billybopp

I suspect that you glued the liner on with both pieces lying flat ... That's probably why it is bunching up a bit when curved over. Try gluing up over something roundish, about the same diameter as the final position. I think that will help. I do like the magnet idea, but with that leather and the distressed look I really like the stud that you are using. Helps to give the whole piece the appearance of being 100 years old. Bill

Tandy's silver pen is on sale for $2.59US. Not sure what that would be, CDN, nor what shipping might cost. Bill

I love the Whovian stamp .. And I recognize the bird, but can't place it. "Starship Troopers", maybe? Bill

It'll be fun watching who and how many steal that one!

Thanks for both versions of this template! The printer size is very helpful, since I don't have to go find a place to print 'em, and also don't have to pay 'em to do so!! Bill

It's kinda ingenious what stuff folks will incorporate into their leather designs, eh? Bill

Arbor presses are great, I have one and love it. Sounds like a C clamp would work pretty nicely too. There are times when neither of those would do the trick, tho ... Like when you need to stamp far from an edge. The best way I've found for that is one of the heavy duty stamp handles for those stamps that will take them ... In combination with a dead blow hammer, which helps to prevent bouncing and double-images. Hope that helps Bill

Tandy's is on sale for about half price .... Which is still pretty pricey, and it will only do strap goods. But if that's what you want.... It might do. Bill

That is a really cool idea. All look good, but I really like the one with the red thread "lacing" ... It reminds me of a baseball, and totally fits with the idea! Bill

Just a thought ... the OP might want to let us know what size the largest piece of scrip currency is in Russia. We might find it with a google search ... Or maybe not. It's not the same everyplace. (nor for that matter has it always been the same size in the US.) Bill

Looks really nice! This is something I've been experimenting with myself, recently. My carving doesn't look that nice, though. I'm also working on figuring out what looks good for a frame, and one of the better looking options is a frame of driftwood. It just sort of goes with the leather. I'm also about to begin some experiments with a store-bought wood frame that I will cover with garment leather. The pH of the leather would probably quickly damage the picture, not to mention what dyes and such might do. So, I've tried gluing some tracing film to the back of the leather so that it can be used directly on top of the picture with no glass between ... Just the way a framer would use a mat. As a matter of fact, I've also experimented with using a mat cutter with the leather and it seems to work pretty nicely! Just some ideas... Bill

I have two of the squares you have pictured. One is 12", the other 24". I frequently use them in conjunction with my marble slap and / self-healing mat. They aren't mounted, but they work great. I also have a larger carpenter's square that I use when cutting big pieces of leather. ... And an assortment of rubber or cork backed metal rulers from 6" to 60". I also have a General tools ultra-rule square that I really love for marking things with the scratch awl, but they appear to be no longer made. Bill

I think the trick with these is that the jaws need to be parallel. If you look at the tool town vise grips, the jaws meet only at the very tips, and any material would have to be pretty thick to make them truly parallel. Those would likely mark the leather. The harbor freight ones are harder to tell, since they are pictured in the open position. The then again, at $7 and $15, I'm sure a body could make 'em work even if they aren't exactly right! Bill

http://www.ebay.com/itm/131349224033?_trksid=p2060778.m1438.l2648&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

The Tandy press and dies are currently on sale ... Might be worth a look.

Just curious ... What 3 books??

Books! I have a couple that are 200 years old. Several around 100 years old. A first edition Gone With The Wind, and lots of others. One of these days I'll branch out with leatherworking and restore the cover on a beautiful 1880 Bible that I have. I also seem to be collecting 1/72 plastic model kits that I rarely have time to actually work on (mostly 1940s-1950s airplanes and rockets). Bill

... I believe this is at least more or less the same as the outrageously expensive fileteuse's from France ... http://www.campbell-randall.com/shop/index.php?route=product/product&path=74_110&product_id=14436 Still expensive, but not quite the pucker power expensive of the French devices. I've also seen similar pliers .. still a little pricey, but less somewhere, but can't remember where. Bill

That is most likely done with an airbrush. That's what I did with the guitar strap below. It's possible to blend colors by hand / sponge but not so easy to do. Bill

Dang that's nice! And I particularly like how you worked a bit o' Celtic in alongside floral. You don't often see them together. Well done! Bill

I think I like the triangle purge better than I do the triangle purse ... Thanks Tom.

LOL. Gotta say ... Chief is right. Band-aids and neosporin at hand is a good thing. Knives, awls, and even "blunt" sewing needles will make blood stains a "feature" of your product all too often. I have recently started making use of kevlar kitchen gloves when doing bigger cuts. They haven't saved me yet, but I'm sure they will eventually. Bill

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