blue duck

Beautiful Case! Make sure you put some business cards inside, so when folks ask where you got it, you can proudly tell them and give em a card.

Was wondering if anyone would have a side of Horween Dryden CastleRock that they would be wiiling to part with? They don't have it in stock and would need a min. order of 5 from us, which we don't really need at this moment. Thanks so much. rg

Thank you so much for the information. Put another coat on, but can still see the streaks, although they aren't as apparent because it seems to be darkening it. Maybe being a bit impatient also. Was going to ask if you thought another coat will help or just add more streaks, but waiting might be the answer also.

There is a problem with the resolene coat on my folio. It was mixed 50/50 with distilled water. Following the directions, it was applied with a clipped wool applicator, one pass. It appeared to be uniform, but now that it has dried there are streaks across the entire piece. It was applied over fiebings pro dye, that was dried and then buffed. The dye was applied over olive oil. There was no color transfer from from the dye, if that matters. The resolene coat has been buffed and buffed and it still is streaked. Should another coat be applied? Try to strip it off? If strip it off, would the dye prep (everclear 20%, acetone 30%, distilled water 50%) be the solution of choice? Or straight denatured alcohol, acetone, ??? Have the wrong products been used together? Can it be saved? Moving forward, should it only be applied via spray gun? Or should it just not be used at all? If not what would you suggest for a finish coat? Thank you all for your help and advice that has been gleaned from this site. I hope someone has a fix or it will be me in a fix. Thanks again. grg

These guys are right, Run! There is nothing worse than a woman (or any client) that won't take professional advice. No matter what you do, it will not be right, nor good enough, nor what she wanted to begin with. You can not win. Have one on the books right now and I am pulling out every gray hair she has given me. Thought we could show her what was right and why, but even with tens (hundreds?) of hours on the phone and emails and redesigns, we are so far in the hole on this one, it hurts. Even with an agreement, it is your name she will drag through the mud. Folks will never hear the other side of the story, only see where your work did not hold up.

I have looked through many pages of cleaning here, but can't find this leather in particular. I made this bag for a gal and she has brought it back to fix/clean. Someone spilled some type of drink and there is a streak on this bag. It is a deer hide that was sent to a taxidermist, so imagine it is chrome tanned? I had a small piece left from making it and all my tests has left an area where I worked, and none have worked very well. I really don't want to do it to the entire bag, as some areas are not easy to get to, but that may be what is necessary to make it all match. All of your thoughts and ideas are greatly appreciated. Kathi

Back to Ohio Travel Bag specifically. I just got an invoice emailed to me. "Steamed" is a nice way of putting it. I missed one item on my last order and called Friday to get it. She was really nice and said they would not charge me the under minimum charge, which I though was really nice of them and a great way to keep business. So my total product charge $13, shipping $18. If you are going to hose me, just tell me up front. This could have shipped for less than $1. Don't care what kind of math you use, there is no justification for that!

Thank you for posting this Joe. You are right it is big, but without everything stacked on top of each other, this layout should be pretty easy to carry. Nice job! Bet it helps quite a few folks.

I really don't think you would want to replicate for the exact reason WS stated. If the stitch is compromised anywhere along the line the whole thing will unravel. That is one of the greatest reasons to hand stitch is the integrity of the stitch. Just my 2 cents.

This is just someone out plinking with a gun. And they go odd places. This is a copper jacket from a bullet, the lead is no longer inside of it. Usually a hollow point will make that pretty flower petal look. I don't think it is very old or even a year old. If you can measure it you can tell the diameter of the bullet, but may or may not tell you what caliber the gun was.

Thank you so kindly. It was very nice of you to take the time to develop this.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/112742933/customized-alphabet-letter-stamps-for?ref=shop_home_active_11 Looks like you have already received some information from other folks. But should you need, this is a link to his alphabet stamps. I think the links for the sponsors rotate at the top of the pages, so that is probably why you didn't see it.

One of the site sponsors here, Leather works, will do a set in any font you like. I have seen some really nice looking ones. Just click on his link on one of the pages here.

There are too many experts here for me to offer any advice about the leather. But a question for you, does it need to be 100% leather? How about laminating a high tinsel strength webbing inside? As you say failure is not an option, do you have time to put something together and put it though a stress/water test? Good luck with this one.

You can also buy it in sheet form. Several places have the acetate and plastic by the yard. I have it and I don't like it. So I was wondering if anyone has seen where you can get the material that is now coming out in commercial wallets that has something like a cross-hatch either design or material. It seems like it will stand up longer. I have seen many that have a hole in the center to help remove the ID. So it has to be better than the old acetate and plastic. Ideas?

You can use lots of different things to create a stiffener. It all depends on the look, structure, and function you want your item to have. You can use bontex, which is a treated paper product to help prevent mold and mildew if it gets wet. It comes in different wts from .014 to .060 [probably more than that, I just use those], sometimes felt, an iron-on or sew in interfacing, other leather, plastic/composite sheets from thin to heavy enough for suitcases, and lots of other things I am sure others use that have not crossed my mind. Hope that helps and isn't confusing.

Hey David, if you call the folks at Springfield, they are all really nice, just ask them and they will be kind enough to send you a sample before you purchase.

Thanks! That does make perfect sense. And I am sure it will save more than one project.

Thank you kind sir. That is what I shall try.

I have searched and found many references to resolene and not letting it freeze. Says so right on the bottle, even. So my question is if it has frozen, is there any help for the bottle, or is it just gone. I am assuming it was frozen in transit as it is curdled and can not be shaken, nor stirred back to homoginized. (sp?). Or does it even affect it when you use it curdled? Once again, thanks so much.

Well don't keep us hanging. What did you do to get it right?

Branding is hard, very hard. My 2 cents. I have to agree with others, the change of font is a must. I kept reading and re-reading it trying to figure out why the two g's did not look symmetrical, it took a bit to realize they were two different letters. You don't want anyone looking for Maggies Leather when they need to find Magpie Leather. Without knowing your style and what you plan on going forward with, how about Bespoke Leather Goods? Very stressful

Tony, I know you asked for veg tanned, but for some of your purses/bags/clutches you may want to look at chrome tanned leather, in about 3-4 oz. You can find many colors and types of embossing that may give you a very different look. You can still lace it. If you ask the folks at Springfield leather, they will send you only the amount you need so you don't have an entire hide for one little clutch. (BTW - Depending on your design, with that wt. leather you may need to add a stiffener to get the shape you are after) Just an idea to consider. Best of luck.

Hi Mike, Sent you a pm. Thanks.

Hi rmr, Know you may already be done with this by now, but here is my 2 cents. I am not sure which material you are referring to exactly, but if it is the material that is used commercially, the satiny looking stuff, stay away from it. Far, far away. If you put that much time, effort, and expense into the outside the fabric they sell as lining will fall apart before the outside has had a chance to break in. Suggest you go back to the fabric store or anyplace where you can feel the fabric, and look in the upholstery wt. materials. It is going to last longer, look nicer, and lay better. It was made to be sat on, etc, so it going to be much more durable. This is just my opinion, but have made enough bags to determine this based on our construction and how they turn out with different lining fabrics. Good Luck.