billybopp

Beautiful work. Congratulations, you deserve your wins! Bill

According to my own personal art teacher, cem is right. It's called water marbling or sometimes ebru, and is often found on old book cover paper. The technique is known to exist back as far as the eighth century. It's done on paper by mixing a form of seaweed to make a gel and then placing a water based dye on the surface and manipulating it in various ways. It is currently in popular use in painting fingernails. I'm going to try this with leather and water-based dyes sometime soon!! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paper_marbling People of a certain age will appreciate the following video for the memories this sort of film brings back in addition to the content: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vyga8VMWXKg Hope that helps. Bill

I modified my strap cutter this way yesterday, and LOVE IT. I cut a piece of cardboard bag liner about 1/4" wide and glue it in. Today, I was able to cut a good number of 4" wide straps from 3/4oz leather with far less effort than ever before. In the past, I've had problems with the cutter wandering off-course. No more! Thanks for the suggestion! It really helped. Bill

I have to agree with all of the above, and add my thanks for the many folks on here that give advice and opinions. It is invaluable, and one of the best learning sources imaginable. Even though opinions sometimes differ, there is always something to be learned from them. The sense of humor that often comes with these posts is quite appreciated too. It reminds us that life is short, and nobody gets out of it alive so we should enjoy it as much as we can. It's probably not said often enough, but ... THANK YOU TO YOU ALL. Bill

I'm not quite sure what you're talking about ... maybe others don't as well? A picture of something like it might help. Bill

Very nice indeed! Bill

He left the S off for savings??

Thanks Claire! That's awesome. I had never heard of this show, but now I'm going to have to give it a go. It's a bit like a wartime Fawlty Towers. Somebody posted a day or two ago that they had watched one of Nigel Armitage's videos at work, with no speakers, using the youtube closed caption option. It turns out that it's just hysterical to watch since the software is not geared to a British accent. Give that a look if you have a chance. And yes, I watched Allo Allo with CC turned on. It's funny without CC, but with all the accents in this show, it's even better! ... "Economists requiring three kilos of pot, tokyo's of sugar, 10 litres of pedophilia, and 20 meters of gasoline". Bill

One of my favorite memories has been, on about three or four occasions, sitting in a room full of people who had never seen it ... Watching Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Every single time about half of the crowd were just in stitches, and the other half just bewildered. Also .. LOVE those 50's Alec Guinness movies. Ladykillers, The Man in the White Suit, Kind Hearts and Coronets, and Lavender Hill Gang (which was on TCM this morning), come to mind. Most everybody remembers him as a fine dramatic actor, but early in his career he was best know for comedy. Bill

I have bought a few of these tools from China with OK results ( don't remember which vendors). They have held up for a year or more of use with no signs of wear. They needed a little polish when I got them, but nothing too severe. One set of stitching/strap punches from China were made with the wrong slant, which causes some problems sewing. I'll replace them before too long, but for that reason if you need multiple sizes stick to one maker, or look very carefully before buying. Also, the size of the "tines" may well very a little between makers. If you want more middle-of-the road tools from the get-go, look at goodsjapan.com . I have a set of Seiwa punches that I like. Just be sure to pay for expedited shipping if you want them anytime soon. Their free shipping can take a month or two. Hope that helps. Bill

If you do not like Super Sheen, you may not like Resolene. Both of them are pretty glossy. You might try Eco-Flo Satin Sheen, which is more matte with just a little shine. Be sure to shake it well before use if you use it. It brushes on nicely, or can be sponged or sprayed. If you want something between those two options, you can mix a little Satin Sheen with Super Sheen in a container, but you'll have to experiment to see what mix gets the result you want. I'd start with 3 parts Super to 1 part Satin and go from there. You might also try Eco Flo Professional Finish Clear Matte. It dries to a very flat finish. The Eco-Flo Pro stuff has a sort of squeeze bottle tip and has to be decanted into something for use. The clear matte comes out very thick: almost like Elmers glue. It's best applied with a slightly damp sponge and not with a brush. Again, you may be able to mix these two to get just the amount of shine that you want. Fiebings Tan-Kote and Bag-Kote are also less shiny options. I think I remember seeing that they are not-so-waterproof, tho. Hope that helps! Bill

