Johanna

I remember those days. Tap tap tap BANG tap tapThudBANG tap tap. At least Jon more or less timed it to the music. But yeah, it's hard to get used to, and you don't want your neighbors to hate you. Braiding and beading are quiet. Good idea about soundproofing, but not always practical in an apartment, I know. I can be cooking in the kitchen, and one of the kids wikk be pounding in my shop, and I cringe. Then I'm at the top of the stairs, "Your leather isn't wet enough!" or "Do NOT drop my tools on the floor!" you know the clang on the concrete sound. "Are you sure there is a poundo board under that?" (punching holes). I once lived in an apartment that had a tenant above me we nicknamed "thunderfoot". When I finally met her, I was shocked. I had expected a 400 lb. man, and here was this tiny lady who sounded like an elephant when she walked through her place.In another apartment the neighbors blasted their stereo even when they weren't home. We had the landlord enter their apartment to turn it off over Christmas one year when they were gone for a week. They said it made their dog happy, but it made the pictures on our walls rattle, not to mention our nerves. I live in an old house these days. It has lots of rooms with heavy pocket doors that are very effective at containing temperature and noise. My husband and I have 5 kids between us, and we can use the doors to strategically heat/cool or quiet an area, also to separate fueding siblings and allow people some privacy. My late husband selected what is my bedroom in this house, and at the time, I thought he had given a better room to the kids. If I am in my bed and the door is shut, I can barely hear the dog bark. Complete chaos can happen downstairs and it's just a muffled noise. The room is on the west side of the house, so no bright lights assault you if you can sleep in. If someone gets sick, they are allowed to go to my bed because it truly is a refuge from the rest of the house. The old man picked the right room! When people share a house and have to respect different schedules, it makes it very important to communicate what gets on your nerves. If your wife can't stand the tapping and banging of ordinary carving while she's trying to sleep, I guess you have to do it when she's awake or at work. Could you go to bed early and get up with her and take your three hours in the morning when she's up or at work rather than in the evening? Me, well, I miss the old man tapping, and I'd give anything to hear it again, even though it's been a long time ago and I've happily remarried. I got used to the noise, and knew he was making money, not goofing off, whenever I heard it. I learned to dye and lace so I could hear more tapping...and that's what got me into this mess to begin with. Johanna

I have thought about posting the hate mail that admin gets from vegans and others who don't seem to understand that animals are not killed for their hides, leather is a byproduct of the meat industry. But if I posted it, even though it's great entertainment, it would give them attention they don't deserve. I believe in killing animals responsibly for consumption; I do not throw rocks at kittens or club baby seals. The mail I get from the extremists usually is passionate, and maybe sincere, but terribly ignorant of the way the industry works. A few times I tried to write back and clear up some misconceptions, but that just inspired more hate mail, so I just delete it now. I live in farm country, so the kids know where our food comes from. Some urban children don't understand how those neatly wrapped plastic packages arrived at their grocery store. Johanna

We do have concealed carry, but in my area, not too many people actually carry, or as Denster pointed out, they hide them well. LOL I live in a rural county, pop. 44,000. In the cities like Dayton and Toledo, I'm sure the carry stats would be higher. We are fortunate to have unlocked doors and pretty benign Police logs in New Knoxville, but I'd lay money every farm house has a shotgun or two. I feel safer in a community where the law abiding citizens have guns, be it Texas or Georgia or Ohio. When people from other parts of the world seem surprised about how casual firearms are in the US, I wonder how scary it would be without them? Johanna

When I lived in Georgia I felt very safe. If some maniac was going to start shooting people in the mall, several people would probably take aim and fire at the nut, I'm sure. The citizens (I don't want to use the term "rednecks", but you know what I mean!) grew up picking squirrels of off telephone lines. One day an odd man came into the Tandy. I knew there were at least six armed men in the store, one a retired GBI agent, a Marine, a hunter, two bikers and a cop. I threw the man out without worrying. Not knowing who is carrying is a deterrent to crime. We built holsters for .357s in little blue haired ladies' purses. Good luck raping grandma, punk! When I visit Texas, I get that same feeling. If I need help, a good samaritan will come to my aid, with a gun if needed. It's not like that here in Ohio. Only the bad guys seem to carry their guns around. Johanna

Chain- one thing I like about you is that you're an honest man. No BS with you. You call it like you see it, and aren't afraid to speak your piece. I also like the way you can back up what you say with mighty fine leatherwork. Good job on the bones. That's tricky, but you pulled it off. And this is a family forum...blah blah...we don't swear or stick our middle fingers up, etc. However, this thread is posted in the biker section, not "Show Off", so I'm going to assume no bikers are going to freak about this post because most of them have seen and heard more than that....by the time they are twelve. *sigh. If anyone reading this post objects strongly, click the report button and I'll move the post. Otherwise, I'm leaving it because everyone here has had a similar vent, and when we read yours we all nodded and said, "Yep!" Your work just keeps getting better, Chain. Don't let anyone tell you how to do your thing. You're doing fine without their input. ~J

I'm headed west tonight. I plan to be there Thursday- it's kind of a long drive, but I'm sick of airports and airplanes. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone! Johanna

