sheowahya

You're making me drool!! OK... I'll add my 2 cents to this... best steak at cheapest price... Webber's Steakhouse, Daytona Beach, FL $10 for a 16oz steak you can cut with a fork!! char broiled on the outside and warm/pink on the inside... salad and potatoe included No A-1 needed on this baby!! It's just a little hole in the wall, doesn't even accept credit cards!! But a nicer bunch of people and a better price for a steak dinner you'll never find!! best steak I ever had... back yard BBQ in Australia. MMMMM Aussies raise darn good beef!!! Just a bit of salt and fresh cracked pepper and cooked over a HOT wood BBQ. Oh the flavour!!! I can't wait to move there and have that again!! best repeatable steak... sorry to mention a chain, but I gotta go with my taste buds on this... Outback Steakhouse. Marilyn

Hi everyone! I just bought a kit and when I got it home and opened it up I found a line down the middle of the leather about 1/2" wide where it looks like it was exposed to the sunlight for too long. Is there anyway I can get rid of this? Or minimize its presence in the final piece? Or should I just scrap the leather and cut my own? All suggestions are welcome. Marilyn

WOW!! Thank you everyone!! I spent the weekend working on my latest project. Nothing like doing some tooling to relieve the frustrations of turning FORTY!!

I tried using 1/8" plexi for the binder I made. It worked ok for the front and back covers, but as it was a ring binder, I could not set the rivets to hold the rings to the center section without breaking the plexi; so I ended up using a piece of 1/8" masonite for that part. It worked great.

H A P P Y B I R T H D A Y J O H A N N A ! ! ! wishing you all the best for the happiest birthday yet!!

This is a picture of a ring that I had custom made for myself a few years back. When it came time to sign my first piece, I was clueless and just about to give up. I just happened to look down at my hand at just the right moment and inspiration struck me. Now I use that design. Most times I cut it with the swivel knife, but once in a while I'll use a little branding iron and burn it in. It depends on the piece and how I think I can fit it in without being obtrusive. I thought of getting a real makers stamp, but I like having more control over the size of each signature. Maybe someday, if I get real good at this, I'll invest in a makers stamp, but for now this is suitable.

I have never been one to shy away from a challenge, so here is my next project. I am going to (hear the determination :biggrin: ) cover this store bought box in leather. My plan is to remove all the hardware and reinforce the wood structure construction where necessary. Then use one piece of leather starting from the bottom of the top (where the latch is) and going up over the top, down the back, across the bottom, and finishing up the front. Then use 4 smaller pieces for the top and bottom on the sides. I will be doing some tooling, so I know I will have to cut everything larger to allow for casing shrinkage and tooling stretchage. I plan to lace (I WILL master that if it kills me) all of the seams. My questions are... 1- can I re-attach the hardware once I have the leather in place? I like the look of it but I am afraid because I know leather and metal do not play well together sometimes. 2- how do I get it to stay ON the box? should it just stay put with the lacing? or will I need to use some sort of adhesive? what would be the best adhesive to use? 3- I was considering gluing a thin layer of foam to the surface of the box to smooth out the surface and give the outside a softer feel, sort of like a padded briefcase. Is there anything I should keep in mind on this? I am not planning to cover the inside, as I like the smell of the raw wood. I think it will be more usefull and easier to clean out if the inside is left as is. I plan on using it to store some of my larger leather related items. I do not have a dedicated workbench area and I'm sick and tired of trying to hide the cardboard box that I've been using. This way I can store my stuff, and have a beautiful piece to show off in my home. I have Al Stohlman's books "The Art of Making Leather Cases" Volumes One and Two and am reading them and making notes, so I think I have a fairly decent start. WAY better than my last project at any rate. All thoughts, comments, hints, and suggestions are most appreciated. Marilyn

Update on disaster recovery. Well... it took me a LOT longer to finish this than I ever wanted or expected, but I finally finished this project and sent it away to the lucky recipient in Australia. Word came back that she was SO happy with it that she cried. Oh dear, now I've made someone cry... shame on me. Here is a picture of the final product. I ended up cutting out the spine and inserting a new piece. Of course I couldn't get the coloring to match to save my life!! Lesson learned... ALWAYS have extra pieces from the same hide to work with if at all possible. That turned out nice, except I had a new problem, the spine was now too wide to be used as a zipper portfolio. (good grief) So I special ordered an A4 4-ring binder. I took the leather piece and made it into a binder cover. I took the ring section and remounted it to the proper size masonite board which I had machine stitch covered with a lightweight denim. Somewhere I remember someone talking about how nice denim and leather go together. I attempted the mexican basketweave around the edge, but had problems with that too. I don't think my holes were close enough together or close enough to the edge. I was so worried about ripping them out that I guess I placed them too far in/apart. So... lessons learned... and it will be a very long time before I agree to do a project for someone else ever again. But that said... I am starting yet another ambitious project for someone of my limited experience. I'm going to cover a premade wooden box with leather as a gift to myself. I'm posting a request for hints and suggestions in the "How Do I" section. All comments welcome. Marilyn

