Johanna

I moved this to the Member Gallery section so more folks would see it. Nice store site, and I love the Crobu belt. How do you do the tooling border? I like the lacing. Thanks for posting- hope to see more of your work! Johanna

Glad to hear from you, Kevin, just wish that all your news was good. Sorry about your father...that just bites. LW is a wonderful place, isn't it? Like a big family. hugs {{Kevin}} Johanna

Johan is Leerwerker here. (No, I have no idea how I keep all this stuff straight!)

I just had another email from someone who was trying to find us, but didn't have our name right. We are not leatherCRAFTERS, nor are we leatherworkers.net with a plural. We are not a dot com or a dot org. Just plain old leatherworker.net. As in network. Leatherworker network of instant communication with thousands of people around the planet that all share the passion for dead animal skins. Who woulda thunk it? It was named leatherWORKER for a reason. Many of us here have put in many hours at the shop trying to make a living doing what we love. With the exception of a few dozen brilliant artists who could make any medium their own, we have all been bitten by the leather bug. We do this because we love it, and if we can, we make a living at it, and don't starve. It's work, honest work, that makes us feel good about ourselves, and not blink when we ask for $10 to set a rivet. Yes, it's a 2 minute job, but we have to set our tools down for it. I closed the shop before I had kids and a mortgage, and before the internet was as we know it today. I see extraordinary opportunities out there for specialty work, whether it's shoes or saddles or gunleather or fabulous art. For those of you who are trying to make a living from leather, this board is dedicated to you. We welcome all the crafters in, but this board is for promoting yourself, advertising your reputation and expertise, building your reputation in public and with your peers. Click "My Controls" at the top of the page and fill out your profile. It's easy, let people see who you are! When the search engines come looking, let people find you! Post pics of your work, and feel free to upload your pics. They will never be used without your permission by leatherworker.net. You can brag or you can ask for help. We have members that know many answers from years of experience, the school of hard knocks, trial and error, and strokes of luck. We have members who can build you a suit of armor, or make you the ultimate sheath for your knife. We have members who can find any item you are trying to locate, or might sell you theirs. Some of our members can make you a knife that brings you joy (ask Clay Miller about his custom green SK-3!) or a tool you've been wanting, but couldn't find. Have fun here and help yourself to all the chocolatechip cookies you want. Virtual calories don't count. Johanna

Butch, that is gorgeous! Can I be your friend too? Great job! Johanna

Hi, Aaron, glad you made it in! Welcome to LW! Sorry about not being able to post 3 nanoseconds after registration...we do review new members and validate the registrations to keep spammers and bots of the board. Johanna

Shirley- I think you explained yourself well, and probably more graciously than some of us would have. If we don't charge a fair price for our work, we'll be out of business and getting a day job. Keep that thought in mind when you run into people like this. Johanna

Sometimes links get posted here that make me go wandering around the Internet, and I found this The poem is near the bottom of this page: http://mysite.verizon.net/vzeeir49/id16.html He must have been a good horse. Johanna

I respectfully disagree that there is no information about saddle restoration anywhere on the net except your site- we are trying very hard to collect that knowledge here. I am glad to see your site archiving useful info- we need more people to do that. Also, we would love it if you would link back to us to help leatherworkers find the resources we list here. Johanna http://leatherworker.net/forum/

Jack Justis and John Barton are on this site, and they make some fine pool cue cases. Until I saw Jack's cases, I never realized how much went into a custom case, or for that matter how seriously some people take their cue stick cases. John Barton Jack Justis I grew up in New Hampshire, and I was just telling Froghunter the other day that I was jealous that he got to live there now. I think I remember telling him I hopedhe froze this winter. He can probably help you out getting back into things if you call him at the Tandy store. Glad you're getting back into leather- it's a bug that once you're bitten, you can't shake it. Help yourself to the coffee and the cookies, and welcome to Leatherworker.net. Johanna

DEADLINES for mail in entries EXTENDED from Aug 26 to September 16, 2008 The BCLO extended the deadline a few weeks ago, and it's posted on the website. No excuses now! Johanna

Just a reminder that the deadline to get into the drawing for ClayB's prize winning piece is August 30th. So far there are 23 names in the hat, so you still have a good chance to win! You can click "My Controls" then "Purchase Subscription" and use PayPal through the board, or you can use the generic PayPal button on the main page and specify any amount. If you don't like PayPal, you can send a check or MO to Johanna Schroer PO Box 103 New Knoxville, OH 45871 please please include your screen name with off-the-board donations so I can turn you blue. Thank you everybody for supporting the forum and its mission of education, entertainment and fellowship for leatherworkers. We couldn't do this without your help! Johanna

