Johanna
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Posts posted by Johanna
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If I were making holsters, I would be buying sides. I would cut belts and straps from the back edge, and holster patterns interlaced everywhere else on the hide. Holster parts can be wiggled around a side with a flaw or two, and interesting brands can sometimes be incorporated into the design. I am not sure making holsters justify the extra $ per sq. ft. for a "clean" double shoulder. It should be noted that I am cheap, too.
Johanna
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I would paint that sword with Neat Lac and do the black dye work around the design with a triple ought brush, being very careful not to let the dye bleed on the sword. It's just plain wrong to carve something like that and dye it black. If the customer hates it, which he won't, you can always dye over the Neat Lac with oil dye and it will be fine.
Johanna
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There is a book by Al Stohlman called "Leasthercraft Tools" that goes into even more detail than the video, available at any Tandy or Leather Factory store or dealer. It's a great reference guide for the shop. The book is well illustrated and covers all the regular tools.
Johanna
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Dee Easterbrook was a store manager for Tandy (Orlando) when I was in Georgia, ten years ago. Great lady, obviously wonderful sense of humor. I have lost touch with her over the years, but her piece sure made me smile.
Johanna
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Who did that, Clay? I love it!!
I drive past herds of milking Holsteins and think, "Nice blankets!" My favorite meal is steak, baked potato and asparagus. I wear leather shoes because they are good for my feet. When man domesticated animals, a portion of society was free to make further advancements, and now we have the Internet.
Have any of you been following the anti-whaling terrorists vs. the Japanese whaling fleet? I'm not really sure the ends always justify the means. Ramming someone's keel in Arctic waters on purpose is extreme, and so are bombs. Even Geenpeace was embarrassed, thanks to Japanese diplomacy. (I admit I snickered picturing the heroes hunkered down on the iceberg for the night waiting on a rescue ship) Is it right to hunt whales? I don't know, but is it right to kill people because they disagree? Those are fanatics, like the ones who want to kill anyone who doesn't convert to their religion.
And the Japanese use every bit of the whale. They are not shooting buffalo from trains and leaving the bodies to rot to kill off Natives by starving them. They call the whaling season a "harvest", like we do to thin the deer.
Better get off my soapbox(es).
Johanna
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This logo belongs to SteveB Leatherworks and I like it.
Would make a great tattoo.Got to thinking about logos with Candyleather's custom stamps, and the one we had made years ago for Artifax, our leather business. Little Jon would hide a "JA" in a carving if he especially liked the work. John Henry stamped a maker stamp in every piece he did. How do you sign your work? Post a pic of your mark, if you have one.
Johanna
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Awww shucks, folks. Those of you who participate are what makes this board worthwhile. At least we know that we have 280-some real people in the room. There will be less echo.
Carl, scroll to the bottom of your screen and click "Lo-Fi" version. You will then read black text on white. This is also handy if anyone wants to print a topic. It removes the "eye-candy" of the mocha skin. The skin is the colors and buttons on the board.
Hey, Monkey, notice I'm getting ready to do the IPB update? I'm waiting for Blair's report (and success!) but I'm going to run it on the testboard first no matter what.
Johanna
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If you are current on your MS Updates, your computer should be ready for the switch. If you aren't, or aren't sure, you can go here and get the right patch for your system directly from Microsoft.
Johanna
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I've got links up to guilds, suppliers, organizations, businesses, individuals...
Please send more if you have some good ones.
I started a Tips & Tricks page...does anyone have anything they would like to share? Demos, tutorials, pictures, explanations???? Please??? (Johanna is on her knees begging for content!)
I'm ready to start with galleries, especially for those of you who don't have a website up yet. Send pics, your introduction and contact info to admin@leatherworker.net . Ready David T.?
Can I have some permission to use pictures of your leatherwork to decorate? Anyone have a problem with that? I'll always ask first, but if you'd rather not share, let me know to cross you off of the list. I want to put thumbnails next to the names on the leatherworkers page. It would be neat if everyone sent a pic or two to put by their name! Hint hint.
