Johanna

Yep, I agree with Barra, Luis your English is fine. If you or anyone else ever gets stuck for the right words, we have members who have offered to translate Spanish, German and French for us. We have a wonderful international community here, and please don't ever let language be a barrier. We are all sharing and learning from each other. Johanna

Here's a list of some more toolmakers and their contact info. We have a few guys here that make their own tools, too. Johanna

Barra, soldiers on deployment get special considerations, and besides. you're special. If you want to show work you've done in spaghetti noodles and newspaper, we are glad to look at it. Johanna

The best stones I have were freebies from a monument company. One has a guy's name spelled wrong on the side that I don't use, and a couple have a chip on one of the corners. I have a rose granite stone that the date chipped on that we used to use in the shop, but somehow it wound up being the threshhold to the south barn door. Go figure. I go to our local newspaper and get end rolls, which is the unused newsprint of a roll that doesn't have enough paper to justify being put on the press. It has yards and yards of paper the kids can color on, or I can use for packing material or whatever. At the Evening Leader in St. Marys, anyway, these are free. We always saved old shower curtains for when we did airbrushing or other messy projects. I don't see why you couldn't make pattern templates from them. One thing that I remember being told over and over is that there is no such thing as scrap leather in a shop. There will always be a need or reason for even the ugliest hide, if nothing else to punch holes on. I've been letting the kids play with small pieces, too. I knew a man in Ga. who emptied out his mini punch sets carefully, and used the plugs as spacers in bone bead necklaces. Great ideas here, thanks everyone for contributing to it. Johanna

Okay, Drac, I'll be there! Good idea! Johanna

Let's have a thread about saving money in the leather working shop. There are lots of ways to recycle and/or substitute- what are your favorites? Post the obvious and the obscure. *The heavy Kraft paper the leather order came wrapped in works great for pattern templates. *Coffee stains bone findings and beads for that "authentic" look. Whatcha got?

Hey, Dave, why don't you tell everyone how you did that (uploaded your bookmark file)? Maybe other people would share theirs, too? I would have put mine up, except it's reeaaaaallllly long, and not very well organized. Johanna

You got it going on, David! WOW!! ~J

Karl- you flatter me. I'm not exactly a photogenic woman, alas! When people are trying to distinguish between my sister and me, they usually say "The pretty one!" and they ain't talking about me. *sigh This is me with my glasses on: and this is the pic I swiped our profile pictures out of. My husband, Wade, knew immediately who the lady in the carving was. So did my kids. You're such a sweetheart for trying to make me look good! Johanna

http://www.leatherworker.net/moldingworkshop.htm

What we usually do is post new things to Show Off, then move them after they are a few weeks old. (Want me to move this?) But I'm not worried, leatherworkers are a resourceful bunch (ever set a rivet in a bottlecap?) and they will find the new section. Thanks for getting us off to a good start! Semper Fi Johanna

A F & G aren't going to get used for much except small items, or the piece of leather you put unfder another piece when you're punching holes to protect your tools. B & C is the double shoulder, the prime part of a hide. For straps, you'll want sides B+D or C+E, and the thicker part of the hide will be at the top. Since leather is animal skin, there will be some variation in thickness on a hide, which is why the weight is usually expressed in a range (8/9 oz for example). Does that help a little? Johanna

It kinda fits in with the guns and knife sheathes, sorta in reenactment, too. Hmmm... we'll call it "other specialty" and give it its own room: http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showforum=205 You know I you guys! Johanna

Oh, Hilly- make sure you say "Hi" to me in April at the show! I'm so excited to get to put faces to names of friends! Ed- You're right, glovers needles are intended to pierce lighter weight leathers, and yes, they are very sharp. They do work great for handstitching, though, and are easier to use than a sharpened harness needle. I'm guessing Hilly and I have similar problems sewing because we lack regular hand strength. Sewing with pliers takes up time, and it's awkward. Hilly, are you stabbing the hole with the awl, sewing a stitch, stabbing, sewing, or are you poking all your holes ahead of time? Some leathers seem to want to close faster than others, so if you can get into the habit of using the awl while sewing, that might help. Johanna

Hilly- I like "glovers needles" for handsewing. They are slightly thinner than harness needles, but still sturdy and have a very sharp point that allows them to glide through the awl holes. I'm curious to see what everyone has to say about "dirty thread". Johanna

It's great to see this board being used as it was intended. Of course we like to hear about classes and see pictures! A sandal making tutorial would be great, too, Froghunter, we'll be glad to hear more about making sandals and shoes...wouldn't we, everybody? Johanna

Lovely Links page. Johanna

You're not the only person expressing some frustration over the lack of a class and event schedule. Maybe you could call David Reis of the Leathercrafters and Saddlers Journal? If you find anything out, please post it here so everyone else can make plans accordingly. Thanks! Johanna

Roo, you need your own workbench. Working off the kitchen table means you can't just set something aside for a few hours or days, and if your kitchen is like mine, there is no privacy or the quiet to concentrate. (Rotten kids!) Is there any place in the house you could work and call it yours? And yeah, leatherworkers get the blues now and then. Sometimes taking a break helps. Some people find something new to do or read about and get enthusiastic again. I know a lady who quit and does pottery now, too. I burned out right before John (my kids' father) died seven years ago, and I haven't made anything in the shop since. Don't let burn out happen to you, Roo. Focus on what you're interested in, and turn down all the jobs you don't want for awhile. Start a project that you've always wanted to do but never found the time to. Stay tuned to LW so you don't forget you're not alone. {{hugs}} Johanna

This Spring show is being sponsored by the Calumet guild, which is an IFoLG guild, but this is not an IFoLG sanctioned event. The show is similar to IFoLG shows- same vendors, teachers, competition rules, but it is not under the IFoLG umbrella. When you call for reservations, mention Calumet. Guilds usually negotiate a price with the hotel for the conference rooms based on the expected attendance. When you rent a room from the hosting hotel, it counts towards the guild's quota. Without this kind of support, guilds cannot afford to sponsor shows, so if you are tempted to save ten bucks at the motel across the street, remember that your room rental counts towards the host guild. It's important that we show our support for these local shows, or the guilds won't be able to continue to have them, and that would be a doggone shame. Contact Brent or his MIL, Carol Higgins, if you can make a raffle table donation or otherwise lend a hand. Brent, please post the hotel info as soon as you have it. Johanna

Johanna hurries up and orders a couple belts for her old man before rdb raises prices!

Alert member Leatheroo found this book on the Gutenberg Project, which converts copyright free or expired materials to public domain digital copies. It's written for rope, not leather, but who cares? The mechanics are the same, and the information looks very interesting. Good find, Roo! Thanks for sharing! Johanna You will need Adobe Reader to view this file. Click here to get it. knots.pdf knots.pdf

I guess I would just take it back to the place I bought it and ask for an exchange. We all have enough work to do without having to sweat over stropping. Johanna

Sorry, Cecil- the file is a scan of a book under copyright, and we don't have the author's permission to post it. Johanna