billybopp

Once again this looks great! I love it when people post process pictures and videos. There are SO many ways to do a give thing that it is interesting to see how each person handles a particular item. Is that an open-cell padding that you used to give the "quilting" a little 3-D effect? The only thing that I see that you may want to give some thought to is the attachment for the D-ring straps. The stitch line runs right across the strap, which very much weakens the attachment. It can act as a perforation across the leather at that point and tear easily. If, instead, you use a curved line for the stitches, or perhaps a V shape, or even two straight lines along the edge, the stress is then spread in such a way that it will be far stronger. You just have to get a little creative in making it both strong and pretty. Thanks ! Bill

Welcome aboard! I find that a utility knife, a backed metal ruler, and a cutting mat are about the best all around tools for cutting leather. Like JLS, I like my X-acto knife as well, but I prefer the #10 blade since it is a little beefier. The standard #11 blade flexes too much for me .. but that might just be the way that I use it. Rotary cutters work better than fixed blades on very thin leathers .. Under 2 or 3 ounces for example. I like the 60mm rotary better than the 45mm for the most part. I discovered to my surprise that a pair of big a$$ shears works better then I ever imagined on leather. Leather seems to cut far more easily when it is dry rather than when wet or even damp. There is far less drag and bunching of leather that way. The real key is sharp, sharp, and sharper blades. Even utility blades right from the package can be improved a little bit by stropping them. There are tons of videos on youtube that you may find helpful. Look up Ian Atkinson, Nigel Armitage, Chief32794, and tandyleatherfactory for some good video instruction. Just bear in mind that Tandy is often trying to sell you something... Principals they show are sound, tho. Nigel and Chief are members here, and I have reason to think Ian is too, although if so he's as elusive as bigfoot. For books you can find some good stuff on Amazon, or tandy's leathercraftlibrary.com Most of the books that they have in-store or used to have in-store are available there in digital format. Leathercraft Tools, Hand Sewing, and ABCs of Leatherwork are a few good starters. Hope that helps Bill

Looks really nice all 'round. Good thoughtful design, and well executed. I'm really intrigued by the curved basketweave. I don't think I've ever seen that done before! Bill

48oz? Yup. That's a BFH for sure! It sounds like it's just the ticket, tho. As for getting older ... keep on keeping on. The alternative ain't such a good thing. Glad to hear that BK's tools are still top notch. I've been eying up a tapered round maul at something like 16-20oz for tooling, but haven't quite decided yet. Bill

The Flower duet from Lakme is one of the most beautiful pieces of music ever written. Bar none.

Your unguided practice pieces are better than many experienced folk could do. I really love the embossed rose! I'm guessing that is your "signature" look? Keep up the good work, and thank you for sharing information on welting and turning edges. If I had any criticism at all, it would be the multiple straps on the red bag. They look beautiful, but I can see somebody trying to put it over their shoulder and getting an arm caught up between the strap strands. Just a thought! Bill

Sting's "The Last Ship" is in the CD player at the moment. At any given time, however, you might find Bach, Mozart, Saint Saens, Count Basie, Reel Big Fish, Steely Dan, Donald Fagan, Patsy Cline, Rush, Ozzy Osborne, Keane, Fun, MCR .... In other words ... I like most everything, and can work to most of it. Quite often, the TV is on in the background too. Bill

I don't know about the pricking irons, but I would recommend a straight or very slightly tapered awl. The "wing awls" or "Saddler's awls" will leave a smallish hole on the back side of the hole and a large one at the front .. and the difference is more pronounced the thicker the leather. Take a look at the following picture. It shows a wing awl, three sizes Seiwa straight awls, and a Tandy (pretty sure Osborne) fine tapered awl side by side. Other than that, What fits your hand best!? Hope that helps Bill

If kerosene (paraffin) and white gas (coleman fuel) aren't good options for you, think about using propane. I don't know what's available over there, but there are camp lanterns here that are designed to run from small propane bottles, and they work great. The only problem is that those little bottles are relatively expensive. So, what I do when I'm on a long car-camp is to take a gas grill type propane tank, and adapter/distributor for lanterns, stoves and other stuff! It works great, and is considerably less expensive than the disposable bottles. The key is the post, something like the following: http://www.amazon.com/Stansport-Outlet-Propane-Distribution-Post/dp/B001DC5HAW/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1415635422&sr=8-13&keywords=propane+lantern and add-on hoses: http://www.amazon.com/Camco-59043-Propane-Extension-Hose/dp/B00192QBPQ/ref=pd_bxgy_sg_img_y You just have to figure out some sort of stand for the hose-equipped lanterns. In my case, I feed stove / grill / heater so that's not a problem. It shouldn't be hard, tho. You might also consider a reflector for your lantern to make better use of the light, as the situation demands. It's not helpful lighting the wall behind the lantern, nor the ceiling above. Hope that helps Bill

I don't make holsters. Don't know much about them. BUT ... you might want to experiment with an alternative padding material. Neoprene is fine for most folks, but there's a good number of people that are allergic to it! Something to think about: Bill

The difference between a $100 bag and a $500 bag is mostly about design, workmanship and materials. The difference between a $500 bag and a $3000 bag is almost entirely about marketing. Bill

