Johanna

I get confused sometimes remembering everyone's screen name, real name and the name of their business. Makes me wish I'd started a spreadsheet long ago and kept up with it. We have 187 Mikes, Daves and Steves (no, I just made that number up, but you get the idea!) My name is Johanna Schroer. Schroer is pronounced "Shrare". When I started doing leather, I was Johanna Alger. Most of the time, "Johanna" is all people need to hear- there is only one in leather land that I know of, and that's me. Lots of people call me "Jo" and that's fine with me, especially if it involves coffee or chocolate. One of the neat things about this board compared to other forums I belong to is that not too many people choose to remain anonymous here. We sign our names, use our business names in our signatures, know each other in real life from shows and doing business. One member remarked that he wouldn't sell anything he wouldn't put his name on, and didn't want to write anything he wouldn't sign either. I think that's one of the things that makes this place so special- people are proud of what they do and who they are. Someone else said, "Yeah, and it keeps us honest!" Johanna

It's a breezy 73 degrees in Ohio today- would be great grass cutting weather, but a thunderstorm earlier in the day has made the grass too wet to mow. I got an early birthday present and I'm itching to get to use it- a brand new Toro with a 6.75 B &G engine, rear wheel drive and an electric starter (my bad hand hates pulling the cord!) C'mon sun, dry out the yard...I wanna put my earphones and bandanna on and spend a couple of hours NOT listening to the kids. For cutting grass, nothing beats The Allman Bros., Stevie Ray Vaughn & Lynyrd Skynyrd. Johanna

I've heard them called key posts, screw posts and Chicago screws. Tandy has them, of course. I like Chicago screws better than snaps for changing out buckles, especially if the buckle is heavy. Johanna

Carol Higgins might know (howardb's MIL) because those shoes weren't entered in the competition- they were on the Raffle Table !! I did a double and a triple take too. I didn't see a card identifying their maker, or if I did, I don't remember. Both pairs of shoes were stunning, and I think I took more than one pic. Carol organized the raffle donations and prizes- possibly she could help us find out whose they were. Johanna

Holly- your first job is Mommy & Wife, so you have to cut yourself a little slack. Then you have all the other parts of your day- from your job to the laundry. Make a list and prioritize it- obviously you do if the roses are still sitting there...lol One day either the mood will strike you, or someone will come along and offer you cash if you just finish the doggone things. Either way, they will get done. Your boy is at the age where he can do all sorts of things, and young enough that he needs supervised pretty close to constantly. When my kids were that age I was lucky to get a shower without a disaster. Could you involve E in finishing the roses somehow? That might make a fun rainy day project? My kids are a little older now, and I am rediscovering time as I remember it before they came along. Wade says I'm going to miss them when they all grow up and move out, but secretly I am looking forward to the day that I clean the house, and it looks just the same a few hours later. Then I'm sure I will get around to writing the Great American Novel that will make me rich and famous after Oprah praises it and then not need to sling pizza dough in the deli any more. Johanna

Buy a hat you like, take it apart, modify it to suit your needs, and make your own. I'm moving this to patterns in case someone has a better idea. Johanna

Mile widziany do umiejscowienie , i zadowolony wobec mieć ty tutaj. Twój praca jest bardzo dobry pod kątem pewien nowy leatherworker. Dobry dzień! Johanna Okay, I cheated (thanks Daddy & an online translator!) What I said was "Welcome to the site, and glad to have you here. Your work is very good for a new leatherworker." Looking forward to seeing more. Johanna

robar.zip robar.zip

Moving to "Leatherwork Conversation" for more attention and retitling it. ~J

Good one ClayB! I know how it was done.... (no, not telling! You guys figure it out!) Johanna

I don't think people use it for shoe soles much. It's not very easy to cut or punch, either. It does make excellent protective armor, and is popular with the folks that dress up to beat each other with swords and sticks. If I were going to play that game, it would be my leather of choice. Johanna

PICTURES, David- we want pics!! Hope Steph is feeling well- big hugs and hearty congratulations all the way around. (passing out candy cigars!!) Ooowwhheeeeee...so glad you got another healthy grandbaby to love on! (making silly faces and noises at the baby now!) PICS, David- we need pics! >insert great big happy smile here for the family< Johanna

You should be able to uninstall it from Add/Remove. You can also use Mike Lin's StartUpCPL to select what you want to come on when you boot the computer. It adds a tab to your control panel that lets you select or deselect processes. Anything associated with your security programs you need to leave running, but you can play with all else until your computer boots as fast as you expect. If you have the Yahoo toolbar, you can uninstall that. I've noticed Yahoo toolbar tries to "piggyback" on legit programs like Adobe Flash etc. Holler if you need help or have any questions! Johanna

