SCOUTER

Good luck getting ANY osborne tools from Siegel! After 2 months of excuses I got mine from Zach White in less then a week!

Tom, Great helmets and great website! Question- Did the Vikings use chinstraps? :D Thanks for posting!

Regis, I live in NYC- If you think gun restrictions are tough by you? I gave up my pistols here because the permit FEE went up to a couple of hundred dollars a year just for a target permit. (Can you say financial intimidation?) I refused to be part of that and gave up my pistols. (until 20 minutes after I retire and FLEE this city!) Well, years ago a friend of mine introduced me to 10 meter airgun shooting. They have been doing it in europe for years. If you think you are a good shot, give it a try. It will surely humble you. 33 feet away the bull is the same size as the pellet! Hardest shooting I have ever tried. Lots of fun, quiet and safe. Plus no "cleaning". Airguns rule!

Marlon, I am still new to the understanding the whole sheridan style. I know there are certain rules and criteria that make it "sheridan"... I like your design. Questions- Is your signature on the bottom of the design? (Are we looking at it 90 degrees over?) It looks good at all angles but does gravity play a role in designing sheridan? (or can any sheridan design be flipped to suit?) Thanks!

Like stated in the above... The only way to get rid of streaks is to saturate the leather with dye and as you know by doing that the piece becomes slightly darker. So the question is and always has been how do we get the color we want? Two simple answers (yeah right) 1- dilute or REDUCE the dye color so that when saturated the piece will be the right color and 2- Prep the leather somehow so that it will not absorb so much dye. Most of us believe that answer one is the way to go because it will last a long time. Answer 2 might not hold up as well but for some projects (like carvings) it might not matter. Example of number 2- prep leather with some leather sheen, let dry then try your dye... The color out of the bottle will look very similar to the finished product with one coat. Problem- the dye will tend to rub off on your hands because it has not penetrated the leather. Let us know what you settle on! Good Luck

Richard! Nice Bag! The stitching on the handle came out GREAT! I also like the Oak tree branch you added! Sweet! Lucky Becky

I needed a larger cutting mat to cut some larger pieces of leather. I have seen mats online bit they were a bit pricey after shipping... Well, today I was at Staples and bought a "CHAIRMAT" for $36 bucks. It looks exactly like the smaller Poly cutting boards I now use. The size is 36" x 48" it is semi flexible and semi transparent. This mat is made for HARD FLOORS and don't have the carpet protrusions found on other mats. They also have a larger size available. I'm sorry but I tried looking it up on the Staples website but it isn't listed. the maker is E.S Robbins and the model is Item# 672926.

Beeza, Wow! Great depth and awesome tooling. As much as I'm not a color guy, that flag is screaming for some RED, WHITE and BLUE. Remember The Captain America! (like who dosen't) For newbies- http://home.ama-cycle.org/membersonly/muse...Classic_600.jpg

Luis, I rented John Bianchi's DVDs from SmartFlix... Best rental ever! Bianchi is one of the top holster makers around and he holds nothing back on the DVD. Great instructor and great DVD!

Awesome Job! When I first looked I thought it was a cut-out stitched onto a seat! WOW!

Howard, AWESOME! Not only did you NAIL the Rose tooling but you really did a great job coloring and shading the whole floral pattern! What paints, and dyes did you use? Great stitching job also!

BigHearn, Belt looks very nice... I don't know how deep you were "in" before but this site will turn you into a born again leatherhead... Be warned! Welcome!

Kevin, Now I need to know how to get drool off my keyboard. Holy cow that is beyond beautiful! You Stitching GURU!

Marlon, Love the tooling! Great design!

Of all the posts I have ever posted or read, I think that you all hit it right on the head. That's what is so great about this forum, it's having people like the above making sense out of something that can leave us scratching our heads... Thanks very much! P.S. As for the sheath, I wound up just giving it to him. It turns out the guy really appreciates Leatherwork. I gave it to him at work and he walked around all day showing people. Within a few hours I had people asking me if I can make this and that all day. I think because we are in a time where people have "very little free time", crafting skills are not as prevalent as they were years ago when people due to lack of money and lots of free time, had many hobbies. "Hey can you make me a Jacket?" :mellow:

Roo, Outstanding! When I first looked at the piece I thought it was embossed! What great depth! Great job and great subject! Don't sweat the paint thing... I like it! PS Thanks for the link

Tony, From the web "Many knives have a small "choil" (a small diameter cut out) at the back end of the sharp edge, which makes it easier to sharpen the blade. It allows you to sharpen the entire edge without damaging either the stone or the knife." Hope that helps..

Hello Richard, Trade secret my :deadhorse: You can get even by outselling them! You're right Black Ox hardware will rust just by looking at it. Most of the new Black hardware is more rust-resistant. I buy all my machinist hardware from Travers tool company @ https://www.travers.com/Default.asp many people also go to McMaster-Carr @ http://www.mcmaster.com/ also MSC @ http://www1.mscdirect.com/cgi/nnsrhm?KNC-T7L391316886 I'm sure you can find the hardware you need thru one of them... Good luck!

Hola Wido! Your English is better then my Spanish! Are you sure that the Leather S t r e t c h e d ? Maybe the foam SHRUNK that could happen if the paint you used to make the seat black leached thru the leather and disolved the foam. (I have seen that happen) Anyway, Welcome! Good luck! Adios

Hello Dave, Just a quick note on Lacquers (neat-lac). The thinner that thins lacquer will ruin many things. Many times if you spray to heavy of a coat on anything the thinner in the lacquer will make the base coat "bleed" and blotch. Randy is right, make sure base is DRY and then spray first coat or two of lacquer very light. Let it build up a little and you should have no problem. PS. Believe me, WE FEEL your pain.. Been there done that!

DevilDog, Sweet Quiver! Missing 3 things... Eagle, Globe and anchor. Mortars are HEAVY! 0311-Here - Travel light... Freeze at night... :D

Warren, Wow! I can't believe you got that leather to fold like that! I am sure that belt is SUPER STRONG! When did they start going to belts that weren't "straight" when open? Nice work! Thanks for posting!

Drac, I like it! Was it hard sewing around the skull? How did you keep the stitching so even all the way around the skull with the Kenmore?

Last week a friend of mine asked me if I could make him a sheath for his 20 year old Puma knife. I agreed because I can use the practice. I asked him what type he wanted and he said it was up to me but keep it simple. Well, I always liked that western style look with that beautiful rich golden reddish tan saddle color. Like a saddle, rifle scabbard, or other classic western tack. I started by drawing a design, making a pattern, cutting, tooling, dyeing, attaching snaps, sewing... Now I know I am a hobbyist and this is just fun for me but it took me over 4 hours. I know I am super slow but even if you were real fast it has to take an hour.. Right? How much can one charge for a sheath, holster or saddle!? I take my hat off to all the leatherworkers out there that can pop out quality work and make a living! I would be Hungry and homeless.

Buffalo, When something comes out that good isn't it hard to give it to your brother-in-law?! Nice Color! How did you do it? Also is it Lined?