billybopp

You might check a boating supply shop. Boats, particularly sail boats, have LOTS of things with eyelets in them of all sizes. The shop will likely sell repair kits, although that may not be a cheap place to buy. Bill

If it's fossilized to stone, you might be able to use it for a ladies handbag. They wouldn't notice the weight difference that fossilization makes anyway. Bill

Very nice! Bill

I ended up buying one of these: http://www.amazon.com/American-Educational-7-000-104-Diameter-Capacity/dp/B005QDP42K/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1432340820&sr=8-3&keywords=spirit+lamp I was afraid that I'd manage to break or tip over one of the glass ones. I liked the wide base, handle, adjustment screw, and the snuffer that doubles as a reasonably tight fitting lid to help prevent evaporation when not in use. Bill

It kinda looks like a cylinder arm machine and a post bed machine got together in a dark room somewhere and .... Bill

Navy manuals tend to be exceptionally good, easy reads. I expect that's because Marines have to read them too. Ok. Just kidding!! Bill

Here is a photo showing some of the things I was talking about. The left awl is one of the Tandy all-in-one that I bought before I knew any better. Dull as a butter-knife from the packaging, and much too much taper for me. With that much taper in the blade, you have to control the depth carefully, and with thick leather, one side will have a hole considerably larger than the other. It is also fairly long so that it's a little harder to position the tip when your wrist moves around. It does, however have a relatively broad tip that makes it easier to find the correct angle when using pricking irons. To the far right is, If I remember correctly, an Osborne awl. The blade is relatively long and very narrow at the tip. The length can make for larger movement at the tip with every movement of your wrist. The narrow tip till give no real help in finding the center of the slit, nor help with the angle of the awl when using a pricking iron. And yet, over all width of the blade is comparable to the small Seiwa to the left. The middle three are Seiwa awls. They are relatively short blades to help with tip control. The blades are straight sided once past the tip, so the hole is consistent on both sides. The broad tip also helps to align with the marks made by a pricking iron. One would think that the Osborne tip, being so pointy would penetrate more easily, but there turns out to be very little if any difference. Bill

Most tools that you buy, including awls, need at least some sharpening before they are truly usable. Some need more than others. Check out this video by Nigel Armitage for some pointers ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvY9beqObiQ Remember as you sharpen that you will also be shaping the awl's profile to shape it the way you like. I prefer a broader tip than what Nigel shows in the above video. I find the broader tip is helpful in getting the angle just exactly right. Bill

That is some seriously creepy looking stuff. In a very good way!! Well done. Bill

Hey! Look at it this way. You've had an ADVENTURE, not just a trip or an excursion. Anybody can have those. Bill

Very cool. Instantly recognizable as a tribute to Mondrian. I have to agree that the one without bevels is probably closer to style, but the bevels work too. I'd like to do a Picasso belt, but I'm not quite sure how I would get it both over my head and under my legs to fit my waist. Bill

Good to know! Thanks!

Monica gave a good list. I'd add to that ( if you don't already have ) good long metal straightedge and square. Also, a strap cutter is pretty useful for many of the things you've listed to make. Bill

I use a shorter blade as well. It seems a little easier to control to me. For the same movement of the wrist, a longer blade will move a greater distance. I also prefer a broader tip profile for my awl, which I find helpful in getting the angle just right with holes marked from a pricking iron or chisel. Bill

Looks good, and very very cool! Bill

There's not much that you can do to hide that sort of thing, but as Tugadude mentioned, you might be able to get a tiny bit of dye down into the cut to reduce the color contrast and make it a little less noticeable. It looks like the cut is at an angle, leaving a little flap of grain standing out from the surface. That could all too easily come off leaving a gouge rather than a little cut, so I think I'd carefully put just a little glue in there using a toothpick or something to help secure that little flap and limit any further damage. Bill

An old tractor seat would be just perfect on that stitching horse!

Yeah... That's really awesome! Your creativity is amazing, Huns. I always look forward to your posts on here, and learn new things with every project that you post ... From just the pictures even if you are a person of few words! I particularly enjoy seeing your first day post and trying to figure out just how you are going to put all the pieces together and try to envision what the end product will be. It's a ton of fun! Please keep it up!? Bill

I have no doubt that if your woodworking friend wished today that he did not have a leatherworking friend .... That will change when he gets a nice custom made leather something in the future! What did you notice about the shop, or with his tools, or with the way that he uses his tools that you could "provide" for in leather!? Bill

Here is a good place to start, if I understand your question correctly ... http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=60483&hl=%2Bthis+%2Bmagic Bill

Just my opinion, but the premium price difference for less than 5 hides is pretty steep. I don't mind paying a bit more for ordering in small quantity, but 50% or so is asking a lot. Not really thrilled at the prospect of waiting two weeks for something that is IN stock! Bill

... Now, if only they made such a nifty device for all of the other blades we use!!

When I used to fix mainframe computers for a living, we had a name for following the worn screws, marks, cleared dust and such. But it's mixed company on here, so I won't repeat it. It is a great way to find some of a machine's history, tho. Bill

I bought one o' these to help eliminate drips from the brush shaft ... it works great, but be sure to rub a little vaseline inside the cap threads to prevent them getting cemented in place! http://springfieldleather.com/16721/Jar%2CPlastic%2CCement%2C32oz/ Solder flux brushes are also excellent for use with contact cement, and they're inexpensive and disposable! ( you can buy 100 for about $20 if you shop ) Nuttish has the right idea too .. blue tape works great for masking, but do be careful about what type you use. Not all of them have the same amount of tack for the adhesive .. you want very low tack for the grain side, and even then do not leave it on longer than necessary. Not necessarily part of the original post problem ... but cool in any case ... If you need to contact cement a large area, or long line ... glue up both parts, twice if necessary, let them get tacky and then put a big piece of thickish plastic or a piece of waxed paper between the parts and slowly pull it out as you align the pieces! Bill

unicornleather ... That sounds like a useful chart!