Get it while it's hot!!! Spam McMuffin Spam Platter No joke... McDonald's and Burger King are cashing in on the Spam craze. http://www.miamiherald.com/103/story/136584.html

Not deleted... more like EATEN. Now where did I put the brown sugar and pineapple???

Thank you SO much everyone for your suggestions. I appreciate it so much. Here is a better picture. It shows the whole middle section from top to bottom, along with the problem area, which is that UGLY line above the T and the V.

I have been working on a portfolio cover for almost 8 months . (yeah I know I'm slow, I'm just a beginner). I was using the Craftool Adjustable "V" gouge to make the inside fold line. As you can already guess, I went a little too deep, and right in the middle of it too. Can anyone suggest a way I can salvage this? I will be forever grateful. Marilyn hole.BMP hole.BMP

Mike: I'm not sure exactly what you have in mind for angel wings, but here is a sample of the sort of patterns that I have in my library. Most of what I have is simple black and white line drawings that I manipulate and adapt to my needs at the time. I have lots more wings in my computer at home. I'd be happy to have a look if you give some feedback as to what you're looking for. I'd also be happy to just send you (off list) all my wing patterns and let you see if anything works for you. Marilyn

I'm still learning myself, but I found doing filigree images to be very helpful. I found this picture in one of the online groups that I belong to and it gave me ideas. I started with these images, but have branched out to looking for and designing my own. Marilyn

OH!! I wish my visa would come through in time for me to get there for that!!! I'm scheduled to move to Australia later this year and it would be SO cool to take a week and do something FUN before I report to work. Marilyn

Marilyn raises her hand way up high!!! I've had a project on my infinetly long TO DO list for ages that is very similar to this. I have a round top chest (bought at a craft store) similar to a miniature hope chest (about the size of a footstool). I want to cover it with leather and do a special carving on the top and lace the seams, but I have no clue where or how to get started. It doesn't sound hard, but experience has taught me to research VERY well before trying something new or risk disasterous results. Thanks Pete for throwing this out for all to see!! Marilyn

Here is a great source for the bezel roller and lots of other jewelry/metal working tools and supplies. http://www.ijsinc.com/IndianJewelersSupplyCo.htm Here is the catalog page where you can find that roller. http://www.ijsinc.com/catalogs/Tools%2012,...tonesetting.pdf I have bought a lot of tools and supplies from them over the years. Their website is a little difficult to navigate, but they are VERY helpful. Just a little FYI I thought I'd pass along. Marilyn

G'Day I recently became the proud owner of a ruby blade. But as some of you know, I am very new to the craft and am still learning to work with my steel and ceramic blades. Before I do something horribly wrong and destroy the blade forever, what do I need to know about the care, maintenance, and use of this very special tool? Thanks in advance for sharing your knowledge with a newbie. Marilyn

I used the pattern from "Figure Carving Finesse" by al Stohlman (pg 115 and the accompanying pattern pack). I scanned the line drawing from the pattern pack and then used my image software to enlarge and flip the image. Perhaps the software didn't maintain the size ratios when I changed the image size. I'll look into that. Thank you for noticing that. I've become really bad about expecting my computer to do what I tell it to. I have learned that I have a LOT to learn about feathers and trees, but all things considered, I am pleased that it came out as well as it did on a first try. Craft, learn, improve. Here is the almost finished product. I still have to do the finish on it. I get SO nervous for that part. I let projects sit on my workbench for days or weeks before I get brave enough to finish them. That's the reason why I do so many "practice" pieces, I screw up the finish part so bad that I have to start over.

Here is my latest... it is still a work in process. This is just a practice piece. When I get good enough I will make a portfolio cover with this design. I'm new at this and this is my third piece. All suggestions welcome. Marilyn

Hello everyone, I'm new to the craft and even newer to this forum. I've completed a few small, simple projects and am eager to learn more and develop my skills. I look forward to exploring this forum and to getting to know some of you. Attached is a picture of my most recent project, a welcome sign for a friend to hang in his new house in Australia.