You did a very classic pattern that I'm sure they will treasure always. I like the way you incorporated the quilting into the design, and you did a great job of getting it all even. I'm sure your brother and his wife are delighted! Thanks for sharing. Johanna

All non-profits, including leather guilds, 4-H, and local groups (with the exception of churches) MUST file an annual return, even if donations are less than $25K, the old ceiling. Groups and clubs with non-profit status that fail to file the paperwork risk being taxed on their revenue and donors will owe tax on contributions. The deadline for filing is midnight tonight, but you can apply for a three month extension. From USAToday For more info, see the IRS site. Johanna

Hi Ann! Glad it helped! I know what you mean about tired eyes. I think I need new glasses because I am back to looking through the very bottoms of my bifocals again. ~J

Hold your Control key down and move your scroll wheel on your mouse until it looks like you want it to. You can also change the size by clicking "view" and selecting "text size" in Internet Explorer. Johanna

This is one of those stories that have circulated on the Internet for a few years. The joke comes from the fact that it's easier to pick on rich ladies in fur coats than bikers in leather. Anyone uninformed enough to not know that leather is a byproduct of the meat industry deserves to be tied to a tree and...well... Johanna

I do like Normow says, dye the leather a blue or green first, then finish off with black Leather Balm with Atom Wax and buff until I'm sick of buffing, then just a little more. Did you guys notice this thread started in Dec 2008? We're still here, having a party! Johanna

Thank you, Bob, for adding me to the list. I am looking forward to meeting everyone! Johanna

Fifteen years ago a friend needed money and offered us a "Singer that would sew leather" for $400. We had a busy shop, and we snatched it up. It took awhile, but John got it humming, and he could sew anything on that machine as graceful as a ballerina. That old Singer is a mattress machine, and sews something like 750 stitches per minute. It scares the hell out me. After he died, I never messed with it. I always did enjoy sewing by hand. Fast forward and I meet Jerry Zonis, the owner of Artisan. He sat me down at one of his machines and I was sewing leather like a pro in less han ten minutes. When we bought the Singer, a comparable machine to the Artisan one would have been around $5K. In John's experienced hands, the Singer worked just fine. I could have easily sewn my arm to a side of saddle skirting before he could have dialed 911. A complete idiot like me can thread an Artisan and sew- and to be fair, this is true of all the dealers- Artisan, Cobra, Cowboy, Techsew and Tippmann for sure- you can call them up and say "Hey, what's wrong here?" or send them a picture and they will answer you in understandable plain English. Jerry, Steve, Ryan & Bob Kovar, Ronnie and Bob Tippmann are all easy to talk to and they will tell you what you need to have to get the job done, and how to get things working if you mess up. I know all these guys, and they are knowledgeable and friendly. So if the choice is to buy an old machine and tinker with it because you want to, great. But if you need to step up production in the shop and go to the next level, you can buy a brand new machine that suits your needs from a company that offers service after the sale for a lot less than you could 20 years ago. The Singer has a lovely 4 foot long work table that has a bunch of crap piled on it right now. For novices like me, there is a lot to be said for speed reducer motors. Until I met one of them, a Tippmann Boss was the only machine I felt comfortable operating. Tippmans are reliable sturdy machines, but you may not want to pull the handle for every stitch. I've seen the Cobras and Artisans and Cowboys and Techsews sew through tough leather as sweet as you please. Go to a dealer or a tradeshow and test drive the new machines, talk to the dealers and be prepared to answer "What do you want to sew?" If you want to play with some old machines, PM me and I will send you some names of members here who do that for a living- buy old machines and fix them up for resale. They are great guys, too, and if you get stuck finding parts, they will know where to find one. There are some hustlers out there, too. I can tell you who NOT to buy a used anything from. DougVL, I think everyone here is pretty much saying the same thing- since new machines are affordable and dependable, there isn't any need to buy one to work on unless you want to. If you want to do that, it can be a fun hobby, just like fixing up old cars. If the leatherworker just wants to sew, he should call or visit a dealer and get several opinions before making a choice, just like he would if he were buying a new car. Johanna

We are sad to tell you that Bill Reis died this morning. Many of us have fond memories of Bill, and he had many friends in leather land with his easy smile and hearty laugh. Our deepest sympathies to his family and friends. The details aren't all available yet, but there will be a wake on Friday evening, May 14, at the Carlson Funeral Home in Rhinelander, with a burial service on Saturday, May 15. Please contact Dot and the family with your condolences at The Leathercrafters & Saddlers Journal. Johanna

It looks like a pricking iron on one side, and maybe a gas powered creaser on the other? I'm curious- what is it? Johanna

Are non ASMA members allowed to attend? How about non-saddle making people? I'd like to be there, and I know a treemaker that would, too. If it's closed to the public please let us know. Johanna

That forum sound Draconian. Just tell the needlebar folks that they are welcome here, and I'll put on more coffee and find extra chairs. We don't have all those rules. You can read or not read what you want, and post what you think. If you ask for help, you'll get it, and everyone has opinions if you want those, too. If you sewing machine guys want an expanded section, we can do that for you. Tell me how you want it set up. Johanna