Would everyone please take a minute and click "My Controls" and fill out your profile, too? If I know what you folks are interested in the most, I know who to bug...ummm...ask for materials. Guns, horses, motorcycles, tooling? C'mon, just give me some ideas and I will start arm twisting...um I mean ...asking for specials from the artisans we admire.
Thanks everyone! (Oh, and it's Clay's week to bring the doughnuts which means we won't get them until lunch!)
Johanna
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The Gomph-Hackbarth site has been shut down at Phil's request. He is out of the hospital now, and trying to get stronger so he can get back to the bench. Stonehedge Leather is still in business (Phil's son is on duty!) and you can call the store at 1-888-805-9690. The store, located in San Diego, has a full line of leather and tools, and decades of experience helping people get what they need, for what they want to do. Send "Get Well" PMs directly to Cowcutter. He probably isn't up to responding quite yet, but kind words and prayers are always welcomed when one is healing. We're glad you are home, Phil, and hope you are swinging your hammer soon!
Johanna
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When I first put this site together, a person could register, validate their email from the board and be an immediate member. Over the months, I saw a few identities I suspected were fakes/spambots/internet garbage. I thought there were about a hundred or so...I was wrong. I just deleted 437 accounts. If I deleted yours, I'm sorry, please sign up again. I used my best judgement, and I didn't delete any accounts that showed activity or real words in the profile. The board is set up now so that after the validation email is received, it must be admin approved. In other words, I'm going to look at all new members before the board will acknowledge the account. I do not want you good people subjected to Viagra and XXX ads, and I do not want the member list artificially inflated. Plus, I never want to have to go through the whole database again like I did today...six hours of pruning has made myeyes tired. LOL
NO ONE who is a real breathing person will be excluded from participating on the board, as long as posted content isn't offensive. If you sign up and aren't able to post within a couple of hours, send an email to admin@leatherworker.net and I will...hmmm...was gonna say "turn you on", but I know how some of you think! I will straighten out your new account without delay. I'll be doing a software update in the next week or so, and, from what I've read, the new security system has undergone major improvements. That should eliminate or drastically reduce false accounts. If it does, I'll go back to the old method "validate the email and you're in" just to save time. But for right now, after spending so much time culling the roster, I'm putting the brakes on, because we all deserve accurate numbers and a spam-free leatherworker forum.
I would like to thank everyone who is participating for helping to make this board interesting and enlightening, and I especially want to thank those of you who are teaching. You might think you are only giving one person the benefit of your experience, but you are educating us all, and future members who use the "search" function. I appreiciate the new folks who are asking questions, too. Without you, it would be hard to tear the old-timers away from the bench to tap on their keyboards instead of with their mallets.
As usual, if you have a suggestion for making the board better, please let me know. I want everybody to enjoy their visits here, and I want the board to be as easy to use as possible. Take a minute and click on "My Controls" and fill out your profile info. Introduce yourself to the community and post your links, if you have one. If you don't have a website, and want one, let me know, and I will help you get going. Leatherwork sales no longer have geographical limitations- let's use the Internet to reach our full potential. If you would like to link to the forum on your site, here is a banner to use. Thank you all for your encouragement and kind words. These last couple of months have been difficult for me personally, and the people here have made me smile every day. God bless all of you.
Johanna
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Candy! I am so glad you came back! I really like your design, and your stamp is as nice (or better) than anything I've seen lately. Would you be willing to share with us metal-ignorant people how one goes about designing a creating such a stamp? Could you do a logo, for example? What kind of metal do you use and how do you cut it to your design?
What else have you been up to lately? Got pics? It's good to hear from you.
Glad you're back!Johanna
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This Singer was made between 1939-42. Model 153w103
"High speed, compound feed, alternating pressers, belt drive, link take up, safety clutch, foot lifter, four motion feed movement." Whatever that all means.
