TwinOaks

Sometimes, just sometimes, these morals get in the way. C'est la vie.

Admit it, you've done this before haven't you

Funny, I always pictured you as being in color....:wtf:

I suggest wiping everything down with a deglazer. Even though you're putting oil on it, residual grime/gunk can effect the absorbtion rate. Other than that idea, I'm all ears.

Ray.....we're still talking about leatherworking here....

No, Tom, the trick is to punch a bunch of holes then glue all the dots together!!!

Probably little things like boning in edges of a pistol, what type of stain, dye, paint, finish, etc. to use.

to Leatherworker.net!! One really good place to start is right here on the forum. Locate the search button on the top of the page, go to advanced search, and type in some key words. Note: There's a LOT of information there, so you might be in for a good bit of reading. Another suggestion is to just post the question in "How do I do that?". You'll find that most of us are quite forthcoming in our answers, and that few (actually I can't think of anyone) take an "it's my secret" attitude. Ask all the questions you want, limited of course by how much you want to type between breaths. Mike

Oh, nothing wrong with a kitchen table at all....as long as it isn't the ONLY table, and the kids aren't dyeing your leather with tomato sauce.

Wow, y'all have workbenches, fair sized tables, even whole ROOMS to work in....I'm jealous. I have half of my 3' diameter dining room table, and several tool boxes things are stored in, and everything....EVERYTHING has to be cleared after use. Otherwise, we have dinner on top of anything leather related that's on the table.

It occured to me after I posted that this one might not be your first.

To clarify: Yes, I've been to their site. Also: Having a static web page- no problem. Adding links or hot buttons for item info and larger pictures- still no problem, provided you know how to do it. """ Throw in the prospect of an active web store and it can get pretty chaotic.""" No, I don't mean that it's difficult to do, but for a company that has no experience in it, it could get rather confusing. They won't know for sure what bandwidth to lease, whether to pay the upfront costs for video (youtube style instructionals) vs. static pic, whether to make the e-commerce store match the print catalog (presuming they still have one). They'll probably be told to increase the quality of their pics, and more megapixels = a tiny bit more bandwidth to transmit = more $ spent. Do they need to expand their inventory orders from the suppliers, add more employees, etc.? Also, will they decide to host the website on their own, and be responsible en toto for pricing lists, new items, et al., or should they ( best choice, here) use a hosting service that provides contracted maintainence, redundant backups, and guaranteed 'up time' for the site? They'll also want an undeliverable promise for a ROI. I didn't presume that they had a webstore, as there was no link to order anything. I don't have your experience in e-commerce, hosting, etc. My statement was from the POV of an electrician who dabbles in leather and computers; just an ordinary blue collar guy working on his management degree, without the benefit of deep immersion into web technology. But I'm working on it. I recently received a PM from a member who formerly worked for them, and has confirmed "no IT dept.". That means that they'll be shopping for someone to update/rebuild their site if they want to get a share of the internet orders. Michael Sheldon, this might be a good opportunity for you. You've got a business resource they need, and you are familiar with leatherworking. You've also got a pretty good source right here for the likes and dislikes of HC customers.

Welcome to Leatherworker.net! We're glad you found the site, and hope you'll enjoy it.

Yeah, the devil's always in the details....

WOO-HOO!!!!! Congrats!!! Welcome daddyhood! Now, go buy the strongest coffee you can get (for you) and prepare for some sleepless nights. Also, start putting away anything valuable and remove all heavy items from any height above 1 inch from the floor. Also, go ahead and get a really expensive hide and pour stains and paints all over it. Use your favorite (or most expensive) swivel knife to dig holes in the yard, and use your round knife to chop down some small trees. That takes care of the leather tools. If you have a favorite chair - rocker-recliners are excellent by the way- pour some grape juice on it so you don't feel bad when the baby does it. For the baby, suspend a small juice cup from the ceiling, give it a push so that it swings to and fro erratically and try to spoon in baby food, quickly, and don't spill any. You are now ready.

