billybopp

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

You might check Tandy's library website. The Stohlman books are available, on sale now, for $9.99 a piece there for download along with a bunch of other books. I agree with all that TexasJack said. Sewing is a must, and the case books are good, but should be read in order. The projects may be outdated, but the ideas are not. Also worth a look is "The Leatherworking Handbook" by Valerie Michael. Additionally, Youtube videos by Nigel Armitage, Ian Atkinson, Arthur Porter, Tandy, Springfield and others are worth a look. Just realize that the Tandy videos are geared to selling their products .. But the ideas are still sound. Books are good for some things, and very nice to have at hand when you are working, but some things are just best learned by watching. If you can't watch in person, video is the next best thing! Hope that helps Bill

While we're on floor polish, some people swear by Mop 'n Glo diluted 50/50 with water. It's a very similar finish to Resolene. You will find that the eco-flo products are fine for what they are and have their uses, but the finishes aren't the best. Super sheen approaches glossy, satin sheen is nice when you don't want glossy. But Resolene is better. It can be very shiny, and one of the more water resistant finishes around. Red's wax and oil solution should work well too. I use something similar without the alcohol (Vodka's for drinkin', son) for the back of leather, but haven't yet tried it for an overall finish. I also make mine in the crock pot over a couple of hours so that I don't have to have the stove on and watch it closely. Hope that helps Bill

That's a great looking package. Well done! Bill

Lets see .. We've got dragons, skulls, terminators and tinkerbell. One of these things is not like the others, one of these things is not the same .... Seriously very nice work, tho. Bill

It sounds like a win-win to me. You get paid for doing something you enjoy. Your friend gets something that he wants, and probably for less $$ since you are doing this to learn, rather than for a living(so far). Since it's a friend, you hopefully get honest feedback, and also hopefully get to track how it is holding up over time! As long as it's not something that's incredibly far over your skill level, go for it! Bill

What did you use to get the color for this belt? Bill

Looks really nice! Bill

I've used gold and silver for figure and letter stamps with good results. It's somewhat protected by the stamp being recessed, and a good couple of coats of Resolene seems to protect it well. Bill

Dyes can really wick through leather, so the best thing to do is use a smallish brush for border areas, then do NOT put the brush too close to that border until much of the dye is off the brush. Only then go near the border area to minimize the amount of dye that will be wicked where you don't want it. Hope that helps Bill

http://www.fiebing.com/tips/color-charts-dyes-stains-antiques-2/ Fiebings has a color chart for their colors to at least get you pointed in the right direction. Note that those colors are only a rough guide, however. If you use most dyes undiluted, your result will almost certainly be darker than the chart. I dilute these dyes about 50/50 with dye reducer or denatured alcohol. Also, the color of the leather to begin with will have an effect, as will neatsfoot oil and other materials. It's always best to try the color on a piece of scrap that is similar to your work piece. Hope that helps Bill