immiketoo

Jesus dude, don't EVER do that again! Sylvia, I work in my garage and kitchen for the time being. Kitchen for tooling and garage for most everything else. In the garage, I have two of these heaters. http://www.tractorsupply.com/redstone-trade-ceiling-mount-quartz-heater-2171132 I turn one on and leave it for an hour. They heat objects, not air, so you dont have odors, fumes or super dry air. With both of them on, I can work comfortably in a T-shirt, although I prefer a fleece jacket so I usually just use one. The can be ceiling or wall mounted, and they are pretty cheap. 33 degrees is too dang cold!

cool...I'm scared of tattoos. Or the permanency of them, anyway.

Hey Kid, the idea behind the groove is both to protect the stitching and as an aesthetic feature so that you don't feel them. This is important where there could be chafing of the thread or of your body where thread may stick up. I doubt your dice cup would ever see so much use as to break the thread, but ya never know. You might be pulling the thread too tight while your stitching, or your leather might be moist. I have experienced both of these. So, try pulling a bit less and I bet you will be pleased with your results.

Its great work as always, but who uses this type of product anymore? Now a reading glasses case...

Natalie, here's a quick definition of acrylic paint: Acrylic paint is fast drying paint containing pigment suspension in acrylic polymer emulsion. Acrylic paints can be diluted with water, but become water-resistant when dry. Depending on how much the paint is diluted (with water) or modified with acrylic gels, media, or pastes, the finished acrylic painting can resemble a watercolor or an oil painting, or have its own unique characteristics not attainable with other media. As for what is commonly used, its what you have or can get your hands on, and what works for you. As you can see here there is a group of products here so it just depends on what your preference is. Mike

That's great. I particularly like the detail of the extra point on the bottom edge. I would have added more tooling to the leather but its simple and effective.

Badass...

Calm down and back away from the mailbox! Seriously, you have waited a LONG time for this!

Natalie, after reading about your experience, I would say the only real solution is spraying your finish on. I struggled with this same problem on a holster I made recently, and I finally ran my finish, resolene, through my airbrush. It worked perfectly. Rubbing with cloth or daubers speared everything. If you don't have an airbrush, a squeeze pump sprayer like is used with kitchen/bathroom cleaning chemicals will work well in a pinch. The trick there is to find the right distance for spraying and to use thin coats. A thick, wet coat is almost as bad as rubbing (Ask me how I know...). Anyway, good luck and don't be ashamed of your pictures. You might be anle to salvage your project, or at worst, repurpose it for another project. Good luck!

If it were me, I would take the finger off past the knuckle and make a new tip from that point. I would find the patch to be irritating, especially in the middle of my grip.

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Lobo, THAT is great information! Thanks!

Donner starts rumbling about unionizing and Santa just puts his wallet on the counter and walks out... Genius!

Kind of Macabre, considering the season. But, Santa will love his new wallet

Well, if the forum ever gets its head out of it @$$, there's plenty to learn here. Someone told me, and I'm sure everyone here has seen or heard the phrase: Attitude, not aptitude determines your altitude. Did Thomas Edison quit after multiple attempts to create the light bulb? No, he merely said. I now know 10,000 ways that didn't work. Do not be discouraged by some bureaucrat in an office that hasn't created a single thing of value, never had a single original thought or hasn't a creative bone in their body. The world needs those people to manage the databases that bore me to tears, but there is more to life than crunching numbers and the bottom line on Bill's notepad. And while Bill is correct that the bottom line has some value, I don't believe it's meant to be discouraging at all. Merely a suggestion to look at the problem differently! Go here and read some of Edison's quotes. http://www.thomasedison.com/quotes.html I find him inspirational, maybe you will too.

The problem is that most people picture a glass half full with water. I think you need to start filling your glass with beer. Then, even a half empty glass is a good thing, because you got to drink it!

That is AWESOME! Truly, that best way it seems is let the leather guide you.

I think you could get away with a stamp and then apply an antique in the recessed area made by the stamp. Might be cheaper. I have no experience with a branding stamp.

You may want to leave a border at the edge of your carving so theres unbroken skin at the edge of your work. Regardless of whether you leave an edge or not, you will always want to form leather when wet to avoid cracking, and you may want to consider oiling your piece with neats foot oil after carving and before bending. If you are worried about losing detail, just wet the back of you piece only before forming. Hope this helps.

Can't wait to see it in leather!

This is my problem too. I just love everything I've done so far. There is NO need for tack here in suburban Chicago so I suppose need is dictated by the areas we live in. PLus, I wouldn't have the foggiest on where to start. Except that I can identify a horse!

Thanks Ed, I will be placing an order soon. Thanks for the info on the changes and for the heads up on where to get them. I might have to get a maul while I'm at it!

LMAO! That's the funniest thing I have read all day!