shtoink

I wouldn't exactly refer to 3 as being a lot, but it is entirely possible that there were more watchers earlier on. On the selling end, you get see a bit more detail about your listed item.

Taking the thickness into consideration, I guess you could say that it is pretty durable when compared to cow or goat of the same thickness. The eel skin is pretty thin, like less than 1mm thin. Probably equivalent to snake.

This was actually disproved. It's thought that this rumor got a toe-hold due people thinking the skins were from an electric eel. These little buggers did get the nickname of "Slime Eel" due to their only real defense in the wild is create a generous amount of slime to make them highly unappealing and difficult to eat, but the last thing that comes to mind when seeing them is "Hey, I bet they'd make great leather..." A bit a research did show that their slime has the potential of clogging up the gills of any fish/eel that tries to eat them. I can imagine that's pretty discouraging to predators. About the original question, though, it is a very thin leather and doesn't bunch up too much when bent. The downside to it is also the thinness of it and that multiple skins need to be sewn together to make sizes that can be used. It's a bit on the fragile side, so it can't do much load bearing or take a lot of wear. When used on mens wallets, for example, the edges and the fold get the most abuse and would wear out. Backing it, careful planning, or even accents come to mind. I guess it just depends on how you want to use it and if it'll fit your bill. I only know of one sure-fire way to find out, though. Maybe you can find an old purse second hand and give a test run.

Nice to see someone else from here, and an archer to boot! Unless you've been here, it's hard to truly grasp the diversity of the state. I've been quite a few places, but nothing is quite like being here in Washington.

This airbrush gets a decent review and comparison to an Iwata by Art, a member in here. I have no personal experience with either, but he sure seems to know what he's talking about.

I did state in some of the earlier posts I made that, with hindsight being 20/20, a solid block would have been much better in every possible way. I thought that a block made from tube sections would have been easier, but I could not have been more wrong about that. Either way, I was already invested in the direction I chose, didn't have a way to cut a block to shape, or even a drill press to bore holes if I did have an appropriately shaped block. Knowing what I know now, I'd have begged or borrowed the required materials and tools to use a solid block. I cannot stress this enough... Tubes BAD! Solid block GOOD! (imagine that in the voice of the monster from Young Frankenstein) Truly a faceplam moment for myself, but you learn more from you mistakes than you do from your successes.

I'm with Bob on this one. I see no need to risk damage and excess wear and tear on something that is considered to be an heirloom. There may even be silver solder from resizing that will have a much lower melting temperature.

I used Google image search with the terms "Mexican Folk Art" and found some stuff that had a similar feel. I'm not certain that this is the proper name for it, but maybe it will at least lead to the things you are looking for.

Don't forget about McPherson Leather in Seattle. They've been there for a very long time.

Please forgive me for the less than spectacular photos. I took them with my cellphone and it's easiest way for me to upload images. What this is about is a very cheap and simple light box and it came about because my wife wanted something that was easy to setup and take down while taking up as little space as possible. I thought about it for a bit and had lots of ideas on how to get the job done, but the one that remained the cheapest, easiest to make, and with the most flexibility to suit needs was the one below. I took these images a while ago with the intent to post them much earlier, but life tends to affect us in unpredictable ways. This is the primary support structure right here. The PVC cap and three-way elbow have two slot cut to allow foam cored poster board to fit into them. This is what the foam cored poster board looks like when in place. These boards are at right angles to each other. These three shots show how the poster boards look once set up. From here you can use some binder clips to hold up a fabric or paperboard backdrop and they can be of whatever color you require to make your shot. The boards can be positioned however you want to facilitate the subject and you can have multiple boards on hand to swap out or replace as needed. Lighting can be positioned wherever you like and filtering rested on the top to suit needs. I made these with a few dollars worth of PVC connections, some standard foam cored poster board typically used for science fair project back drops, and a bit of time with a Dremel tool. It was easy to make and has a great deal a flexibility in its configuration with the added benefit of being cheap and easy to build. I hope that others can find some use from this.

I was pretty sure this question was asked a few times in the recent past, so I did a little bit of searching... Dragon Scales Dragon Belt Fish Scale Stamp Tools There doesn't seem to be a definitive method, as each person has their own interpretation. The methods I saw ranged from carving each with a swivel knife and shaping, using a multiple tools to get the desired effect, to modifying an existing to to be the shape needed. These were just a few of the more relevant pages that I found with a quick search, so I hope it helps point you in the right direction.

I have a couple... Glue, it's inevitable to have it unintentionally applied to far more places than you planned for. It's not a true "project" until blood has been drawn.

I've been busy cleaning glue the squirted up a couple of the tubes and sanding. I also figured it'd be an opportune time to take a couple pictures of the punch holder with punches in it. There was a temporary kickstand holding it in that position, but that's about the location I want it to sit while propped up with the kickstand I plan on making for it. I still plan on having it be removable, but that's one of the last hurdles to overcome. My apologies for the blur. My phone is terrible for picture taking in low lighting and I've been lazy about using the nicer camera.

