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lightingale

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Everything posted by lightingale

  1. My main reason for choosing the Krome is because it's considered to be an inexpensive airbrush that performs like a much more sophisticated one (for its price range). It's capable of fine work as well as broad dyeing projects. Mine was only $115 plus shipping to Canada, which was just a little more money than the Paasche VL so highly recommended on these forums. I got mine from coastairbrush.com. The Krome is out of stock on their website ATM, but they'll probably restock it again soon. I'm sure it's worth a phone call if you're in the market for one. I highly recommend the site, as they answered the phone promptly with an answer to my question (even if it was to explain why and to confirm that they could not ship California Air Tools compressors to Canada). My biggest challenge was not in finding a nice airbrush, but in finding an air compressor. All the best brands don't ship to Canada, and if they're available here, they're almost double the price as in the USA. One reason why I champion the gravity feed airbrush is because it's easy to switch colours, especially for small projects. When I'm dyeing a project, I just use an eyedropper (or a straw, for frugal people like me) to put a few drops of dye (I use angelus spirit dyes) in the cup as I need it. To clean it, I spritz dye reducer in the cup and spray until it runs clear.
  2. I have a swivel knife that I got used in a lot of old leather tools. It's small and perfectly sized for my hand, so I got a lovely new ceramic blade for it. It looks like a Tandy swivel knife from the 80s, and unfortunately, it grinds and catches terribly when you try to swivel the yoke. It's metal on metal grinding inside the swivel mechanism. I've been cutting a lot of tiny, intricate script, and the catching is a big problem. Any suggestions on how to lubricate/fix it?
  3. I picked up a dual action airbrush, and I love it. Mine is a badger renegade Krome. It's gravity feed. It's my first airbrush, and I don't find if hard to use, though it does take a little getting used to if you've never used an airbrush before. My biggest challenge is that my hand cramps up after a minute or two, but that's just because I grip too hard and need practice. Get a dual action, gravity feed airbrush. I did a ton of research before buying mine and I don't regret my purchase.
  4. I've searched for something similar at one point. The best solution I found was to get rimsets (dreamtimecreations.com) sells them, and set them over the cabochon itself. You need to be very careful about the cabochon size and thickness for it to set properly.
  5. I have all the pro waterstains, and I'm reasonably certain the one you're indicating is medium brown. It goes black, dark brown, med brown, light brown, bordeaux, tan, in order on the images.
  6. I just had my first bad experience at Tandy, and it's a doozy. My elite membership ran out, and I wanted to use my business licence to get the business discount. The guy at Tandy (first time seeing him there) refused it because the business name is my husband's last name (in Quebec, there's a law that women can't take their husband's name). We lived elsewhere when the license was issued, so the address on the document is outdated. This cannot be changed on the document unless you get a brand new license, though the Quebec business bureau has a web page that shows all the updated information. The jerk at the store tried to claim that the license didn't belong to me, and he flat out refused to look it up on the internet (where the address matches the one on my driver's license). He also refused to accept a fax of any documentation to prove the license is mine. He blew me off when I asked him what documentation he needs to affirm ownership of the license. The ladies who work there know me by sight, and tried to explain to him that I'm a regular and not just some random person walking in with a business licence. He blew them off, too. After arguing with him, he said he might be able to affirm the licence if I bring my husband in (sexist, much?). According to his logic, a business licence is only valid if the business name is your last name (so no names like Leather Inc.), and you need to get a whole new licence (new numbers and all) every time you change your address. I don't think I'll be shopping at Tandy anymore. I refuse to pay $150 for the elite membership because of this jerk's idiocy. I have a much better source for leather, they just don't deliver, so they're a long drive to get to. Tandy was cheap and convenient, but if this is the way they treat long time clients (I've spent about $8,000 there in the past 2 years) then I don't want to remain one.
  7. My vote is for Angelus. I have both Angelus and Fiebings (and the Tandy brands), and I find that Angelus performs very similarly to the Fiebings spirit dyes. The selection of the Angelus dies is FAR superior, however.
  8. This is a timely discussion! I also have issues staying on top of everything. I do mostly custom work, and I receive inquiries on Etsy and through e-mail. Life has been hectic (husband had a couple of tachycardia episodes which can be scary) and occasionally an inquiry slips through the cracks. Just yesterday I had a potential customer email me saying they were "disappointed" with my "silence" when I didn't get back to her within a week with concept sketches. I do this as a hobby and don't always want to or am able to write a response in the middle of dinner or while out grocery shopping. More pile up, and sometimes it gets overwhelming. I think dealing with customers can sometimes take as long or longer than the actual crafting time of their item, and that's a lot of typing! The best method I can come up with for organization is to keep a white board in the craft room. This is where I record details of all the projects ordered (sorted by order date), and I'm able to get them out within 1-3 weeks. I've started writing down what I need to do for various inquiries, however, I need to actually get them ON the board for it to help. I've been considering making my board public (on my website) so my customers and potential customers can see when they can expect to see a response. I haven't thought of any drawbacks in doing so, other than the effort it would take to keep it up to date. I would appreciate any comments on this.
  9. I use the Osborne awl as well. It's around $15. http://zelikovitz.com/courses.html?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage-ask.tpl&product_id=2684&category_id=136&keyword=awl I had one before our house fire, and I replaced it with the goodsjapan one in the smallest size, but I still found the blade to be too thick and wide. So, I bought the same Osbourne awl that I had before, and I love it.
