Rawhide

Could you explain saturation dye a bit more? So you mean, you want the dye to penetrate all the way through to the flesh side? Or do you mean just getting an even solid color on the grain side? Marlon

I wouldn't mind seeing this either. I can't afford a $425 cutter and beveler and all the one's I've tried to build so far, came out like crap. Right now, I am using the plastic tandy lace maker and have been very successful with it, but the beveling part, I have major problems with. Marlon

I haven't made any tools, but I sure modify the heck out of them. If it doesn't work the way I want it to, I file it, bend it, polish it, cut it, etc... 'til it does what I want it to, how I want it to. Marlon

Fantastic quality. At least from what I can see. Thanks for posting. Marlon

Talking to Ron at Hidecrafter's, he told me that very few companies have inserts right now, because the supplier (from Mexico) went up drastically on pricing, so Hidecrafters, Tandy, etc... only have what they had left over. No one wants to pay the astronomical costs. Marlon

Pictures? We love pictures!! Marlon

Thanks folks, C79, I know what you mean... no matter what I do, I always think about how I could have did it differently, or what should have been done first or last... I guess when you quit learning, there's no need to continue pursuit. Marlon

Absolutely! This is the best way to carve parallel lines/curves. Even if you're not making a bead. I pick that tip up from the great Peter Main (I pick his brain quite often) Marlon

I don't seem to have any trouble opening it. Have you tried to save it to your puter and then opening it? Marlon

I used 2 oz calf skin from Tandy. I think the number was 9154-00. Marlon

I think Peter Main's book on coloring is a bit more up to date with coloring techniques. Al's books are still good to have for basics and fundamentals. Here's a list: The Main Technique of Coloring Leather - Peter Main, available from Peter directly or through Hidecrafter How to Color Leather - Al Stohlman, available at Tandy, Hidecrafter, et al.. Coloring Leather - Al Stohlman, available at Tandy, Hidecrafter, et al.. Marlon

Thanks Mike, I appreciate it. Mike, I wrote a tutorial on the beading and placed it in the how do I do that section. You may want to add this techniqe to that thread. I never would have thought of that. Thanks Tina, I am pretty proud of it. Marlon

You're most welcome. As long as it helps someone, I feel good about it. If anyone has questions about it feel free to pm me or reply to the thread. Marlon

Here's a tutorial on how to creat a bead using a swivel knife and modeling tool. Thanks Johanna for posting this. http://leatherworker.net/beaderblade.pdf Marlon

Thanks guys. I appreciate the confidence booster!!

Most folks that cut their own lace end up splitting it anyway, but for those who don't, a 2/3 oz should suffice. Marlon

Thanks Grumpy, I never thought the end was coming. The belt is 1 3/4" wide and it's just a tandy belt blank (so it's a hair thinner than actual 1 3/4"). The lining is a 2 oz calf. Marlon

Thanks for the compliments. The border was done with a Barry King 1/8 inch beader blade, modeling tool to finese it a bit. the Ceramic double line blade is way to small to create this bead. If you don't have a beader blade, you can cut one boarder line with a swivel knife, then use a wing divider to scribe a parallel line the width you like, and cut the second line with the swivel knife and round the bead with the modeling tool. Marlon

Whew! Yes I did. Thanks for the compliment. Marlon

You may have to cut your own from a side. Marlon

Thanks guys. I definitely see lots of room for improvement, but I'm happy with it. Marlon

Here's a picture of my belt. A lined and stitched basketweaved belt. Marlon

Here are a couple of new belts from Mr. Main. He gave me permission to post this here for you to see. Enjoy. Marlon "Hello, ...here are a couple of belts just completed. The top one is a 1 1/4" wide and is filigreed, featuring sterling silver and gold conchos...the first concho either side has a ruby. The belt below is 1 1/2" (not filigreed), and it also has sterling and gold conchos. The tips shown are just for fitting purposes...they will be replaced with new tips matching the conchos." Peter

It's the original formula of listerine. It's a brownish/gold color.

The diamond chisel is meant to punch through thin leathers. the overstitch wheel will not match the chisels. It's best to use one or the other. I like the overstitch wheel with a stitching awl because the diamond hole is much smaller than with the chisel. that way your holes disappear when you stitch through them. Marlon