immiketoo

The only water proof finish are any of the lacquer products. And even then, water can still leech in through the edges. Aniline dyes have the most vivid colors in my experience.

Fantastic work!

LOL... why haven't I thought of that before!

@Johanna I wasn't sure to put this here or in leather history, but here goes! As you probably know, Johanna is the boss here at leatherworker.net, and today is her birthday. I know that what she has created here has changed the lives of many people, myself included. Without her and this website, I wouldn't be where I am today, and I mean that both literally and figuratively. Please chime in on how much the forum means to you and wish her a happy day! Thank you Johanna and I hope you have a lovely day, doing whatever it is you want to do. Happy birthday! Mike

That's ok. You guys can use whatever works for you. Having terrible luck with the sponge technique, Peter Main suggested I try a fine mist sprayer. I can control moisture far better with a bottle. Since then, I haven't had any issues with too much moisture. I agree with you about the sopping wet sponge, though. Most people don't realize that too much water causes a ton of problems.

I would recommend against using a sponge, at least for re-wettin leather in the middle of a project. Initially its fine, but when adding moisture, a sponge has the tendency to allow too much into the cuts and then causes those cuts to open up and show the core. I recommend getting a spray bottle for adding water to leather.

I know a LOT of people who do leather and none of them sharpen their stamps, ever. Link me on the video and I'll try and decipher for you.

Don't use bellies for straps. Too stretchy. I use backs for belts and straps. Minimum 6 oz unless its for something really lightweight. I don't like the look of anything too thin though.

Ok cool. Here’s where we’re going with this.

You'll have trouble with the draw of the pistol from that due to it sitting too deeply in the holster. You should be able to get your whole hand on the weapon in a combat grip, meaning no adjustment to grip from draw to presentation.

Here is a brief picture tutorial I did for a friend about how to bevel and lift carved leaves. Steps: 1. Cut 2. swivel bevel 3. Steep checkered bevel 4. Checkered matting and lift. I use pro lifters. 5. Background 6. Enhance lifts with modeling spoon 7. Make certain lifts flow into non-lifted parts 8. Using a modeling spoon, I begin creating the negative impressions and smoothing out the lines from the craftaid. If you'd like me to do the rest of the tutorial, let me know and I'd be happy to oblige. This was only for beveling, so I didn't go into the rest.

@Riem, You have exactly the experience needed to weigh in on this topic. Great reply.

Danny stopped making leather knives, but they are still available for sale privately.

I'll echo the others, and say that the Tandy knife is a waste of money. In fact, Tandy got upset that I said that once on FB, but its true. That knife is very poor quality and doesn't cut well at all. Old companies like W. Rose and Osborne made excellent knives and they are available from folks like Bruce Johnson. He will make sure your knife is sharp and it good condition. All I use are my Knipshield knives. I bought my first one in 2013 and have collected quite a few since then. The difference between them and anything else is astounding. Worth every penny. Terry is out on an injury right now, but he'll be back soon.

Then it should work just fine. Thin leather will teach you delicate stitching, for sure!

Typically, anything over 1mm thick is too thick for interiors. You might be able to split it down to the right thickness, depending on what you have, but its hard to say. Choosing the proper leather for projects goes a LONG way in making them look good. Welcome to the madness!

Its not just the pyramids. The Acropolis in Athens, Greece has been knocked down in numerous battles and put back together, and its only in the last 30 years that they realized that no two pieces of the columns are identical. More than that, each piece has exactly one place it fits, and they have no idea how it was done. Also, the structure eliminates parallax in that it looks straight and square from any vantage point, while in actuality it is anything but. There were great minds in humanity, and I fear there aren't any left alive, with the exception of a few hidden away from society.

Im still in the prologue, but its fascinating. It explains a lot of why I am the way I am. Can't wait to get to the drawing part!

I didn't see a separate workbook.

So, I haven't even finished the first page of that book and it talks specifically about transfer of knowledge and how best to go about it. Teaching directly. This is why I teach, and I have found that in doing so, it makes me understand what I do more fully than if I just work. Good suggestion!

That does sound like what happened. Im all over that book! Here I go!

Inspiration is different. I carved this piece very early on in my career, and I have tried several times to repeat it, although not recently. I was in the zone when I did it and all further attempts have been unsuccessful. I can't even remember how I did some of it, but I do remember the feeling I had while carving it. Driven. Inspired. Almost like a runner's high. Weird. Now, looking at it, I can see all the flaws and areas I'd do differently, but I still feel like this was a milestone in my carving career. I was truly and unequivocally inspired. I exceeded my knowledge and experience with this piece, and I believe that is why my later attempts at this piece were failures.

Ok, so its an exacto knife. It clearly works for him. Cheap too!

Ive often wished for the mind meld, or brain plug in to be real. Like the Matrix. Apoch, I'm gonna need a program on pattern making and Mexican braid. Insert digital noises and pictures of code flowing, and boom. I know braiding as well as Bruce Grant! Sadly, we all pick up things in one of the three forms of learning. Auditory, visual or haptic. Some are better at one or the other, and I believe a person needs all three to full understand a concept. Like you said, downloading what I feel under my knife or what Peter Main feels under his would probably be drastically different but imagine if you could have that kind of zero loss transfer. We could build the pyramids or the acropolis in Athens again. We could discuss philosophy directly from the Greek philosophers. What a world it would be. got it figured out and probably added some new knowledge through his experience, and that of others ^^^ This, is something that I will expound upon more very soon. It's interesting that you mentioned it, because I have some very strong feelings about this specific point. Personally, I'd download from Plato, DaVinci and Nikola Tesla. Add Mozart and I'd be set.