Also check out K-man's post....he was selling some of his. You might find what you're looking for there, if he has any left.

In regards to the decision being up to management, I totally agree. However, I don't believe it's uncommon for management to be completely ignorant of some technical issues- such as web based marketing. This can especially be the case if the management's expertise is on something more mundane like master level leather craft and related tools and equipment. Also, some companies elect to outsource web related duties. Then again, I concede that it's entirely possible that someone in the company thought it'd be great to have a website, took efforts to make that happen, then decided to leave the company. Remaining company personnel didn't particularly care for the website idea and have let it go to pot. My first post wasn't intended as a call to arms, though I see how it could be so taken. I just think that if the company has things we like, it'd behoove us to help them succeed. Personally, I'm rather put off by the quality of several of my Craftool stamps from Tandy, and have been looking at other options.

to Leatherworker.net. You've happened across the best site on the internet.

It seems to me that the issue is not with H/C proper, it is with their IT support- specifically their web development and support. It takes a pretty active effort to keep a website maintained when there are BUNCHES of hits. Throw in the prospect of an active web store and it can get pretty chaotic. Price lists need to be updated probably weekly to reflect shipping, and production costs. Things like warehouse and labor should be pretty constant, and therefore easy to account. All this means that while they have a good customer base at a local level, they really need to up their game to play on the internet business level. That means a good bit of capital, and more than a bit of talent with web design, development, and support. So I say let's help them. They obviously don't want to go under, and since they do happen to sell some things we like....put an ear out for some people that could help them. I'll drop a PM to Cort and see if he's got time to lend some help. In other words, as we all help each other, let's get behind H/C and try to help them out too.

Another suggestion- If you have the means, photograph your work before delivery, preferably with some proof of date. Then if things get returned to you, you can prove the damage occurred in his possession.

As far as steels go, I'd suspect either 1095 or 5160. Both can be sharpened to a very nice edge, and while 1095 may hold that edge longer, the 5160 is commonly used for springs. Both can be given a good spring temper. I don't think the steel would have to be extraordinarily hard, as a scratch awl is, but would maintain quite a bit of springiness. That would help with the flex imparted as it's pushed through leather ( presuming the stitcher doesn't guide it perfectly straight). Common tool steel is also a good possibility, D2 for example, if you're dealing with hand made awls. L6, common to saw blades will take an edge, but tends to rust quickly and is therefore probably off the list. I'm almost certain some of our knife making members will also chime in with their suggestions...and I'm sure they're more knowledgeable about steels than I am.

I have to agree with you, Clay, it really is too small to do anything useful with it. However, I just happen to have a half wall that's looking pretty plain and ..... With the amount of usable border on it, I think you've got ample space to lay in some lacing holes and lace it into a larger piece. Add a small welt under the larger piece when you lace it and it'll look like it was inlayed instead of just laced in.

My wife is training several types, primarily Arabians. However, since she is still working on her Pro card, everything is done under apprenticeship to her friend (who does have a Pro card). They train for all the standard events,-English pleasure, Western pleasure, dressage, hunter/jumper, etc... and have several horses on site that are titled. The biggest thing is that my wife's horse Khleopatra's Gold, and her full brother Tekhela Gold, are direct decendants of Khemosabe, and have his color and markings.

Well, here it is Monday morning, about 0530, and we're fairing quite well. Unless we get a twister through here, it looks like it'll be business as usual. Offer still stands for folk passing through.

Very nice work Sodapop. On your original design, with the one piece belt loop, try gouging the bend a little bit to flatten the loop. That will help it lay flatter against the belt. ArtS, the sheath design looks to me like a modification of the traditional Scandinavian style sheath. It holds the knife really well,yet gives an easy release. The traditional sheaths have a single stitch up the back of the sheath, eliminating the need for a welt. The advantage to it is that there's no snaps or loops to get hung up in brush, and that much of the handle being covered means that the knife handle won't get hung up either.