shtoink

This one can officially be closed now. They have been received by their new owner.

I am hoping that everyone who has read this realized that clicking the images opens up a bigger version and that I didn't just do up some postage stamp sized pictures for you guys to squint at. Also, the images are smaller versions of the ones generated by the camera, so they isn't a need to worry about trying to open massive files. They are bigger, but still reasonable. I was worried that I scared everyone off...

It's been over a week, right? Just wondering where the pictures are...

That seems funny, in cruel sort of way. They clearly were not worried too much about you...

Today, the family and I made it up to our second trip to watch whales. Unfortunately, we didn't see any with the exception of a couple far-off dorsal fins of some Minke Whales while on the way back to port. They didn't even stick around long enough to get pictures, either. What we did get was a great tour of the Straits on a nice day. The morning was overcast and some areas had some fog, and as the afternoon rolled on, the fog cleared and it was a picturesque day for seeing the mouth of the Puget Sound. We started out in Port Townsend, sailed to the south end of the San Juan Islands, zig zagged about, sailed to Deception Pass and under the bridge, and then headed back to Port Townsend. We got to see some Sea Lions, Bald Eagles, tons of sea birds, driftwood, and the tiniest bit of those Minke Whales. Despite the disappointment of not seeing any Orca Whales, it was a fantastic experience. I managed to take a ton of pictures and will probably add more as I work my way through them, but tossed in a few that I took of the south end of the San Juans. The first eight pictures are actually panoramic photos and needed to be shrunk down to a more manageable size. Some of the original files were upwards of 10mb. If anyone might be interested in those, just let me know. As usual, just click on the thumbnails to open up a full size image. We definitely intend to go back, the whole thing IS about seeing and photographing Orcas. Our first trip was cut short due to a sudden approach of a storm that left our small boat (about 30 feet) in 5+ foot waves. They promised us that they would never have left the dock had they known it would have been like that. We saw no whales, then, either. I hope you guys enjoy the images. For those of you who are landlocked or have never had the opportunity, if you ever get the chance to tour some waterways, take it. It'll be an amazing experience, as the pictures pale in comparison to the real thing. As a teaser: We're supposed to be going up to Mt. Rainier very soon, since summertime is ideal if you intend to drive up and leave in the same day, so I'll keep you posted.

It was my understanding that beveling was to be done before burnishing, but your burnisher needed to accommodate the thickness of the edge you are working.

You are exactly right on that, but for someone trying to do a belt and only has access to off-the-shelf items at the moment or a beginner with similar limitations, it's a way to get the ball rolling. By no stretch of the imagination was this ever meant to be the only burnisher one would need for all projects. It was a simple proof of concept that showed that anyone with access to a minimum of tools can put one of these into action and do so rather quickly. I probably should have mentioned that at the very top, so I blame sleep deprivation.

OK, so I had one of those white, plastic burnishers from Tandy and it hasn't seen much use as I have a nice old one made from cocobolo. It occurred to me that I was missing a burnisher with a shank to chuck up in a drill and speed things up a little bit and that plastic one might be a good candidate for such project. I found that the local hardware store had some stainless steel bits that would do just what I wanted. The 1/4"bolt and nuts work great. Here's the plastic burnisher waiting patiently... Load one of each of the nuts and washers. Place the burnisher on and finish with the last washer and nut. Here are some finish shots. Once you have it here, you can trim off the head of the bolt with a hacksaw, chuck it up in your favorite drill, and go to town on your leather. You could even trim the head off the bolt first, but that's your choice. All told, it was less than $2.00 for the stainless steel bits and whatever the cost of the burnisher is. I don't have that price handy and my burnisher was just sitting in my box of stuff. I had intended this to be a simple tutorial that didn't require anything but the simplest tools to make happen. I hope you guys find this useful. Also, don't forget to click on the images for full size version.

It looks as though these knives are lucky enough that someone is going to give them the love they deserve. I will be sending them off to their new home tomorrow.

I think they use a hammer to insert the blades on all of their tools that are designed to cut.

Looks like a verdict has been reached... Also, I am agreement with all that has been said, but that should have been obvious.

I agree, the drawstrings on a purse really seemed like a uncomfortable and lazy way to finish it off. Drawstrings are for pouches, sweatpants, and hoods. Not a handbag. I would personally do things a little differently, however it is a great idea.

I would highly recommend that it sufficient in size to fit the currency that is used in your location... Seriously though, the Bi-fold style will give you a larger area for a design, but still fold small enough to fit a pocket.

Not to derail the thread entirely, but does this remind anyone else of the Monty Python sketch "String?" When I read it the first time, something seem so familiar about it. Then it hit me, there was a sketch they did about a guy who had 122,000 miles of string that was cut into 3" lengths that he wanted to sell.

There's a saying in Spanish that always seems so appropriate for those sorts of situations... Lo varato sale caro. (The cheap comes out expensive) I have shot myself in the foot many times for that exact reason more than I care to admit. Trying to be Cheapy the Cheapsakate, but ending up spending more than it would have cost for a new one, and to make things worse, the thing generally isn't as good as "the new things" I was trying to avoid spending all that money on. I can concur with avoiding the "cheapest" pitfall, it's rare that it works in your favor.

Glad to hear that it was a simple fix. Nothing like those face-palm moments, huh?

That thing looks awesome and a great deal more finger friendly than some of the wooden ones I have seen, too.

Wish I had the spare cash...

I, very much, look forward to see this happen. I will continue to wait with anticipation...

I have opened this thread up about 35 times, and still cannot get over how amazing this belt looks. I didn't think it could have been any cooler until I saw the shot of the inside... It's bitter sweet. I love looking at it and it gives me a goal to work towards, however it's so damned nice it makes me want to pack everything up and quit, because I am worried I won't achieve that goal. Simply amazing... I am elated that you decided to share it.

Is it just me, or do the books from GoodsJapan seem a bit on the high side? Maybe I'm missing something like they are 200+ pages and hard backed, but $60 seems a bit steep if the books are soft cover and about 48 pages. Everything else seems quite reasonable, especially since they tools look to be of a very nice quality.

I hadn't taken into account about the assembly process being an issue in reference to the blades condition when you pull it out and use the first time. I was having so many problems with mine and I knew that I was doing the steps correctly. I just couldn't figure out why my lace maker wasn't gliding through the leather like those in the videos until I decided to look at the blade. It had big notches chips in it, looking a lot like a blade that had previously been used to trim dirty carpets. I had some spares, and as soon as it was replaced, it performed exactly the way I had expected it to. Gliding through the leather with a nice and clean lace left behind. I was even able to make some lace from a scrap of rabbit (no hair). I was relieved to know it wasn't operator error, for once.

Unless it's a water-based dye... I can't imagine it not working. The only thing that really comes to mine is still using the same idea that oils needed to be added back in before/after dyeing. Maybe that can be done after the molding process, since you'll be getting it wet after dyeing, you still need to worry about the surface of the leather becoming brittle and cracking. It's possible I am missing something procedural, so take what I say with a grain of salt...

PM is sent out...

I have here, three non-adjustable swivel knives. I don't have blades for them, but they will be free to whomever wants to pay for the shipping. Take one, take all, I just want to find them a good home. They have been in a box and unused, probably since the late 50's, and they aren't going to get used by me anytime soon. I know that there are a few people here who have had issues getting a hold of one for any number of reasons, so that is why I am offering them up. Obviously, this is a first first serve situation, unless the first person doesn't want all three. Click on the image below for full size: I will answer any PMs as quickly as I can and make arrangements with you.