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TwinOaks

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Posts posted by TwinOaks


  1. http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=15122

    Here is a short tutorial on how to load the pictures to Leatherworker.net.

    As we have members that don't have high speed internet, large picture files sometimes take a long time to load/view. You can solve that minor issue by resizing the picture. If you don't have a program that can do it, you can download "IRFANVIEW", which is a very basic photo editing program and is free.

    To use it, simply open the program, then open a picture file (you can work directly from a camera, or from a saved image on the computer).

    Once you have the file open, click on the drop down menu under 'image'. With the open pic file, you will see an option for "resize/resample"...click that. That will open a window that asks what size you want to use. The 800x600 size (on the right hand side of the window) is one of the standard sizes for emails. Click on that size, click okay, and give it a moment. When the dialogue boxes closed, you'll be left with a resized picture. You still need to save it, so click on the button that looks like one of the old floppy disks, type in the name you want to use for the file - something that's easy to identify, like 'sheath1'. I typically save the resized image directly to the desk top instead of a file, as it's easier to find. Then, open LW and follow the directions in the tutorial above.

    If you want to view a large picture on a slow speed internet line, instead of waiting for it to load in the current tab ( sometimes the picture is larger than the screen and requires scrolling to see it) simply click and drag the image to the "new tab" button. This will open the pic in the new tab and it will be a viewable size.


  2. Dip dyeing is exactly what it sounds like. You dunk the piece of leather in a tub/bucket/tray of dye. You can also brush the dye onto the leather, or use daubers.

    Take a look at Peter Main's website (search engine for it) and you can see what is possible.

    However, the only way to get results like his requires a LOT of time. For lighter shades you can dilute the dye then slowly build the layers to get even transitions. I would like to offer the opinion, though, that the reason the 'traditional' methods were developed is because they didn't have access to the modern tools we have today. If you want to go with purely traditional methods...like the way it was originally done...you're stuck with oiled and sun tanned leather, some dyes made from bark and berries, and perhaps some made from animal by products. Just how far back do you want to go for "traditional"?

    I've been using an airbrush for a couple of years now, and the results are well worth the initial expense (which is pretty small). You gain the ability to vary your shading from 'hint of color' to full saturation. You can mix your colors, fade from one to another like the 'sun burst' effect, pretty much whatever you want. You can also control it very well with a little practice, which results in a much more efficient use of the dyes. I also use my AB to apply finishes, which allows me to get a very even coat on everything, with no pooling or runs.

    Lately there have been new products added to the list of available products for us. Just this week I stopped by a Tandy to take a look at the new "professional water stains". I'm using it on a project that I'm working on...now (happens to be in Black). My opinion of it? It's fantastic. It's certainly not a 'traditional' dye product, but it works better than the old standard 'USMC BLACK'. Within 20 minutes of applying it AND a sealer, I was assembling. No buffing, no touch ups, no rub off. I'm sold on it.

    While the 'new' methods don't bend a knee to the 'traditional' methods, they work.


  3. If you decide to get the rotary punch, don't skimp on the quality. Cheap tools can and often DO yield cheap results. Stay away from the 'economy' versions, try to get one that has compound jaws so that the punch goes straight down instead of entering the leather on an arc. Also look for well built, positive locking positions - that will help eliminate slipping if you're punching holes.


  4. I hate to burst your bubble, but that's actually a myth ...

    ...and thus is ruined yet another of my little memories from the good ol' days of college. It's disturbing to find out that little stories that make a point so very well are nothing but fabrications; fables that are used to convey some wisdom with no regard for the actual facts. The Econ300 professor that told it to me will surely burn in Hades for all the lies he told....I'm sure he's got a spot reserved next to Aesop.

    Or maybe the point being made was that when you name something you need to be aware how it may translate in another language and thus affect marketability....or that a clever name in your language may not even translate.


  5. Another one that is pretty amazing....

    Gerber foods (Gerber baby food) decided to help with a food shortage in India (this was around the '70s). So, delivered LOTS of babyfood. Absolutely none of it was used and the Indian relief agencies wouldn't distribute it. As it turns out, the good people at Gerber didn't do their homework. At that time, it was very common for the food containers used in India to have a picture of what type of food was in the jar. Gerber just sent over a large shipment of what is sold here.....little jars with the cute baby on the label

    The pretty much just dumped the rest of that shipment and sent another shipment that had pictures of carrots, taters, beans, etc., on the labels which were gratefully received.


  6. It's most likely a name that plays on the sound of "curación"......literally 'the healing'

    Curar is the verb that is to cure, heal, etc. And "they are" is 'son' .....and example: Son divertidos = are fun , with a translator...but 'SON, is the present tense of 'SER' - (to be) for they/them.....so while 'they' isn't indicated with a word, the verb tense of "son" means 'they are'. So, 'son divertidos' means "they are fun".

    I suspect it's a trade name given to a design much like Tucker Gun Leather called one of his holsters "The Answer".

    In this case, it's probably meant to say that all the problems of purse design have been fixed in that design.....and in this case (working from the quick lesson above) it sounds like Yoda is describing the purse......"Fixed, they are."............in a nut shell, the perfect purse.

    A proper translation would be "son curado"...but that just sounds pompous.

    Besides, I'm speculating, and using some WAY rusty skills....Heck, it could even be a Spanish colloquialism on a word from another language...like Portuguese. (don't bother, I checked)

    Or it's just a name chosen for the design....

    If you think about it, there's not much sense that goes into marketing names. For example, some fool named a perfume "Chanel 5".....around my parts, that's just the CBS station. But come to think of it.....sometimes they stink, too, so maybe it is a valid name...


  7. Any of them 'could' be, it just depends on the hide, the way it was tanned, and the way it was split. The two sides of a piece of leather are typically called the grain side and the flesh side. The grain side is the 'outside' of the hide. It should be smooth. The flesh side can have multiple textures - If it's a lesser grade, it can be stringy. It can also be slightly rough because it's been pasted down (called plating), slicked at the tannery, or sueded. Sueding is a brushing of the flesh side that raises a very light nap....well, like you'd find on suede.

    Suede is typically made from 'splits', which are left over from splitting full thickness hides into lighter weights.

    One of the types of leather that is particularly soft is Deer Tanned leather. If you go by Hobby Lobby, that is what they sell in the leather dept. as 'garment' leather.

    Deer tanned leather is typically cow hide that's been tanned to give it properties similar to deer hide. It's not suitable for carving/tooling.

    Can you post a pic of it or tell us where it came from ?

    Wanna discuss it in Chat instead of here?

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