It's beginning to look more like my original mockup and is nearing completion. A few minor details here and there and it should be ready. I'm convinced that the guy at the hardware store had no clue as to what material the tubing was that I purchased as it was claimed to be PVC, but I have never run across PVC that felt this "slippery" and had such a high resistance to adhesives sticking to it. I'm thinking that it's more likely that I ran across something that had Teflon in it. Either way, it's almost finished, just not without a healthy share of frustrations and snags along the way. While trimming up the edges on the epoxy filling, a tube popped loose and I poked the side of my thumb with the chisel I was using. Fortunately it wasn't as bad as it could have been, but it isn't a real project unless blood was drawn. Still left to do is a kickstand for the punch holder, cutting slots for securing straps on the right half, sanding, finishing, and securing it its final position inside the case. It's still free floating inside there so adjustments and corrections are still possible along the way. Now, on with the progress pictures...

May we get a sample picture to help toss you any ideas that might come up?

One more thing that I didn't account for when dealing with tubes was the variation in wall thickness. This translated into the tubes stacking a bit wider than what I anticipated for and I ended up needing to gouge grooves into the side sections to allow the bundle to slide int place. Did I mention that the I don't like the tubes yet? The good news is that they fit now and I can start filling the voids along the sides and top to create a more solid structure. I'm just disappointed in myself for overlooking that detail as well as finding a few more spots where my lack of skills with a saw can been seen more clearly that I like. I also ended up reaming out each of the holes with a drill bit to make sure that the handles of the punches actually fit. The minor offset of the holes and tubes coupled with epoxy that may have oozed in made that a necessary step. That whole "solid block" is sounding so much better each time I run into a new obstacle to overcome. It'd also be quite a bit lighter, too. On to the pictures... This is just showing the parts dry fitted and the grooves that had to be cut.

It's starting to come together. It's a huge relief, too. Especially after such much frustration with being setback and having to start a few steps over again. As I am writing this, I am waiting for epoxy to cure with my fingers crossed that I don't need to do this yet another time. There's some areas that need to be cleaned up and some minor cosmetic mistakes that I can't exactly hide, but think that it's turning out pretty well. I just wish I hadn't had CA glue spill out on the front and has been paying closer attention to the drill bit placement, but those were minor compared to tubes not staying together.

I think that the issue has more to do with the thickness of the leather, but let explain that a little further. The awl will make a hole based on the shape of the awl blade, typically a diamond shape, which may have sharp corners within the hole and doesn't remove any material. A punch will give you a round hole, but removes a portion of material. You mention pulling tight on your stitching, which could be a cause for trouble if there is a sharp corner within the hole as it could become a point for tearing to begin under a heavy load. Heavy loads, such as being pulled tightly at a point the width of your thread/lace. If you had a round hole, the chances of ripping out might be less, but not by a very large margin due to the thickness of the leather. Since you are using leather that is rather thin, the switch to round holes will likely give you a decrease in tears, but the fact remains that the leather is still thin and a bit fragile. I realize this probably isn't a simple, yes or no, answer you were hoping for, but I'm not one to take things at face value and wouldn't want the answer without a solid basis for why that answer was what it was. Also, without more details or pictures, my confidence in the answer gets a bit fuzzy. There might even be a simpler way to go about things that just hadn't occurred to you. I know I've had plenty of those moments. In short, yes, a round hole will have less chance of tearing through, but the reason for using a specific method of making stitching holes can have many factors. It can depend purely on the style desired, the direction you want your thread to lay, the size of the thread/lace, the relative thickness of the leather, or even what you have available to you tool wise. The bottom line is to test it out and see what can meet your requirements while still having the desired look or effect.

One thing that has proven to be a far bigger challenge than I anticipated has been these tubes. I'm really thinking that a couple chunks cut from a 4x4, glued up and cut to desired dimensions would have been far easier. Lay down a nice veneer for the face, fit into place, and call it done. There's a total of 43 tubes, which means that there are 43 holes cut in the face plate and 43 sections of PVC of appropriate diameter mitered, deburred, filed, and checked for consistency. I have 25 glued up and feeling pretty solid, but there are still 18 more that need to be affixed and still line up with the holes. Gluing up stages helps, but keeping things lined up correctly while waiting for adhesives to cure isn't exactly pleasant. Especially when you were hoping that the expanding foam properties would help fill voids between the banks of tubes being glued together without pushing things out of position. The solid chunk direction is feeling like a much better idea, but I'm pretty well committed at this point. I guess if I ever attempt another one, or if you are following along with your own, tubes are frustrating and not worth the extra headache. Most drill bits should be long enough to reach the ~3.5 inches needed for each hole and using a template increases the odds of getting those holes in the right place. Next up should some pictures and showing some of the progress.

You never know when all that stuff you got for Justin will come in handy...

I have big one (90lb lab mix) and a small one (9lb Pom), too...

Be prepared... This is less of a hobby and more of an addiction.

It looks like the closest Tandy stores are the one in Allentown, PA and the one in Essex, MD. Granted, these are out of state for you, but driving to another state on the East Coast is like driving to another county on the West Coast. I'm not seeing much else in the way of places for leather and I'm not saying that Tandy is your only choice. I was just doing some quick searching for what was close. Don't get scraps from Tandy online as you really need to see what you are getting from them first. There are places that you can get a bag of scraps from online, too. Zack White has some... Springfield does, too... Both are advertisers here on the site.

I'm glad that I found something that works. I had no clue as to what you had in mind and just did my best at guessing. This is one of those times when a picture would have made the difference , but at least you can get on the right track, now.

Maybe even a bag of veg-tan scraps if you have a local leather supplier that does that. They are great for small projects and you feel less bad about tossing those out when you mess up while practicing.