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Hi Josh, It's just a simple whip stitch...Looks way more complicated doesn't it?

he did say he burnished a lot using a bone folder, but he also mentioned that he used an airbrush on some of the dying (i don't know which parts though).

Peter says: hhhmmm, ...."I'm glad he is not surprised'. Regards, Peter

The 54"er is the one with DG initials.

First photo ...the belt (1 3/8" wide) posted last week is now complete. It is colored with spirit dyes using a combination of brush and airbrush...the shading on the initials and scrolls on the inside is a all brush work. I has a filler inside to give a rounded look....looks far better than a 'flat' belt. Second photo ...CLOSE-UP OF LACING the kangaroo lacing is a simple whipstitch...it is 1/8" wide. I spit this to make it a uniform weight throughout, and also bevel to edges so it will sit flat. A lot of work (with a bone folder) goes into finishing the edges of these belts. The carving leather is (2.5mm) 6oz....the lining leather is (1.5) 4oz, and the filler is (1.2mm) 3oz. The filler has a bevel (to a feather edge) on both sides. Third photo ...54" WAIST...11 FEET OF LACING!!!!!

Tom, in the search box type this: +maker +stamp That will get you a bunch of maker stamp threads.

Hi Dan...What you can do is on the last stitch, pull a little tighter than you have been and tie the knot on the top as the Stohlman instructions show, this should make the cord lay a little flatter. then continue from one stitch back and continue stitching. Also, when your done, run your overstitch wheel back and forth with a little bit of pressure over the threads, this will even out small variations in the stitches.

The difference between them is simple. The twist is generally for use in a sewing machine. I think the left is for the spool, and the right is for the bobbin, however for hand sewing, I don't think it matters, some will say it does, but I haven't had a problem yet. One comment on this Hilly, is I prefer to wax my own thread, most prewaxed thread has WAY too much wax and requires an amount of "de-waxing". Plus, I'm going to start blending my beeswax with some rosin and the unwaxed thread will be easier to deal with cause I won't have to strip off their wax and putting my blend on.

John, I have not tried that...so I can't give you an educated comparison with the two...However, you will notice a difference in the threads, that you've been using and the linen...The linen doesn't stretch at all, so when you pull it tight, it won't get grayish on you like most of the tandy thread. It is more of a bone color, but looks white when stitching is complete. Since you've been paying 25 for the tandy, it might not hurt to try the hungarian once and if you like it stick with it, if you don't, buy something else. Good luck in your choices.

I don't know what size the Tandy thread is but I buy Barbour's Linen Flax cord from Campbell Bosworth. It's $47-ish for 1100 yards of #5 cord which works out to about 4 cents a yard. Right now you're paying about 16 cents a yard, that's 4 times the price!!! You would have to wax it yourself though, which I like, because it's not over waxed. Maybe someone else will chime in about the size comparison...

Thanks everyone, The colors are acrylics with some from Wal-mart, and some are the eco-flow line from Tandy and they are thinned down with water. I like the wal-mart brand best, they were easy to dilute and apply, the eco-flow had a hard time thinning. the paint seemed to separate when thinned. I'm buying walmart from now on...

Thanks Allen, Did you guys get some storms down there?

Here's another eagle portrait I completed recently. It is from a doodle page by Robb Barr. Hope you enjoy. As always critiques are very welcome.

Bob, this is why I started using the baby shampoo and lexol formula...Bottom line is for me it keeps the leather flexible when it drys, so it's not hard as a rock and I like the burnish it gives...I got the suggestion from Bruce Johnson and have been using it ever since...

Redbeard, That is a variation of the old way of casing. Looks like you've got it down packed. Bottom line is, do what works best for you. Happy tooling!

I have kept a piece cased for about 6 days under a smooth glass cutting board. You'll have to wet it well once (maybe twice depending on your environment) each day. Or you can put it in the fridge for long term casing. The fridge will retard any mold growth, and if you place it in a ziplock or press & seal wrap for larger items, it won't let the fibers dry out. Re-wetting a dry piece will not kill the piece, but it will make tooling a little harder, because the water has a tendency to leach out the fats and oils used in the tanning process. I have been using a concoction lately dubbed the Ben Cox formula that seems to keep the flexibility in the leather even if it drys and you re-wet and it also gives a much better burninsh of the leather during tooling. You can do a search on "baby shampoo" and find the recipie...it seems weird, but it smells good and cases great.

Ray, For two people, healthcare can be quite expensive. I would estimate about $300-500 ($1000 Ed?, boy I could be way off) a month if you shop around... I'm not sure how things change as you age, but I'm pretty sure there's a threshold for raising and lowering costs. The implications of not having insurance; well I believe it used to be that a person not having insurance was likely to not get treated without proving you could pay somehow...quoting and msn article..."Fortunately, a federal law passed in 1986 to prohibit a practice commonly known as "patient dumping" gives you the right to emergency care regardless of your ability to pay. The federal law applies to hospitals that participate in Medicare -- and that includes most hospitals in the United States. However, the patient-dumping law does not give you carte blanche. In a nutshell, the federal patient-dumping law entitles you to three things: screening, emergency care and appropriate transfers. A hospital must provide "stabilizing care" for a patient with an emergency medical condition. The hospital must screen for the emergency and provide the care without inquiring about your ability to pay. There are some charity hospitals in most metropolitan areas, but generally speaking, you may not receive the best care there. Some others with more knowledge are sure to chime in later...

We just 're-stropped' it on a papertowel or a clean piece of leather (flesh side).

At the time we were using the red rouge... I have since switched to a green rouge, that I think I like a little better, but either should work. Thanks for the tip on the leather insert...that may work perfectly.

You can add, Peter Main, & Jim Linnell

Russ... You know I thought the same thing about the hairblades, until I took a class with Peter. He told us to strop the blades on a strip of leather with the flesh side loaded with rouge... We all said..."are you kidding?" Well he was right, stropped it and cleaned out the residue and it glided like it was on ice. Even if you can't strop them, I would still prefer the ability to replace them, without replacing the whole handle... I may 'borrow' Hilo's idea, but I'd like to turn a real nice one on my lathe.

Russ/Rickmc How do you sharpen/strop the blades or even replace them? I would think you'd want to do that at some point.

Another of Peter Main's creations: ...here's another goatskin belt just completed with recessed silver conchos...it is dyed two shades of mahogany with spirit dye. I made one like this in January, but it did not have any decoration on the reverse. The goatskin is wrapped over the edge (skived to a very thin, but not a feather edge) and secured by sewing. The excess goatskin is trimmed and edged after sewing. There are leather fillers behind each concho to make the back flat before lining. Peter

This is the way Verlane sharpened hers...She would use a 1/2 disk cut from leather and bevel both edges, and attach it to one of the dremel shafts. she would only sharpen the bottom... I take it one step further and take a fine grit sandpaper and fold it and knock off the burr on the top.

I've read somewhere that rosin is used for violin bows as a lubricant... you might try a fine music shop and ask around...However, I do remember that it said there are more than one grade and more than one formula, so do some reading first.