I've had cats that were presented with a perfectly clean and available litter box, and used the carpet/drapes/bedding/furniture because they were angry at being left for a few days. Cats know full well what they are doing, and I'm sure they smirk while they are doing it. I hate when people hide behind their religion to justify rudeness, and when people interject kid plans into their own personal feelings. Now you know what kind of people the neighbors are. Because of the age differences between their boys and Ethan, there will be less and less playing anyway as time goes on. You don't want to set Ethan up for two older boys on one, either, especially if the other parents are coloring their boys' feelings. Write the kids off as playmates. You know you would never drag the kids into an adult matter, and to be accused of that must be frustrating. Chalk it up to lesson learned and never ask their kids to housesit for you again. I liked the advice about the boys playing outside, too. Better that they not come into your house lest other accusations develop. I would say as little as possible to your son about the whole thing, too, that way no stories get carried between the boys. If the carpet can take it (test in an inconspicuous area first) bleach is great for getting rid of cat smell. Make up a bucket of dish soap (I like Dawn) and bleach, and scrub the offending areas, then turn on fans, open windows and allow to dry. You'll get the odor out, but I have no suggestions for wiping the grins off the cats' faces while they watch you work. ((hugs)) Holly! Johanna

Got 20 grand to blow on a leather laptop? This one has the "Bentley" logo and that quilting you see on the cheap upholstery leather is supposedly "hand stitched". Ho hum. The laptop specs are mediocre (you can get a far nicer machine for >$500) but hey, it will match your car interior and shoes. And that's what it's all about, right? Who cares how it works when it looks so cool? Ugh. I'll pass on this one- I'd rather save for the Porsche. http://www.t3.com/news/t3-exclusive-ego-fo...y-laptop?=36215 Johanna

According to Google Maps, it is 1184 miles from New Knoxville Ohio to Rapid City, SD. *sigh Johanna

I had the occasion to meet Bill Gomer a few times, and found him a thoroughly charming man. His leatherwork speaks for itself though. I found this gallery of his work on the net while looking for something completely different, and I wanted to share the link with you folks: http://terkencustomleather.com/billgomer.aspx Watch the slideshow for the colored saddle of Kansas- a true work of art. Johanna

Someone sent me this...probably a few of you would agree with the sentiment!

I always have the customer remove the belt he's wearing. I can usually tell which hole he has been using. I measure, and adjust for how bent the belt is, and put his center hole in the same place as the hole he's currently on. If you measure the old belt, 99% of the time, you will get it right. If all you have to work with is a pants size, add two inches. If you aren't sure if any of the info you have from the customer is correct, make the belt long and add the holes when he shows up with the check. You can always cut some off...can't add it on. Johanna

Yeah, Wayne, and you're not so bad yourself, either! For you folks that haven't heard of WC, he is a fantastic leather artist in his own right- one of those guys that set the bar for the rest of us. I didn't know Al Gould did finger cuts, too. Thanks for sharing the pics, and the inspiration. Johanna

Silva is a member here already. I recognized a half a dozen names (also members) on the electronic cottage page. Whenever I see a leather artist whose work intrigues me, I always send an email/letter/ make a phone call with an invitation. If you guys would do the same...oh my, we'll call it a party. I've got the pizza covered. Johanna

Ahem, that would be "her" stuff. The artist is Silva Fox, Al Stohlman winner, master of acrylics on leather. Johanna

When I think of swivel knife cuts, I think of Rick Bean. I looked around to find some pics. Johanna

Mac malware exists, but with 90% of the users using Windows, the money incentives aren't there to create it. Firefox exploits exist, but again, the number is relatively low. Give these guys time, they'll write bad code for every flavor. The most insidious malware can't be detected by scans and software, and silently turns your computer into a zombie, using your broadband connection to spam or spread the virus. They don't want you to find it and excise it- they want it to remain hidden. There is also a social engineering factor to receiving malware- tricked into clicking "here" you get directed to another site. Malware writers are even blackmailing users with popups, "Your computer is infected! Pay us $25 and we'll take it off! hahahahaha" Things you can do: Watch the address bar on the bottom left of a page. Hover your cursor over a link and look at where it will take you before you click. Don't believe emails that say "You won!" or make other fabulous promises. Those are lies that play on greed. Keep your Internet security software updated and on. Delete spam without opening it. Only download from trusted sites. If an email asks you for your password or other info- it's fake. The real company has that stuff on file. When something gets through and breaks your system, go to www.geekstogo.com and get expert help. Johanna