Hilly

Let me get on my soap box here... Anyone who runs a successful business will tell you that superb customer (or prospective customer) service is half of what makes a business successful. Never "filter out" someone who might be a customer. Customers remember being dissed, and won't return. Irritating as it can sometimes be, people who take the time to ask those questions can become some of your very best customers. Develop a reputation for great customer service and always stand behind your word. There are dozens of sites that sell similar items. Treat all current and potential customers in a manner that they will want to return or endorse your product. Just some food for thought. Good luck on a successful website.

You have some very clean looking stuff there! Nice work. You have a good start on a website. I agree, the font could be larger. If people can't EASILY read what you have to say, chances are they won't stick around long. Think size 12 or larger when it comes to standard font sizes. Us old folks with bad eyes can't read that microscopic stuff Also, as someone else mentioned, navigating to your "shop" should be a single click. People are lazy. They don't want to have to navigate multiple layers of a website to get to the parts they want to see. If it takes more than a click to get to the "good stuff" they will simply navigate away from your site, and shop somewhere easier. I like it when you display "All" your items on one page. Being able to do a mouse-over and blow up the item the mouse is currently over is a helpful tool to have. I like that your prices are clearly listed! Just make a few more tweaks and you'll be closer to having an excellent site!

Nice looking purse, Tim! Do you have any photos of the back, and especially the top of the purse? I'm curious as to how it's made. Hilly

Is that even possible?

Glad you escaped undamaged! A few years ago, we had softball sized hail here, along with a few tornadoes. The car dealerships had some pretty good sales after!

I wonder if this method works well on all types of snakes? I've been seeing some MONSTER pine snakes around here. They have some interesting patterns on their skins...

I am NOT a figure carver by any stretch of the imagination, but I thought that maybe you'd find this useful: Peter Main does faces, too.

I bought a string cutter from Whitebuff (a member here). You can cut any width you want, and then dye it any color you'd like. I buy petite tooling calf, and make my own lace. Calf is not as strong as kangaroo, but it's still very nice lace. Now if only I could get up the nerve to try cutting some rawhide string...

I just finished covering the seats in my nephew's Corvette with some nice heavy chap hide. I have some small pieces that I don't think I want to throw away, but don't know what I want to save them for, either. Most scraps are probably about a square foot. What do you guys and gals do with your scraps of chap hide???

I like it! How many issues will it hold?

Most of the time "you get what you pay for" rings true. I've had trouble with the Osborne awls, as well. First off, they do not come sharp from the box. You need to tune them up, and keep them stropped. Also, a quick jab into a cake of beeswax before a stitch helps. If all else fails, get yourself an awl from Robert Douglas tools. They are quite pricey, but they are very good tools. If you break a blade, you can just get a new blade, in stead of the whole awl. You can also use others' blades in the Douglas haft. They are super nice people, and easy to work with. Here's their phone number, as they don't have a website: Douglas tools (307) 737-2222

I bought some bargrounders from Barry, and have never looked back!

That's beautiful! Can you post a pic straight from the back of that saddle? I'd really like to study your oak leaves a little.

The Consew 206rb5 is a good machine. You will be happy with your decision.

That almost looks like basic black biker chap hide to me, except for the mark on it.

Bob Douglas tools sells a third hand called a "colt". It will hold your leatherwork just like a stitching horse, but it just screws onto a table top, so you can take it anywhere. It would also be easy to store. It's dimensions are approx. 3 1/4" wide, and 15 3/4 inches long. It looks very sturdy, and capable of doing a lot of good work. Don't confuse this with a stitching pony sold by Tandy. This is MUCH better made (by looking at the catalog). It costs $75 + shipping. Anyway, here's the phone number, in case you are interested. Douglas Tools 307 737-2222 Robert and Lee are wonderful people, and easy to work with.

I just rub mine over a block of beeswax. I middle it over a hook, and rub vigorously with plain brown paper to remove excess wax, and make the stuff that remains on the thread, "soak in" a little. Works for me, and is quick and simple.

Mean people suck.

Pardon my ignorance, but is Ohio one of the few states without concealed carry? I know Wisconsin is one of the few, and I CAN'T WAIT till our idiot Governor leaves! I just hope the next guy is a little less narrow minded.

I already paid for a workshop full of Barry King tools. They work real good. They work especially well on premium Herman Oak tooling leather. I promise I'll send you the scraps if you just fork out the cash and buy me a side of leather. That's a heck of a deal in anyone's book!

I'll send you my scraps if you buy me a side of Herman Oak first....

Thanks for your input, Slick, but I'm kinda looking for a supply that's there when I need it, in the quantity I may need, at a price I can predict, and people I can call on the phone when I need to order. There must be someone who is a supplier of metallic lining leathers???? I do use eBay on occasion for items such as books and videos, and the occasional tool though.

LOL! :brainbleach:

I can tell you really liked doing this seat. You worked your fingers to the bone! Nice job, by the way. And the only thing I'm self proclaimed at is screwing up perfectly good leather!

Does anyone know of any suppliers of metallic lining leather? I'm interested in something around 2oz in gold? I know some places carry chap weight, but that's too heavy for my needs. I'm also interested in lining leather other than your basic brown, black, tan, etc. I get bored easily Blues, reds, aqua, purples, anything interesting. Hilly