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I have experienced that a few times lately too but I use Avast so when I attempt to click on the link, Avast alerts me of possible Malware and blocks the site from loading so my system is not harmed. Being that you your system was "locked in a loop" as you stated I do think that you may need a better Antivirus software installed. Avast.com has a free version that will do the job. Before installing I do think you will need to clean up your computer, if you do not have any experience go to bleepingcomputers.com which is a site dedicated to helping people cleanup their computer from viruses and they will get you straightened out. On the other side of this: I am a member of many forums and the moderator on several, and we have been getting these types of messages from members on several of the forums I am a part of and I honestly think it is more likely the website/Google that has been hacked not necessarily a virus on the users computer. (Although in the posters case I do think his computer is infected if it locks up the computer) I for one have gotten a Malware message when attempting to click on a link found in a Google search, and I know for a fact as an X-computer technician my computer is not infected. This only happen to me a few times when searching on Google, I did the exact same search on Yahoo and Bing and the links opened fine. If I had a virus on the computer it would do this regardless of what website/search provider I used, but it only does this when I click on a leatherworker.net link. Google is aware of these issues because people are screaming about it in the Google groups but of course they are pointing the finger at the user and doing nothing to help. Karina

Very nice bag, I am simply loving all the work you have posted.

Awesome! Thanks for sharing!

That is really nice bag!! Love it! :)

I would have to agree with all of the above post. I am new to leather working but I am somewhat of an old timer in the Apparel Decoration business, Embroidery, Screenprinting, etc, and I have gotten a A LOT of my design elements from coloring books from the dollar store, as well as subscriptions to clipart services. There is a clipart collection you can buy online (Amazon) for about $10 that comes with a 1 year free subscription to iClipart.com, and I also use graphicsfactory.com a lot too. Vecteezy.com is a good free one that I get design elements from as well. Do a Google search of free vector images and you will find a bevy of sites. Because I can't draw a lick (My stick people look fat ) I use vector programs and a graphics pen tablet to do all my designing, then print it out on vellum, then I can transfer it to the leather. My program of choice is CorelDraw, not because it is the best, but because that is what I first learned when I started my Embroidery business so I just stuck with it. I do have and know Illustrator but find myself going back to what I am most comfortable with and that is Corel. I am sure that if I had the skill to do it freehand with a pencil and paper I wouldn't need any of the tools I use, but since I was not blessed with such artistry, I get it done this way. The programs have a steep learning curve but once you get the hang of it, if you can imagine it you can design it. Good Luck! Karina

@TapTapTap, thanks for that info, I downloaded the ebooks of those two books you gave and will read through them today. @johnatl..To start I got a the regular airbrush kit. Not the deluxe one but the one under that one. If I get the hang of this then I will give this one to my son to use on his model planes and trains, and I will step up to a dual action gravity fed one. As for using a mask, I learned the hard way, I tested a few of the techniques given in this thread and I breathed in so much dye and glue fumes I had a headache all the following day and much into the night. My shop is 2100 square feet and I had the roof vents going so I surely thought I had enough ventilation but I pulled out my respirator and change out the cartridges and I am ready now. @JL Sleather I am hearing over and over how easy it is to do and for a person that has been doing this for a long time I am sure it is but for a complete newbie to leatherworking...not so much. My spray booth is scheduled to be here on the 5th so I will do some playing around on the weekend and post pictures of the results and hopefully I too will be saying how easy it is to do. Thanks everyone for sharing your knowledge, Karina

They are all lovely pieces and I sure those that received them as gifts were overjoyed.Beautiful work!

Thanks BillyMac. I found a spray booth on Ebay for $30 that has a fan & vent hose that vents to the outside so once it arrives I will give it a try. I have been watching tons of videos on airbrushing and I am thinking it will be much easier to achieve the look I am after as well. Thanks again, Karina

Thank you all for sharing and I have tried quite a few different techniques except the airbrushing technique and my skills suck big time. Everything I did looked like caca! (LOL) Too ashamed to even post the pics (ha,ha,ha,) I did pick up an airbrush kit but I was hesitant to use it in my shop around the other shop equipment. I am thinking I may need to build a booth of some sort to contain it, or go outside which I am not too keen on.(It's cold out) I did learn one thing though.....wear a mask!! I breathed so much contact cement and dye while tinkering yesterday I still have a slight headache. That won't happen again. I checked out the Springfield video mentioned above and I have some of that goof proof on the way as well as some leather because I am almost convinced this leather I got from Tandy is part of the problem. I am super new to leather working but I am sure leather is not supposed to be this rough and discolored. It feels like if I bend it too much it will snap in two. Again thank you all for your help and I hope to post a pic of the project soon (X'd fingers) Karina

