Johanna

I misunderstood. But I think it would be great to have videos of leatherworkers in action available on the site. Pictures do say a thousand words. Avatars are too small to do a project like that justice. Johanna

The avatar packs on this board are the standard IPB ones, however, any picture can be uploaded as an avatar. Irfanview is a free graphics editor if you need to crop or shrink a picture. You can't demonstrate leather carving in an avatar- too many constraints. However, the monkey posseses great Photoshop skill, and I'm sure you could get a cool custom avatar from him. But if you want someone to see you work, the avatar spot isn't the place to do it, and moving (animated) avatars are so annoying to some people that the board even has an option to disable them. If you want to do a demonstration, Greg, let's just film it, upload it with it's own link and do it right. In fact, if anyone wants to do any tutorials, I'll set up a library dedicated to archiving. Hey, dsenette, if you happen to see any good leatherworking avatar packs on the 'net, snag them for me, please? The closest I came was carpentry. Johanna

The instructor would need a simple webcam and and a microphone, no other hardware required. Johanna

If we have the volunteers to serve as instructors, and students who are willing to learn, I can handle the technical end of it. And would be thrilled to do so. Johanna

Hey, Greg, sweet thought, but there isn't much about me that's "dainty". I'm one of those women who can drive stick shift big trucks in high heels, though. ;-) Johanna

I cut an inch and a half wide 8/9 oz strap, no airplane cable necessary. This strap could support my weight, and my clumsiness will drop my 'puter before the strap will fail. The only thing I need to stitch is a back to the shoulder pad, which will slide on the strap as needed. No, I didn't sew the hardware on- I "cheated" and used the triangular rivet pattern after the fold. All told, the strap will be better quality than the cheap nylon case, and should easily hold <15 lbs. Johanna

At the shows, no one is supposed to sign their work, and sometimes the Host Guilds will use masking tape if someone forgets, to eliminate any favoritism. After you've been to a few shows, and have seen the work year after year, you can walk up to the table and say "That's so and so, that one is Mr. Smith's, that one is Mrs. Jones." with relative ease. Each carver has their own style. I know I will know Clay's work before the ribbons are announced. I predict ribbons. Now, I need to get my butt into the shop and do some work- I need a back piece with a slot and I think I'll lace it, well, just because. It was finished in oil and Neat Lac, and I really like the natural look- it looks like leather! I made the replacement strap out of a piece of black Latigo that I had, so it's got to go. The new strap needs to be natural, too- maybe some Antique? Suggestions, anyone? My eight year old is about to get a new black belt! (I need the hardware back! LOL) My daughter wants me to paint/dye the initials, for emphasis. Not sure I want to do that. All I know is that I've got less than a week to make time to do this right, and I'll be nervous that I'll screw it up intil I'm done. It's been a long time since I worked with leather every day. By the way, Clay, everyone who has seen it has loved the smell...lol There is nothing quite like that in the world, now is there? I'll take pics of your ribbons and fire them to you on my laptop at the show, Clay- you'll be one of the first to know. ;-) Johanna

