MikeG

I googled them but didn't find them. Coey tannery is just up the road from me, but sells through Legacy Leather in Wisconsin. Tanning seems to have a strange business model.

TXAG, I have done some paracord work with globe knots and turks head knots (Wait - don't shoot yet!). I have found two books/kits that you might find useful -- the Globe Knot Cookbook and the Turk's Head Cookbook by Don Burrhus. These include cylindrical pvc templates and directions for a multitude of knots. Don essentially figured out how to make a flat diagram into a tool. You can see his kits and descriptions at knottool.com. As a side note - I have tried some of this work in leather, but my problem always has been how to handle the ends. With paracord I can tuck them under and melt the ends so they won't come undone. I guess I need to start lurking the braiding forum and try to get some hints from you guys. Leather has just so much more class. Cheers, -- Mike

Get a copy of Al Stohlman's "Art of Making Leather Cases." Get into a couple of classes at the Tandy store. Don't know where you are, but there might be a guild nearby where you can learn. My finding - good leather is expensive; cheaper leather is harder to work with. I really hate to mess up a good piece of leather. I have to give myself the right to start with refrigerator art before trying to create a masterpiece. If all you want to do is have a camera case - you may not want to invest yourself in the time, tools, and materials. If you want to learn a new craft and eventually be able to make a case like this, it's a worthwhile undertaking and a skill that can last a lifetime. Good luck!

I love the effect you achieved - May I ask if you died your leather a base color before doing the marbling? If so, do you then let it dry before putting it into the gel? Thanks, Mike

Nice job, Chief - I was with the COE for 18 years - you captured the castle perfectly

Very cool - please show the finished necklace!

Looks good, Joe. I'm glad to see you are doing well. I'm still trying to psych myself up into making something from leather to post here. I'm thinking if you pulled the stars in just a little, it would give you room to do a good edge burnish. Great job coloring all those little stars. Cheers, Mike

I like the bottom one-clean looking and the two-tone stitching sets it off well. Clever key covers, too.

I'm looking about at leather patching machines and ran across this "modern reproduction." Does anyone have any experience with it? http://www.leatherpatcher.com/ Thanks for your opinions. --Mike

I like your experimenting with color. The picture of the second one comes over my computer as a kind of mildewed look, which I kind of like - it looks like it's been around for a long while. I think the difficulty with the 3rd one is that the rivets don't hold the corners or edges together. Maybe a gouge on the inside would help your fold look more finished. Hard to tell, but I think perhaps if you cut the leather closer to the rivets it might eliminate some of the "flap" that makes it look less "finished" than the other two. You could also put a decorative corner piece across the bottom joint - a piece of brass would be keeping with the ren look. All that said, I like the ones with the laced construction - looks more period to me. Maybe even a leather button instead of a snap closure. Make some more!

Pretty cool, Stewart! Did you really start leatherwork 3 years ago? I can only imagine trying to get a baseball to turn out round. Do you buy the cores? Strip the covers off other baseballs? Inquiring minds want to know. . .

Looks good from the pictures. I wonder if it will slide off if the knife is imbedded in something and you pull on the handle. I wish my first project had looked that good - and yes, there is a vast difference in leather. What fun!

Thanks, LL! that does help. I had not considered sheep. Appreciate the advice. This weekend is going to be too cold for anything else, but good to get started on some leather projects. -- Mike

Thanks for the responses. I guess I didn't communicate my question well - What I am really asking is - is a belly better than a side, or a shoulder? My limited experience with a couple of different leathers of similar weight is that one molds beautifully, retains its shape nicely, etc. while another either refuses to make tight curves (won't bunch or stretch) or it won't retain its shape. Dwight - as an example I mentioned covering a horseshoe. I have also made a few cases (folding knives, leatherman tools, handheld radios, etc.). I have no talent for tooling, and my goal is more toward getting nice tight shapes without wrinkles or puckers in the finished product. Jimbob - 3-4 oz is what I have been pretty much using. I would not have even thought of trying to mold a piece of 9 oz! Thanks for the responses. I think I'll also contact some of the suppliers and get their take. If they have anything to add, I'll post it. -- Mike

I did a bit of searching, and although there is a lot of information on HOW to mold leather, I didn't really find which leather is best for molding. I got into leatherwork by purchasing an estate that included a lot of leather that I've pretty much used up. I'm pretty happy with my molded cases and some free-form vases I've made, but I notice some leather forms much better than others. I need to purchase some material for a couple of projects. One project will be covering a horseshoe, another will be a free-form vase. I suspect it will be an on-line purchase, so what will I want to get? Certainly veg-tan, but what about weight? And what cuts mold best? Thanks for any recommendations, and I hope to be able to post something in the show-off section sometime! -- Mike

I also think your shoes reflect very high quality. I had to look closely to see where you wanted to improve the uppers. Are you trying to mold the leather directly to your foot? If so, perhaps you could try making a mold using plaster or a molding material. Then you could smooth out the mold before trying to mold your leather to it. This would be pretty labor intensive and not suitable for production, though . . . I would be more than delighted with what you are currently doing. I'd be interested in what you come up with. Mike

Beautiful work! Looks well thought out. The edges look great! I notice you don't have a tie down slot - do you find your customers like a tie down or don't really care for it?