  10. I have a 16oz. Beary maul that I use for everything. There was a poll on this site a couple of years ago (I think) where everyone posted their favourite maul weight, and 16oz. was first. I do mostly fine tooling on dog collars and belts, but I could see that you might want a heavier one if you're doing saddles or some such.
  11. It's hard to pick just one... there are tools I reach for on every project. - Olfa knife with snap-off black blades. It's always sharp, it's versatile, and it's cheap! I cut my projects out with it, cut slots for buckles, I used to do the tips with it before I got my end punches... everything. I'd like to learn to use a round knife someday, but I'd have to sink a good deal of money into a good one and a lot of time learning how to use it properly. - Wooden burnishing stick from Tandy. It's also very versatile and does an excellent job - Craft Sha edge bevelers from GoodsJapan. Far fewer problems than the Tandy ones - Barry King bevelers - used for every tooling project. I have 6 or so different ones, including a concave and a convex one
  12. Yes, stitching along the length will help prevent stretching. But prepare to be stitching for a LONG time if you choose to go that route! It took me hours! I honestly don't care if my leashes stretch a bit. What's a few more inches to a 5 foot leash?
  13. I've made several veg tan leashes. They can be tooled and look gorgeous, the only issue is what to do with the flesh side. I once made a 2 layer tooled leash and hand stitched them back to back, but it was more work than it was worth. One layer leashes still look good, but you have to do your edging and burnishing. I like to dye the flesh side black.
  14. I would have started by removing as much of the old sealant as possible before attempting to dye. Deglazer works for this.. It's like nail polish remover. After you dye, you buff out as much of the extra with an old t shirt as you can. At the end, yes, you seal in the dye. There are a variety of sealants on the market you can use, such as resolene or neatlac.
  15. My favourite tan coloured dye is actually from Tandy. Try the Professional Waterstain in Tan. It's a nice, rich, dark gold colour that I reach for often.
  16. I'm not a mask maker, but here's how I would go about doing it: I'd find a cheap mannequin head or plastic mask that is life-sized to use as a mold. I'm not sure if this is necessary for this project, but they are often used to mold leather masks, so it seems like a great place to start. I'd use 4-5oz veg tan leather for the patch itself, though 2-3oz could also work. Cut to size, wetten it, and form it over the eye of the mold, using whatever tools you have on hand to press the leather down into the shape of the eye. After it has dried a bit, remove from the mold and use your fingers on the pack of the patch to pinch around the edge of the eye to enhance the shape. Dye and finish.
  17. This is brilliant, I'm going to pick up some fibreglass tape next time I go to the hardware store to try this out. The only downside is that it would have to be sandwiched between two layers that are sewn together, which already reduces the likelihood of stretching.
  18. Pretty much this. Also, read up on Leatherworking things... Get some books (the Stohlman ones are affordable and very useful). Read threads on this forum, find YouTube videos, etc. Also, while the quality in the high-grade stores can be approached by plenty of practice, you may need to invest in some better tools (not Tandy) to get that amazing quality. At the very least, work with the best leather you can afford. While I would love to attend some workshops or just volunteer my time with a Leatherworking master to learn, it's just not realistic in my neck of the woods (Quebec, Canada). I think you can still get to the level where you can create amazing products being self-taught, though it might take a little longer than if you had a mentor.
  19. The above advice is excellent. I make and sell veg tan collars almost exclusively, and I've been down this road too. Just this week, I made and sent out a replacement collar for one that became stretched and warped after the dog swam a lot (despite my warnings). The dog was clearly a puller, because the D ring popped out, (which is why I replaced the whole thing for free). Always check your D rings to assure they're welded shut! Other suggestions: 1. With every collar you send out, include a conspicuous pamphlet on basic leather care. Stress that the leather is not waterproof, and should not be worn when swimming or bathing. 2. Offer to use a different kind of leather for dogs likely to go swimming. Anything oil tanned, like latigo. 3. Hand-sew a border on your collars. I have found that even abused collars that had a lining hand-sewn on them did not stretch. Hope this helps
  20. Wow, you've gone above and beyond in answering my question. Thanks! Saving this list so I can order some of these to play with.
  21. Yet another thing is the quality of your bevelling stamp. I can't get a smooth line with my cheap Tandy craftool beveler that came with my startup kit, no matter how hard I try. I asked the same question as you a year or two ago, and the advice that worked for me was to get a better beveler. When I upgraded to Barry King bevelers, the problem was instantly solved. Quality bevelers are a little bit domed to reduce the likelihood of leaving footprints. I think BK's are about $25 apiece, but well worth the money.
  22. Very interesting experiment! I've been testing the few conditioners that I have for darkening, but not nearly as many as you. Been trying to find the conditioner that does the least amount of darkening, as a lot of my projects have intricate paintings in spirit dyes. The colours look off if the leather darkens much. Which if your tests darkened leather the least?
  23. Roo leather is hard to come by in Canada... all the online sources are in the USA. Apparently, kangaroo is considered an "exotic" leather and can't be reasonably shipped by USPS. It would have to be shipped UPS which always burns me with taxes and duties. Any Canadian braiders able to share their source for whole roo hides or already-made lace?
  24. I placed my first order with them yesterday. The service was excellent... I made a mistake in my order and they fixed it immediately after an email. They even called me up about a shipping change (turns out roo lace can't be shipped to Canada through USPS because they slap on a $90 fee for "exotic" leather). Would order from them again, and considering becoming a "gold" member too.
  25. Another suggestion would be to make the challenges more of a contest. A little friendly competition might get people more interested in participating. Maybe we can work with the website moderaters to make a blog post with the "winner" (chosen by poll on the forums). So, first prize would be a bit of publicity.
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