steveb

well hey now - getting bummed because something didnt work is par for the course - this is all about trial and error.... you will make mistakes and you will turn material into scrap - this will happen - guaranteed...if it doesnt it means your not trying to advance your knowledge I have a box full of humbling reminders of the steep learning curve I am still slipping and sliding around on...lots of "well I know not to do that again" reminders and remember....that is the only way your going to learn - consider it the cost of entry...IMSHO you are going to have problems, challenges and outright disasters... lucky for you, all you need to do is get some more material learn to enjoy the mistakes and give yourself "permission to fail" - thats why your doing it in the first place, to have fun- right? steveb

I have gotten pretty good at reacting to the "what are you kidding " looks after I give someone an estimated cost for producing something. Invariably, as soon as i sniff a haggle coming on, I advise them that they would be better served going somewhere else - (yeah right, good luck finding someone) and that I dont think they'd be happy working with me. If they press me, I give them a 12 week turnaround. People who want a deal, usually want it really quickly also...ha Always price high, because in a negotation - price only travels in one direction - and it aint in your favor. my .02 steveb

Steve - I live in CT and let me tell you - your shite out of luck in terms of getting some machines to demo unless you plan on getting on a plane. There are no "leather shows" near us and even fewer suppliers. Bruce, owner of Tandy in Hartford doesnt have any machines to try and Pilgrim - which is near you - supplies parts for older machines. You could come down to my shop and try my Boss, my Econosew table machine or my Singer 29K patcher, if you'd like. I live in Southern CT. steveb

thanks Johanna - for what i paid for that stamp, you sure can bet it is on all of my work...and people always comment on it. geez love that close up photography..shows the good, bad an er...ugly...ha! .hmmm...its, handmade! .....thats it...lol anyway - for the record, i cleaned (man, look at that stitiching...eek) that beast before it went on its way acrosss country to delight its righful owner!! dang, i got to back up more with the camera steveb

i dont know the name of this design, just saw it and liked it - i tend to use stamping tools in all sorts of odd and unconventional ways - all wrong no doubt.... I am sure there is a proper way to use the tool. keep in mind that is some really deep macro photography -i wanted to show what a nice stamp will do. Crafttools wont make an impression like that - no way - not without a shite load of work, and even then...and this is a tricky beast to line up perfectly wayne know his stuff, i like him and i like his stamps if you want to get to Wayne, he's not hard to find - look him up in Elko, Nevada - tell him steveb from CT sentya!

dont know - it was red, small and had a funny molded handle. ive been using that same old beat to crap garland mallet for years and have bneen waiting till i saw a modern one that was as good in the hand as my old beater - this seems to work well so far..cleaner strike an more mass

owww, that lacing is going to be like carrying a rasp in your pocket, and try riding a bike with that in your pocket, heh heh ... i used to lace wallets - until i made one for myself...lol..that is crazy looking though!! love it... but in all seriousness - i do have a question - when you cut out the applique and stitch it to the wallet back, do you cut out that piece while it is glued to Something? I am thinking of trying something for myself like this style - but haven't ever tried to cut out a shape as complex as that - with leather as soft as that. and then try to have it stay in place while i manhandle it on a sewing machine... and you're sewing skills are far more advanced than mine and i don't know that i could manage some of the complex turns-backs you've accomplished here...nice work as usual Kevin - inspirational - your not afraid to try new techniques steveb

I have three sets of the douglas burr/stake setters - 9, 12 and 14 - they rock - work great - feel great - and I would never use a steel hammer on any decent tool - use a poly dead blow hammer (i just got a great one from Sears today) and a dedicated set of nippers to cut the stake...momey well spent if you sue lots of burr and stake rivets.. steveb

I really like Wayne Jueschke's basketweave stamps quite a but - very sharp and deep impressions -well, yes, i know these arent exactly basketweave stamps - but i just did it today, it is a pattern, ah hell - you get the idea.....

wow - you've got some great ideas - very fantasy oriented an totally alien to anything I'd ever consider...love it though...and to answer your question-I've not seen anything like that  ever..lol steveb

well these are much plainer than the seats Ive seen you produce - a little of a mass production feel.....very clean and i like your typography - very neat and well beveled - overall - i like them - clean and neat steveb

i have found thsat small adjustments are usually all that is necessary for me to get a good stitch with my machines. once you can set a baseline adjustment - all that should really be required is fine tuning and I do most of that with my needle thread, not my bobbin - i tend to leave the bobbin alone once i get it dialed in for that weight thread and since i usually run one of two sizes in my machines, i know where my base line is..i suspect youe got your bobbin way too tight and that will make a rats nest - try middle of the range adjustments - nothing should be on the 'end of the scale" preface all of that with YMMV (your mileage may vary)

yeah and it even comes with the optional pant shredder attachment.... ....suffice it to say that once upon a time, I rode with an open belt......yep ..i used to....... dont do that anymore..lol!! looks cool, but youd best be on your toes at all times..and back in the day, I cant say i always was.

