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

Would you mind telling us how you did the bricks? I like how you colored them. I really like the piece, and you should be very proud. Johanna

I have heard quite a few members sing the praises of Artisan's extra special customer service. I wish Artisan made lawn mowers, too. I think it is smart to ask people you trust for recommendations, so I agree with Grandpa. They will steer you to the machine that fits your needs and your budget. You could call the next machine "The Steve"- that sounds pretty masculine! Let us know what machine you decide to go with. I'm sure others will want to know the reasons Steve selects the machine for you. Best of luck! Johanna

The SCA is a dynamic organization of historical reenactors who make armor out of leather for "wars" and use leather in many traditional activities. They have meetings and activities all over the world, and members are encouraged to participate under their "persona", a fictional character of the actor's choice of place and time. SCA events are fun for the whole family, and a great opportunity to show off skills for the leatherworker. See Wikipedia for more. Johanna

Yep, thanks, Drac! Looks like I need to update this page. ~J

When we started out, we asked a half dozen members to help out with welcoming people to the board, helping them find their way around and spreading general goodwill and sunshine. I never expected the board to get 1500 unique visitors a day back then, or to be several thousand members strong. (Kate says she knew it would happen all along!) We were lucky to have the help of the original team! But, the board is growing, and new members join and post every day in lots of areas. We asked for help again, and got 9 more volunteers. LW is grateful to all of you who take the time to contribute to the board, and thankful to have such a fine crew of Ambassadors to represent us. There are a lot of people behind the scenes who make this place such a great place to be. Can I have a round of applause for our Ambassador team, please? Our original Ambassadors: Regis (USA) freak (USA) abn (USA) TheMajor (USA) Beaverslayer (Canada) Don101 (Germany) Our new Ambassadors: TomSwede (Sweden) BillB (USA) Pip (UK) leatheroo (Australia) rdb (USA) Luke Hatley (USA) Jordan (USA) TwinOaks (USA) ArtS (USA)

That's a classy seat. I like the little ribbon in the design. Great seat for a good cause. God bless you for caring, Shirley!

Sawyer- that is really nice! Do you have a bigger pic? Don't forget to show it to us after you color it. Johanna

I would make each cup by itself, and with careful measurements of the lady, if possible. I would also line the cups with something like Cabretta for the lady's comfort. Do a Google Image search for Xena for some examples so that you get the look you want. Johanna

My first husband was a carver, and he liked plain water in a spray bottle. When we moved to Georgia, where the air is more damp (mold!) he would put a few drops of baby shampoo in the water. He never dunked anything, never refrigerated any leather, nor did he wrap it in plastic if he was called away. He would just mist it again. He said no two hides were the same, and that you just got a feel for what you needed to do. When I worked at Tandy and gave classes, I issued sponges to wet the leather. Cub Scouts armed with spray bottles are distracting. I knew an expert carver in Georgia who echoed Paul Burnett's theory of "don't wet it all the way through". His shop was outdoors, and he refrigerated wet leather, probably to keep down any mold. He used to tell people that if you wet the leather too much it would be too mushy to hold good impressions. He has passed on now, but I wish he were here to give his observations to this thread. I also had people come to the Tandy and complain about the leather not taking their stamps well and found out they didn't know you had to wet the leather first. There were days it was hard to keep a straight face. I met a man who bought distilled water to case with because his well water would discolor the leather, and it wouldn't dye evenly. I met another man who cased leather with, and I am not making this up- Diet Coke. There were many discussions around the back table in the Tandy on how to "properly" case leather. Some of it was akin to "bury the dead cat in a circle and walk around it counter-clockwise a dozen times". Here are the variables as I see them: 1. The leather you are using 2. The water you have available 3. Whether you are molding and tooling, or just tooling 4. The moisture content of your shop environment 5. How quickly or slowly you will work the piece 6. The way you were originally taught Great conversation, folks. Disclaimer- I can't carve a turkey, let alone a piece of leather. All I know is from personal observation and discussions like this. Johanna

