kodiakthejuggler

I've purchased some from a forum member in Canada, and it's a joy to work with!

Thanks, electrathon!

Check out this awesome set of dividers I found at an Antique Mall in Mansfield, Texas! It's made by a company called Worth. I've never heard of that company before. Not sure just how old this tool is. It is about 8 inches long. It's in remarkably good condition and was only $7 bucks!! Does anyone have advice on how to preserve it? How to clean it up? It's not showing signs of rust, just a bit of pitting.

So cool!!!

I've been doing multimedia design since I got out of college in 2000. PowerPoint presentations, Photoshop design/retouching, some animation via After Effects, some on-screen graphics for live video broadcasts via Chyron Lyric 7.0, and other odd support jobs throughout.

WOW!! Superb!!

I've been thinking about making a sporran... Thanks for sharing!!

Thank you!

Just got the Weaver #1 English strap end punch in the mail today. It's beautiful! Works like a charm! Thanks so much for the prompt service. I look forward to building up my tool count. Thank you, sir!

Got a bit of an issue with your link there, Bruce... And I especially liked the description for the straining fork #2787...

This waist cincher is my first official leather project! The stock is 5/6 ounce single shoulder from Springfield Leather. Dye is two tone black and mahogany Fiebing's oil-based dye, and finished with Fiebing's Acrylic Resolene. Edges slicked down with a bit of gum tragacanth and water. Back slicked down by Fiebing's tan kote. 1/4 inch antique nickel plate eyelets from Tandy, and black kangaroo lace from Springfield Leather.

Got the package recently and have finally done some sewing. Lemme tell ya, that Tiger Thread is the best!! No wonder everyone recommends it!! Thanks for sending it my way so quickly. I'll be ordering some more soon! Thanks, cloverpatch!!

Ditto!!

Welcome! I'm looking to start my first tooling project as well.

For those who want a good slab of granite and don't want to spend lots of money on store-bought slabs and shipping, do a Google search for local custom countertop installers or fabricators, i.e. the people who do the actual cutting. Big box stores like Home Depot or Lowe's simply order the sizes from these local installers. They don't have the equipment to do the cutting, so they won't have any remnants lying around. I found a local custom countertop installer in Dallas called Slab Fabricators. They have machinery for cutting and sculpting and such. I had a talk with the manager and he said feel free to raid the dustbin. Yes, I had to pull them out of the dumpster, but I found two very nice slabs of granite for free!! Next I went to Home Depot and found a rubber tile used for outdoor landscaping. Should deaden the shock effectively! And it was less than $8! In the attached photo, you can see the rubber tile under the big piece, which is at least 2 1/2 feet square. My keys on top should give some perspective as to the size.

I call shenanigans. Looks too good to be true...

I like the clean look of the tooling. Not too crazy.

I'm new to this world. I have been into costuming for a little while, and love being able to put together a great screen-accurate costume for the latest convention. My current favorite is Sgt. Nicholas Angel from the brilliant film, Hot Fuzz. I began to research leatherwork because I wanted to create my own costume out of leather. Aragorn, from The Lord of the Rings, in his Strider garb. I came across the videos from Nigel Armitage (Dangerous Beans), and I learned a lot and was very stoked to try my hand at creating things out of leather!! Back to the costuming thing, I would greatly appreciate any and all info regarding that particular type of leather craft. My girlfriend recently introduced me to the basics of using a sewing machine, so I have a little experience with that. I'm building up my tool set and work surfaces, and am eager to start! Thanks. Jonathan

HA!! Please, do tell!

According to master craftsman Nigel Armitage, look for either dentist pliers, or jeweler pliers, as they have no serrations on the jaws and will not mar your needles. Put the head of the needle in the pliers and pull straight out. Do not put the pliers perpendicular to the needles, as the pointy end is exposed and you could bend the needle.

Awesome! I want to learn to make something like that. More simple, but nice renaissance boots, nonetheless.

Love watching Nigel's videos! Very informative, a pleasure to watch a master work, and his sense of humor is great! I'm itching to start hand stitching using Nigel's method, though I won't be able to afford a pricking iron for some time. So I'll start with the overstitich wheel. Also, I loved the idea of the log station, so I went and found myself a great log! Lucky my girlfriend's dad owns a big back yard and a chainsaw... I rolled it to the car, took it home and removed the bark. Still have to level it out on top and bottom. I decided to just make a stitching clamp myself! Though I'm still not sure how to connect it to the log. Hey, Nigel, could you maybe post an image of the clamp straight on? The side images just don't show enough to explain how it works. But I'm a complete novice, so I apologise for the nagging questions!

That is absolutely gorgeous! I can imagine the look on the face of the person who sees you unroll that! Perfect way to convey the quality of work you do.