Johanna

It Does Make You Feel Good, 1. Falling in love. 2. Laughing so hard your face hurts. 3. A hot shower. 4. No lines at the supermarket. 5. A special glance. 6. Getting mail. 7. Taking a drive on a pretty road. 8. Hearing your favorite song on the radio. 9. Lying in bed listening to the rain outside. 10. Hot towels fresh out of the dryer. 11. Chocolate milkshake (vanilla or strawberry). 12. A bubble bath. 13. Giggling. 14. A good conversation. 15. The beach 16. Finding a 20 dollar bill in your coat from last winter. 17. Laughing at yourself. 18. Looking into their eyes and knowing they Love you 19. Midnight phone calls that last for hours. 20. Running through sprinklers. 21. Laughing for absolutely no reason at all. 22. Having someone tell you that you're beautiful. 23 Laughing at an inside joke. 24. Friends. 25. Accidentally overhearing someone say something nice about you. 26. Waking up and realizing you still have a few hours left to sleep. 27. Your first kiss (either the very first or with a new partner). 28. Making new friends or spending time with old ones. 29. Playing with a puppy. 30. Having someone play with your hair. 31. Sweet dreams. 32. Hot chocolate. 33. Road trips with friends. 34. Swinging on swings. 35. Making eye contact with a stranger. 36. Making chocolate chip cookies. 37. Having your friends send you homemade cookies. 38 Holding hands with someone you care about. 39. Running into an old friend and realizing that some things (good or bad) never change. 40. Watching the expression on someone's face as they open a much desired present from you. 41. Watching the sunrise. 42. Getting out of bed every morning and being grateful for another beautiful day. 43. Knowing that somebody misses you. 44. Getting a hug from someone you care about deeply. 45. Knowing you've done the right thing,no matter what other people think. Lord keep Your arm around my shoulder and Your hand over my mouth.

I stumbled on this page by accident. I had forgotten how many different kinds of awls there were.

Welcome to leatherworker.net! Your welcome sign is very strikingly handsome. Glad to have you here! Johanna

Clay Banyai's illustrated guide to figure carving Johanna

ClayB's Figure Carving Tutorial Step by step instructions, written and illustrated by Clay Banyai. Outstanding demonstration of figure carving. (Thank you thank you Clay!) Johanna

Hey Freak, When you are dyeing leather, you have to let the leather pull the dye off the brush. Because hides vary in their absorbency, I can't tell you to hold this type of brush at this angle, because that won't work. Always turn the work, not yourself, and work so your arm only drags over the part you haven't painted yet. The last time I dyed a belt, what Clay said about glasses was apparent. I am 41, and don't "need" glasses, but I can't see like I could at 40, either. This is especially noticeable trying to get splinters out of the hands or feet of squirming kids and trying to do intricate or delicate dye work. My mom says that when her arms got too short to adjust the distance between her nose and the newspaper, she had to get glasses, too. She calls it "presbyopia". For items you really can't afford to mess up, whether painting or doing filigree, you can't go wrong with a good adjustable arm light in the shop. For whatever reason, the shadows I could tolerate in my twenties have become nuisances now. I try to remember to go slowly, and not be distracted while I'm working, but with four kids, it's not realistic, so the light helps a lot. Johanna

FWIW, for anyone else reading this, lime juice works almost as well as lemon, and orange juice does not work at all. Oxalic acid is strong enough to justify a warning or two, like follow dilution directions well, and don't let it in contact with your skin. Barb, I'm glad your piece turned out all right. These guys are great, aren't they? Johanna

In my dad's family, and my kids' dad's family, Mon Valley born and raised, we have a saying, "If it's brown, flush it down!" I'm not "into" football either, but I'd never admit to liking any other team than the Steelers. If I did, my immediate funeral would only consist of my mom's family, who are unaware of any other football team than Ohio State University (which is college, not NFL, and then I'd root for Penn State!) Go Buckeyes! Johanna