Wolvie- I like antique because you can wash it off. Wet, no, soak a sponge and scrub it off. Sure, you'll have a little color yet, but you can get rid of streaks from the first or tenth application. As far as Super Shene goes, I don't like it. It always seems milky streaky, and it cracks. It was developed as a non-toxic finish for institutions- prisons and schools- and never has been the preferred choice for people on the outside with options. If you must use it, get the spray or apply with sheepswool, one coat, straight like you said, no rubbing. It messed up the antique because it "wet" it again, just like the water above. If the item is going to flex a lot and isn't deeply textured, I prefer Leather Balm w/Atom Wax, buffed until done, then buffed again. If the item is going to be somewhat protected, Neat Lac. I have seen some people use Future Floor Wax with good results, too. With antique you'll get a better result if you wait until the leather under it is kinda dry before applying the finish. It's not a bad idea to do it in several stages- you can always go darker, but never lighter, you know. If it's an important piece, test on a piece of scrap from the same hide so that you get the effect you are looking for. Oh, and sometimes antique streaks from the finishes that the tannery puts on the hides. The smooth piece splotched and the other piece may have, too- you just couldn't tell because of the area covered by stamping. If you suspect there is an erratic gloss on a hide, put some rubbing alcohol on a piece of sheepswool and minimize it. Some people use lemon juice, or oxalic acid, but the former I never have on hand and the latter is overkill. HTH Johanna

Kate- I feel for your neighbors as they try to recover and rebuild. I'm glad you made it through safely. (((hug))) Johanna

Snow in June is just not right. Tell me why you live there again? Do yaks shed? The mama yak's coat looks like a buffalo's coat, with long shaggy outer layers. Can you shave a yak and spin the hair into yarn? I don't know if I'd want to eat a yak steak, but a yak sweater would be cool. Especially if it snows all summer long in Colorado. Johanna

I read a Stephen King short story called "Quitters, Inc." I think many years ago. People signed up to quit with this company and were followed and watched. When they smoked, loved ones were abducted and had fingers cut off. Some people were horrified and quit, some people let it happen over and over again. At seventeen the story disturbed me, as it was a perfect metaphor for all addiction. An addict will lie cheat and steal. The first couple cigarettes I smoked again were on my back porch, away from my whole family, because I was ashamed of myself. Would I cost them a finger for a cigarette? I quit drinking in 1993 and it wasn't so bad. I dieted off 100 lbs and learned to live with it. I know smoking is dumb and bad for me, but I still want to. What is wrong with me? Beave, don't you dare take the tin foil hat off, especially while sandblasting. It's our lucky hat, and you know we need it. Hmmm Independence Day, I like that though. It falls right in between my daughter's birthday and mine, and me being smoke free would be a good gift to myself. Her father and I always celebrated our anniversary on July 4th, too. (He died of a massive heart attack at age 50, a three pack a day smoker.) See what I mean about Steven King's chopped off fingers? They are everywhere! But I walked up to the counter and said, "Give me a pack of Salem Slim Light 100s" just like I have a million times, and I dug around in the truck for a lighter that worked. I'm not proud of myself. And it tasted good and familiar and I smoked the second one. And I knew I was going to finish the pack, even if it was just one or two a day. My family just shook their heads and rolled their eyes...she's smoking again. Johanna

I was thinking "grandma" too, but you're only 29, and that is waaay too young! I had no idea a baby yak could look so cute (or an adult one, for that matter!) Thanks for sharing the pics! Johanna hoping baby doesn't wind up in the freezer, it's hard enough to live where it snows in May

I never know what will fall out of pants in the laundry. I found this little gizmo and asked about it. It was cut with the lasers- everything from the writing to the shape, and it measures steel. I know the edges of a hide are erratic, but a little keychain version of this would be handy for leather, wouldn't it? Or maybe someone is already making them? I figured I'd ask you guys, and if someone has one, I'd like to see what it looks like. Johanna

Well, I am a dismal failure, because I started smoking again, though not nearly as much. I am going to try to quit again, because I really do want to quit. I made an appt. with my Dr. and think I will try one of the meds like Chantix. The reasons I started again are nothing but excuses, and I'm not satisfied with any of them as justification for buying more cigarettes. Old habits die hard, but this one has to go. I feel like such a schmuck. Johanna

Registered members' posts show up immediately in all forums except "help wanted" where guests have permission to post. I just checked your account, and I don't see any recent post of a belt. Johanna

Fixt. Welcome to LW! We've been pleasantly surprised as well. Glad to have you here. Johanna

#2 again. #4 & #6 have the overlap in the W, and #4 looks plain and generic. I like the serif in #2. ~J

I like #8 better than #6 (maybe I have a prejudice against the overlap in the "w"?) and I'm thinking #8 looks more crisp than #2. Johanna