Tim Schroeder

I finally had enough of my feet hurting because of my boots. This is my first pair of boots and am looking forward to making many more. I learned a lot on these and made a lot of mistakes. I can't stitch the welt to the mid sole so I had the local shoe repair guy stitch them up for me. These were really practice for the ones I am building now. They will have Alligator embossed cowhide with tooled uppers. These boots are out of a Kangaroo hide from making a bunch of wallets.

Thanks Tree Reaper, I have bought a lot of stuff from Hardware Elf which they told me was their retail sight. They had the d ring type eyelets too which is the kind I really wanted. (I have the d ring type eyelets on my Kangaroo Boots) Thanks again, Tim

Hi, I am building my own boots and need some eyelets that boot laces will slide thru easily. Tandy's eyelets are to short, I need some for thicker material. Anybody know where I might find these. I have been to all the fabric stores, Hobby Lobby and Michaels. Thanks Tim

Hi, That is not what that hide should look like. I use those to make my wallets and that is not the way they come. Maybe you should send a picture to Tandy and have them explain why this pig was shaped so funny. Good Luck. Tim

HI, I'm looking for somebody who can silver plate a wallet strap end. It is U shaped to wrap around the back and then two set screws secure it to the strap. I would like a L engraved in it too. Thanks Tim

Finally got around to making a phone case to match my new belt.

I cut my clear piece the same size as the pocket so it is glued and sewn and I only sew around the inside if the customer request it.

Hi Tony, I use ID Holders like the ones you where around your neck on a lanyard from Staples. Good Luck Tim

Hi Tree Reaper, This machine has always done this. Every project I have done has one or two knots showing at the top, usually right before a corner when I almost stop. Anytime I try to just handwheeel the machine it will leave the knots at the top almost every stitch but will sew fine if you sew that slow with the motor. Just a consistent motion seems to make a difference. #138 with 135X16 #18 needle. I know this needle is a little small but I like the way it looks. #20 needles the holes look to big for the thread. Thanks Tim

I have the same machine as a Cobra Class 18. When I slow down to a crawl or try to handwheel the machine it wants to pull the knots to the top. If I stop in the middle of something it will always pull the knot to top. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Tim

Hi Kevin, Thanks, I stitch them on after the lining. I like the way the billets look being almost as wide as the belt. If I built them small enough to stitch around I would stitch them on before the lining for sure.

Hi, I was lucky enough to add a Bob Beard swivel knife to my small collection the other day. Those are some nice collections. I don't have many but do have a few nice ones.

Couldn't really tell whether Bob was a myth or a legend. Turns out he's an actual person. I got to meet him at the show in Wichita Falls last Oct. I ordered a swivel knife and a small angled detail blade. Came home and found this in my mail box the other day. He makes a couple of other specialty tools I would love to get. He's a great guy and makes a really nice swivel knife.

Had some extra time so I decided to build myself a new work belt.

Thanks Art, I tried to keep track of time on these so I would know how long they took. I have a 40/hr. a week job so these were done in spare time between Jan. 7 and Feb. 9. Thanks Tim Tote Bag 50 plus hour Make Up Bag 15 hours Checkbook Cover 11 hours Phone Case 12 hours Wallet 23 hours

Hi Karmindixie, This is a great place to learn. I used Sheridan Style Carving from Tandy to try to learn how to draw and carve Sheridan style. Here is a couple of pictures of my last couple of drawings and a couple of pictures of what my work looked like before and after I found Leatherworker.net. I looked at Hidepounder's work on this forum for hours for inspiration. The tooled pic is what the one pattern looks like after tooling. There are plenty of articles on every aspect of making anything out of leather. Hidepounders Casing and Edge Finishing are a couple of good ones for really good looking finished pieces. Tools make a big difference in the way the tooling looks too. I have 40 Barry King stamping tools and the really make a difference. Good Luck Tim

My wife has been carrying some old stuff so I made her some new stuff for Valentines Day. The Tote Bag was a late Christmas present. (Only 2 weeks late)I put a picture of her old stuff for comparison. The old stuff was before I found Leatherworkers. This is a great place to learn. Thanks Tim

My wife liked the last bag I made like this one and she wanted this one for Christmas but just didn't have time. It's 3-4 ounce on the outside and Tandy's lining leather on the inside. The Alligator is embossed veg tan so you can dye it any color you want. Thanks Tim

One of our Chief Mates on a ship in the Persian Gulf wanted two wallets and is going to let his dad pick the one he would like for Christmas and he is keeping the other one. Both have two ID pockets stitched. Can't wait to make me a new wallet.

Thanks. I use a gravity fed automotive paint gun. I like to spray 8-10 coats, so thinning keeps it from getting to dark. You can keep spraying until you get what you want. I also spray the Wyo-Sheen for a blocker when Antique Finishing. Thanks Tim

Finally finished this bag for a lady in New Zealand. All leather with embossed Alligator veg tanned handles. She wanted Angel Wings, A snake, Roses and Lily of the Valley flowers. The color is Fiebings Chocolate brown and light brown mixed 50/50, thinned 3:1 thinner to dye and sprayed thru a paint gun, 8 light coats. Learned a lot on this one.

Looking for small D Rings for zipper pulls. 1/4" inside. Thanks for any help.

This Lady said she would like a Lily Of the Valley Flower, Roses, Angel Wigs and a snake in a busy Floral pattern.

This is one of my wallet insides out of Tandy's Pigskin lining material. I'm looking for material already thin enough to use without skiving the back of every piece. Hard to imagine having to carry all that excess in your pocket. I know the pile is fluffy but squeezed down to 3 1/2 x 4 1/4 and compressed it is still pretty thick. These insides still come out about 3/8" thick sometimes a bit thicker. Any leads would be greatly appreciated. The pockets are all leather, no nylon anywhere. While using nylon saves a lot of leather and skiving time, it takes more time and the part of the pocket you see is thicker. Thanks Tim

Hi Ben, Thanks. I didn't keep good track of my time. I probably had 50 to 60 hours. It took about 25 hours of tooling and the rest dyeing and assembly. I could do it in a lot less time now. I still think 40 hrs min. Hi Jesse, Thanks. I used Fiebings dye. Took some time to come up with that color. The dye is sprayed on with a gravity fed automotive type paint gun. I needed to thin a little more. I was only able to spray 7or 8 light passes before I achieved the color I wanted. I usually thin everything enough to spray at least 10 light coats. I think this is the best way get more even results. 4 oz. Oxblood 3 ml Light Blue 24 ml Chocolate Brown 4 ml Black 80 ml Thinner Thanks for the comments everyone.