You are a Steelers fan, Holly, please tell me that's true? I am embarrassed, I married a Bengals fan. At least I know he's a loyal man. LOL Nice work, Holly! Johanna

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-2506806,00.html The wristbands on the wiis are too weak, and people are inadvertently smashing their tvs, coffee tables and friends when the remote flies out of their hands as the strap breaks. Nintendo has decided to replace all the wristbands with a stronger kind (thicker nylon!) at considerable expense. Another example of "do it right the first time so you don't have to do it over". Johanna

Did he call yet? Foam. The kind you buy by the thickness from the fabric store. It's not expensive, and it's useful to have some in the shop. Put some Cabretta on the back, stitch it in place and he will be thrilled. The hardest part to guitar straps is remembering to look at the guitar and see how they will connect best, and then measuring the person with the guitar at the height they want to wear it (gotta be just right when stitching in padding or carving designs) You can make the straps adjustable, but charge more. Measure the one he's using now and go by it rather than any measurement he gives you over the phone. LOL Hope you pick up the job, can't wait to see pics. Johanna

Paul Burnett (PaintingCow Leather) is another leather feather master. I posted a picture of the earrings he made for me somewhere on this board. Chris Kearns, president of the PittPounders Leather Guild in Pittsburgh, Pa. is another leather feather expert. Johanna

I like Leather Balm with Atom Wax, but if you're not really careful, it will gunk up carved pieces. It is not the ideal finish for things that will be expected to get wet. It is water resistant, not water proof. You cannot beat black Leather Balm with Atom Wax if you do biker gear restoration and cleaning. You apply it, and then buff it until your elbow cramps, and it will make the leather look brand new, without staining any of the hardware. I never had a biker complain about it running in the rain (probably because of the heavy drum dyed leather most commercial saddlebags are made out of) and I've never had a problem with the finish cracking or leeching on belts and other personal items intended to flex. I do think it allows Neatsfoot and other preservative oils to penetrate better over time, and some leather is more thirsty than others. I don't finish things with plain Lexol after I've used any antique, ever, because it will likely bleed. Lexol (or I personally like Dr. Jackson's Hide Rejuvenator) can be used for natural leathers that aren't going to be exposed to weather, but without a sealant coat, the piece will be succeptible to water damage, whether it's spotting or extra markings. Neutral shoe polish is another good "water resister", but not a substitute for a sealant finish over antiqued and, sometimes, spirit or oil dyed leather. For carved leather that isn't expected to flex much, spray Neat Lac is quick, easy and pretty, and effective, just make sure you have good ventilation and that you don't spray "runs" into your work. Mist it evenly in light coats, because two applications is better than one sloppy one. Johanna

I always liked it when my customers left stuff up to my judgement, instead of insisting they have frogs or something stamped on their checkbooks! LOL Holly, lace a little on one side with one color, and a little on the other with the lighter color. Do a variegated braid for fun in another sopt. Then put the project away and go play with Ethan for a few hours. When you come back and take a look at it, you'll know what's right for the work. Then just cut out what you don't like. Johanna

Sidney, I would love to see pictures of your work! I love to braid and do knots, but there are more experienced braiders here who can respond to your questions better than I can. (Oh, Dave A.?) I don't understand the question. Styles or uses? One nice thing about braids and fancy lacing is they "dress up" a project, and you can charge more! It's one of those extra "added touches" that can make the difference as to whether an item is profitable enough to keep on making. Johanna