I have all of it from the manual to the original oil can.
Johanna
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No, Gum trag is great on slicked edges, like belts. Plain water and a burnish (I like scrap deerskin or denim, or an edge slicker)) is sufficient on veggie tanned leather. Someone else may know about finishing edges with chrome tans (garment weight?) I usually see those edges hidden in the construction, and can't think of how you would glue them and not look messy.
Johanna
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That's terrific work, Gesa. Lots of precise work in that design, and no wonder he loves it. It's very personal. I think leaving it natural was a good idea, too, because you might lose the detail by coloring it. It's going to darken over time (especially if exposed to sunlight) but a caution- it needs some kind of sealer or wax.
I speak from experience. I had a "raw" carving that was 10 years old or so, and when I watered a plant, I accidentally got it wet when the plant dripped. I can't get the spots out, and it is "ruined". It was raw leather, not even very sun burnished. (For whatever reason sun will seal some leather to where water will bead and run off...go figure?) Leather Balm with Atom Wax, Carnuba Cream, something along those lines maybe? I would hate to see that piece get splashed and spotted down the road. Thanks for sharing , Gesa, your work is something we all enjoy admiring.
Johanna
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Gum Tragacanth?
Johanna
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The burgandy seat with the tri-weave caught my eye, too. That tri-weave tool makes basketweaving seem simple. I like the spider web, too. Love your work, thanks for sharing!
Johanna
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I love this place! Look what Clay did today!
Clay demonstrates and explains things so well sometimes I even think I could learn to carve!
Johanna
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Clickers are big presses that use dies (think cookie cutters) to stamp out shapes in hides. Tandy kit parts and "practice pieces" are done on clickers. A clicker can be small or large, and while it's not a cheap investment, if you do production work, they can pay off because they can save you time.
Johanna
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WOW, Stephanie...nice!!! I like the detail in your piece, and the backgrounding at the bottom.
If you have any more trouble with attachments, let us know and we will help. Thanks Wolvenstien for explaining the procedure. (Shoulda figured you for an Opera user!)
Johanna
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The company's name is "Performance Solutions" and they hold the patent for the straps with the swivel snaps, which were custom made for them 14? years ago I looked on the web and found this contact info:
Roy Ruzika, 724-228-8240 or e-mail ruzikar@pulsenet.com
The other inventor was jazz guitarist Tony Janflone, Sr. This is his son's site:
http://www.tonyjanflonejr.com/
This whole adventure was interesting...LOL
They were referred to us by the Tandy store in Pittsburgh when they were looking for someone to carve some custom straps. Jon Alger did a half a dozen or so, and enjoyed jamming with them. They invited us on the Gateway Clipper for the party at the release of Tony Jr.'s first cd.
I don't know who made the swivel snaps for them- if I did, I have forgotten, but I'm thinking it was in New England. Roy gave us a handful, and of course Jon used one on his strap. It really is a brilliant idea, and I see the strap was patented in '96.
It looks like Roy & Joan still live in Washington, Pa. If you need more information, give them a call. They are friendly people, good musicians and I'm sorry I have completely lost touch with them over the years.
Johanna
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I've always gone to monument companies. Out back they have stones that are chipped, or they spelled the name wrong, etc. Usually they will let you have anything you want off the scrap pile, no charge. You want a smooth stone, granite or marble, or pieces might flake off and become embedded in the wet leather. The pits might mark the leather, too. I don't know of anything to seal stone, but there should be something like liquid glass that might work, although I wouldn't be surprised if the hammering cracked the finish one day. Let us know what you decide!
Johanna
accident- how to get the dye off?
in Dyes, Antiques, Stains, Glues, Waxes, Finishes and Conditioners.
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Try Neat lac thinner in an inconspicuous area. Sometimes acetone will work, too. (nail polish remover) Paint the bathroom and appliances to match? I would simply hide the whole area with the unfolded laundry my family ignores, and no one would ever know.
Good luck, Holly!
Johanna