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pete

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Everything posted by pete

  1. thanks - that's what I needed but I need a much lighter weight one for small cases. thanks though- I'll keep looking pete
  2. Anyone know where I can find a small clip for a cell phone case with a swivel or rotating attachment? Tried Ohio Travel sit and tandy so far. I'm making mag pouches that hold bulk ammo for a belt clip and need a swivel for the pouch. pete
  3. sheepskin scrap. Doesn't take much to cover a lot of area. Tip the bottle over the scrap. then scrape it across the opening and apply. pete
  4. If you are simply looking for an even dyeing job with a lighter color- mix your dye with Bick's #4 conditioner. Won't darken by itself but is my favorite leather conditioner and mixes well with feibings. Don't bother wetting the leather first as it inhibits the Bick's. MOST of the time it's all that I use to dye rather than dyeing and then applying something. I have a large bottle of Bicks and feibings chocolate mix. Keep adding the dye to get the color that you want.
  5. Bruce- I have the Tandy bench spiltter. Regardless, how far should the blade be behind the CENTER of the roller? Too far and it cuts through the leather, too close and it just rolls under it Maybe JUST behind top center? pete
  6. springfield leather in Springfield, MO 1-800-668-8518 pete
  7. For any of you who might have bought the Tandy splitter I have news. After trying to sharpen it myself and taking it to a "professional" sharpener here in town I almost threw it in the garbage for the third time. NOT Tandy's fault entirely- it's just that the blade that they provide is not shaped correctly and will never be sharp enough. Took it to my friend Luke Roberts- a yet to be appreciated world class knife maker- He took the blade and sharpened it from the tip of the blade to the top on a straight line- not the small 2 step bevel that it came with. I put my recent order for a guitar strap(9/10 oz) and split it in one pass to 4/5 oz. ONLY USED 3 FINGERS TO PULL IT THROUGH!!!. It cut like butter. Get the blade properly sharpened! I love it now. If you are interested- Luke is at --- frogwithawrench@hotmail.com.--- He said that he would be glad to sharpen others for a small fee and will pay return shipping in the U.S.. Apologies to all here who mistake this for an excuse for "advertising for a friend"- just passing along the information As I had a hard time finding someone who knew what they were doing and had the equipment. pete Mt Home, Arkansas
  8. LAST ONE! I promise- I keep forgetting to write them down! Sorry if I'm boring any of you!! Cover your stone,marble,granite, what ever you call it, with clear shelf paper. This way I can dye and antique on it and just take iso- alcohol on a paper towel and clean it in seconds. It doesn't absorb anything and when it gets REALLY groady (still say that?) tear it off and put on another. ps- the Craftool B197 beveler I got at Springfield works great- cut it off and stuck it into an old "starter- set" swivel barrel.
  9. I don't have a camera here- but the size of the bottle is not important. I think that they are about 3" tall- "5 hour energy" or Dannon Yogurt drinks,small vitamin drinks etc will do. Saturate the cotton and stuff one or two more in and top it off. It's that simple. pete
  10. Glad to be of help! Thanks] I forgot to add another I have 1-2 self-healing cutting mats. They are a lot larger than my "stamping stone" I have found that if you cut the mat to the same size that it a LOT easier to use when cutting projects. Nothing hangs over the edge, no guessing where the edges are and no shifting around. I kept the cut-offs for cutting smaller projects where I don't need to pull out the big one. pete
  11. Montana Silversmiths- great selection and qualitypete
  12. WELCOME!!!! I would start (with that budget) with a Tandy lucky 7 kit. Basic tools and you can afford a few "kits" to give you a feel for what you want to accomplish. They may be kits and not the greatest leather, BUT... you will still have to trace, cut, bevel, and tool them and start learning to lace/sew and finish edges. It would blow you away with what some of our craftsmen here could do with a starter kit and the inferior leather that some kits come with. Practice! 30+ years ago I made 2 or 3 starter wallet kits and by the 4th, it looked good enough to sell. Each one got better as my focus got better- now you have a forum to show your work and get feedback immediately!!!!! What a blessing to have a Bruce Johnson or Bob Park (and DOZENS of others) here at your disposal to critique each effort to make you a better craftsman!!!!!! Show us what you are doing and again welcome! pete
  13. 1-Take a" 5-hour energy bottle" and fill it to the brim with cotton balls. Stuff them down until you only have room for 2-3 more. Fill with dye and stuff the last two in. The cap still fits, no spill, and a perfect edge dye applicator. 2- buy a Tandy B197 beveler. Cut off all but about an inch. Put into a "cheap" swivel barrel (we ALL have a few lying around!) . Works better than the plastic beveler that I have been sanding and grinding on. I still love the plastic one but it burnishes really easily if you push too hard- something that I don't always want. The B197 is the perfect angle too. 3- take your belt scraps or other scraps (They don't have to be long ) and cut them to exactly specific widths. 1 1/2, 1-3/8, 1-1/4, 1-1/2, etc. Use them as a perfect width guide for the Tandy strap cutter. No guessing on the little ruler on the side. I hope this is helpful. pete
  14. I not only got my order for a 3 1/4 x50" blank , but a note from the lady who shipped it. She said that even though Deanna took my order for a 3 1/4 x 50" glazed pigskin liner that she edged it and shipped a 4" liner and a 52" blank so that I would be sure to have enough!!!!! Can't say enough about Kevin and his staff. Is this a great country or what?!!!!! pete
  15. thanks so much. What do you use it for, and when making wallets, etc do you use the same oz. weights? pete
  16. I asked earlier but got no definitive responses. Can you tool horse butts/ is it too difficult/does it burnish/ etc? I;m thinking of small projects but don't want "carpal tunnel" from a $30.00 wallet!!!! pete
  17. Does anyone use horsehide(butts) for anything that requires tooling? I know that holstermakers use it, but wallets, checkbooks, small belts, etc? Never used it- how does it tool and burnish? Anything special required as to casing, antique-ing, etc???? Springfield has a great sale going on. pete
  18. Unless I don't understand the problem correctly, why not google and print out a conversion chart for metric? pete
  19. I'm SO glad to see your comment on Bob's new book! I just got it and have read it 2 times already. WOW!!!! now I see what you are seeing. Beautiful work regardless. pete
  20. if it's the paste antique, get some tan-kote and pour a little in and mix with a popsicle stick or pencil until it's a creamy paste again. pete
  21. Hey Marlon! Nice to see you here again! I must have gotten lucky- my 30 year old ceramic has no striations. But my 10 year old does! Wasn't me because I didn't know about stropping 30 years ago! What do you use for the lines- 1200 grit, rouge,...? Even with the lines on the newer one I love it- cuts cased or dry leather. I WOULD like to make it as smooth as the old one though. pete
  22. 2/3 is pretty skinny unless you back it with the same. I like using 3/4 or even 4/5. Tape the back then glue to cardboard and you can get some nice depth and no stretch. As a tip- I think of 4 oz as the same thickness as a u.s. quarter. 8 oz as two stacked . I carry a few quarters with me when I shop for leather in the scrap bin. pete
  23. If you're strapped for cash, you might think of buying some figure carving bevelers in different sizes. They can be used for regular beveling also but they fit into flat as well as small, curved spaces and for subtle definition. pete
  24. really nice job. And what a great idea!!! Pockets and pen holders already there!!! I like it better than the Chaylor- Fanelli inserts! pete
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