Hello, Alexander! The variety of leatherwork to do is broad. Versatility is this line of work is an asset, but you need to know who your market is going to be, and give the profitable customers the majority of your attention, to be sure to be successful enough to pay your bills. For example, there are customers who want shoe repair, some want holsters and sheathes, horse saddle & tack, artistic works, motorcycle gear, garments, bags and purses, upholsterery...what kind of leatherwork is it that you really like to do? Which segment(s) of the market do you feel most comfortable with? You mentioned possibly working for a commercial employer, or factory That's kind of ironic, because here in America we like to get really good at our leatherwork so that we can run our own independent businesses, with our own hours, often at home to keep costs of overhaed down, or maybe a nearby shop. There is a big difference doing production work and doing custom jobs and repairs. That said, I paid my bills for years with leatherwork, and had fun being "paid to play". You will need to decide what your strengths and weaknesses are, and what kind of work you want to "specialize" in. You may decide to do strictly one type of leatherwork, too, but people will still seek you out when their ball glove needs relaced, or their favorite purse of briefcase needs mended, so never turn down an opportunity to learn something new. We'd love to see some pictures of your work. Please post some pictures here, and get started on your website with your portfolio. (You are photographing everything you make, right?- It helps sales when you can show the customers pictures of what you have done.) I hope you become a regular here. There are a lot of friendly people on this board with solid advice and experience that they are willing to share. The motto of this board is "Trying to prevent leatherworkers from having to get day jobs!" and I hope you turn out to be one of them, too! Leatherworking is satisfying and can be lucrative, and there are plenty of folks here who are living proof of that. Johanna

Nov 1-25 2006 There are nearly 700 unique visitors for the first 25 days of November, and each visit is averaging 12 pages. There have been a total of more than 179,000 page views from all sources, not counting me. Visitors from twenty eight countries are listed, along with a big category called "unknown". PSLAC has sent us 83 hits, and 47 came from my other leather sites. The search engines are visiting constantly, and have sent us 95 visitors (mostly Google & Yahoo) probably because of the unique keywords to leatherworking. (Hey, SmilinJim, someone "Googled" you and found you here!) TIP: If you have a website, please use links in your profile and signature to attract new visitors and promote your business, and don't be shy. That's what we are all about! The official motto of Leatherworker.net is "Trying to keep leatherworkers from having to get day jobs!" Google Images sent us some visitors, too- post your pics of your work with a good description to help get found. Remember, customers are coming here, looking for who is good at what...if you want emails and phone calls for customers and orders, keep posting and make yourself easy to find. Trivia: 88% of you are using IE (can't tell if version 6 or 7 yet!) and 9% prefer Firefox. 40% of the registered members are checking in more than once a week. Live Chat is being used, but not as much as I had hoped. If anyone is having technical difficulties, please let me know. I can probably help. One known glitch- the board doesn't always report when someone is in the chat room, especially if the "chatters" haven't opened the chat room in a new window. Click on the link anyway- you never know who is going to be there. Email or PM your friends and set up times to talk that are convenient. Any group that is not doing anything illegal is welcome to set up a public or private room, and the members invited to the chat do not have to register for the board if they don't want to if they want to participate in the chat. Any group of friends can gather in Live Chat, and allow others in, or restrict guests. I can help with any tech questions. But if your camp counselors, shooting buddies, Sturgis friends, other club, organization or fill-in-the-blank want to have a meeting in real time, please feel free to use Live Chat. It's easy, and no one is going to fuss at you for using it for "non-leather" topics or at you and your friends' convenience. Gosh darn it, I'm paying for unlimited use, so get me my money's worth! Invite your church to set up a permanent private room, if you want, or your family- no one minds. All I ask is that if the conversation is confidential or adult, set up a private room. We are working on several ideas for online classes and demos- any volunteers? Your ideas and contributions are welcomed and, okay, I'm not too proud to beg. I'm going to start nagging you folks who promised me profiles and tutorials after the holidays, in the winter doldrums, so be prepared. Bob Stelmack had a brilliant idea in one of his posts...create our own versions of Tandy "Doodle Pages" or lessons and tutorials. We've also discussed using web cams for real time demos or downloads- what do you folks think? Would you be interested in watching Clay carve an Oak Leaf? I'd like to see Bill in Texas show how he molds his holsters. Maybe Victor would braid? Could we convince Dave Anderson to show us a few tricks? I can hear the sound of Little John of Warhorse Leather's tapping in my mind already. Bet his music is on. Holly can work a knot or eleven of them, Bruce can do, well, probably just about anything, I would imagine. If he hasn't already done it, he could figure it out. (That was the hardest part of managing a Tandy- trying to help people figure out how to do what they wanted, tell them what they needed to do step-by-step, and get them the right stuff they needed to do the project.) I would enjoy listening to Cowcutter explain how to not waste your time and money, and make a living off of what you love to do. He should know, he's been loving it for almost 40 years. Oh, my, the list goes on. (There's a lot of talent lurking here that's not posting, and you know who you are!) I'd like to see AT's & Romey's metalwork, too, wouldn't you? I'm all for it, and will be glad to do anything for a project tech-wise. Send me a PM! PSLAC and FLASAH (The South Central Leather Guild) have been steadily developing terrific archives of educational and instructional material, so be sure to check them out if you haven't visited the sites in awhile. They offer some great resources for leatherworkers on a wide variety of subjects. We now have a banner available to anyone with a website who wants to link to us. In addition to helping the board grow, you will be letting your customers know that you are serious about your work, and the respect of your peers. You will also get a personal "thank you" from me for caring enough to support the mission of the board... "Trying to keep leatherworkers from having to get day jobs!" and with your continued participation with wise advice, honest opionions and questions, sharing and goodwill, you will never know how many leatherworkers you prevented from getting a headache, making a foolish or expensive mistake, assisted with accurate information that you probably learned the hard way, encouraged when discouraged, or helped get work; today, tomorrow, next month, next year...we're building a community with the potential to be valuable to leatherworkers now and in the future. Use this site. That's what it is here for. And we hope you find it entertaining, too. Johanna "Trying to keep leatherworkers from having to get day jobs!"