Thank you very much Chief for the information, exactly what I was looking for. I guess I will pickup an airbrush kit at harbor freight tomorrow and test out on scrap leather as suggested. Thanks again, Karina

Thanks for the reply, I am not looking for the exact effect in the picture, my question is about the technique to achieve this look. I am making a bag and the dye I am using is mahogany. I want the outer edges of the bag darker than the center of the bag, my question is do I simply add more coats of mahogany to the edges or should it be a different color all together for example black. Also I am using Fiebings pro oil dye, is this the right die to achieve this look? Thanks, Karina

OK got it, here is the image I was referring to. Thanks, Karina

I attached the image in my initial post but it is not showing up. I will search to see how to add the image then post it here again. Sorry not the easiest forum to figure out.

During the holidays my business is pretty slow and will not pick up until after the new year so I thought this would be a great time to start my first project. I am interested in this color technique and wanted to know if this is achieved with an airbrush or can it be achieved by hand? The dye I am working with is mahogany pro oil dye and I want the inside lighter than the edges. Would I simply add more coats to the outer edges or go with a darker color on the outer edge all together? Would the pro oil dye be the right dye for what I am trying to do? Thanks in advance your your help, Karina

You forgot to include a few other fees associated with importing. The shipping which can be extremely expensive, and the Custom Duty/Taxes on the items once the items arrive in the US. Custom Officials have been coming down hard assessing fines because overseas sellers have been marking shipments as "samples" or "gift" so that the buyer avoids paying taxes. Regardless of the amount you bring into the US, if it is a commercial item that will be sold, you must pay the taxes on it at the time of entry. If they open the package, and determine the item is commercial when it is marked as "gift" or "samples", they will hold the package, and assess their own value to it. If you want the package released, you will have to pay whatever amount they assessed, and I can assure you that it will be much higher than if the seller just filled out the paperwork correctly. I am new to this forum but not new to the business side of importing. I have been importing from around the world for 12 years, I am in Asia at least 4 to 5 times a year. I have a line of leather goods manufactured in Guangzhou, China, and I import the leather in from Argentina. Once the items are completed, I have them sent to my store in Central America where they are sold. However, I also bring goods into the US regularly and I can tell you that to ship 1000 pieces will be at a minimum of 2 to 3 times what you paid for the items. Then once your package arrives, cross your fingers and pray to whatever GOD you believe in that it is something you can use. It is a fact that Alibaba has many, many scammers posing as reputable businesses, and are known for sending boxes of garbage just to get a tracking number to prove they shipped the item. What is in the box is your word vs theirs. Not trying to scare you but do a simple Google search and you will find some interesting stories. Also, don't get me wrong, I have found some great contacts through Alibaba, but once you add in all the fees in addition to the cost of the item, the price doesn't look all that different based on buying the items stateside. Not to mention, buying them locally, if there is problem, you can get a refund, it is rare that you will get a refund from a seller on Alibaba. Usually they will just stop answering your emails, or they tell you they will make it right on your next order, but that would require placing another order, and there is no one you can contact to assist with it. Don't be fooled by that "Gold Supplier" status they have on their either, that is just there to dupe the uneducated. If you choose to proceed with this, this is how I would go about it; contact the supplier and request a price list and ask do they provide samples. I personally would never order 1000 pieces on my first deal with an overseas supplier. (By asking for samples, your initial investment will be small, you will probably get an amount that you need and don't need others to go in with you, and you will get to see the quality of the items you are getting, which is extremely important.) Also ask if they will accept Paypal. Some don't..they require a bank wire transfer which is another expense. If they do accept Paypal, request that they send a Proforma Invoice to your Paypal address, instead of you simply sending them the money through your Paypal account. This way if something goes wrong, Paypal knows that you were paying for goods, and may assist in getting your money back when filing a dispute. You wire the money, the bank can't help. This happened to me after dealing with a supplier for nearly 2 years. I wired the funds, and the supplier up and moved. Vanished with my money, and we had a good working relationship.....or so I thought! I can go on forever but I think this is enough food for thought. If you have any questions feel free to drop me a msg as I am always happy to help. Good luck with it all! Katrina

Really nice wallet, nicely done!

They are both very nice, but I really love the brown one.

Simply gorgeous! Love, love, love the coloring!

Very nice work. I am a true newbie and have been playing around with all the nifty tools I purchased and I can assure you that you are not alone with the tooling. The tooling designs I have seen are fabulous but the plane classic pieces are just as fabulous which is the road I intend to take. Again, great work! Karina