YinTx

Looks like normal heavy veg tan to me. Would tool very well, I suspect, except for the belly pieces, they will be a bit stretchy. Take one and spray it with water, it should soak it up and become flexible. Then you could tool/stamp it as you wish. After, add dye, neatsfoot oil, aussie conditioner, whatever you like, should be good! YinTx

Depending on the type of antique used, I can get a much higher level of resist with the RTC. RTC is more expensive. Highest level of resist comes from Fiebing's Pro Resist, and Clear Lac. All depends on the final look you are after, I think. Also, which one works best for you. I've had to experiment around with a lot of different resists until I found a way I am somewhat comfortable with. Still experimenting, actually. YinTx

What tool are you using for beveling your swivel knife cuts? I'm thinking that may be an issue for starters... YinTx

I guess I can scratch South Dakota off of the list of possible retirement locations... Here it is just too hot.. too wet.. too hot and too wet, or too hot, wet and windy from a hurricane. It snowed a couple inches this winter, everyone freaked out. I woke up late and never saw it. YinTx

Ok, I'm confused. One person has problems at 60%, another stores stuff at 60% humidity. I would think mold would be an issue at that range? What other problems do you get? I was quick casing, and put just one spray too much and had to wait nearly 2 days for the leather to come back running refrigerated air (which helps dry the air) here on the coast. YinTx

That is some fantastic work! I really like the color combination. YinTx

Very clean! Looks fantastic. So this is 14-16 oz total thickness? YinTx

Just outstanding. I like the work you did on the fur. I have tried to emulate it, but no success yet. I now have another work of art to study! Thanks for that! YinTx

I really like how that turned out! Did you cement the leather to the wood? YinTx

I quite using rapid rivets for any application that requires strength. Even well set, it seems you can pull them apart. Solid rivets etc. are a better bet if you are relying on them for anything other than decoration. YinTx

Thanks much, bikermutt! Thanks, Fire88. Still haven't found a taker for the second one... might have to abuse it myself. Thinkin to try a tooled guitar strap next... YinTx

Thats a neat one, I don't recall seeing that one before. Several folks around here work on restoring these machines, so hopefully they will pipe in with some useful info, manuals, parts etc for you! Hope you share the final version when you are all done with it! YinTx

So the saw was $20, plus the cost of the blade? Is it normally used with flowing water, or just cut the granite dry? Does it make a cloud of dust? Been wondering, as I have a pile of granite I want to do things with, but don't want to deal with fogging out the neighbors with a massive cloud of stone dust. Also looking for decent ways to round the edges, same issue. I'm going to have to look for this! Thanks for the pointer. YinTx

Those look really nice. I've been dreaming to make this type of bag for some time... maybe I'll get time in the near future! YinTx

Let us know! Had no idea we were being hoodwinked. YinTx

I think I have an old one, it is probably a Tandy. Each of the 4 sides seems different. It is fairly slick on wet leather, for that reason I was assuming PTFE, but could well be nylon, I didn't look that closely. Don't have pics of anything I have used it on, since I don't use it as often as I probably should. YinTx

Awesome way to get a belt measurement! Great looking belts also! YinTx

BTW, she posed with that thing, made sure I had photos of all three sides. somethin else. I think she was disappointed when I removed it...

She is, and a total character. Will carry on a conversation with you if you want. Thanks. She did seem to like it, which was a surprise, as she doesn't usually tolerate collars at all. Thanks for that bit of info! Never even heard of a Tortoiseshell cat until you called it out! My brother brought her in as a stray, and she won't leave now. He's not really a cat person, but they get along like rum and coke - a match made in Heaven. YinTx

Those are absolutely awesome. The individual tooling those for you isn't able to do more? YinTx

Tried my hand at a cat collar, had a model that generally does not like to wear a collar. Let me know what ya'll think! Will try a narrower version for the next time... still looking for a good source of small buckles for this kind of application. YinTx

Awesome creativity, excellent design. Look forward to seeing what else you come up with! YinTx

How tiny? I have several sizes, and I can give you the number off of them if you give me an idea how small you are looking for. YinTx

Those look fantastic. Any issues gripping the smooth finish? The saddles look quite comfortable. YinTx

Also, regarding casing. I have done both in my short time tooling. On occasion, I will discover that the leather absorbs the moisture unevenly, and thus will tool unevenly if I don't let it sit for an hour or so. If I am doing something small and simple, quick casing is great. If I am doing something I feel is more complex and I don't want any difficulties beveling etc, I'll bag it for a few hours and let it set out for a bit. I guess what I am saying is both methods work for me, and I adapt/use which ever one I feel I have time for or I think the leather might need for a particular project. Nice to see I am not wrong in doing so, considering all the banter for/against each method! Thanks for sharing, Mike! YinTx