SCOUTER

Outstanding!

Art... "I have a 288lb Hay-Budden." Sweet!

Hey Roo! Very informative! Thanks! I would like to also add one thing- Temperature plays a huge role in many pains that Leatherworkers experience. That is the Temperature of the damp Leather and cold marble or granet slab that we rest the heels of our hands on while tooling. I for one am VERY sensitive to this so what I do is have a small piece of thick cardboard that I rest my hand on... Never letting my heel come in contact with the tooling slab. Try it, you will feel much better after the project!

Thanks much Crystal, Duke and Bruce! I know all too well about the "slipage"... After not riding for years I decided to take some lessons so that I can learn the "right" way. I like Western style just because . Most stables here in the North East teach English. My Sister is taking lessons in that style and when she asked me why I want to ride Western I tole her "Cowboys rule"

Hey Walletman, let us know how you like it! Many Leatherworkers don't like the Poly heads because they are a little "bouncy".

Fowlball, Nice job! Great Basketweaving! Can you tell us what dye/finish you used? Thanks!

Hey Rookie- When tooling very light leather you might want to Rubber Cement it to a piece of good semi-thick American made coated cardboard. That helps many times by "giving" a little to the tooling and giving you a little more relief. Also the rubber cement solvent will evaporate thru the top of the leather. It's ok it will dry off.

Shorts- I so feel your pain! Now whenever I buy snaps or rivets I always buy the longest available and then cut them down myself. If they are too long they "fold-over" and if they are too short they don't hold! I like to assemble the piece and see how much I have to cut off then use a Dremel with cut-off wheel to trim the "post". This method works good for very thick or an unusual thickness.

Hey Tom, Great colors and fun designs!

Wow! Amazing "tutorial"! Beautiful stuff! Can I ask a foolish question? Why are stirrups made this way? Is there a reason why many stirrups are not made of metal? Also- Why do so many stirrups seem a little small? I used to joke that Western boot makers designed stirrups to keep them in business! Is it that real cowboys would never wear construction boots!?

Coleman, I never heard of that! Sounds like it might work good without the "bulk". Is that a common procedure? I have never seen that in any lacing manuals! Thanks for the tip!

Roo! Outstanding job on the mask and the tutorial! Fantastic photography! Right to the point descriptions... Thankyou so much! You're the best!

Steve, Beautiful Site! Beautiful Work!!! LOTS of eye candy! Looks like you are living the good life!

Andy! You would be amazed at how many different skills are represented here! I don't know of any other forum with so many diverse talents all rolled up into one! You will like it here! Glad to have you!

Awesome! Beautiful work!

Johnny, Nice job! Your lacing is fantastic!

Spider! Nice work! Again, How do you do the metalic color? And How does it hold up? Great piece...

Swede! WOW! The colors, textures, lacing, and lettering are all awesome! Fantastic job!

Wow! Great website and wonderful write-up! Beautiful work!

Well today was a good day! I received my PIF from CECIL! What wonderful work! An absolutely beautiful rendition of Abraham Lincoln in a beautiful Oak frame! Cecil Thankyou so much! The carving was so deep that I thought it was embossed! The color of the piece was perfect! I Love it!

HorseHair, I have to agree with Barra and the above posters... 20 years ago USMC Infantry style boot break-in involved a tight lace up followed by some immersion in water (usually by humping thru a swamp) and then sitting in the sun for a couple of hours while cleaning our weapons. The result boots that fit like a glove! aka-wetforming. Spraying a boot with a water/alcohol mix without wearing them in my opinion wouldn't do anything.

Hilly, Fiebings deglazer and alcohol and other cleaners will get off all the waxes and oils that are on the leather prior to stain application... However Fiebings Saddle Tan dye can be a bear to use. If you want that nice golden saddle color that looks so warm and inviting you might find that in order to get coverage you will find it becomes a little DARK. From what I understand the Fieblings PRO-dye (has oil in it) tends to give that look much easier. Hopefully someone here can give you the best way to get that look... Possibly by pre-trating the leather with oil so the absorbtion is limited... Good Luck!

Marlon, Thanks for posting... I just LOVE Peter's work!

Bever, This is a real eye-catcher! Outstanding! The color possibilities are endless! SWEET!