Rawhide

Thanks for the compliments. It's not a mexican braid, it's a simple double loop (double cordovan) lacing. Ross, the way you get them close together is using a 7 spi wheel spacer for 1/8" lace and an 8 spi wheel spacer for 3/32" lace. you have to punch each hole individually with either a sharp single blade chisel, or a pair of nippers. This method is shown in Al Stohlman's book on Leathercraft Tools. I really like the look of no gaps between laces, it looks more professional. It's a real difference maker when your work is lying next to another person's work. Marlon

Art, that'a a very nice purse. Are there any pockets? Care to share the pattern? Marlon

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This is a planner I made recently for a cousin. The pictures aren't great, but you get the idea. Marlon

It's going to be a pain aligning it all up.

I don't quite follow what you mean by 3 dimensional, but sounds like you may have to use a space wheel (stitch wheel) and a pair of nippers. Marlon

I pull the lace through beeswax instead of saddle soap for two reasons. 1. The saddle soap will eventually dry (before you finish lacing) and leave the lace as vulnerable to fraying as it was before you put the saddle soap on. Beeswax will stay on the lace and won't dry out. 2. When the lacing is complete and you tap the lacing with a mallet or roll it with a lace roller, the beeswax will help the lace "stick" and lay down nicely. Then when you rub your lacing with a burnisher, the heat will melt and evenly distribute the beeswax and you'll have a fine looking laced edge. Plus it will prevent the lace from dry rotting. Marlon

Gremlin, I hate this book. I don't think this one is as clear as the other. I have both of them. I show folks who take my lacing class both books and unanimously they choose the other. I haven't tried the other authors you mentioned though. Where would I find them? Marlon

I use felt I bought at Joann Fabric. I can't remember the type or brand though. Have you tried to use a hard felt, like from a felt wheel? I think mcmaster carries felt sheets like this. The Cordura looks like a nylon. It is a dupont brand name. and I got the idea from.. of course Peter Main. The fibers are really tight and it generates heat very quickly.

Hi Joshua, The name...Marlon Why Rawhide...because it wasn't taken and it's leather related

I use the tandy lacing book. It shows pretty good detail and it shows the traditional lacing as well as mexican braid and applique lacing as well. Here a link to it. Lacing Book

I dye the edge first with the appropriate color, using felt and a clothespin. Let that dry and then buff of the dyestuffs with a dry cloth. Next wet the edge with a little water and then slick with a piece of CORDURA material. This material is absolutely fantastic for slicking edges!! Then I either rewet a bit or use beeswax and use either my bone folder or a cocobolo slicker with grooves in it. Marlon

He will be missed. I love to hear his views. Aside from making you laugh about it, he really made you think about it as well. R.I.P. George Marlon

Depends on what look you're after. Sounds like you. want a solid color. If that's the case, take a piece of t-shirt or other clean cotton material, about 4 to 5 cotton balls and wrap them with the t-shirt into a ball and gather the shirt at the top like you do a garbage bag. Place a rubber band around the gathered top to keep it together, load this pad up with the dye you want, then apply to leather in a circular motion. You may have to do several coats, but you'll get beautiful results. (Another Peter Main special) Marlon

Sorry, I didn't mean to soak it by dunking it under. Bad choice of words. What I meant was that you can easily put too much oil on the project and thereby overload the fibers. Sorry for the confusion. Marlon

That's very nice Bruce. I too like the highlighter stains from Tandy. They seem to penetrate very evenly and manage to keep me from screwing up a good carving/stamping job. Marlon

Yes, burnishing is the act of heating the edge to fuse the fibers together for a smooth edge. It's also a term used in metalworking to give a highly polished surface. (P.S., no questions are dumb here. That's what the forum is for.) Marlon

This is true if you only use one or two applications, but when you use more than that or soak it with neatsfoot, it will darken the project significantly. I really don't have an answer of how to lighten it back up. Maybe some one like ClayB, or Johanna, CitizenKate, Bruce Johnson, or Yaklady will know. Marlon

thanks Tom. I used to have fairly choppy backgrounding, but ever since I switched to Barry King's backgrounders, I've been extremely pleased with the ease of backgrounding. Now if i can just get that bargrounding down.... Marlon

sorry for the late reply I've been out of town. Thanks for the compliment spider. sorry for the late reply I've been out of town. Thanks for the compliment spider.

that would be my suggestion too, as that is copyrighted material. Call LCSJ. Marlon

Hilly is right you can get that from tandy. I don't know the author, but I like the pictures that accompany the instructions. It's very clear. It's only about 6 bucks at tandy. Design...it's really not that hard. I just followed the instructions. As for the nipper, I used the Tandy one. The thing is when you punch the hole, the hole is so thin that 3/32 fits perfectly. 1/8 is only a hair wider so the 1/8 lace will either stretch the hole a little or it will compress a little to fit. either lace will do well with the tandy nipper. However, i did sharpen and polish it and that makes a world of difference when using it. Marlon

Thank you. and yes, maybe longer for this piece. Marlon

Thanks Kathy. Got that from "Tony Montana" aka Scarface. I just made the "T" into an "F". I think I like that insignia. I know it's not really original, but...Marlon Boy did it ever!!. It wasn't too bad. I laced about 6" to 10" per night, for about 4 nights, maybe five, I didn't really pay much attention.M Thanks LeatherNut!!

THanks everyone for your comments. It was a fun project to make. To answer the questions: The instructions for lacing are in the book below The dimensions are 13" x 9" and I did draw the pattern. I used Chan Geer's pattern drawing instructions to get the ideas. The lace is 3/32" wide and I used an 8 stitch per inch wheel spacer and punched each slit with a lacing nipper. Marlon