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Everything posted by Hilly
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Where are you planning to use it? I'd carry different items to a weekend at my Mom's house than I would out hiking...
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I feel your frustration! LOL! I have 3 dogs of my own that were total spoiled brats when they were young! I used to just deal with the paw prints on sides of leather, and chewed leather, dirty slobber marks, etc. I was almost ready tear my hair out. Since then I've learned that I have to give my dogs regular vigorous exercise each day, an acceptable place for them to lay down (rug or dog bed), and RULES that are always quickly enforced with positive reinforcement in order to have peace and order in my home. They still try and test me every now and then, just like kids. Okay, I'll get off my soap box now. Good luck to you! Hilly
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A truly unique piece! Every time I look at this it makes me smile. Thanks for sharing!
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People For the Ethical treatment of.......
Hilly replied to The Major's topic in All About Us and Off Topic
6 years? Why not give them a death sentence? Yeah, that's it, death by boiling in oil! Mmmmmmm! Broasted anyone? -
Yes, yes, YES! You make AWESOME mauls! I'm loving every minute of using the ones you made for me. I wish I would've been assimilated earlier! Hilly
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People For the Ethical treatment of.......
Hilly replied to The Major's topic in All About Us and Off Topic
Why wonder about a bunch of nut case wack jobs!? Now excuse me, I'm making chicken caesar salad for lunch. -
Hi there. I was going to answer your post a few days ago, but I was hoping someone with tons of experience would chime in first... I'd probably try sewing it hair sides together, then turning it inside out so the seam is on the inside, BUT.... Personally, and to be honest, I would not use hair on hide for a strap on a tote bag. The reason being that hair on hide might not hold up as well as a strap made from chrome tanned or veg tan leather. Your hair on strap could quickly become "hair off", which would not make you happy. Hilly
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Upland bird hunting calls for versatile gun dogs. German Wirehaired Pointers are our choice. They are very tough, with thick wirey coats that protect them from the toughest cover. Here's a photo of "Luke" our 8 year old GWP that I took a while out hunting. This is also the dog in my avitar.
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The one that says "Preparedness" looks just like my husband's man cave.
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Hi there. Most of us had lots of questions when we first started out in this addiction hobby! If you are looking to stamp pretty designs into your leather, you will be wanting what's known as vegetable tanned leather, or simply, "veg tan". This type of leather takes tooling and carving such as what you see on saddles. For an inexpensive source of veg tan, Tandy leather is a good place to start looking. The manager can suggest the proper weight leather for your needs. Another type of leather is chrome tanned, which is used mostly for stuff like clothing, women's purses and furniture. It does not take tooling. And there's more! There's bridle leather, harness leather for horse gear, and there's latigo, which is what saddle strings and some shoe laces are made of. There's lining leather, which is self explanatory. There's also horse leather, and mule leather. There's exotic leather, such as reptile, ostrich, shark, elephant, hippo, croc and gator, frog, fish, eel, stingray. You have kangaroo leather, which is mainly used in braiding stuff like whips. It is very strong, and has almost no stretch. Then you have rawhide, which is used in braiding, lamp shades, and dog treats. There's also hair-on hide, used decoratively in gussets and so forth, or as rugs. I'm sure I have missed some, but someone else here will surely chime in and remind me what I missed. Enjoy the craft!
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I have to admit, getting older isn't easy, especially if you like doing small, detailed work. I find my bifocals aren't strong enough, and my eyes water, and I have trouble focusing beyond the end of my nose. Lights aren't bright enough, print isn't big enough, etc. Even with 3 different gooseneck lamps and a strong overhead source of light, I didn't feel it was enough. I decided to buy myself one of those lights that you put on the bill of a cap, but the first one I got wasn't good for much. Then I bought myself a techlite "Super Bil-Lite", and I'm a believer! These little lights are quite bright, and place a nice bright light right where your eyes are looking, without shadows from your hands getting in the way! I wish I'd have gotten this one a long time ago! You can find and learn about them here. I hope it helps some of you like it helped me. No, I'm not affiliated. I just like sharing stuff that helps me.
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I think Ed the Bear Man does some awesome work! Yours are real purty, and so are the ones he made me. Can you say "cocobolo wood"?