every shop needs at least one or two hot rod era pieces of art and a Ramones poster, far out!....nice shop ya got..i too am packed sardine like into one bay of my garage..but at least I am not on a kitchen table like some folks....it could always be bigger and better, but it could also be worse!! no?

mmm... - I am with you, i would NOT reccommend putting big old honking metal buckles, no matter how nice, that close to an instrument. I try an keep the guitar and bass straps i make as hardware free as I can manage...and when i use hardware, it is not a threat in any way to the instruments finish

wow - thats wild it sure is amazing the stuff people come up with.... nice craftsmanship

i stood in line for like 6-8mos to get my tools from Mr. Beard. They are great tools, cool look and feel, great impressions..expensive like most designer tools worth the wait? sorta, but not if i had work to do and i was counting on him to deliver... if you want things only he does, your going to have to wait...most of what i got from him was his own proprietary designs not standard stuff like a checkered bevelere but if you want things that are reasonably available - bevelers and the like.. you can go to a few top shelf resources - wayne jueschke being one, but wayne's tools dont have the cool black finish or gold lettering, but i suspect your leather wont know that but hey - i see a few people in here have been sharing tool how-to's which is cool as hell - why not make your own tools?? youll get to save money (hmm, well maybe not) but damn - youll be using your own tools to make your own work - how cool is that, eh? steveb

that look like a device you'd use to split an already squared off strap to a narrower width. a blade goes in that slot you draw the strap past the blade carefully

$300 a day for a 8hour day means like what -37.50 an hour? I'd say that's a fair rate to pay a teacher who is paying undividied attention to you for a full day..especially a recognized master at their craft. your not going to find a plumber or electrician teaching you how to repair your own house for that price thats for sure..lol I think though to get the most out of the experience of working with a master ,you need to come to the table with some substancial experience and not as a beginner. Someone who knows what they specifically want from an educational opportunity might get more out of working with a master. in my experience you can get the basics from books, groups and the occaisonal strategically purchased video - subject matter experts are great when you really want to dig in deep to a specific area...my dream is spending a few days with someone who makes luggage and bags and cases. I would really love to gain some of that knowledge hands-on.. someday maybe and certainly something to work towards steveb

my brother in law is a podiatric surgeon - i get all the xray film i want - only thing is - its all xrays of feet!! steveb

advice: if you mount a toolbag under the "lower triple tree" you will wind up denting your friends fender if the front end compresses and he actually has tools, meaning some weight (and not his cellphone) in it. Because my work winds up on bikes that get ridden long and hard, by guys who tend to be demanding (and much bigger than me) I have to make stuff that will endure and is really designed with a high mileage, long time riders insight.

My technique - all wrong, but it works for me...i made it up cuz i didnt know better - and i still dont! I rubbber cement my leather to xray film to keep it from deforming when tooling I spray the leather with distilled water with a few drops of pro-carve...till damp, not wet I take a wet "car waxing sponge" with saddle soap on it and give the leather a nice saddle soaping Sometimes I slick the leather, sometimes I dont The leather is lightly wet, but in no way soggy and is firm to the touch i let it dry slightly I draw my art/outline and by the time i am ready to tool, the leather is ready if for some reason, i need to get up and say, go for a beer or chase a customer on the phone away, and the leather drys a little- I will shpritz it with my distilled water solution just a bit and let it dry some . I never tool or carve wet or mushy leather, I like mine dry. like I said - all wrong, but it works for me...i think it does anyway! lol

I dont know Grumpy but lost my good friend Easy last week in FL to a bike accident. All i can say to Grumpy and his friends is - stay positive, get the best medical assistance you can and hope that karma pulls you through - that is a tough break- and i feel for his family and friends. steveb

i like mauls much better than mallets for the work that i do - and own 2 jueschke mauls - a light one and a heavy one. use the light one for bevelling and small stamps - use the big one for rivets and larger stamps that need a little more juice. steveb

i keep a 30gal compressor under my bench in a "sound proofed" (sort of) cabinet for air tools an powering a bike lift- it breathes fine enough through the hole i cut in the door of the cabinet to run teh hose through- but it does get hot if it is kept on for any length of time - for my airbrushes i use the cheep paasche pancake compressor - works well enough and i have 2 paasche VL's - they are the workhorses of the airbrush world - i clean them real well everytime i use em, so they have lasted of course YMMV steveb