Johanna

The Craftsman Vol 9 issues 1-6 1964 Vol 10 issues 1-6 1965 Vol 11 issues 1-6 1966 Vol 12 issues 1-6 1967 Vol 13 issues 1-6 1968 Vol 14 issues 1-4 & 6 1969 Vol 15 issues 1-6 1970 Vol 16 issues 1-2 & 5 The Leather Craftsman Sept/Oct 1986 Sept/Oct 1987 Make It With Leather Jan 1974 May 1979 Jan 1980 March 1980 May 1980 July 1980 Sept. 1980 Nov 1980 May 1981 July 1981 Sept. 1982 Nov 1982 July 1983 Sept 1983 If anyone wants info from these mags. let me know. (Thanks, Jane, for sorting them for me!) Johanna

SteveJ- I dug out all my magazines, and I don't have the two issues mentioned. Since they are all spread out on the floor at the moment (and my third grader is arranging them in chronological order) I will post a list of what I do have for future reference. Johanna

Noel! JohnD...I have never seen a tool like that before...pardon my ignorance. I love this place, I learn something new every day. Does Osborne still make them, and what are they called? Johanna

That was probably done with two round punches and an extemely sharp knife for the slit. I doubt that was done with a slot punch because they are not generally made that narrow, and they don't slice as clean. Johanna

Glad to have you here! Somebody, get JohnD a cup of coffee and a hammer, and make room for him at the bench. ClayB is in charge of the doughnuts, so let him know what kind is your favorite. Your kind words made me smile. We do have some talented and generous people here, don't we? I enjoy being part of this collective effort, in the company of such fine folks. I hope you keep on having a good time here, too! Johanna

Neat Lac is toluene. Inhalation of toluene fumes can be intoxicating, but in larger doses nausea-inducing. Chronic or frequent inhalation of toluene over long time periods leads to irreversible brain damage. As toluene has very low water solubility, it cannot exit the body via the normal routes (urine, feces, or sweat) It must be metabolized in order to be excreted. Ventilation is an absolute necessity when using Neat Lac, and if you get a headache, you've already breathed too much. Stop immediately and go outside. My grandfather, a master woodworker, died of cancer probably caused by repeated toluene exposure, according to the doctors. Johanna http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toluene

You can use this method: http://leatherworker.net/hardenedleather.htm Couir Boulli and water tastes okay. The paraffin has to be just right, though, and alcohol will eat through the paraffin, so you can't rotate beverages. Never tried it with Coke or Pepsi, but if it were cold, would probably be okay. Canteens made like this are not okay with coffee or anything hot, of course. Johanna

It has been many years since I've seen Darwin Ohlerking at a show. I have always admired his work. The precision and detail of his work amazes me; steady hand and careful eye. I looked around and saw a few of the "founders of the Federation", but we've lost quite a few to old age and angels. Johanna

I would NOT use deglazer. Deglazer does not actually "remove" anything, it just eats the top layer of the leather. It can make a bigger mess than what you currently have. The finish you applied obviously did not make the piece water resistant, so do what Clay said and repeat the antique. It may be darker than you originally intended, but it will be salvageable. After it dried, I would use Leather Balm or Carnuba Cream or something like that, buff until it shines, then lightly mist it with the Neat Lac spray. I cringe when I hear of people routinely using deglazer on leather before they even start, but that's another rant for another day. But if you feel you have to use deglazer, for whatever reason, try it on a piece of scrap and watch what it does to the fibers of the leather, then if you must put it on a project, do it in an inconspicuous place first. It does not work like nail polish remover. If there is dye on a project, chances are it has already soaked in, and deglazer turns the leather into a big smear with a distressed look. And just in case someone stumbles on this thread down the line in a search, deglazer will not remove ballpoint pen or sharpie marker. It will not remove the accidental blot of dye you dropped. Deglazer is sold because there is a demand for it, not because it's useful. Off my soapbox, Johanna

I might have the issues mentioned. I will look tonight after the kids go to bed. Frank Zigon is a fantastic resource, btw. Thanks for reminding me to invite him to the board. Johanna

Hello and welcome! We have a great group of folks here, and we're all learning from each other's mistakes and successes. Glad to have you with us! Johanna

http://www.taylortel.net/~stwood/index.html Thank you, Sidney! Johanna Basic_Turkshead.pdf Basic_Turkshead_Lesson_Two.pdf BasicTurkshead_Lesson_3.pdf Basic_Turkshead.pdf Basic_Turkshead_Lesson_Two.pdf BasicTurkshead_Lesson_3.pdf

I just got in from Indianapolis. It was a terrific show! Lots of friends, leather and fun! I will post a full report tomorrow, and put some captions on the pics for y'all. Here is the link for the pics I took: http://leatherworker.net/CIL2007/index.htm Our ClayB won two first place and one second place ribbon out of three entries. Not bad, huh? (**hint- you've seen some of the work here on leatherworker.net already!**) If anyone thinks that people in the IILG would be interested in seeing these pictures, please feel free to post the link on the iilg-leather and iilg-member lists. I don't mind. More tomorrow! Johanna

