Jordan

I have used the foodsaver to mold a couple, it works except for the crosshatch marks from the bags, solved by using a ziploc inside the foodsaver bag.

One that comes to mind is a toy I had in the seventies, one of those wooden cup and ball on a string games, from a trip to mexico that I barely remember. I named it Ka-Chink-Bop because if you got the ball in the cup it made a kachink sound and if you got frustrated and hit someone on the head......you guessed it BOP! .

If you had a thing like a county fair, as a lot of counties in the US have during the summer, you may be able to rent a pavilion area and get the vendors and instructors to attend. A ready made crowd and by adding leather workers and industry vendors to it, the fair organizers would be happy. I think some of the well known names in leather have on occasion done classes overseas. Good luck, and I also think if you start small it will be manageable and grow each year.

It turned out real nice I like the color(not black) and the stitching is very well done.

MacBeath hardwood is a company I have bought from and was happy with them. Most stores that specialize in woodworking tools and such should also have exotic woods to sell. A fine reference tool is Fine Woodworking Magazine.

Human nature is to want something for nuthing, I would venture to say $49.99. But it would be extremely unlikely to get that behind the zion curtain,( no offense intended that's just what I call my little corner of the world after I saw that cult classic The day the mexicans disappeared.) LOL. Seriously though you probably get alot more than that if your clientel is used to paying 5-6 grand for a purse or some such frivolous accessory. But a good leash is not something to skimp on especially if you happen to have a huge dog.

Whoda thunk it! there is an amazingly diverse group gathered here.....or is it preverse. LOL Must be a rightbrain leftbrain thing. Congrats to all for finding a common grounding point in leathermania. And a great big thanks for all the help I get from this forum. Jordan

"C" clamps of a suitable throat size should work fine, for a larger form, extra blocks of wood spanning the distance between the clamps will equalize the pressure. Wax will work to ease removal of leather from the mold. Also those screw in hooks like a cup hook, mounted on an interior block of a mold would help by giving you something to grab onto with pliers to pull it out of a molded item.Quick release carpenters bar clamps will also work.

Correct me if I am misinformed but isn't Elmers Glue All a different formulation than Elmers White Glue. I have always wondered if Tandy Leather Weld wasn't just repackaged Elmers. My...my I do enjoy a fine barnyard strut so early in the mornin. Fancy smancy don't really matter if you can't put the rounds where they need to be faster than the other guy.

After 13 years of living in Utah In-N-Out is finally opening a location on the other side of the valley from me. Soon as I can justify the gasoline I am going to get my long overdue fix. Dbl-Dbl-wit cheese!

The most common mentioned in the books I have read is 6 per inch. Seems to be a good look on most of the items I have hand stitched. I do get tired of punching all those holes on larger projects though.

I have also used cutting board plastic or whatever it is called. Easy to cut and form curves etc. As long as you remember that no part of the item can be larger than the mouth it has to exit through you should be fine. I really like the 3 part wedge type of mold that is in that book used for the belt pouch.

Maybe it is antifreeze. LOL

Welcome since you work with addiction you have probably already identified the symptoms that leather induces. Remember the only dumb question is one that is not asked. Have fun, watch your fingers around sharp stuff and post lots and lots of pictures.

Stretching deformation is more prevalent than shrinkage when working with cased leather.

Thanks for the info.

Dagnabbit rdb you beat me to it. I could not remember where I put my copy so I could post the info. Great book chock full of good stuff.

Thanks, that incident was just one of many, in my many many job adventures through the years. If I am ever in the market for another machine rest assured I would give your company a good look along with others in the market place. Good luck in your business as it take a lot of moxy to be in business at anytime let alone these days.

A bird in the hand means you get to eat today, two in the bush means you need to widen your choke

Well you asked so here it is, I don't like the fact that I can't do beautiful work like that

Very nice, it has probably been asked before elsewhere but if you don't mind how many sq. ft. of and what type and wt. of leathers are used for a basic set of chaps?

This reminds me of a past job I had, kind of. In the early 90's I briefly worked as a sales person for a computer mfg. in socal. At the time gateway was a small startup, as was the company I worked at. The owner had a bright idea, implement a price war to put gateway out of business. Well, after about 6 months and huge price drops across the industry for mailorder computers, I showed up for work one morning to a locked empty building and goverment seizure notices on the window. Wild guess as to who is still in business today. Last I heard the owner of the company I worked at had skipped out with a lot of cash and his fancy german sportscar. Never did get paid for that last month and my computer self destructed about 6 months later.

cool, love the old photos.

LOL. A person pays what they pay when they pay. Thasit. I bought a neels5 from a fellow member and am still happy with the machine and the price I paid, thanks Ed. Oh by the way I didn't get a boatload of stuff with it so if you could send me a bunch of other stuff.......oh wait,,, that wasn't part of the sale was it. LOL. Good clarification on the parable JW. BTW proverbs is chock full of sayings that have been paraphrased and ingrained into everyday life and when it is pointed out many people say they had no idea thats where the saying came from. Just food for thought.

My mom has a shotgun with deer slugs that she keeps by the bed and a walther semiauto pistol made famous by bond james bond. lol. I have a bersa .380 small, inexpensive and very reliable. She definitely go to a range/shop and shoot a few different guns until she finds one that she is comfortable with.