As a general rule, finished leathers can't be stamped or tooled. Unfinished vegetable tanned leather will accept water, which is necessary to make impressions. But give that shoe guy a handful of business cards! I used to throw those guys work I didn't want (zippers, garments, shoes) and they would throw me work they didn't want (repairs and custom orders) plus, it was nice to be able to borrow the use of a tool or machine occasionally... I always used green or blue under black dye, but I'm not big on shoe polish for much except minor upholstery touch ups. I like "Leather Balm with Atom Wax" (and the black kind is invaluable if you do black biker gear) because it buffs to a beautiful shine that doesn't rub off. I suspect something in the polish reacted with the dye and made it unstable. That probably wouldn't happen on chrome tanned leather, which is what most commercial belts are made from and what shoe polish is intended for. Vegetable tanned leather, because of those absorbent qualities, needs to be sealed, and shoe polish won't do it. You might be lucky you didn't have to buy the customer a new pair of pants because the polish rubbed off, and it can, even if it is buffed, when the leather gets wet. HTH Johanna

Some folks are so conditioned by the strict rules of the Yahoo lists that they are hesitant to share anything not directly relating to leather on the board. This is a community, and no one will ever get scolded for being a real person and mentioning other things than leatherwork. This Thanksgiving I have much to be grateful for, and one of the things I am pleased with is the gathering of friends here on this board. May you all have blessings abundant...may your family and friends be with you in times of sorrow and joy, and may you all enjoy peace and prosperity. No matter where you live, or what brought you here, may you enjoy yourself in the company of friends on Leatherworker.net. I hope God blesses and keeps you, for you to be strong and healthy, and able to pound a mallet all day. So much leather, so little time... Johanna By the way, this is for you Navy folks: US Navy Drill Team

