billybopp

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

Truly beautiful work!

Those are awlesome. The deer antler handle really does look like it's comfy to use. Well done. Bill

Can't help you too much here, Raven, but I did notice a product and tech support phone number on the link you provided. It's odd that any product has problems across its own product line. I would have expected the Tandy gold to give you more trouble. I'd give 'em a call!! Bill

I've had the same problem on occasion. Since I don't have a sander, that's not the problem in my case. It seems that a small amount of dye ends up on the burnishing tools, which can then transfer off onto a lighter colored piece (I'm sure it happens from light to dark as well, but just isn't noticeable). I have since started cleaning my burnishers with a little alcohol on a paper towel or rage and some vigorous rubbing before switching to a different colored piece. The lighter the color, the more work needed to clean up the burnisher. Needless to say, white is a real bitch and takes a LOT of cleaning. I am considering getting several hand burnishers and color coding them for use on similar colors to avoid some of the cleaning chore. Hope that helps Bill

Some suppliers are happy to send out small samples so that you can have a look at them, sometimes free and other times for a small fee. If you want to buy a large enough sample to try something with, Springfield Leather is willing to sell in smaller quantities for some of their leathers. http://springfieldleather.com/ There may be other vendors willing to do this as well. Hope that helps. Bill

Looks pretty darn good to me!

Looks like you got a pretty nice machine there! We'll be waiting to see what you do with it! Bill

Here's a video on making a very simple change purse by Ian Atkinson. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjKAejwUJPg&list=UULkCG-505-1t0rYlgBTSnpQ He has a pattern available for sale, or you can back-engineer it form watching the video. There are other patterns to be found if you look about for free, as well. Hope that helps Bill

Good starter tools need not be terribly expensive for simple projects! And there's a good chance that you have many of them already. A good utility knife with sharp blades, Stanley brand for example, are useful for any number of things around the house in addition to leather. Home improvement stores, and department stores are possible sources. A self healing cutting mat, or poly cutting board are helpful, not too expensive and also available at many places. A metal straight edge with a cork or rubber non-slip back also has many uses. Home improvement stores or department stores, perhaps. A rotary hole punch is a little more specialized, but very useful and not terribly expensive. Multiple tip drive hole punches are another option. http://www.tandyleatherfactory.com/en-usd/home/department/tools/punches/3240-00.aspx A proper diamond sewing awl is highly recommended and not too expensive at ~ $20 US. The Japanese ones arrive in a usable state of sharpness, not all do. http://www.goodsjapan.jp/category/awls/catId=4252437 http://www.fineleatherworking.com/leather-tools/blanchard-leather-sewing-awl Tiger thread, which is a super thread to use, is available in short lengths from a number of places. https://www.etsy.com/listing/120961806/tiger-thread-for-leatherwork-20m?ref=shop_home_active_2 Needles (if you don't find what you need in your collection): https://www.etsy.com/listing/174952548/john-james-002-saddlers-harness-needles?ref=shop_home_active_7&ulsfg=true You can probably get by without a beveler, but they are useful. It's also harder to find a good one that's inexpensive. New ones arrive dull as dishwater and take some work to make usable. Vintage ones tend to be better, and expensive. You'll have to be creative without one. Some use sandpaper to bevel, but it's a little time consuming. An overstitch wheel is very useful, but you might get by without if you have a very good eye for spacing, or use a ruler and careful marking. http://www.tandyleatherfactory.com/en-usd/search/site-search-results.aspx?sectionpath=3&processor=content&p_keyword=overstitch A stitching groover or creaser is helpful, but you can probably figure out some other creative way to do the same job as a creaser. I've actually used a butter knife and straight edge to crease when the other half borrowed my proper tool and I couldn't find the damn thing. (take my tools, I take your silverware! Mwahahaha) http://www.tandyleatherfactory.com/en-usd/home/department/tools/stitching-lacing-tools/88081-00.aspx An edge burnisher of some sort is helpful for making a nice looking edge, and not expensive. http://www.tandyleatherfactory.com/en-usd/search/searchresults/8121-00.aspx Rivets and a rivet setter sometimes come as a kit. http://www.tandyleatherfactory.com/en-usd/home/department/hardware/rivets/3635-00.aspx Chicago screws are an alternative to rivets for a belt. http://www.tandyleatherfactory.com/en-usd/home/department/hardware/1290-051.aspx Some leather, some dyes, some finish .. Maybe some saddle soap and beeswax for edge burnishing ... I don't think I've missed anything important. It looks like a lot, but it isn't, really. You may already have many of the tools. Others are useful for things other than leather work. Many of the items above can be found for less money on ebay and elsewhere if you're willing to do the searching. Chinese tools seem to be a mixed bag .. Some OK, some not, and no way to really tell which is which until you get them. Tandy tools are mostly OK for a starter. They have a store in the UK, so might avoid some shipping expenses for you. There are also a number of other UK vendors .. there is a thread on here listing UK and European vendors, but I can't find it at the moment. Hope that helps! Bill

Most of what I've found so far comes from youtube videos, and some from the spousal unit. The books / folio we're seeing may in fact be a paper covering over leather or something else, with leather used for the spine / inlay. Or it may actually be a leather panel on the books. What I've found so far seems to say use water based dyes. Remember that's not a pan of water .. It looks more like jello that hasn't been in the fridge long enough to set. The gel being more dense than the dye will allow it to float, yet not spread too thinly as oil based dye might. From what I've gathered so far, you can dye directly onto leather, but it takes a bit more care than paper, and needs to sit atop the dyes for a much longer time. There doesn't appear to be much wasted dye, but I do not know how long the "gel" will last, or if it can be stored. I don't know about starting with a pre-stained piece, but would think that if it doesn't impede the marbling dye absorption it should work. It's worth an experiment! As far as I can tell, multiple dips aren't necessary, and have no idea what would happen if you do. ( not that I know what will happen if you don't yet, either!) The video that looks closest to what we're seeing in the examples is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwAotLTL-Ws Very similar pattern, although on paper with different colors. It's pretty fascinating to see what artists come up with using this technique. This one looks to be tulips. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqedBekgLdo This one has some cool patterns... on a HUGE scale: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ak-Gcikux7E In any case, trying this is on my to do list for some time soon. Hope that helps Bill