Chief is right, belt making is almost the same thing, and you can find tons of different videos about it on Youtube. Not so many on dog collars, but they do exist. Bruce Cheaney did a four or five part video on making a custom tooled leather lined dog collar about a year ago, starting with this one. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8aOP7dZg3U&list=UUrtFQMR9Kta2jpqsuVT9Aew Many of the Tandy videos are on Youtube. They are mostly geared to selling you their products, but the info and techniques they show are good and sound. https://www.youtube.com/user/TandyLeatherFactory/videos I recently purchased this braiding book, and it's pretty good so far. Braiding, however, is pretty hard to illustrate with drawings and pictures. This book does a respectable job of it. http://www.amazon.com/Leather-Braiding-reprint-Bruce-Grant/dp/087033039X/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_z I suspect that braiding is better learned by video. Again, youtube is your friend. Search leather braiding, and whip making for starters. ( Oh ... And don't let chief fool you. He is a master at edge braiding ... not quite what you are looking for but damned nice ... with youtube video to support that.) There are some truly excellent braiders on here that will likely have better advice than mine, and will likely be able to help with any questions once you get started as well. Hope that helps Bill

Looks good! I like the colorful canvas inlay, it makes for a great look. Lucky employees. Bill

The man / tree figure is almost certainly Odin sacrificing himself to himself by hanging on Yggdrasil, the world tree so that he could bring writing down to earth. There are a number of variations on that legend in Norse mythology. And I think WinterBear is right, it's also a sort of mashup with DaVinci's Vitruvian Man. Sounds like I'm going to have to do some research on marbling leather. Thanks Bill

Congrats!

If you look on the guy's website ( thanks for the link, Claire ), he uses that mottled effect on a lot of his leather items, and particularly book covers. http://www.lescuirsdebelfeuil.com/en-ventes.html Bill

Really nice! I've done a few all leather can and bottle koozies, but never tried insulated. Beer doesn't last long enough for insulation to be a help here. Bill

I don't know .. But I'd like to! That's really cool. I will ask the spousal unit ( an art teacher ) later this evening. Bill

<-- This guy is a BBC America fan .. Doctor Who fan ... Top Gear ... Monty Python ... Orphan Black .. Sherlock ... Red Dwarf ... The Young Ones ... and on and on ... Oh .. and very excited to see how the new Doctor is going to work out. Rumors are that he's almost as grumpy as Hartnell was. I understand that the REAL BBC doesn't show "Almost Royal" as BBCA does, so you may not have seen it. It's largely improv and pokes fun at both Britain and the US. https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=almost+royal Yeah. I'm a big geek. Bill

LOL! That works too, Dwight. I have at times used sharpies for some touch-up work. For me, the antique at the end does some of the same of what you do with sharpies at the beginning. When it settles down in the letter outline it covers a bit of unevenness at the edge of the paint in addition to making the letters stand out by outlining them, but the paint still has to be close-ish. I always enjoy your posts, love your work, and get a kick out of your sense of humor. Bill

It's almost reassuring to know that USPS isn't the only messed up postal system around. Almost. I recently had a package not get delivered as it was supposed to be, and no notification was left (as there is supposed to be). I tried tracking the package through their system with no luck. The seller had no luck finding the package when I contacted them, either. FINALLY I got a final notice that the package was to be returned to the sender, and I could pick up the package at the post office, or go online and request a re-delivery. Since I don't own a car (and don't need one in the city), it costs me about $4.50 to go to the post office, so I requested re-delivery. After a couple of days, no package so I bit spent the train fare and went to pick it up. Upon complaining that there was no re-delivery nor any notice in the first place, the clerk shrugged his shoulders and said "Don't ever request re-delivery. Those packages always get lost." SHEESH! ... Oh .. and it was a $10 item which ended up costing $14.50 and lost time. And if you think that's bad, last year I ordered a numitron vacuum tube on ebay from Russia. It took 2 .. Nearly 3 months. It seems that Russian customs takes a month-long holiday ... All at the same time every year. Just one more reason to not do any business there! At least you're not alone, Claire! (BTW .. I'll be waiting to find out what postage is on one o' those pyramids) Bill

