MikeG

53 views and not a single response -- not the right tool? Asking too much? It's sharper than a new one and a lot cheaper than the ones I see on the 'bay. Thanks, Mike

I have a nice leather splitter in excellent condition for sale. I'm assuming it's a Tandy/Craftool, but it has no markings on it I can see. I got it as part of an estate several years ago, had it professionally sharpened, and have never used it. It has a nice brass/gold finish on it, but it is steel (checked with a magnet). $185 shipped in US.

Rejerome - You're keepers show a lot of detail and the details are what sets you apart. I'm in agreement that staples are quick, easy, and secure, but that whip stitch beats staples hands down. Thanks for the tutorial!

Beautiful design and excellent craftsmanship! I really like the finish on the second wallet. How thin are these coins? The way they are inset is beautiful. Thanks for showing them.

Very cool! Now we need a picture of your horse. Does he have a mask and cape? Seriously, nice work.

Gamber - Beautifully executed - The style is a perfect compliment to the knife and as all your work, the craftsmanship is top notch. I lurk these boards and always look for your work. One day I plan to get started making instead of looking, Thanks for your posts.

Excellent!

Looks good! I do understand the confusion you faced. Up there in Nova Scotia you probably don't have much contact with mason jars. If you ever have a question about them in the future, just send me a PM. Down here in Tennessee we pretty much have a corner on the market!

Very cool - love the steampunk look and your work pulls it off well.

It looks like you can purchase a .pdf a pattern here (no affiliation): http://www.caracoda.com/collections/caracoda-leathercraft-pdfs/products/pdf-patterns-caracoda-leathercraft-issue2

Just a coincendence - there's a tutorial posted in the gallery today: http://www.caracoda.com/blogs/leatherwork-tutorials

The beauty of this forum is the amazing diversity of the people and the craft - thank you for showing these. They are beautifully shaped. Nice work!

Nice gear! The ponies are all looking so well dressed! Thanks for the post!

You do beautiful work, sir! Wish you were closer so i could see it in person.

I wind bobbins with an electric drill and a nut & bolt through the bobbin. Here's a neat idea I might try as it is much more elegant and I have the bits:

A great idea and well executed. It's a beautiful satchel. How long have you been doing leatherwork? If it's just a year, you're a very quick learner!

Very nice looking, but I wish your pictures were larger (or my old eyes were better)!

Very nice set! Will you please show a picture of the bottom? Is that a tie down? The sheath and the knife are both beautiful.

Nice arrangement!

Does this help any? http://stormdrane.blogspot.com/2010/02/ringbolt-hitched-paracord-bracelet.html

Cheryl - Fun items! The Stohlman's had a book of coin purses - I have no idea if they would sell, but it's a thought. I could send you some pictures if you like. -- Mike

The treasure chest is very cool - can we see the inside?

I went by Coey Tanners in Wartrace - They have lots of deer and elk hide. I picked up a piece of white #1 deerskin for $3.25/sf. They had tons of deer in natural and white, looked to me to be good high quality. Nice folks, they do not do any veg-tan; they used to do rawhide but don't anymore. (They used to send it to Tennessee Tanning to dry it). Aside from deer and elk, they have glove-tan pig and cow. I also picked up a "Saddle Tuff - pig" hide for $1.65/sf. They did not have any latigo leather. He told me they were in a low period but if I come back in January they will have a full warehouse. Phone is 931-389-6423 website: http://www.coeytanning.com/

I saw a post recently describing new patterns and a kit from Springfield Leather: http://leatherworker... +leather +deal I ordered the kit to try and get myself back in the leather game. I wanted to be able to use my No. 9 stitcher, but the gusset turned out to be WAY too small. I try not to do too much handstitching due to arthritic hands. Here's the finished bag with some impressions: The kit included a front piece, back piece, front pocket, rear pocket, an optional front pocket that I used, an optional rear pocket I did not use, and the gussets and straps. Construction required overlapping the front and back pieces and stitching across 4 layers at the bottom. When the gusset is added, that's 5 layers. I'm sure that allows getting more pieces from a hide, but 2 long pieces will make a prettier bag if I do another. I tried to machine stitch the bag, even though the instructions said I couldn't -- they were right. I ended up removing the gussets, laying the bag out flat, and then using the machine without thread to punch the holes through the bag. I then glued the gussets back in place, then used the stitching awl to go through the prepunched holes in the bag and only one layer of leather in the gusset. It worked fairly well. Another post gave a hint from Will Ghormley on using a dowel as a backup for the awl: http://leatherworker...hing#entry75322 I liked his idea and so I took a wooden mallet - does anybody really ever use these for anything? -- and sanded it down so I would have a long straight backing, the end of the mallet head, and the mallet handle to use to back the leather. Coated it with beeswax and it worked great for both the long runs and the tight gusset! The kit was fun, everybody seems to like it. I think I'll probably do another with some changes. I won't use light colored thread on the next one, either - I think it takes away from the vintage look. I'm also not entirely sure of the flap and whether it could use some type of fasterner. Thanks for looking! -- Mike

"Tennessee Tannery" brings up a bunch of different results. I'm off today and am going to try and visit Coey Tannery in Wartrace and Tullahoma Tannery in Tullahoma, both of which are within 30 miles of me. Buffalo Creek Tannery looks interesting as they do custom tanning of hides you provide, but they are 4-1/2 hours away from me. I'll let you know if I am successful visiting and what they tell me about direct purchasing. -- Mike