bikermutt07

Yeah, no. Haha

Great job. I would love to have a leather top hat, but it's just too dang hot down south.

Thanks Munk.

Great job.

That would be the Knipknife in action. I love my French model. Thanks. I did make a simple belt during the holiday. Just a single layer of 7-8 oz. Nothing to write home about. It had a few issues.

I did a large tote for my wife's birthday year before last. Liked to killed me.

I haven't. I've got quite a variety of stuff on hand for my hobby level. Ha! So true. I got turned off in the spring. I made a bad purchase on a Maker's Mark stamp. And then the guy wouldn't make it right. Then I had a wallet go to poop. And then, I was slammed for the summer with some super labor intensive stuff. It just kept me wore out. Just a lot of things wore my inspiration down for a bit.

I avoid a lot of projects for the same reason. I won't even consider a purse of back pack.

Sounds good. I think that if they don't sell for ten, I'll let the ladies at church but them for 5. They will buy them for sure.

Well after taking six months off from my hobby I have finally made something. They aren't much to "show off" though. These are simple coin purses from a Wuta pattern. Very simple construction and quick to bang out. The burgundy ones are 4-5 horween horse butts and the brown ones are 2-3 horse fronts. I got both from Maverick. Hardware was Tandy clearance. I did these for a church craft fair. They should last forever. I'm thinking ten bucks is reasonable. What do y'all think? Anywho, enjoy.

That is awesome. Congratulations on the success.

You can split it. The more you can split off the better. Or, sand it. I then use tokonole with a glass slicker. It works wonders on the flesh side and edges.

The search engine on this site is a little lacking. If you Google football patterns, I'm sure it will lead you to the right thread on this site.

Welcome, on the small item approach do several of the same thing in batches. You will gain experience faster, spending more time with each step. If you botch one, save it for a tester on the next step. This way you don't have to start all over (that is frustrating). As for books, these are my recommendations....... The Art of Handsewing, Al Stohlman. Leather Tools, how to use them, how to sharpen them, again Al Stohlman. These are two cheap books that pay off huge dividends. If you are not comfortable with sharpening, you'll have to learn. I was at it for awhile before I realized I had to know how to sharpen things. If you can find F.O. Beard's "Leather Secrets", it has some of every technique, pattern, and process. It really is a wealth of information, although dated. Have fun.

I would have to guess that this is poor leather, since you mentioned no previous problems with the dye. I have a side and a half of 3oz veg from Tandy that always comes out ugly, unless I dye it full strength.

The chap leather I got from Weaver was chrome tanned and had a corrected grain 4-5oz. I'm not sure if that answers all of your questions. I'm not really educated on this leather myself. Oops, this is an old post.

Y, your work sure has come a long way in a short amount of time. That looks awesome.

Coat both surfaces and allow them to "flash". Then lay the paper on one suface completely covering it. Double over one end of the paper. Lay the second layer on top. Then slowly work the paper out as you tack the corners and edges. It's easier to do than to explain.

You are a fountain of information, Bruce.

I don't but try some coloring books.

This was a great thread, Moto. I wouldn't know where to start out with a bag like that, but here's a little tip that might help. Whenever I do lamination I use wax paper. It really helps with lining up the edges and doesn't stick to anything. Keep having fun.

Those look great, munk. I'm sure mum will love'em.

Hand splitting is very difficult even with a super sharp blade. The most I have done is 4" on my 8" heritage. And that was some work.

I just did my first belt this weekend. Walnut color and finished with Aussie. I was wearing it the second day. No bleeding. To buff it I used a piece of canvas and ran the strap through my hand several times.

Yep, ditch the Eco flow. Every thread I ever read here about Eco flow was concerning problems with Eco flow. I have never used the water based products and after all the reading here, I never will. Get a bottle of fiebings black pro (oil) dye. I have read many times about people dying the leather a dark color first, then applying the black. I would let the black set a day or two. Then buff the heck out of it. Once you did that, apply a light coat of Aussie and buff again.