Up until yesterday, I was okay with my nylon laptop case. It has a zillion pockets, but I had to replace the cheap plastic clips (is plastic really "hardware"?) that held the shoulder strap, and, of course, I just made a new (leather) strap while I was at it. Who wants cut frayed nylon? I made the new strap a little wider than the original for comfort, smoothed the sides...and started eying the nylon case with disdain. Then the package from Clay Banyai arrived with the piece I will be using for the shoulder pad. Now I cheerfully hate the whole nylon ensemble, and I would be even scared to use the beautiful piece Clay made, just in case it became damaged, except I've had and used enough leather to know it will be perfectly fine, and just look better and better as time goes on...while smartly performing its intended function- sparing my shoulder from pain, in style, by distributing the weight of the case evenly. Some of you know that I've been breaking bones like a rodeo rider lately, and since I shattered my right wrist a few years ago, taking notes at meetings is easier for me with my laptop than with a pen, and then after a dozen rib fractures this summer, even a lightweight laptop gets heavy on my shoulder because I do carry it around. (Oh, wait a minute- that might also have something to do with the fact that my purse is full of real leather, and weighs as much as a bowling ball...My husband jokes that if the mugger wants my purse, I should swing it like a deadly weapon, but I'm getting off track.) Clay sent me a little piece he must have done "playing" (carvers do that!) which he obviously had fun doing, and probably doesn't think a thing of, because he can make dozens more, but I will always treasure his "doodle", and am already trying to figure out how to hang it (In a hoop maybe?) Take a good look at it- I know the picture doesn't do it justice, but Clay "gets" undercutting. The leaves have more than a texture- they are lifted with skill to appear to be sculpted leaves laying on leather. I've seen leather work from all over the world, and I've been lucky enough to see some of the finest leather carvings by the masters in the world. I want to tell you folks, Clay can carve like that, too. Notice how easily he walked the beveler, and how sure the swivel knife cuts are. Now Clay would say the carving is the easiest part, and he makes saddles, so he should know, but to me, it's awesome what you folks can coax out of leather. I ruin good hides every time I decide to try to get on the horse again and carve something really simple, with a craftaid, and a six foot Al Stohlman poster right in front of me, but Clay can just whip out works of art whenever he can find the time to get into the shop. My first husband, Little Jon, was like that. At the first IFoLG show we went to people kept telling me if I used the leather I had, it couldn't be entered into competition. It mystified me- Jon could always make more- like Clay, the carving was the fun part, and the construction was work. I have come to appreciate the difference between real carving and Mexican chicken scratch or embossed mass produced garbage, which isn't much different from my inexpensive nylon laptop case that I'm eyeing...wondering if it's worth it to make a new one, cover that one, look on the net for at least a real leather one, even if it has to be imported and mass produced, or sell a car or two or maybe all my jewelry and get "The Ultimate Laptop Case"...I'm a housewife in Ohio, and I can't imagine being able to getting on the list for commissions from people like Verlane, WC, Paul Krause, Jeff Mosby, Rod & Denise Stanger, Deidre la Blanc, Dave Anderson, Kate Dubiel, Roz Kaohn, oh, good grief, this could be a long list. I can think of a dozen or more leatherworkers I would be pleased just to have a discarded scrap off their floor... and Clay gave me this sweet piece as casually as I might take a casserole to a neighbor. I love your work, Clay, and I'm one of your biggest fans. Check this out, folks...ain't I a lucky girl? Pictures can't do his work justice. Johanna

I think I fixed that, Clay. Maybe it will help when people can see who is on the board and/or in live chat. It was timing out after 5 minutes, now it should expire naturally. Ummm means when the user clicks out. Johanna

I do not like Super Shene/ Satin Sheen, especially on any item that needs to flex. During the lifetime care of the item, it seems that the Super Shene prevents the preservative oils we use from absorbing properly, too. Somewhere I remember hearing that it was developed as a non-toxic, non-flammable alternative for Neat Lac, like the Institutional Dyes were, but I could be wrong. I like Neat Lac better, but do not suggest you ever even open the can without good ventilation. Toluene is a carcinogenic, and the headache from breathing the fumes is awful. Johanna

What weight leathers are you sewing, and how well do you sharpen your awl? Do you have a stitching pony or something you use to free up your hands? What kind of awl do you prefer, and are you able to pierce the leather on at least one side in one smooth move? Hey, I don't have any answers, but there are lots of folks here who do. Give them something to work with! Welcome to leatherworker.net, there are some great people here, and we hope you enjoy yourself. Johanna

I have always been told never to use vegetable or olive oil on leather, not even in a pinch. Maybe somebody else can post exactly why not? Johanna

