SmilinJim

deviantart.com is a great place. Look into the arts and crafts sections for leatherwork too. Deals a lot with cuffs, masks and other deviant stuff. I like it. Keep on smilin Jim

I'm doing a vest and want to add a pocket. I'll be lacing all edges and seams and don't think I'll have a problem there but not sure about turning corners on a flat surface. Did a test and ran into troubles right off. I've included a pic of joining 2 pieces with a 90 degree angle and another with a curve. As you can see straight is okay but I get in trouble after that. Any help would be appreciated. Jim

Hi Stephanie,welcome. You picked a great place to learn. There are some true artists here. Experts in just about anything you can ask I believe. Don't be afraid to ask questions, as a college professor told me, " If you have a question then someone else here probably does too. So help them out too and ask your questions. " Keep on Smilin Jim

I just got to your site tonite. You do some awesome work. Question, do you color the skintones any or just use natural color of the leather for the 'ladies' . Jim

The baseball stitch is shown in 'The Art of handsewing leather' by Stohlman. Jim

Have you tried ohiotravelbags.com? I couldn't get the pages to load but they have everything for bags, or very nearly so. It may be a start anyway. Jim

Hey Mathew Me too. Finished mine Sunday and decided Sunday nite to do it over. Oh well. What did you make the posts and jaws from? I used a 4" wide by 3/8" oak. Made the jaws 3/4" thick but doesn't seem stable enough. I have a heavy hand I guess. Tightens up great and holds the leather, I did cushion the jaws in leather too. Found some great sites on the net 'after' I completed mine. But getting back, post something, lets see whats happening in the world. Matter of fact post a pic of your stitching tree, I may need to copy something if okay. BTW, I never have found the address I was looking for. Heck, maybe I dreamed it, you know how us old folk get. If I do happen upon it I will post for ya. If you have a Tandy cataloge call Nick in Montgomery, he'll get it out quick. Jim

Hey folks, come on, post some of your work. If you look at the bottom of the page you see that there are over 600 members. Hey folks, that's a lot. I'd like to see some of your works. There are people from all over the globe out there. I'd like to see what's happening outside the wonderful South. If you've browsed the site you've seen some of my attemps. And I am NOT good at this, yet. Hopefully I'll get better. And if you post you will get feedback, good or bad. It can be a learning experience, But there are a lot of VERY talented people here that are very willing to help with questions you may have. You may have the questions I don't know how to ask. I've shown you mine now show me yours. Keep on Smilin Jim

Nice work, as usual, Lady. Post as you progress. Like to see the different stages of work. Keep on Smilin Jim

Great piece Clay. Like seeing original work like that. You've got a good eye for detail. You should do a tutorial for us. Keep on Smilin Jim

When you've had enough of the vino the awls work great holding those little sausages too. You can use the corks then cause you don't have to put em back in the bottle.

Nice work Lady. Did you fold the band just at the pin or double the whole watchband or does the band go under the watch ? Inquiring minds want to know. Jim

Hi folks Where is the best place to set up a simple website? I'd like to post some things when I get a little better and also some of my wifes jewelry and paintings. Should I use something like the Yahoo or MSN freebies or something like Geocities? Daughter, who is 25, has maintained one of the free sites since she was 15, I helped her learn HTML a long time ago. Any input would be appreciated. Remember Keep on smilin Jim

Hey Dan Got your email and sent a reply. Hope it gets to you. Sending email here is easier than on other boards. Jim

Thanks Jim, there's a world of information there. Only problem it gives me more ideas and I don't have enough time for the projects I want to do now. Jim

Johanna, just a simple and totally trivial question. When my posts come up it lists me as Leatherworker and yet CitizenKate and David Theobald are listed as members. There is simply no comparison they and others are the true leatherworkers. Is it just the number of posts? Its really not an issue, it just caught my eye. One guy called me a 'leathersmith', I had never heard that expression. But whatever the reason, I am pleased to be able to be here among the true leatherworkes and learn from them. Keep on smilin Jim

The only thing I can say is that you are a truly talented artist. You made me smile Jim

Thanks guys Exactly what I had in mind Joel. Got some older electronics mags, 20+ years, that I would like to save. And I reviewed the Rawhide Gazette article too Clay. Just proves "Ask and ye shall receive" , just be careful what you ask for. Keep on smilin Jim

Johanna In your stash of info ya got any classes on book binding or bookmaking(no betting allowed)? Jim

Ms Kate Still waiting patiently to see some more of your work. No rush. Keep smilin Jim

You can get pads of 8 1/2 X 11 and sometimes 11 X 17 of 100% rag vellum at most office supply stores. Look in the drafting sections (use this regularly). Hobby lobby and Michaels usually carries it too. Jim

My thanks Lady, I haven't tried much coloring yet. My wife does tole and shirt painting and I am familar with dry brushing. Been trying to get her interested in doing some leather works too. Again, thanks for the help. Keep on smilin Jim

Would it help if I beg to see some more of your work Ms Kate. You really don't want to see an old man cry. Tryin to keep on smilin Jim

I truly love your work. I visited your site and cannot compliment you enough. I like the cuffs too, especially the tribal design. Could you give a quick guide as to how you colored it or shouldn't I ask. The shading is awesome. Keep on smilin Jim

Put em to use Bill. 79 cents from Hobby Lobby and a 1/4 inch drill bit and a 3/8 inch bit in a drill press. Works wonders. My motto is simple solutions from a simple mind. Actually my first was modifying a hand sewing tool to accept an old Dremel tool chuck so I could use smaller needles for lighter leathers and cloths. Works okay too. Guess I've just got too much time on my hands while at home. LOL Keep on smilin Jim