cjartist

Hi Tarek and welcome to the forum. I'm sure you will hear all about the garbage Tandy Leather sells. I personally have been very pleased with my dealings with them. I recently decided to try out some Herman Oaks bellies from another source and it was a hot mess. Getting a back or bend from Wickett & Craig, or some Herman Oak from another supplier may give you the best leather but I find it extremely hard to justify the price unless you are able to sell them for a decent amount. I don't do belts but I understand many places will sell just the belt blanks. That might be worth looking in to. Most of us just starting out don't have any sources or relationships. You have to just pick one and go. Go forth and prosper, Cheryl

If you have a bunch of dye to play around with, I would try mixing a little mahogany with one of the lighter tans (canyon, desert, or prairie). Fiebings medium brown has a bit of a red hue to it also but it too would need to be mixed with a tan I would guess.

I like it. Looks great. Only downside I can see is having to undo both buckles to get inside. May help to save the family budget though. LOL

Hopefully they will treat you right. All they gave me for a return was their address, so yeah it cost me money to try and do business with them. I won't be going back either. I wonder if the owner is a member here? I think it would do them well to read this thread.

Nice looking setup. I really like the way you have the stamps arranged and angled toward to so you can see what's what.

That looks nice. Did she like it? I'm sure it is much better than carrying a purse on those occasions when you don't need to take it all with you.

Made my first order with SLC about two weeks ago. They are slower to ship than Tandy. I ended up returning half of the leather I purchased because it was unusable. An added expense to what already seemed a high price

I was just wondering of you have tried using fabric to make the card pockets. This video is helpful and it may minimize the layers of leather that you are joining together. I have not made any wallets except for a tandy kit once. If I do, I think I will try to use this strategy. Here is the same idea using ribbon.

My apologies Stetson. I did think you were in fact the thread starter who said he won't sew by hand.

Kind of looks like a machine problem. Perhaps the machine is not feeding the leather through properly?

Welcome. Be careful with your new hobby to not go crazy on the tools or you'll need a second RV. Honestly I think you picked a good hobby for your lifestyle. Enjoy.

You could try buying some kangaroo or calf lace and use that. Although keep in mind while it is strong, it is pretty thin.

Looks really nice. Did you do the lacing on the guitar? Did it change the sound at all?

I have one that was bought years ago from one of the big box department stores. It has a solid metal clip. I don't like the spring clips because that is just one more thing to break. The one I have been carrying originally had a thin chrome tan covering over both sides of the clip but that wore off. This is something I need to make for myself just haven't gotten around to it. Thanks for the info on Ohio Travel Bag.

I too was looking for this with poor results. I decided RockyAussie's plan was the best deal. You can even buy the blanks through several suppliers on Etsy in brass, copper, or whatever you like. I think the brass or copper would be easier to bend than stainless. They make rounded jeweler's pliers that would be ideal for making round curves when you bend.

Yes contact the seller and contact UPS. Hopefully the seller shipped it with insurance. I once sold an antique ship stove on ebay. I had the UPS store pack it for me and insure it. It rolled off the truck and the buyer had to go back to UPS to get their money back. It wasn't difficult on their end. Made me sad though to know they ruined such a beautiful antique.

Got mine today. It looks good. Clean and smooth flesh side (like Larry said). On the grain side there is about an inch on one side that is slightly darker and two perfectly round holes on the other edge ... weird. But it looks like really nice leather.

What a great gift. I'm sure your buddy will love it.

I am still learning myself. But here is my two cents. Your use of the pear shader is a bit out of synch with the veiner on the leaves. Looks like the pear shader went first and perhaps you should have done it the other way due to the angle. I would like to see the flower stand out more. Did the ebook come with instruction, or just which tools to use? There is a free online course I started (still haven't finished). It helps make you think about the process and order of things. Here's the link if you want to check it out. http://paintingcow.com/content/index.php?cID=119 Keep it up and you'll be a pro in no time

Beautiful work Bob!

Very nice. You did a fantastic job on those edges too.

I ordered one today. I'll let you know when I get it how it is. I also ordered a couple HO bellies from Springfield. I'm trying to figure out what will be the most cost effective leather to make the sides for some stool covers. I need pieces that are about 6" wide and 44" long. Buying a HO side or bend would certainly be a $$$ loser for this application. The closest Tandy is a two hour drive for me. Not worth the drive to go pick it out myself.

How did I flame anyone? What I said was: Yes, I was offended by his assumption that a woman would have no use for a heavy machine like that. I did look at the OP's activity and she never mentioned that her husband is involved. I then tried to soften the blow of this terrible wall of flames that I somehow lit by saying: So CDThayer from Oklahoma, what is your problem exactly?? My opinion is not 'liberal' but feminist. I have always worked in predominantly male fields and have faced a form of competence discrimination my whole life, up and until I was able to prove myself as capable. Having to prove yourself time again to the boys gets old after twenty or thirty years. But go ahead ... demonize me some more if it makes you feel better.

I wasn't the one asking questions, just making about point that one should not be quick to judge. Wiz, don't leave. You are a huge asset to this forum. I didn't mean to offend, was just asking for a bit of respect.

True. I haven't had the need to make an inside corner.