Rawhide

I use distilled water as well because I have well water too. I figure the with the distilled, there's no chance of the water reacting with tannins or such and fouling the project. Marlon.

If you're antiquing, I say antique before you punch, because the gel or paste antique, gets into the holes and can be difficult to get out. Plus if you're stitching or lacing with light colored thread or lace, the antique will stain it. Marlon

No, no...those folks are calle wing separators!

WOW 24"!!! You must be making a 4 foot clock Bruce. I've got a pair of 4" friction dividers from Jerimiah and the pair they sell at tandy. Marlon

Ray you can also try this...take a farily large scrap piece and divide it with a marker into fourths dunk one end (one fourth) in warm water. Use a sponge to wet one fourth with plain water, a spray bottle with plain water, and a solution mix (your choice) on the last fourth, let them get to the point of carving and run your swivel knife through them all in a straight line without stopping. See which one has the least resistance. Then try some of your favorite stamps and see which burnish better. Happy carving. Marlon

I like the procarve for two reasons. The most important being mold prevention. The second, the smell. It smells good. I don't know much difference between pc and plain water. I have tried the lexol baby shampoo formula and I like it. Just haven't used it much. Marlon

I got this method from Peter Main. What it does for me is prevent me from having to add water. Once it's cased, I can carve and stamp a small to medium project, without having to re-wet it. Once you begin to re-wet, Leather tends to get a little harder to cut, Because the water, pushes out the fats and oils used to tan the hide. Not nearly as much as say a spirit dye, but if you use enough water it will dry out the leather. The glass is just a method to keep in the moisture for a long period of time, so if I'm carving and I want to quit, I can cover it with glass. the only way for the water to escape is through the edges of the piece, hence why I wet the edges with a loaded sponge. This will last for about a day, add a little water once a day and the piece can stay cased for a long time. I have use the refrigerated method and it works as well...Only problem is my wife thinks leather is "in the way" most of the time. Marlon

I usually mount my leather to illustration board to prevent stretch. You don't necessarily have to do this for 8/9 oz leather, but a 2/12 oz will stretch, no matter how little or how much you wet it. M.

I use Pro-carve Casing solution. I wipe with a loaded wet sponge evenly in one direction, then evenly 90 degrees to the previous direction. I do this until the leather quits absorbing very quickly. Once the leather begins to turn to it's natural color again, I place it under a sheet of glass (glass cutting board). I leave this overnight and it's cased. I can also maintain this cased state for several days by using a lightly wet sponge over the middle, and a heavily wet sponge to the edges, then back under glass. You can do this once a day and keep it cased. I have had a piece cased for over a week this way. Marlon

Twin, It is made with a real stirrup, just the hard plastic version, not the wooden ones. I'm sure they would work, but I use the plastic.

Thanks Art. I know what you mean about making things for yourself. It's hard to get anything done for you. Oh well, so goes the territory. Marlon

Craftsman, It is made from a pattern, but not a kit. I got it from hidecrafters. I can try and scan it for you if you like. It came with a video though that has construction information, but if you've covered a stirrup before, it probably won't be a big deal. ....thats why peter main is my hero!! DITTO!!!, He makes it look so easy, I aspire to be about half as good as he is. Marlon

thanks Tom. I notice that a fair amount of masters of our craft tend to do some scroll work on the interior of their projects. So I figure it can't hurt. Marlon

Here's another stirrup lamp I made for my uncle. I tried my hand a dying on this one, got a lot to learn with dying. Marlon

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

back

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