Darrell

Hey Ryan, I'm new to the site as well.Welcome-funny how we are all finding this site now-well maybe it all seems so new.Nice you took the initiative to just start up cold. I need to try my hand at tooling as well. Only have really done work in soft leather all these years.Drop some pics here when you get time.

Hi Daggrim, Thanks! The white buttons are antler as well. Called 'crowns',they are cross slices taken from the point at which the antler attaches to the skull. They are pretty pricey as you don't get but one or two per rack as opposed to dozens of the side cuts. I sold at Ren fests for years-that was and still is our biggest outlets for our moccasins. I am not active in this area of trade anymore but my old partners still are, and do very well. Good luck on your shoes as well!! I'll post more pics too.

Wow,the plusses and minuses of digital photography. Steveb i blew up your excellent photos of your really nice work and saw you may need to increase your bobbin tension based on the shot of your nice 'flamed' wallet. IMHO!(kiddin' around) I used a great sony DSC W-1 with macro add on lens in the past and now shoot with a canon d-20 that I really love. Believe it or not Panasonics 'Lumix' lineup is a darn good camera for the buck as the utilize the 'Leica' line of lenses and tech. Some of the best glass for photography in the world.

I have bought from this company when it was known as stitchcraft thread mills, now its parent company runs all ops.http://www.komar.com/ Go to 'Products' then 'Sewing operations' then to' Thread' and you can search for what my serve your needs best.

Thanks all for the kind words, I really enjoy everyones posts on this site. The picture of my finger and the machine was to show how high the foot can go up-people often ask how much will it sew. I tell them it can sew all their fingers together. Lucky I have never got into that predicament.

This is a Beauty! I've always wanted to try my hand at M/C Saddles but still have never tackled it. Never had a compressor and pneumatic stapler-now I do. Just sod my scoot of the last 12 years, so I think I'll just go to the local shop and ask to get a shop loaner. I'll be picking your brain for sure. This is sweet!-Darrell

Johanna, You Rock! With so many cards laid down you picked up all aces still. Thanks so much for starting this baby and seeing it along. As you can see by the posts it was well needed,been enjoyed and will only further the art and craft. A real dying art in this day and age of lazy folk who do not take the time to learn an age old trade and craft. This has been around as long as America,and way before. We need to keep the flame burning-thanks for all the kindling.-Darrell

Hey there! New to site but a leather craftsman for 30 years now. I had a shop and store in Los Angeles for nearly 10 Years before deciding I was losing the love of the art to keep a business afloat. I quit making my custom made moccasins for a living and went into the film industry and just do leather for the fun ,love, and art of it. O.K. sometimes I mix business and pleasure and make footwear and other things for the motion picture industry-but they really got to want it bad! I look forward to chatting with all of ya'all. I have an Adler walking foot machine that I bought new when I got in the biz and it has served me trouble free for 30 years and nearly 3000 plus pairs of moccasins and resoles. I use all heavy weight soft leather (8 oz. or so) Buffalo,Elk,bull,cow,deer,snake,pig,lizard etc. to create, soft, supple footwear. There are probably 50 or so of us (in this country) who all do a similar style of this footwear and through some strange leatherworker bloodline we are all related. Kind of akin to 6 degrees of Kevin Bacon (who I have worked with). From what I have seen already I am in the company of great and talented people with a vast knowledge base and can help me on my new endeavors.