howardb

Hammerhead - friggin sweet. I'm not sure more words will make it better.

Tom, go for it. I have the cheapest of cheap TESTOR plastic crappy air brush with a little plastic cup. I wouldn't waste time trying to do any detail work with it, but it sprays on the leather sheen perfectly. Cuts down the application time (thin coats dry very fast) and doesn't mess with my dye work! I use dyes like watercolor paints, so brushing or wiping finish usually smears color all over. All hail the airbrush! Brent

Well heck's bells. Clay - thanks! Good info, but now I'm almost more confused than before. Should I keep 'em or ditch 'em. That is the question. Or paraphrasing The Clash.. Should they stay or should they go now... Ray may be bummed as he was hoping for filigree tools! Brent

Clay, You seem to know the most... I have some that are sharp edged, like cutters, that were in the set. I assumed they were filigree tools for leatherwork. Are they part of the metalworking set? There are 4 straight and 4 curved cutters in graduated lengths. UK Ray was looking for filigree cutters and that's what I thought they were. Let me know. Brent

What do I have here? Yes, obviously leather carving tools... The name on them is "Craftool Co.", but they are nothing like the Tandy stuff I have in the majority of my inherited collection. Here's a picture of the Box I found them in. There are several rectangular things that resemble pear shaders in contour, several things that look like commas, and several backgrounding tools. There are also a couple that I am clueless on, though when whacked into leather make a rounded bead with deep cuts on both sides. There are also some filigree tools in there (or so I assume they are with sharp cutting edges.) too, and i've sent pics to ukray as he is looking for some. Not sure if I need to unload these ugly things or whether they are super-de-duper special tools I should cherish forever. So... Whatsis? Brent

Marie - post a picture of what you are talking about. Sounds interesting! I did a skull barrette. I decided to leave it single layer and leave the shiny rivets exposed. And yes, I did have the nads to wear it to work. Brent

Clair - let us know how these work. They look interesting. Brent

TK - the secret is very dense tight grain wood. Oak would be a bad idea while walnut would work. There are several domestic woods that can fit the bill, but cocobolo is way cool for sure. A birdseye maple would also be sweet. Just keep it dense. Bearman - sweet! I like the antlers... Brent

I have one and love it. Like anything, it takes time to learn how to use it. I got mine from Big Sky Tool (Michigan), and they sell it with a grinder that is already reversed. I got it last fall at IFOLG. The hardest thing to learn is keeping the blade at the right place and pitch. It's great for putting a clean edge on just about anything. Once edged, THEN I use my strops to keep them going until they need a new edge. My swivel knives got edged once, and I've been using them with a strop only since October. I plan on making a guide plate to maintain proper angles, which will make it easier to use. I sharpened up a Chicago Cutlery paring knife that is sharp enough to slice through just about anything, and can even skive cleanly. I kept it on my bench rather than return it to the kitchen! I'd buy it again. Get a couple of crappy kitchen knives and PRACTICE on them for a couple of days. Get comfy with it before touching the round knife to it. It will do a marvy job on it! My two cents. Brent

http://www.tandyleatherfactory.com/ doesn't work? It uses Java Script, so that would be a problem if you didn't have that. It's HTML 4.01 coded, so any reasonably current browser should work. I'm using IE-7. Anyone using something different and can check it out? Brent

Had a bad day, made another hair thingie. New celt pattern, kept it light this time. I like the way the finish came out on this one. Tooling may not be perfect, but I have the look I wanted. Deep cuts, checkered bevelers. I need some edge trimmers that don't suck. Anyway - here's a pic: Brent

THanks Allen. Hobby Lobby does, Joanne Fabric (or any big craft store). I bought the 80mm in a bulk pack at Hobby Lobby a week or so ago, which seems to be the largest clip size you can find. I have to make a few more for some friends, and this seems to be an ideal low $$, easy to make gift item for the ladies. I'm thinking about doing some with skulls that I can wear. Not sure if I can make them butch enough for the midwest... Oh screw 'em. I'm too cool to care. Guess I'll have to get busy! Brent

For those of you (or those of us...) who are too busy or lazy to build your own box, I saw these advertised in Shutterbug this month. Folding portable ones with two color backdrop fabric. The home depot versions will be less expensive and you can make them larger, but sometimes, you just can't wrangle that trip to the hardware store... http://www.calumetphoto.com/item/RM1009/ Not endorsing a specific model - if anyone knows of others, post 'em! Brent

