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cicftaiwan

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  1. cicftaiwan
    This popular folding coin purse design makes for a great leather project. Small enough to conveniently store in your pocket or purse but able to store a large amount of coins in. It also opens up nice and wide so you can get what you need quickly and easily. To add value and beauty to the purse I have used several types of exotic leather for aesthetics through the circular cutout of the purse frame. I have used both alligator skin and gazelle hide as examples for this tutorial. A PDF pattern with a detailed list of leather types, tools, and products used in this project can be downloaded from Fischer Workshops. Just click on the following link to be directed to the download page...Exotic Leather PDF Pattern DownloadI have also published a video tutorial to demonstrate the step by step process I go through in making the purse. The video is only 10 minutes long, but it took me about 2 hours to complete this project. I chose to stain the leather by hand which is the longest process in making the purse. I suppose if you bought pre-stained leather you could finish this project in about an hour. To see the video just click on the link below... Thanks and Enjoy!
  2. cicftaiwan
    Some printers including mine don't accept tracing paper, so I use this simple hack to get around it. Here is a youtube video illustrating how. Hope this helps!
  3. cicftaiwan
    I am from overseas and will be in Arizona for the summer and was hoping to stock up on quality tools for leather carving and tooling. I was wondering if anyone could recommend somewhere in Arizona where I might be able to buy tools from someone who is really skilled in tooling. I brought some of my work with me hoping to have a professional see where I can improve and what tools I should buy to help improve my work. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated! Thanks!!!
  4. cicftaiwan
    Up till now I've used water or Eco-Flo burnishing gum on leather. Then while looking for better products I came across Seiwa leathercraft tokonole burnishing gum. It's from Japan and looks more like white glue than a clear gel. It's much easier to apply and provides very quick results. 1 application is enough and it leaves a very even coat and color after burnishing. It's especially fast when you are trying to burnish a large area. I've noticed in Asia that this is the preferred product used by most leather professionals. Has anyone else in this forum tried this product before? I'd be curious of what you think? Anyways, if you are looking for a better solution for burnishing, give this one a try. I'm sold!
  5. cicftaiwan
    Hi, A friend asked me to make him a nice backpack with a draw string opening on the top with a fold over cover. Could anyone suggest to me where I might look for some patterns that might work? Thanks!
  6. cicftaiwan
    That's great to hear! Thanks you!
  7. cicftaiwan
    Thank you! Thanks Monica! Cool! Thanks!
  8. cicftaiwan
    I've been playing with a variety of leather dyes and stains over the years trying to come up with some unique and beautiful effects. I'm still learning, but I've posted a tutorial on youtube for anyone that might be looking for some more creative staining techniques to really make your projects eye-catching. Click here to go to my video link. I've also posted a video tutorial on the wallet I'm staining in the video. Click here to go to the wallet tutorial. Enjoy!
  9. cicftaiwan
    Very helpful! Thanks!
  10. cicftaiwan
    I was recently asked by a friend to make him something with alligator skin. I've never worked with this material before, but I was pleasantly surprised by how beautiful it can look blended in with other projects. Not sure if you would agree, but I thought I'd share some photos of the bag in case anyone else is interested in getting creative with exotic skins like alligator. Also the skin I used in this piece is from a fresh water alligator's tail piece. I got some of my design ideas from a Japanese artists piece and some of my own experimentation.
  11. cicftaiwan
    Have any of you sold goods on iCraft before.? I just found out about them today. ETSY is too big and it's hard to get your foot in the door when you are new to selling online. iCraft says it only sells handmade goods and crafts, and no retail. If you have tried them how have your sales been? Thanks!
  12. cicftaiwan
    A customer has asked me to make him a wallet out of alligator skin. This will be my 1st time to work with alligator skin. I have purchased a nice grade of freshwater alligator skin for the build. Since alligator skin is somewhat thin, should i wrap the alligator skin around another piece of 1.4mm leather for added strength? I also usually work with thicker hides, like 2.4mm and therefore use a thick waxed thread when saddle stitching. For alligator skin what kind of thread would you recommend I use? Any other tips you can offer to help before I get to work on this build would be greatly appreciated. I'd hate to ruin a single inch of this stuff, it's expensive$$$! Thanks!
  13. cicftaiwan
    Thanks for the tip! I'll give it a try.
  14. cicftaiwan
    That's cool! I was wondering if others did it this way as well. I first learned how to trace and carve from the tandy videos, which teach to 1st trace onto trace paper then again onto leather.
  15. cicftaiwan
    Thanks! Your suggestions are very helpful! Up till now, I haven't made a lot of smaller projects, mostly bags and wallets... So I need to consider a lot on keeping within the workshops time frame and budget.
  16. cicftaiwan
    Hello everyone, I have been invited to host a leathercraft workshop at an event that is promoting handmade goods in Taiwan and am trying to come up with some suitable crafts for the event. I only have one hour for each workshop, so whatever project I have prepared needs to work within this time frame. Both children and adults might attend (children with a parents help). Any suggestions is greatly appreciated! Thanks, Chris
  17. cicftaiwan
    This is a simple technique I use to trace patterns onto my moistened leather. Instead of tracing the patterns to trace paper 1st why not trace it directly onto the leather from the printed pattern. 1st place a piece of food wrap over the moistened leather to prevent the printout from getting wet. 2nd, tape the printout over the area you want to trace the pattern onto the leather. Watch the tutorial to see how I do this. Works perfectly every time and the trace looks really nice. Let me know if it helps you!
  18. cicftaiwan
    Hi Bruce, Thanks for the compliment, and I'm sure you can do it and I hope I can see your work someday!
  19. cicftaiwan
    Wonderful! Thank you! Yes, lots of work, but fun! Thanks. Thanks Wonderful! Thanks!
  20. cicftaiwan
    Establishing a name and trust in this business is hard work. But there are ways to attract attention. Most of my sales come through social media advertising. Do you have a business page? It really pays to set one up and start attracting attention to your work and products. Best of all, it's free! Here is an article that might give you some good idea about advertising on facebook that have benefited my sales. Here's a link, http://www.career-evolution.net/how-to-promote-your-business-on-facebook.php PS. I live in Asia and the competition is high! So people are very picky about details in tooling. So when I started out I would work really hard on tooled projects and sell them for much less than the time I spent on them just to pay for materials, so I could improve my skills. You've done a pretty good job on your belt, but your lines could be smoother and the tooling details could be improved on. I have a video blog illustrating the tooling process I go through on youtube. Here's the link if you are interested,
  21. cicftaiwan
    Thanks benlilly1!
  22. cicftaiwan
    What do you think of our new tooled leather wallet. Please feel free to offer us any feedback or advice. Thanks! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GwBIzVlenRI
  23. cicftaiwan
    Passport holder

    From the album: Fischer Workshops tooled leather

  24. cicftaiwan
    change purse

    From the album: Fischer Workshops tooled leather

  25. cicftaiwan
    change purse

    From the album: Fischer Workshops tooled leather

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