Is it possible that it froze during shipping? You did shake the bottle well, right? Gum Trag will separate after it's been frozen, and needs replaced. Johanna

The carving is beautiful! One suggestion for lacing, though- beat it. Beat it with the butt end of your mallet or a smooth cobbler's hammer, on the marble, being careful to to break the lace. Then take an edge slocker and roll it along the sides a little. It will smooth out the lumps and bumps. You are right about using small holes/larger lace for a better effect, too. Good advice for corners, too- just make sure they all match (judges take off when they don't!) Very nice, Dan, thanks for sharing! Johanna

Then email them to me and I will make each into their own page, with a link here to click. I appreciate you sharing detailed pictures of Chester Hape's work. Johanna

If you email the pics, I'll post them for you. admin@leatherworker.net To add an attachment "browse" to the picture you want, then click "add this attachment". You can "add into post" at your option (useful for when you want the pictures to appear in a certain order and with text in between) The forum software will create the thumbnail image. I wonder if they are hi-res pictures? If the file size is near 1000K (or 1 Mb), the forum software won't accept it. A quick way to resize pictures is an MS Powertoy called "Image Resizer" http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloa...ppowertoys.mspx Another program I like for graphics is Irfanview http://www.irfanview.com/ Let me know how I can help. Johanna

Water works fine, so does dye or Leather Balm. The trick is the friction created with the burnishing, and denim or canvas is great, so is scrap deerskin. I'm gonna have to try these Bickmore products. I've been hearing good things about them, and we're all going to be looking for alternatives when the California "hazardous leatherworking chemicals" paranoia sweeps the country. Thank goodness we can get by with tap water for many jobs, huh? Johanna

KD? She can do her own stuff. I can't do nuthin'. But a wall hanging with "JAMS" on it the next time you get bored...that would be cool. How many animals can you put in one picture? I like leaves, but maple better than oak. I don't mind scrolls and stuff, but I have more acanthus cabbage than I'm proud of. I don't have a lot of figure carving, and hey, who cares about initials anyway? Oh, shoot, I'd be happy with an oakleaf on a keychain as long as it had the magic ClayB signature. (Please let Clay get bored. Please let Clay get bored!) Johanna (you better not be tossing these in the scrap bin to pound holes on or something!)

I swear, if I ever get another HD, I'm going to need interchangeable seats...a ShirleyZ, a David T., and a Beeze for sure! I can get them to match my moods, clothes or whatever, but then my big butt will *gasp* cover them up! Aarrrgghhh!! Congratualtions, Shirley- you're only starting to hit the big time. You're headed there on the fast train, don't worry! And we can all say "We knew her when..." David- I'm headed your way next week. Want to grab a cup of coffee somewhere? Daddy wants me to fix his computer. (Surprise, surprise!) Johanna

Hmmm...The initials should be more prominent than the floral. Right? Johanna

Okay, I made a poll... Johanna

Beeze, I had the same first thought, "Shame to color it and hide the detail." Dan- maybe Neat Lac the elephant, rub some Leather Balm in and buff until your elbow aches, and then let the sun do some magic? Just an idea. If it were mine to finish, after the sun did its thing, I would make the edges look burned and put it in a wrapped wire square like that leaping deer I posted- so that the frame doesn't detract from the elephant, or the shape get lost. You do great work, Dan, and thanks for sharing. Johanna ps Dan, gotcha on the top of my list- you didn't miss anything.

What are the odds of having two impressive leatherworkers named "Clay" on a forum? Clay M. You explained the Sheridan "flow" very well. I remember Little Jon running his finger along the scrolls and swirls of a new pattern, and he was checking, like you described, the direction everything needed to go. The "flow" is really easy to see on woodwork designs that use the Greek and Roman acanthus designs, too. Clay, do you have a rule of thumb about backgrounding in proportion to the design? I remember being told it should be minimal, but I couldn't tell you why. Clay B. I really like the initials. Johanna

A gentle reminder to everyone: please get permission from the owner before you post someone else's work-pattern, directions, or, heaven forbid, anything that is copyrighted and/or for sale. If you are unsure, or want me to ask the owner if we can use it, send me a PM. I would rather err on the cautious side, than be discourteous or risk legal issues. Leatherworker.net intends to share leatherworking resources with the permission of the owners/authors of the materials presented. Any deviation needs to be reported and corrected immediately, and I appreciate everyone's help and cooperation with our strict policy. I would also like to thank those of you who have given me permission to construct The Gallery using their pictures. I hope your phones ring and your inbox fills up with praise and orders. I'll be making the announcement soon, stay tuned... Johanna