billybopp

Something I've always wondered .. Do you line a corset like this the entire interior area? Would you mind taking a photo of the interior, Raven? It looks great. I love the colors, and never would have thought of using the silver that way!! Bill

Be aware that temperature controlled soldering irons have a thermistor/thermocouple in the tip to sense temperature and send it back to the power unit. Hence, you are limited to the tips made for that iron, which are pretty small. A proper fileteuse edger has a pretty broad surface. Not to say that it will not work, but it's not exactly the same thing. Bill

Doug, just a few of things to look out for with the Chinese irons: 1. It looks as though there are machining marks on the teeth that may make it more difficult for the tool to go into / out of the leather. Is that a problem? 2. Is the orientation of the slant the right direction and pitch? 3. Is the metal hard enough? For the first two, it might help you if somebody on here that has Blanchard or Dixon punches could post some close up pictures of the working end of their punches. For the third, there's only one way to find out. It begs the question of whether many times the price for a lifetime tool is better than paying for a tool that will last a few years. Hope that helps Bill

Is this friend by any chance a salesman? Just wonderin'. Bill

Looks great! I need to make one o' these for myself!! Bill

Looks really good! The copper rivets work really well with that color. I love the way the roll-top strap snap attaches so that you can get ahold to snap/unsnap it! The stitching is looking good too. Well done! Bill

If you really need lighter, you may have to buy it. But extra leathers is a lot like leftovers in the fridge. Keep 'em around. They'll turn up in something! (to paraphrase George Carlin) Bill

I wasn't even thinking about westerns. There aren't so many of those as there used to be, but heck yeah! Great leather gear there too. Gun belts, saddles, and about anything else that you can think of. Bill

Both of those books, and many others as well, are available in .PDF format for download from Tandy's Leathercraft Library. https://www.leathercraftlibrary.com/c-79-ebooks.aspx?pagenum=2 Hope that helps Bill

Maybe I'm just more aware than in the past, or maybe there really is more fine leatherwork in our entertainment lately, particularly in period pieces. Some favorites of mine on TV are HBO's "Game of Thrones", BBC Americas "Musketeers" and "Atlantis" and occasionally "Doctor Who", Starz "Spartacus" and "Outlander", Turn and The Tudors. The Thor movies, Prince of Persia, and a lot of others. I don't know who they are, but somebody is doing some really nice leather costume work these days! Additionally if you poke around on here some, you'll see some great work inspired by these shows as well as original work by Raven, Prince, and others. Bill

Nice work! With the TARDIS flask, I have to wonder .. DOES the doctor drink and fly?? Bill

Hey Joe! It looks great looking bag! Some thing to consider: The light edges look great. You may want to try an edge paint on the darker leather, assuming it's not burnishable (if that's a word). I'm certainly no expert on machine sewing leather, but it looks to me like the thread might be a little thin for the hole the needle is making. Smaller needle or bigger thread?? (maybe a sew pro can comment on that) It looks like the stitch line is wandering a little bit / uneven from the edges. If you don't have an edge guide, it would be a great thing to have! I sew fabric now and then and wouldn't try a lot of things without one. Brass hardware might be a better match for the colors you're using if you were to make another .. That's more a matter for personal taste, tho. You might look around on here for the thread about an ebay rivet setter. They are considerably cheaper than the Tandy ones, and folks have good things to say about them. I bought a Tandy and LOVE it for snaps, rivets, grommets, and everything else. I almost never set by hand now. Keep up the good work!! Bill

Bruce Johnson, who is a member here at LWN has an excellent tutorial on his website. http://brucejohnsonleather.com/tutorials/ Hope that's what you need Bill

They both tend to be used as garment leathers. I don't know much about goat, other than it us usually thin. Deer is very soft and stretchy, so it is difficult to use on its own. I use it to line guitar straps where they are supported by the outer strap leather. It leaves the inside VERY soft and comfy. Bill

For my part, I'm all for the reproductions. Maybe people will buy those and reduce the demand for the old good stuff, meaning that we can buy those old beauties for less $$. Bill

Keep in mind if you are to use a touch up paint gun that you need an air compressor that is matched to it. The little "silent" compressors that work fine with airbrushes will not provide enough airflow for a bigger paint gun. Look at the spec for the gun you are getting. You should find a CFM (Cubic Feet / Minute) spec. The compressor should ideally provide more than that amount of air, or at least have a relatively large air tank if it doesn't provide that much air. Bigger compressors are usually also noisier, which may or may not be a factor for you, but give it a thought! Hope that helps Bill

I noticed that and got a good laugh too ... It'd make one helluva bag, wouldn't it?