These numbers are for Sept 1- Sept 25, 2006 Each country is listed with a number, and that number represents the total visitors from that country, not the amount of pages that were clicked on, or a visitor's repeat visits. As you can see, the search engines love us. If you haven't done so already, please take the time to update your profile and add your website link. It's good for your business! Johanna

The trick is to let the leather pull the dye from the brush. Dip your brush in the dye, touch it to the side of the container (so there is no big drip) then touch it to the area to be died. If you are able, use gravity- for example, if you need the dye to go down, hold the work at a slight angle.) As the bristles get near the leather, the leather will pull the dye off the brush. There is no resist that I know of that works with spirit dye or oil dye- the only way to use a resist is with Antique (which is water based). Hoyden, I loved that line about table bumpers- my house has an infestation of kids and dogs, and you know how that goes! Johanna

Never turn down a chance to extract more money for "extras". If you can charge an extra $20 to stitch it, and it takes you 20 minutes... gotta love the math! Johanna

The detail in the scabbard is striking! Thanks for sharing! Johanna

I had a Rottweiler who would break out into a rash from veggie tanned leather, once it got wet. I never noticed if any dye came off, (he was black!) but his skin would become extremely irritated, and he would try to scratch at it. I have seen other dogs with similar allergies, so I don't advise people to put raw veggie tanned leather next to the dog. You can line the collar with lining leather, which is what I did for Jake, or you can leave it undyed, but if you do, but it still must be sealed, and even the sealing may not prevent an allergic reaction. On my other dogs' collars, I used Carnuba Cream and neutral shoe polish, or Leather Balm with Atom Wax to seal the inside of the undyed collar, and with those two dogs, I never had a problem. In the years I had a shop, I noticed more allergy problems on the smaller breeds (maybe less fur?) and sometimes I would just glue a liner leather (like you would use for inside a wallet) to the backside, or charge more and stitch it. I once had to buy a pair of pants for a customer who had a belt ruin a pair of khaki colored pants, but I think it was some kind of fluke. I can tell you that Rottweilers think that a rawhide mallet is a really nice lollipop, and have one that had to be shaved down quite a bit. By the time I got home, it was soggy, and could have been shaped into anything. ;-) Johanna

Well, probably everyone knew this but me: The Dead Sea Scrolls a collection of thousands of fragments that include the oldest-known manuscripts of the Hebrew Bible, known to Christians as the Old Testament, are almost all written on animal skins. Some researchers have a theory that townspeople removed the scrolls from libraries and placed them in the caves for safekeeping from Roman armies, but no one is really sure exactly who wrote the scrolls, or hid them. Scholars do know that the Dead Sea Scrolls predates any other known remaining versions of the Hebrew bible by about a thousand years. Ironically, with the current controversy raging because of the Pope's remarks that even ancient people saw holy war and "conversion by the sword" as evil, Pacific Science Center Display, Seattle Times Johanna

Al- what a great find! And a good idea for anyone looking for patterns- engravings. old or modern, convert to leather patterns well. I looked up Thomas Bewick and found a lot of interesting material on the net, including this link: http://web.ukonline.co.uk/archer/bewickmain.html which shows the range of talent this man had for illustration. In his time, books were expensive, and every illustration had to be produced from an engraving like this. My husband is a millwright, and they have lasers that can cut to within 10,000ths of an inch, programmed by computers. This gentleman did fine work by eye, with his two hands, just like we leatherworkers still do. Super idea, and thanks for sharing! Johanna

I feel better that I am not the only one who has had the problem with the boxes. I try to be very careful, but as you all said, it's easy to mess up. I saw some small stamps in the Tandy flyer today that look to be striking tools- simple letter impressions, no blocks. I'm going to check them out. I've noticed the 3-D stamps seldom box because they are raised more, and the area is wider (impact is spread evenly). Bruce, I was shown to use letter stamps with as little water as possible, so I think we're on to something with that trick. Maybe that will help someone else. Hey Holly, when you get time, post a pic of Peter's modeling tool, please? I've heard nothing but good things about them, and I'm sure others will want to see one, too. TYM. Johanna

