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immiketoo

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Posts posted by immiketoo

  3. Posted · Report reply

    1 minute ago, Handstitched said:

    Thats what I thought too. So I did.   I had to diversify   where I  live, and not just in leather. 

    When a customer asks me " have you ever made one of these?.... No, but I'm happy to learn "  would be my first response . Or " I've never made one before, but I like to find out"   etc. So ,  thanks to the faith that some customers have had in me over the years , as well as my own yearn to learn ,   I've been able to learn all sorts of leather related  jobs,  harness repairs, hand bag repair, custom jobs and/or repairs etc.   These jobs  I would have refused in my early days.  

    But, I have  also done so many things in leather purely for my own  edification ....and,  purely  for the fun of it . Its a case  of,  " Stuff it, I'm gonna  make one , and I don't care if anyone likes it or not "  :thumbsup:  Just like a leather hat I'm ( slowly)  making , theres no market for them here....but I wanna make one anyway :) Its also good advertising   . 

    But now, I also do horse rug repairs,  and canvas repairs etc. 

    If I was to be a ' one trick pony' I never would have survived as long as I  have. :):) 

    HS 

    This is the best example of why learning new skills is important.  That and keeping your sanity!

  8. Posted · Report reply

    22 minutes ago, chrisash said:

    I have a gladstone bag on my bucket list made of good veg tan baybe sedgwick with goat inside and brass opening top and hand stitched.

    Maybe someday when i get enough spare dosh

    Maybe 

    Maybe

    Damm now look what you have started

    Maybe

    I have projects like that.  But I say maybe one day when I'm good enough.  I hate the waste of the learning process sometimes.

     

  10. Posted · Report reply

    1 minute ago, DV8DUG said:

    Right... Too easy.

    Haven't ventured into contemporary bags but I've done my share of the Renaissance  variety,  steampunk thighbags, and plenty of sporrans... 

    ME too.  I classify those as pouches.  Easy, or at least doable.  I want to make wallets that arent an inch thick while empty, etc.

     

  13. Posted · Report reply

    There are so many ways to express oneself in the leather world, I encourage you to try something new.  Someone commented earlier that they don't tool.  I asked why not?  There are any number of legitimate reasons why not, but it sparked the thought that I HAVE to learn something new all the time.  Right now it's bookbinding for me.  It's a challenge that I have to learn.  There are a lot of projects I want to do in the future.  I'd like to make a bag or purse that a non-leatherworker woman would like to use.  Not the same old tired Tandy kits that everyone and their brother has made.  More like Hermes or something at that level of refinement.

    It's easy to get stuck in a rut or stick with what you know.  What are some of the things you'd like to try but are afraid to venture into?  As I said, bags intimidate me.  I'm not sure why.  Maybe it's the commitment to all the steps or zippered linings or the quantity of leather to learn?

    What about you? 

     

  22. Posted · Report reply

    On October 21, 2018 at 4:55 PM, flhx06 said:

    Thanks all. I have a hand held cone shaped edge painting roller but it doesnt seem to work for me. It doesnt roll, it drags. Maybe its the piece that I have?

    My post was referring to something more like this:

    73D6B1A8-E4A9-4261-88E8-5074E0E35A24.jpeg

    This item would be mostly useless to me.  Even if I was going to make a large run of belts, it would never give me the control I want for my edges.  I use the cone shaped cheapie as well, but I took the cone out of the handle and roll it between my fingers.

  24. Posted · Report reply

    6 hours ago, JazzBass said:

    Thanks, Mike, Maybe I'm overthinking this, having never tried it before.

    Yes...but how?
    Assuming steel, is it generally glued inside the layers while flat, then formed?
    If the liner is formed first, then covered, does one use damp ,mouldable leather, or dry, finished leather?
    I worry about being able to cover a pre-shaped insert smoothly, using contact cement that sticks rather permanently, when covering complex shapes.

    Again, I may be overthinking it - guess I should just "wing it" and learn from the mistakes. (gee...what a concept!)

    With the galvanized steel, you would most likely be looking at an avenger style holster or one that is folded at the sight channel.  The reason steel is nice is that's malleable.  You can lay it flat, carve your leather, stitch it inside and then curve it to the shape you want already tooled and stitched.  The glue and stitch line will keep it in place.  It is a process of exploration for you and there is only one way to do it.  Prototyping and as you said, to wing it.  IT doesn't change the overall design much, but it opens a lot of doors.

    2 hours ago, Dwight said:

    If you take the rawhide and get it right real good sopping wet, . . . it can be molded, . . . then dried, . . . a piece of veggie tan can then be wet down, . . . molded to the rawhide, . . . and when it dries, . . . contact cemented to the rawhide.

    I had a knife sheath a couple years back I did that to, . . . only didn't use veggie tan, . . . used suede, . . . if I say so myself, it was brilliant and worked like a charm.  Guy who got it was happy as a squirrel in a bucket full of nuts.

    That rawhide will make one stiff holster.  Also, . . . force dry the veggie tan at about 135 F, . . . and it will harden it up as well.

    The hardest holster I ever made was a pancake made out of 4 layers of 6/7 veggie tan, . . . 2 layers (flesh to flesh) made the back, . . . and 2 layers (flesh to flesh) made the front.  Once molded and dried, . . . I think you could knock a guy out with it if you threw it like a frisbee.

    The knife sheath is below:

    May God bless,

    Dwight

    indian knife 2.jpg

    Have to agree with Dwight here, 4 layers of molded veg tan can be very solid, and it will take a lot of abuse.  I hadn't thought about rawhide.  Good call!

  25. Posted · Report reply

    If you already have a pattern, adding a steel insert should be relatively easy to adjust.  I use galvanized steel in mine because its firm, thin and malleable.  Kydex is a pita but doable if you have the skills.  Usually, you just add a stiffener between leather layers, but if you wanted to , you could build the whole rig in metal and cover with leather.

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