 watt max, you'll have to run it slower. Doing an 8x10 photograph with my 45 watt machine at 100 % speed will take 20-30 minutes max. Doing the same work on a 20 watt machine may take 3-4 times longer. This is a worse case scenerio since when doing pictures you use raster drawings and every inch of the leather is scanned whether the beam is actaully turned on or not. Table space and clearance are the final consideration. There have been many small machines introduced since I bought mine. These small machines are targeted at the trophy industry (i.e. FLAT PLAQUES) which only require minimal clearance. Small machines usually only provide 3 - 4 inches of clearance. This is sufficient for engraving the parts before construction, but it is tough to work with on finished goods. Larger machines give you about 9 inches of clearance. The table space dictates your engraving area. These small machines only give you about 12 x 12 inches of space. Great for a wooden plaque, but tough to shove a saddle fender under it. The industry standard is a minimum of 12 x 24 inches. All these machines are driven by something like stepper motors on a parallel beam, so the largest reliable sizes are no bigger than 18x36 inches. Prices go up exponentially on anything bigger. Ok, I'm sure you want to know about pricing. There are some cheap Pacific rim (read crap into this) models out there for about 4K. These are the 12x12 trophy models. Lots of luck is all I have to say. Support is zero and I hope you can read chinese. The two largest and best makers of laser engraving machines are either EPILOG or my personal favorite Universal Laser Systems (ULSINC.COM). These machines have gotten bigger, more powerful, faster and cheaper since I bought mine. Mine is a 45 watt ULS machine with a 12x24 table and 9" clearance. At the time, it was $16k. Since then, the newer models allow up to 100 watts, are 30% faster and come in 12x36 or 18x36 models. Pricing usually starts in the $12k range. The smaller 12x12 models from these guys are in the 4k range. Support from both of these manufactures and their dealers are beyond reproach. Excellent. Top notch. Primo. And they are both made in the USA. There are other costs involved as well such as Software. Most US models will run with Corel Draw. That adds about $500. Venting is a necessity both for safety and because burning materials like leather usually stink to high heaven. The venting can be quite elaborate using HVOC filters and the like or as simple as what I use which is a woodworking dust collector vented to the outside. Last thoughts - lasers have indeed made a foot hold in the leather business. I can name at least 2 large saddle manufactures who are using laser engravers to lay out the patterns for carving some of their production saddles. It is not for everyone and they are certainly not toys (except for idiots like me who had a few bucks to spare at the time). They are a major part of the trophy business on leather items since you can get a level of detail unrivaled by the mechanical means. They are becoming more and more a part of the craft business as the price drops. I myself, probably engraved over 2000 leather wristbands for client running a home craft business. (I never want to see another wrist band again). I see more and more laser engraved items when I attend craft shows. That's all I got for now. If you have any other questions I'll be happy to share my 2 pennies. peace.

I have to agree with Gremlin, these really help holding things when the arthritis was bothering me. I've only had mine a week and I used it in the store to help a customer change out the concho in his cell phone case. The plier helped to push the concho post through the double layer of the flap and held it in place nicely while I tightend the screw. Quick and comfortable. peace. There is a nice rubber tip on the concho face side, so it doesn't mar the surface. peace.

Was it the 2 oz tube of barge or the Quart can or better that you used? It wasn't advertised, but Barge did reformulate their glue. You have to shake up the cans to mix the two major components up. peace.

I have just dropped my eBay store mostly because the increase in the Final valuation fee to 12%. I will probably still sale an occasional auction but not very often. I still find it a decent place to find old items for various of my hobbies so I will still buy there. peace.

Ditto. I've expanded that to mostly keeping my mouth shut on internet boards. Yes, I work for TLF and that's all I'm saying. peace.

I might just have what you need. I found some LARGE oval saddle punches at the shop. These were old MIDAS punches. I'm sending you a PM with contact info.