Looks great. I really like the butcher paper roll and rack .. That's a great idea to, hopefully, preserve your tabletop. Bill

I stared off with a deadblow hammer, just because it was what I had around. I still find it useful for some tasks, such as alphabet stamps and setting rivets that can't be set with my press. Anything where I don't want a bounce. I was then given a couple of rawhide mallets, which work well for most things, and a big improvement for tooling. I have since bought a maul from China on ebay for less than $20, in order to try one, and have to say I like it. But mauls are not so useful for a few things! I'll probably eventually buy a better maul, but I have what I need for now. I also putzed around some with a wooden maul. Not recommended. It splintered a bit hitting smaller tool handles. The maul I'm currently using: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Durable-Leather-Stamping-Tool-Set-Craft-Tool-Kit-For-Leather-Cutting-Tool-Hammer-/311159085127?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&var=&hash=item487286d847 Rawhide mallets are also pretty inexpensive: http://www.ebay.com/itm/rawhide-head-mallet-leather-hammer-Medium-/181560262197?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2a45d5be35 If I had to choose only one of the striking tools I've used, I'd go with a rawhide mallet. Hope that helps Bill

The copper rivets used on that bag are widely available from Tandy, Springfieldleather, and many others. You can also find a ton of information in the leatherworker.net forums, and videos about setting copper rivets on youtube. Hope that helps Bill

Really nice bag! I've never seen one quite like it, and I've never seen a gusset done that way before, with one side turned inward and the other outward! Well done! Bill

There are a number of good videos on Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpEmkRlv1Uo http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YU1ihT-rHTA&list=UU8urn9l3pybW5LztUa6zbOA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fll4eiVcfcA There's a pretty good tutorial here as well: http://www.kingsmerecrafts.com/page04.html Most belts are 1.5" wide, and cut to length for the individual. Square cut belts are most common and simple, while tapered and ranger belts are more complicated. They can be lined or unlined, with unlined being simplest. Thickness is usually 8+ ounces total. Holes usually start 2 to 4 inches from the end with 5 holes at 1" intervals most common. Some like 7 holes at 3/4" intervals as well. Not long ago, somebody posted this helpful picture: Ends can be square (not very classy or practical), trimmed corners, round, or round-pointed (English point) with any number of variations on those. They can be cut with a knife, or a shaped punch. Many buckles require a slot for the tongue, but not all. They are usually attached by folding the leather around and the sewing, snapping or screwing the leather together along with the belt keeper. Exposed edges of the belt are usually rounded and burnished for veg tanned, or smoothed and edge painted for many other types. Pre-cut belt blanks from Tandy or Springfield are also not a bad way to start. That should help get you started. There are a TON of variations and techniques. Use your imagination, watch some videos, read some of the excellent info found here and elsewhere. You'll have a blast. Hope that helps Bill

Thanks for another great pattern ( and all the others as well). It's very kind of you to help us all out like that!! Bill

Both look really great! Stitching looks great. I like the contrasting white on the brown one. Edges are really good too ...How'd you do them? Bill

http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=18101 That should help. Bill

Your best bet is office supply stores, or art supply stores. You can also find 'em on Amazon and lots of other places online. Stencils are great for spraying on paint, if you intend to tool the letters, you might do as well with any computer program with multiple fonts, and print out whatever you want in whatever size you want! Most computers have many dozens if not hundreds of fonts ... AND you can often find additional ones for free if you do some googling. If you print to paper, it's not hard to then transfer to the leather with a stylus. You can also print to an appropriate printer transparency film for better visibility. Hope that helps Bil

http://www.amazon.com/Trinity-Candle-Factory-Leather-Fragrance/dp/B002ZLK9T4/ref=sr_1_3?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1414942998&sr=1-3

Safety skiver, round knife, leather paring knife, or even a small block plane. Bill

Fabric sewing stores don't usually have thread that is as heavy as we use for hand-sewing leather, although you might get lucky on that too. It is just possible that you may find the right thing as "beading string" at a craft store, but I couldn't say for sure. If it's not pre-waxed, you'll want to wax it for sure. If you want something comparable to tiger thread, try this http://www.mainethread.com/waxed_cord.html or this http://www.ebay.com/itm/260Meter-1mm-150D-Black-Leather-Wax-Thread-Cord-for-DIY-Tool-Hand-Stitching-/111401102438?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item19f005ec66 I haven't used the mainethread poly myself, but many like it. I have used the stuff from China on ebay and it is good. Not as nice as tiger thread, but close. Their 1mm is closer to tiger's 0.8mm. It's prewaxed, but not as heavily as tiger is, which probably accounts for most of the size difference. Hope that helps Bill

Really nice. Well executed and perfect stitching. Are both sides the same? Will you trade one for a 12 of Narragansett? Bill

A program would be great, but otherwise, I'd start with a piece of graph paper. Let each square represent the size of your rivet head, stud or whatever. Figure out the length and width of the space on your leather in terms of number of squares, an mark it on the graph. Write what you want in the space .. I'd suspect that capital block letters are easiest, and voila there it is. You may have to scale the graph up or down to suit the space, but that should now be relatively easy; Particularly if you have access to a copier that can resize. Hope that helps.