When you are lacing, always start (and end) in the most inconspicous place, and never on a place subject to stress. It really helps to double up a few times around the corners for a neater appearance, and bang it flat with the back end of your mallet when you are through, then burnish the edge with a wheel or antler. When you start doing your own patterns, I would suggest punching holes as slits with chisels rather than round holes like kits have. If you are lacing right, the stitch is pulled to the top, and when held up to light, you can't see any holes. If you're wondering why I have not mentioned carving (which you show an obvious talent for) it's because I am possibly the world's worst carver, and probably always will be. Johanna

The advice about switching knives mid cut or whatever you need to do goes along with turning the work as much as possible, and don't try to force you or your tools to be contortionists. I use the larger rotary cutters and I've found good quality cutters and knives in fabric stores (look in the quilting section) as well as reasonably priced blades. Like Bruce mentioned, they are disposable. It gets dull, it gets tossed. I learned how to use a round knife and head knife from an elderly man in Macon, an experienced saddlemaker. I never ever left one on the back table in the Tandy store because a new person could very well cut off a finger, and blood stains are hard to get out of leather. When you begin to practice, while you are still learning and until you feel comfortable, don't forget the golden rule- cut away from yourself! I watched a guy roll the blade over the meat between his thumb and index finger, and it required a few stitches. That accident was avoidable if he had placed his hands correctly. To preserve all of your knives, make sure you never cut directly on the bench or marble. Always use scrap leather or a Poundo board underneath. Make sure all your punching tools, chisels and blades always have leather or a Poundo board to bite into, or they may be ruined, or require heavy duty repair. Johanna

You can change the text size in IE with the scroll wheel and holding down the control key. If you don't have a scroll wheel on your mouse, you can also select "view" in Internet Explorer and change the size of the text. If you do change the text with your wheel, and can't get it back to where you had it, use the view button to restore your preference. Another hint for hard-to-see screens is to change the resolution display on your monitor. Most monitors these days are set at 1024X768, or higher, and most website are designed for 1024X768 viewing. If you right click on the desktop, choose"properties" then "settings", there is a slider that will allow you to adjust your screen resolution. (Try 800X600) If you don't like it, just change it back. If you have XP, click Start>Accessories>Accessibility and explore the options there. If you are having trouble seeing, Windows will narrate to you. If you are having trouble hearing, Windows will indicate sounds with text. You can also override websites with awkward backgrounds and silly fonts in Internet Explorer by clicking Tools> Internet Options> General tab> accessibility button (located on the bottom right) or create a style sheet if you need to view things a certain way. Hope this is useful for someone. Johanna

Well, twelve websites I'm responsible for are hosted on a plan like this: http://www.gtghosting.com/plan1.html So experience has taught me that this company is dependable and trustworthy. This site is hosted there, and the main servers are in Texas. You can look it all up on whois.com. You can find similar plans by different providers. You can ask on tech forums who they like, or you can try cNet or somewhere for reviews, but I happen to know this company is reputable from personal experience. You can buy space directly through them, but it costs more. You asked how to determine the best choice? Compare features, and price, ask a webhost's customers for their experiences, see if the webhost offers any customer support or a telephone number to call if you have a problem, check with the BBB. Check with your local ISP to see if they have a hosting plan (you already have an account there, they might make you a deal). Otherwise, I guess you have to depend on luck? Johanna

A webhost should provide security, a back up routine, free site building software and an excellent reputation. I am a reseller, and can buy and host domains for a reasonable price that include the cPanel package. Look at the list of features to make comparisons. The price for a cheap or free webhost is unwanted third party ads, lousy customer service and a lack of site tools. Make sure your webhost is arranged for when you buy your domain name so you can point the name directly to the DNS servers your webhost gives you. If you are transferring a domain, log onto where you bought the domain, unlock it if needed, and redirect it to the new webhost. Johanna