I'm having an issue with the site. When I go to the forums, after about 2 seconds the page refreshes to show only the advertising displays at the top of the page. I can only get to the forums if I move quickly and open a forum before the page refreshes. I'm using Firefox. Not having this issue with other forums. Thanks, Mike Name: Mike Gold UserName: MikeG IP Address: 97.81.129.101 Email Address: goldmg86@gmail.com

I was at a craft fair recently where one booth showed bowls sealed with "heated walnut oil." That got me to thinking about sealing mugs & bottles again and wondering if I want to try using a heated "salad bowl finish." So many options . . . . but if you think about it, there is a significant difference between putting damp lettuce in a bowl and putting it on the table versus filling a leather bottle with liquid and carrying it around for several hours. I initially did not like the epoxy because it made my bottle rock hard. After using the beeswax, I was surprised how hard that left the leather, and left me feeling better about epoxy. I think it's going to boil down to what you like and what you are comfortable marketing. One website advertises as follows: "Because of European strict hygienic laws and rules we sell this item as a decoration. Usable from ancient times to the Middle ages." I'm guessing this protects the seller but will not deter most purchasers from using the bottles. The safest solution from a seller standpoint looks to be covering glass bottles. My take on a long discussed and disputed issue. -- Mike

Thank you for the nice comments and encouragement. I used beeswax for the outside, and 50/50 beeswax and brewer's pitch on the inside. I have used epoxy, and I went through all the "food grade" thing. One manufacturer's rep told me "food grade" requires a bunch of regulatory paperwork and increases liability, so no one wants to certify their products as "food grade." It makes sense, since I understand "food grade" 5 gallon pails and 5 gallon paint pails are made of the same materials and come off the same line. It is my opinion you will not find anything that says "food grade." The little bottle of love potion no. IX was lined with Envirotex and has had rum in it with no apparent issues. The tutorial for the mug is pinned in the historical and reenactment forum here. It's well worth a read even if you don't make a mug, as there is discussion about the sealing. I purchased Frank Zigon's book for the bottles. I will try a resist & see if that will work, but since you are immersing the leather, the liquid wax might seep in around it. I think some folks paint the design with acrylic, but I haven't tried it. I almost wonder if the muted design might be more in keeping with the period look anyway. I'm sort of mixed on that.

I haven't been doing anything leather for quite some time. My first attempts at leather work for a long time are some leather bottles and and a mug using angsters tutorial. The mug and bottles turned out well. I need a lot of work on doing designs and color. I tried coloring only the design, knowing the beeswax will darken the leather, but the design still doesn't "snap" like I would like. I hope you can see the pictures, having a senior moment trying to upload them. -- Mike http://i548.photobucket.com/albums/ii339/miketenn/P9160031.jpg

Nice small case! Are you trying to gouge the leather for your stitching? Since you are wet forming, have you thought about "molding" a stitch groove using something like a dull chisel or even the edge of a windshield wiper insert or a stiff wire and stamping your groove into the leather? I've never used horse butt, guess I'll need to look into it! -- Mike

As I begin to plan for retirement, I am offering this immaculate No. 9 stitcher for your consideration. It has very little use and has been kept clean and oiled. It has a 2 horsepower clutch motor, a hand wheel (not the knuckle duster) and a roller guide. It is mounted on a very nice heavy duty steel frame and carpeted plywood base. This machine looks and operates it did when it was new. I am located in middle Tennessee and will deliver to Nashville or Chattanooga. I am not interested in shipping it, as is is very heavy and would likely be prohibitive. There are no freight trucking companies in my immediate area. $3,500 firm. mgmgtenn<at>gmail.com

Not something I can use, but it looks like a good deal for somebody. It's about 35 miles from me & I could store it if you needed time to come get it: http://nashville.craigslist.org/tls/1181664814.html

Great looking set! Can you post a picture of the back side of the holster? I'm curious just how it fastens. Thanks!