At that price, you've gotta wonder what the shaft is made of. Just sayin'. Bill

I think the difference is around $2000.00 give or take. They both do sort of the same thing in that they really just push stuff together. The clicker is meant to spread that pushing force out over a relatively large area, and between two flat plates. It's also designed to cycle quickly by one means or another, since it's reason for being is to speed up production. Usually done by some powered mechanical means. The shop press is really meant to concentrate its force in a small area, such as a bearing race in its seat. Because it's more for one small job at a time rather than production it doesn't need to be so fast. Usually they have a hydraulic jack mechanism that might take many pumps on the handle to make a full stroke. It shouldn't be too difficult to modify a press with flat plates of one type or another to make something functionally the same as a clicker ... If somewhat slower ... It will still be faster than cutting stuff out by hand, and with more consistent results. At least that't the way I look at things ... I could be wrong. Bill

Looks darn nice! ill B

I started by using the fishing tackle trays, but eventually found that they started getting out of control ... I could never seem to find the right one when I needed it. So, I bought a one of these http://www.amazon.com/Akro-Mils-20-Inch-16-Inch-Hardware-Cabinet/dp/B003P2UOCO/ and another variant with all small drawers. Rings, buckles and bigger items go into the wide drawers. Snaps, rivets, and grommets etc are arranged by size in rows and color in columns with their respective setting tools in the leftmost column. It's generally pretty easy to find what I want. Hope that helps Bill

Gotta love making something all the way from raw resource to completed item. Even if it looks the same as the wood that you might buy, YOU will always know the difference. Additionally, you know something more about how that wood got to the local lumberyard now. You might look at a bulldog clamp for the tools in the lid. They should grip a little tighter without loosening over time as the spring clip might. They're not expensive, and you should be able to find them at any home store for certain and probably wal mart or kmart as well. They are probably near the mops and brooms, as that is what they were really designed for. You might also poke around when you find them. There are a few variations on the design of these clips, so give 'em a look! http://www.amazon.com/Bulldog-Spring-Organizer-Brooms-Rakes/dp/B00GP59NBQ/ Hope that helps Bill

Chief is right about litho stones, it's a very dense form of limestone for printing, and rarely used anymore. They were mostly quarried from quarries in Romania, and are considerably more dense than normal limestone. They were then marked with a grease pencil then etched to produce a slightly raised surface to hold ink for printing. They are often found on ebay, usually with some cool etchings on them (which you don't want), but they are very heavy to ship. If you were to find one new at all it would be at a good art supply store. Granite and quartz are harder than marble, but any of them will work fine provided that they are flat and finished. If you have a custom counter-top place nearby, they may be willing to part with a sink cutout or other waste piece for little to no money. I got my marble from a house that was being remodeled ... Just picked it up from the trash heap. It does what I need and at exactly the right price! Hope that helps Bill

That is very very cool!! But what does it say? I hope you're not carrying around a fatal curse in your pocket!! Bill

Eco-flo has its uses, but it has drawbacks as well. I use eco-flo dyes for fine color work, but don't much like them for dying large areas. They're very difficult to get an even finish with over any larger space. Super Sheen and Satin Sheen, for some reason are not terribly water resistant, despite expectations for an acrylic. About the best finish I've used so far is Fiebings Resolene for water resistance (also an acrylic). Check out this video. Ian Atkinson did a nice video comparing a number of finishes for their water resistance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyTg_hfpNUM&list=UULkCG-505-1t0rYlgBTSnpQ Hope that helps Bill