WORKSHOPS_PSLG_09.pdf UPDATE: Workshops are on. I've attached a document. It's also up at the CIL website, and I would assume PSLG's. Brent WORKSHOPS_PSLG_09.pdf

Twinoaks - one minor correction on what you said. ISO is the sensitivity of digital sensor or film. It used to be called "film speed" which just adds to the confusion. It's not a mechanical part of the camera, but is critical to light measurement for the exposure. Low ISO numbers would equate to very fine grain film, sharp images, requires LOTS of light. High ISO numbers would equate to very grainy film, fuzzy-er images, and the light required to make the image goes down. On a film camera, you set it to match the film you are using. Digital gives you the option of adjusting the sensitivity at will, but at the expense of digital noise on the high-ISO settings. Ian - That said, the rest is great advice. A light box is fantastic for shooting objects like leatherwork, because you need to get even light all around it. My advice, build the light box first. You may still be able to use the auto settings on the camera, but shut the flash off, and use a tripod. If you still aren't getting what you want, then crawl into the abyss of manual shooting (sinister laughter). I hate manual because I always forget something! If your camera has an exposure compensation (called EV on Canon, not sure of others), you can also try the auto setting and bump the exposure up or down with the EV. I'm terminally lazy and find this works frequently, but not always. I usually use the semi-automatic modes of "shutter priority" or "aperature priority", and prefer the aperature priority mode. I set my ISO for the light I'm in (100 for strong daylight, 400 for indoors, 1200 or higher for low light). With a light box, try 100 or 200. I set the aperature for the depth of field I want, and let the camera figure out how fast the shutter needs to be. When the light is weird, I will sometimes use the shutter priority mode to keep the on-board light meter from over or undersaturating. Hope all this helps. Brent

Didn't even READ the challenge and accidentally made something for it. Woo Hoo!!

Count me in. At least in spirit in case I don't get off my flabby arse and do something... Brent

Obsession! Indeed. I got so obsessed I made another rose barette and dyed red this time. The shading didn't come out as I'd hoped but still OK. Brent

Let's see... There's a Denny's and a Blueberry Hill pancake house around the corner on 83. Several donut shops between there and Darien. About a hundred pizza places within 2 miles. Dozens of fast food joints within a mile. And that's just what is shown on Mapquest. Probably double that number of places in reality. Looks like the closest Waffle house is in Naperville. There is a Hooters a little closer in Oak Lawn... We'll just have to scout the area once we converge. Anyone willing to do advance recon? ..... Brent

Bob's funeral is next Saturday (2/7) in Terre Haute, IN. If anyone needs details, PM me.

I'm with Twinoaks on this. I've got a guild meeting and I'm not sure if it would be possible for me to care less who wins an ultra violent ground aquisition game that is nothing more than a crypto-fascist metaphor for nuclear war. Don't you all have tooling projects you need to work on? Don't waste your lives watching someone else exercise. Either get out there and do it yourself or admit that you're nothing more than a lazy slug and take your slime trail into the shop & get pounding. My slime trail will have to take me to my guild meeting, otherwise I'd be pounding all day Sunday. Brent

WE'RE NOT WORTHY!!! WE'RE NOT WORTHY!!! WE'RE NOT WORTHY!!! WE'RE NOT WORTHY!!!

Wolvie - if you don't get a response from a manager, use TLF's website and contact them directly. They've always taken good care of me. New website is cool too. Brent

Bree - Not sure. The spring shows are definitely smaller. Last year CALG was able to get Ron's Tools, the local Tandy store, and two others. They also had Tippman in for a day, which was the first time anyone had invited them! That brought Tippman to the IFOLG show last year. We had something like 150 people attend that spring show which was a pretty good turnout. While classes aren't typical at a spring show, there are always demos going on. I haven't heard of any workshops yet, but there may be a few. The biggest things is competition. They use IFOLG rules and judging criteria, but the shows are usually open (no guild membership required). The raffle tables are usually pretty good too! The spring shows are fun and definitely more regional. We didn't have a banquet last year, but PSLG is having one. I know for you it's kind of a long drive, but you'd be welcome and have fun. Brent

Thanks to all for the kind words! tjg: It's two layers. I riveted the clip (jewelry store blank) to the backing piece so the hair side is out. Then I tooled the top and contact cemented it to the back, thus covering the rivets. Then it's just trim & finish.