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What weigth leather for a rigid briefcase?
Hilly replied to pella's topic in Satchels, Luggage and Briefcases
I'm not the expert you're hoping for, as I don't have a clue as to a suitable weight for your project. I would like to suggest Wickett & Craig for the bridle leather, if that's what you really want. They have English Bridle leather in Tan, chestnut, medium brown, burgundy, dark brown and black. All very nice stuff! I wonder if W & C could recommend a weight for your needs? Try calling them at 1-800-TANNERY. And no, I'm not affiliated. I just like their leather. -
You don't need a tax # to use Ohio Travel Bag! They have a retail site here. Hope this helps.
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Before all the neat changes were made to these boards, all messages that I replied to were marked with a black arrow. Now I can't tell which ones I participated in. Will this feature be enabled again? Hilly
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Really nice! I especially like the one on the left! Hilly
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Okay, so I've never made a belt before, and a good friend has approached me about making a money belt for him. He says he wants to be able to stash around $3,000 in it for an upcoming vacation instead of carrying credit cards. He just wants a very simple belt with no carving or bling to attract attention. I'm looking for basic info on making belts, and also some info on making a money belt. Does anyone here have any recommendations for reading? Do any of you have any advice you'd like to share, or tips you've picked up on that could help me in my belt making experience? Also, out of curiosity, what would be a good weight to make this belt from, and what type/weight liner would you use? Thanks for letting me pick your collective brains! Hilly
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I like your website. Easy to navigate, and very informative.
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I'm very impressed with all of the new Leatherworker.net changes - some really nice stuff going on here. Just one question... I used to go directly to veiw the new posts since my last visit, now I can't seem to find that option. Is it right under my nose where I can't see it, or has this feature been discontinued?
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I just buy rolls of tracing film from Tandy. Trace my patterns onto it, and then lay it on my cased leather. Lightly trace the lines with a stylus to transfer the design onto the leather. If I'm doing a large project, I tape it down, being careful not to let the adhesive from the tape touch the front side of the leather. If I have a piece of tape that will touch the grain side, I cover the sticky part with paper or tissue to keep it off the grain. I usually run my tape around the edges to the back side of my projects, and this keeps it in place while I trace. Just make sure that you don't allow sticky tapes to touch the grain side of your leather, or it will leave marks. Some people have used a low tack type of tape, but I have found that this will also leave marks at times. I have no experience with the rag vellum others have mentioned. I do know that if you use the tracing film, you can save it, and reuse your design many times in stead of retracing it every time. Do some experimenting on scrap first to find the method that works best for you.
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I'd think it would be whatever floats your boat?
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You can find unwaxed linen thread here.
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Anyone ever ordered from Leather Unlimited?
Hilly replied to Hilly's topic in Leatherwork Conversation
I've been to Ming's too. Great food there! Maybe we should do dinner at Ming's some time. I WISH half my hours were spent working leather! I work for DelMonte during the summer. I work on a harvest crew harvesting green beans. I'm one of the two people on our crew who collect the beans from the harvesting machines and pour them into a semi trailer. Our crew alone harvests about 1,000,000 pounds of beans in a single shift. That equals a lot of trips up to the semi's while hauling about 21,000 at a time. I won't get rich doing it, but I love the people I work with and for. I'd never work that many hours if I hated my job! But I do spend a lot of time thinking about future projects while I'm at work! Have a great day. Hilly -
Anyone ever ordered from Leather Unlimited?
Hilly replied to Hilly's topic in Leatherwork Conversation
No, it isn't easy to find them, is it? Watertown, huh? My folks live in Lake Mills, and we go to the Walmart on hwy 26 just south of you all the time. I would enjoy meeing up some time. It won't be till fall though, as I work about 70 - 80 hrs/week during summer, and don't find my way down there much during summer. No rest for the wicked, I guess. I think the next time I need a side of leather, I'm gonna order from Wickett and Craig, just to see what's so great about it. If I need something like a fur, or hair on hide, or exotic, I'll definately consider L.U. Take care, Hilly -
filagree tooled belt
Hilly replied to customcowboyleather's topic in Purses, Wallets, Belts and Miscellaneous Pocket Items
Very nice belt! Do you do anything with the edges where the pieces have been removed?