Sometimes I get mail that just chokes me up, and I know we are doing a good thing here. This board wouldn't be anything without all the wonderful people who participate. All I do is keep the lights on and the coffee fresh. You folks make it all worth it. Johanna

Thanks for posting that, Art. I'm the webmaster for that guild, and I always feel like I'm the last to know things! I will get the additional info online tonight. Everybody- if you want to scribe or judge at the show, you need to be a member of an IFoLG guild. Several guilds accept members who cannot attend meetings- Pittpounders and Georgia Leathercrafters are two examples. If you belong to more than one guild, specify which one you want to enter under. LW is not an IFoLG guild, though many of our members belong to one or more of them. If you need a list of guilds, check out the latest LC & SJ or click here. Johanna

The board doesn't remember how much you donated before January 2008. Anyone who was blue for any amount at the time of the crash is blue forever because I am not willing to go back through PayPal and a calendar and old emails and recreate all that stuff. BLEAH! Any Contributing Member can PM me and be entered in the drawing. Some of you have been very generous, and it wouldn't be fair to call on you for more money just to win ClayB's prize. I don't like standing here holding a tin cup, and I deeply appreciate Clay's gift and the other offers we have had to generate support for the board. The fact is though that it costs money. I have to contract with a reliable webhost and our "Live Chat" feature also has a monthly fee. We have been kicking around plans to upgrade to integrate video clips in posts, and establish a leather topic Wiki for members as a teaching resource. But, the better software costs money, and because many of you go into the shakes when we go offline, I want to make sure the board is stable. I put a donation button on our main page and any amount you can give is going to help. All money donated to this site goes into expenses. Everyone here is a volunteer. Thank you all for you kind support. Johanna

I'd be willing to paint my bike if I won that seat. Good job, Shirley- Johanna

I had a dog that could not wear a veggie tanned collar with a raw inside (not waxed or finished) or he would lose hair and scratch at his raw skin. I made all his collars lined with Cabretta, laced nice and pretty, because, hey, I could. It's the flesh side that usually irritates, not the grain side. Deerskin sometimes makes me itchy, especially in the heat. I remember wearing a deerskin dress to a Pow Wow in Georgia- and taking a Benadryl on the way home for the resulting hives. My Cabretta tops and skirts have never bothered me. Upholstery leather and most chrome/alum tans don't set me off. Wet a piece of suspicious leather and hold it in the crook of your elbow for 30 seconds. If you react to it, you have identified a problem leather. Johanna

I do. Some leathers will give me the blisters, some just hives, some I have no reaction to. Wash your hands a lot! Never pop or scratch the blisters because then they itch like crazy. Cortaid cream helps. When my hands itch really badly, isopropyl alcohol helps. I am also very allergic to raw pine, so I've wondered if the two are related...i.e. am I sensitive to some leathers because pine is used in the tanning process? I can't predict which veggie tanned leather will bother me- I have had high and low priced episodes. Only one hospital visit though- and that was because I had tiny little holes in my hands from sewing while unpacking a shipment of hides from Argentina. Don't rub your eyes while working, ever. I can't stand gloves. The more I'm around leather the less it bothers me, but the last time I went into a Tandy store I broke out in full body hives within an hour. I know it's because I am seldom around leather any more, and I just had to touch everything. Go figure. Johanna

I like the way you snuck your logo into the design. Please tell me this seat isn't destined to be black....sigh... Johanna

Good find! I sent a message to the site owner offering to exchange links and offer cooperation between our sites. Thanks for posting this, rdb! Johanna

We had to let 4 days worth of posts and new members go to be sure of the integrity of the site's database. Hopefully, leathercraft.cn will join again and repost the pics. Meanwhile, I will search the archives for the attachments. People hack websites for fun, not money, and they can often do it anonymously. It's a shame that criminal charges can't be pursued. Johanna