shtoink

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.

So weird! I was actually thinking the very same thing, when I had looked at the picture. It's sorta like suspenders for your boots.

I realize this is an older thread, but I did end up stumbling on a larger version of the image for the pattern in the link above. Webley Holster It might be too late to help out for the costume, but others may find it useful.

Awesome score there... I inherited most of mine and added to them as I can find them for reasonable prices. It seems that everyone is dumping them on eBay with meat-market like results. I like tools, but let's be realistic, I'm still a cheapskate.

I found that creating a spreadsheet to catalog all the stamps also helped me keep an eye on duplicates. Since Excel has a column sorting feature, you just pick one up, type the number, repeat until finished, select the column, and tell it to sort. After a certain point, you just can't seem to remember which ones you have and which you still need want to get.

I had some really serious issues with my lace maker. I purchased it "new" from the local store, but it turns out that the blade was in serious need of replacing. Luckily, I had some spare blades and was up and found it far easier to make lace instead of smaller pieces of scrap. I don't know if this is the problem with your lace maker, however the blade is the first thing I would check. Hopefully, replacement of the blade is all you need.

I love seeing simple and elegant solutions to a problem. Good work on this. I should take some pictures of my stamp storage solution, maybe someone will get some use from them. I ended up doing wool fabric over strips of foam in an accordion manner to allow for nonslip slots to slide them into. I didn't want them falling out, but I was still working out how I wanted to do a setup for the tools being used on a current project. I just might have to borrow this idea. Thank you very much for sharing!

Not to sound like I'm being dismissive, but this sounds like a non-issue. The kind of cases the flat irons come with are usually made from a woven nylon material, if they do come with one at all. It seems highly likely that it'll end up being cool, or cool enough, before traveling in any type of case anyway. You need to make a travel case, not a fireproof safe. Just make sure that it's not tossed in the case until it's had time to cool sufficiently, is all.

Tandy probably won't be the least expensive place to shop. What I did was make use of their membership program which gives you some discount on the pricing and access to the mailing list for coupons and such. Then I get to use those coupons for bigger discounts on the tools I need/want. I also will hit their big sale days, like the Black Friday sale or 4th of July sale. I also troll their bargain boxes for things that are cheap, too. As for the thickness of leather, Tandy has a page that describes the thickness of leather in ounces and a conversion to an actual length/thickness measurement. I think this only half answers your question, so I must apologize in advance if it isn't the information that you wanted.

I, for one, am grateful of the images being posted....

Phssshhh... Yeah it does...

Being on the west coast doesn't exactly guarantee anything. I'm about an hour or so away and still might be able to do anything about it.

I would like to add that if you already have a Dremel tool, the sanding drums that come with it work very well for skiving, too. Especially if you are trying to get paper thin in some places. The downside is it that it creates a ton of fleshy dust. They aren't ideal for big jobs, but can hold you over on small projects until your next allowance day. Also, don't forget to look around for places that do granite/marble counter tops or headstones for super cheap to free off cuts and scraps.

I know that RIT dye will dissolve in an alcohol based solvent, it's available in a wider range of colors, and is available in liquid and powder form. It's entirely possible to get the intense pink color you want with a RIT dye and some form of alcohol. We already know that spirit based dyes will work with leather, you just need to account for it drying out. Who knows, maybe you'll get good enough at it to come up with a color chart after figuring out your process. If you get repeatable results, that might mean a great deal for colors to apply to leather. *EDIT* I did some further researching on the subject and it turns out that RIT Dye is terrible when it comes to light fastness. It seems that the colors do not stick around long when exposed to UV light sources and a different type of dye is required for those things that will be seeing plenty of sunlight. Luckily I found at least one source with 110 colors to choose from. Dharma Trading Co. seems to have the market cornered when it comes to colors to pick from and their ability to stay that color under some harsh conditions. I have no idea if this is the best or only place to choose from, but at least it's an alternative to RIT. Dharma Trading makes some serious claims, but I figure, if it can hold up to hippies, it should have no problems with holding up to cowboys or bikers...

We get a lot of rain where I am at, too. It's not a whole bunch all at once, but rather a continued light rain for extended periods of time. The creates puddles of standing water on the roads, occasional landslides, and the squishy, soft ground you'd expect. Well, I got tired of hydroplaning on the roadways with the sanding water, dealing with muddy spots and getting stuck, and the dealing terrible control in the snow. I used to drive a front wheel drive sedan that drove great under ideal conditions, but those conditions are far a few between here. I ultimately went with a Subaru. A newish one that had the modern traction control, but old enough to have depreciated in value to be affordable. I can't say enough about the handling in outright nasty conditions Subaru has. I have had no issues with getting stuck in mud, hydroplaning, or snow. When it snowed last, I had some half bald all season tires and never bothered to put on any chains. It was such a drastic difference and easily explains why there is such a heavy saturation of Subarus in this region. It really feels like "everyone" drives on here. I don't know if they are as prevalent in your area, but I do know you guys like to rally race, and that is one of those things that Subaru is known for. This makes me think that they probably aren't that uncommon and should be available at a low cost. So, aside from carrying around a small lumber yard with you to create makeshift rail road tracks for your van, an affordable vehicle with enough room and some better traction control is probably the best bet. That is, of course, if the budget allows.

Better late than never...