There are a couple o' big pyramids down in Egypt that might work. Watch out for the shipping costs, tho. They're a little heavy. Bill

A couple of other thoughts and tips: While you don't have to have really expensive brushes for this sort of thing, cheap ones are often more trouble than they are worth. Moderately priced brushes that are cared for will last quite a long time. Think: something in the $5 range at an art supply store rather than $0.50. When you are painting, keep a glass nearby with enough water in it to cover your brush bristles. If you need to put a brush aside for more than a minute or two, keep it in the water. This will prevent the paint from drying on the brush and potentially ruining it. You may want to consider brushes for different colors. A little bit of red pigment remaining on even a well cleaned brush that is then used to paint white can lead to light pink. Not good. Generally a set for white, for black, for reds and browns, for blues and greens, and for yellows can work well. Paint a band around the handle to indicate which brushes go with which colors is helpful if you do this. A set for the block out / resist is helpful too. That stuff can be exceptionally hard to get washed out and will stiffen brushes eventually. When you have finished painting, clean your brushes thoroughly under running water. A little dish detergent works OK to help clean, but I use this stuff which works great! http://www.amazon.com/General-Pencil-Company-Masters-Preserver/dp/B0009RRT9Y/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1408639306&sr=8-1&keywords=artist+brush+cleaner Shape your brush tips after cleaning, and put them in a glass or other container with bristles up for them to dry. Take a look at your brushes before you start painting to check for any stray bristles. If there are some, cut them off. Painted areas with a thin little line that the stray bristle can make "outside the lines" makes for a bad day. Make sure your leather is clean before you start. Wax and other "stuff" on the surface can lessen the adhesion of the paint. I've even had occasional trouble trying to paint over already dyed surfaces. Paint adheres to bare leather best. Make sure your work area is clean before you start. A stray bit of sand or leather cuttings can scratch the leather, or leave a nice big bump under your paint that is much too noticeable. Make sure your hands are clean before you start. A big old fried chicken thumb print on the leather can ruin your whole day. For that matter, fingernails are excellent tools for leaving little marks in your leather whether you intend them to or not. They're best kept trimmed or used with great care. If you are having trouble with paint adhering to smooth leather ( usually not a problem ) a little light sanding then cleaning will usually roughen up the surface enough to give the paint a "tooth" to adhere to. If you are making an item that will see hard use, dye may be a better choice than paint. Paints only penetrate leather a short distance, and any small scratches will leave the underlying leather exposed. Dyes penetrate somewhat deeper, and will not show shallow scratches so much. Many of the above items might seem obvious, but I've dealt with every single one of them at one time or another through inattention or just plain "brain fade". Hope that helps. Bill

My only experience with pre-dyed leather is with garment and lining lamb and pig, but they cut cleanly with knife and scissors. The edges are good enough on what I have used have been dyed through, but again that is stuff that is probably thinner than you want to use. I'd suggest get some samples and experiment. Bill

Anhurset, if you're ever in Philadlephia let me know. I'll take you to the Penn Museum which is 5 or 6 blocks from where I live. We went there a few months ago for a lecture by Zahi Hawass, and briefly got to meet him after. It was quite an experience. Best of luck with the rest of your schooling! Bill Oh .. And more on topic for this thread, I don't know anything about walnuts as a leather stain, but I CAN tell you that walnut husks will totally wreck the finish on a car!