Hilly

7 degrees???? That's not fair! Our kids have to go until it reaches - 50 windchill!

The last 26 mornings in a row, we've had overnight lows of between -10F (-23C) and -20F (-28C). This weekend, we might get up to near freezing. Of course, 32F is considered t-shirt weather here in Wisconsin....

I bought the "good" rotary punch from Tandy, used it on one project, and then tossed it in the trash. Not only did the tubes dull quickly, and my hand/arm got sore from all that squeezing (tendon problems), you can't get more than an inch or two from edges with that rotary punch. Drive punches are the way to go, IMHO.

You can also keep a little chunk to stab the tip of your awl blade into when hand stitching. Helps the blade pierce the leather easier.

Your work is awesome, as usual! You are truly an ar-teest! Thanks for sharing. Hilly

Congratulations Clay, on the new grandbaby! Hilly

Jeez, you people talk funny. Here in the U.S. we call those "garter belts". The garters are the actual fasteners that go between the belt and the stockings.

I've been driving school bus since March 14, 1979. During the summers, I work on a harvest crew for DelMonte. Either I drive a self propelled dump cart, loading freshly harvested green beans onto semi trailers 25,000 lbs. at a time, or I drive the big harvesting machines. So far it's my all time favorite job. I love the people I work with, and for.

Are you talking about the "Lacing and Stitching for Leathercraft" book from Tandy? Yes, that is a really good book. Easy to understand and well illustrated. Thanks, Marlon! Hilly

You may be suprised to find that your local Tandy manager allready knows about LW. The manager at MY "local" store is the person that turned me on to LW. Otherwise I'd never know this place existed. ...Johanna, can you get us some of those flavored creamers for our coffee? Hilly

Don't know if this is what you're looking for, but on the Leatherworker.net main page, there's a link to many suppliers. Once you know what you need, you'll have a place to start looking for supplies. Have fun with your new addiction hobby. Hilly

I wonder if using something like low tach tape (painters tape) on the edges would be enough to keep the spray adhesive from getting on the edges?

Al Stohlman's book "The Art of Making Leather Cases" (I belive it's Vol. II) clearly explains how to make all different types of handles for any type of case you could imagine.

I've been using Convert for years. It is quite handy!

Onion skins also make some nice browns.

I've used an old external venting range hood with the vent going outside the garage window. Just build 4 legged fram for it to stand on top of. Hang some little plastic curtains (old shower curtains work well) around the hood, and you have a cheap/free spray booth.

Hi Scott. If you ask 100 people here the same question, you're likely to get 100 different answers. My suggestion is to get some books and videos on holsters and how to make them, and if you plan on hand stitching, I highly recommend the book "The Art of Hand Sewing Leather" by Al Stohlman. I consider knowledge one of the best tools of all. Get some basic tools from Tandy or Hidecrafter (and yes, they are pretty much "economy" grade), learn how to use them, and see if the tools you get will work for you. If not, then you haven't invested a lot. If you find they work well enough for your needs (and many people do), then you will have some cash left over to invest in other goodies for your hobby. Just my 0.02. Enjoy your hobby, and please share some photos of your projects with us. We love pictures! Hilly

Thank you, Crystal! That is exactly what I was looking for! Hilly

Can't remember if it was posted here on LW or on that internet guild, but someone a while back, posted a link to a website where a lady was covering stuff like armoires and dining tables and beds and mirror frames with leather. The work was really gorgeous and quite an inspiration. Does anyone know the site I'm thinking of???? One thing in particular caught my eye, and it was a framed mirror covered in leather, with a leather covered shelf and coat hooks. Something like this would look really great in my foyer. I'd like to gawk at this website for ideas. Thanks, Hilly

Even though I live in Wisconsin, I usually give Clay Miller a call at the Rapid City, S.D. store a call. He always gets 2 thumbs up from me for excellent service. Kudos to you, Clay! Hilly

A TLF gift certificate. It's burning a hole in my pocket...

Merry Christmas, everyone! Hope Santa brings you lots of tools to play with! And yes, beef is on the menu! A nice prime rib roast, to be exact! And one or two many bottles of Corona with lime. Mmmmmm. Hilly

LOL! Looks like it belongs in the "adult" section.

I've used deer antler as an edge burnisher. It's just a real small piece of antler with one point and a short piece of the main beam. Basically, it just forms a small , somewhat rounded "V". I dampen the edge of the leather, then I put the leather into the "V" and have at it. Works great. The antler is naturally very smooth in this notch, so I've never modified it in any way.

Ahhhh, yes, MADMAX22! My memory is failing me. Either my older than dirtness is affecting my mind, or I've been sniffing too much rubber cement and given myself drain bamage.