Rawhide

I spoke to a guy at one of the leather shows that showed some examples of dyed rawhide. He said most people will tell you that it can't be done, but he said you have to leave the dye on the surface for a while. He didn't say how long. So I would experiment.

8"!!!! Wow. That's going to be way too big to control properly. Most people want one in about the 3" to 4 1/2" range.

It depends if it's veggie tanned or chrome tanned. If veg tanned, and the sealer allows water to pass, you may be able to stamp it. If it's chrome tanned, you can only add some crystal rivets or maybe some conchos.

Thanks Randy, That may be just what I'm looking for. I don't know why I didn't think to look at Campbell.

How to use a head knife This is a link to the tips page that shows how to use a head knife. It's a scan of the Al Stohlman instruction on using it.

I've had good luck with a wide, well sharpened french edger. and the black saftey skiver from tandy.

Wow Johanna, I've got a tear welling up. This is my first reading of this post. To come through so much and never stop acheiving is amazing. I thank you and all that aide this forum. I think your vision of what it was to be has come to be and much more. And to think you're allergic to leather is another amazing feat, that you seem to still overcome. I'm simply humbled. You deserve to be the Queen of the crop!!

I do. You're not alone. Most of the time, I use either my Mac, or my work pc, but there are times when I'm away or otherwise a pc isn't available and it's perfect for the job. The only thing is posting pictures. If I could post pictures from my iphone...boy I'd be dangerous.

Billy, right now I am using the 000 needles tandy sells, but I've been looking for some 004's that are a little smaller in diameter. the 000's are great needles, but just a little tight when using theses small blades. Marlon

that's kind of a small picture and hard to see, but it may be a piece of leather, wrapped around another piece and stitched at the top. Not sure though.

Maybe I ought to request a salary huh? Or maybe a custom made item

I assume you're using your airbrush. What do you clean the bee natural up with?

I just use Fiebing's spirit dye. I can get any color under the sun. A good burnish will shine it up and give you a perfect edge.

Peter's a very nice and interesting guy. I took a few classes under him last year. I mentioned this board to him during those classes and invited him to check it out. He has since registered, but posted very little. One day I asked if I could post something that he sent to the iilg list, and he agreed. Now he sends an email to me to post here when he makes something new. I don't mind at all and I think we can all benifit from it. I hope you get to meet him one day, he's got an interesting story for everything!!

..here is camera strap just completed. The strap and cases are all padded, lined with kangaroo and have bound edges (also in kangaroo)...all pieces are hand sewn. The strap is not straight, but is curved to make better contact with my shoulder. The closures on the cases are very strong velcro...did not want to trust magnets. One case is for a flash unit...the other for battery and cards. Peter

You're welcome. You know no one here knows it all, but with the collection of great minds and artisans here, there's nothing we can't accomplish. Also, don't discount the Osborne awls. They do have their place. They do require some sharpening, but they are easy to sharpen and hold an edge for a long time. But for a ready to go blade and use of smaller cord, you can't beat Bob's or Peter's blades. One note, Peter's blade comes with the haft. Bob's doesn't.

You're welcome

your welcome. I'm glad you enjoy seeing Peter's work as much as I do. I think he's one of the best in the business and hope he continues to share his knowledge.

This tutorial is from Peter Main... He hopes some find it useful. Marlon

Thank you. I used Fiebing's spirit dye for green and orange, Fiebings oil dye royal blue, and eco-flo white cova color for the teeth and eye.

Try resisting with Bee Natural's Sheridan Resist and Finish. Also, when you did your resist with resolene, did you put on two coats?

The speed stitcher is really for repairing stitches. Plus you'll have a hard time punching the holes with it vs. a sharpened diamond shaped awl. I guess I'm just partial to the look of the diamond holes and how the stitch lays when there done.

Thanks Freak. To dye the lace, I got one of those paint trays with the little circular indents to hole paint/dye, a wool dauber, fiebings spirit dye, a pipette (medicine dropper), and some nitrile gloves. Cut some lengths of lace. I suggest estimating how many lengths of lace you'll need for the project and dye them all up front. use the dropper to add dye to the wool on the dauber (no need to burn the fuzzies off). Lay the lace on the bench and place the end of lace you're holding in one of the wells of the tray, place the dauber on top and put a little pressure on it against the well (this will take a little feel to get it to stay there). Pull the lace with one long pull through the well and against the dauber, lay it to dry. As protection I ran the lace through a piece of sheeps wool with Lexol, let dry and coated both sides with resolene using a fresh dauber. This seemed to make the lace a little flexible and the resolene kept the dye from bleeding out.

I haven't used the eco-flo version, but the Fiebings leather cement is pretty strong and flexible. Plus it dries clear, so you won't notice much. Try to cement two pieces of scrap of the same two types of leather you're planning to glue, let dry overnight, and try to pull them apart, this will give you an idea of how strong the glue is and you can estimate how long you think it'll last.

I tried this once on a briefcase made out of saddle skirting. The holes inside of the gussets were all over the place. I couldn't keep it straight for sh#+ For me, I'll stick with the awl and leave the dremel to evening up the edges.