The bottom line, summed up by Siegel Leather CEO Steven Siegel is: The list includes more than 30 items, ranging from Barge cement to Fiebing products like all spirit and oil dyes, to leather balm, aerosol boot stretch, antiques and stains, reptile cleaner, deglazer, Snow Proof aerosols and suede dye. (The state of California banned the use of alligator, python and kangaroo back in the 70's, btw. These animals haven't been endangered for many years now!) A typical California liberal said this: but, hey, she has a business license. What is the hobby leathercrafter supposed to do while they are waiting on replacements for traditional chemicals to be manufactured? This doesn't just affect leatherworkers, there are pottery and gourd people, for example, that are just an inconvenienced. Buy the products over state lines? Set up a black market? Pay for a business license and worry about the IRS? I suspect my lawnmower pollutes the environment more than my small arsenal of chemicals. That line "all of you will be involved eventually" is what frightens me. Do the tree huggers that have driven all the tanneries to Mexico and other countries think that the rest of the country will be persuaded to save gay seals and ban our chemicals, too? Are we going to let our politicians do this? Here in Ohio, a bar owner can no longer ask his customers if they want the building to be smoke free or not. Smoking is not allowed, period. Casino gambling was just voted down, too, so people will contiue to go to Indiana and spend their entertainment money. It irks me that we are letting them strip our rights from us one at a time "in the interest of the public good". Thomas Jefferson is rolling over in his grave, bewildered by HMOs, seatbelt and helmet laws, banning trans fat in our french fries, emmisions control inspections on our cars, and all the other little things we just let slide away, like sheep. I have to present my drivers license here in Ohio, and sign for a package of Sudafed, a non-drowsy nasal decongestant that has been sold over the counter for 30 years? because some people buy cases of it and steal farmers' fertilizer to make meth labs. :soapbox: Okay, stepping down, now. Johanna

Tandy used to give away Doodle Pages. I have a lot of Doodle Pages, and many are the vintage ones. I see in the email flyers that Tandy is now charging for copies of them. They are also for sale all over eBay. A leather guild once made a cd out of some really old ones a few years ago, and was threatened by Tandy with lawsuits, so the cd project was scrapped. Was Tandy bluffing, hoping to profit from DP sales? Would anyone be interested in downloading old Doodle Pages if I scanned them? Is it legal to scan the ones I have and making them available for download? Could I be sued for sharing what Tandy once gave away? Who owns the Doodle Pages, the authors, or Tandy? Do I need permission from anyone to share something I obtained from Tandy at no charge? Why is it legal to sell Doodle pages on eBay but not give them away with no expectation of profit? Am I the only person who thinks it's outrageous that Tandy is trying to make a profit from old Doodle Pages? I have hard copies of "free" Doodle Pages from the sixties through the nineties. Are there any attorneys in the house? Johanna

Bill, I found three tutorials she did, two on skiving with a knife, and one with a jig and a splitter. (Gosh, I love GMail!). Sending her an email now asking for permission to post them here. Johanna

Bill, did you get my email about the test site I set up for you? It has a chatroom script built in to it (look in the control panel). That one will do what you want it to. Alternately, you are welcome to a private room on the Live Chat feature of this board. Johanna

My friend Horace made lots of these, and gave me one. I find it handy for my drivers license, insurance cards, AAA, registrations, etc- keeps it all in one place, and the magic and a dollar delights bored children. The lacing is what makes it so clever. You place the bill in, close it, open from the other side and the lacing will always "catch" what you just added. Johanna

What kind of skiving? Big area, little area? Scoring for a fold, or splitting latigo? For general all purpose "skive it so it lays together nice and neat" jobs, like buckle ends of belts, the cheap Tandy skiver with the replaceable, easy-to-get razor blades is fine. For splitting saddle skirting, or doing big jobs regularly, there are a few specialized machines available. Maybe describe what you are trying to do to get a more specific answer, because I'd bet we all have a couple of favorite different tools to use for different situations. Johanna (My spell check didn't recognize any variation of the verb "skive". I wonder if skiving is unique to leatherwork? Any woodworkers out there? Well, I guess skiving would be "planing"? Off to look it up now...)