YinTx

You'll do fine, they said. Can only go up from here, right? Not really a piece to show off, other than its the first time I've ever bar grounded something, and the bar grounder was smaller than the letter "B" on the quarter! Still need to get a smaller knife, I think it might help a little. As would a pair of magnifiers: could barely see the ends of these things! I did this on 3 oz Hermann Oak leather, might have been a bit heavy handed for as thin as it was. Pointers always welcome so I can actually tool something nice! YinTx

In a previous topic, I posted this: There are a lot of casing solution recipes on this website. Here are the few that I gleaned: Bruce Johnson’s casing solution recipe: 1.5 cups water, .5 cups Lexol conditioner, 1-2 tablespoons baby shampoo, 1 tablespoon listerine (brown). Ed the BearMan’s recipe: 4 Tablespoons of Lexol, 3 Tablespoons of Glycerin, 2 Tablespoons of Brown Listerine, about 40 drops of Dawn, or Joy , Mixed in 7 cups of warm Distilled water HidePounder’s recipe: 1 teaspoon of (Joy) soap and 1/2 teaspoon of glycerin to 2 quarts of water. There are others out and about the wide world of internet. I sort of cobbled my own off of a combination of the above, using glycerin, baby shampoo, Lexol, Listerine, and water. The water in the above recipes ranged from 1.5 cups to 2 quarts. Mine was the 1.5 cup version, I will add more water to reduce the ratio of conditioners to water, I think it may help. As you can see, they all have some type of conditioner already in them, so any additional neatsfoot oil after the fact I think becomes overkill. They do really facilitate carving and tooling tho. YinTx

Thanks, Ross. Either much patience, or a lack of speed. I didn't measure and count until I was done. Or I might not have made it half way through! Thank you! She likes pink... she likes black... I decided they would go good together and gave it a try. Thankfully, I think they did go good together! Thanks, but I think there are few individuals I would put this much effort in for, and the rest would likely not want to pay my asking price to make it worth my while. But, I could be wrong...on both counts. Also, I am considering altering the design to eliminate the lining and make the side stitching easier, this would likely greatly reduce the number of hours I would have to put in. We'll see, so many projects, so little time! I wasn't entirely happy with the edging, so hard to make an even line with textured leather like the Chevre Chagrin, thankfully it is passable! Big Sioux, thank you. I hope she likes it. and... How about a few more photos to tempt you then...

I keep telling myself I'll make one... haven't done it yet. Kudos, your's came out nice! YinTx

You've been gettin after it! I'd say you have it down pat and you are going to have a bunch of happy recipients! YinTx

Not a sneeze - a blink, motocouture. and leave it to robs456 to see that and point it out. Actually, not as bad as it looks in the first photo. The leather is curled on the end, making it look even worse than it already is. Still, I stand by my need for a Spirit Thread in my projects, stamping is no different. They show up, I don't even have to do them on purpose. Hey, bikermutt, here's one I sold recently: And this stamping project is for an IPad cover a good friend of mine ordered from me. When I get done, I'll post a pic. YinTx

The only easy stitches on the whole bag were the pockets. and the straps. Everything else was a stitch by stitch challenge. Managed to only poke myself once in ~2750 stitches. When you do the side panels, your left hand sweats a lot since it is in the bag the whole time, amazing how well leather insulates. Makes pulling needles through in a confined space a bit difficult. I used 3-4 oz Wickett and Craig Bridle leather. Doubled on the pockets so all sides are nice, and the main body was lined with a split to make it about 6 oz. It is about 10"x10"x4", not too heavy although I didn't weigh it. I used Tandy's Eco Flo Professional Edge Dressing (Black) made by Fenice. You are on point. It is for a client and someone I know. Long story short, my late best friend's widow married again a few years back. The current husband wanted something for her. She is a good friend of mine also. (if all that made sense...) I think I managed to cover materials on this one and make about $1/hr. He promised to video her when she opens it on Christmas - payment in full. Thank you, and thank you all for the nice comments. A lot of work went into this one, and I still see the requisite bad stitch and other not so perfect errors, so it's good to know that everyone still sees the beauty in it! YinTx Thank you! YinTx

Might never make another like this, but it came out ok I think. About 100 hours labor in this one, Rose Chevre Chagrin on black Wickett and Craig 3-4 oz Bridle leather (from NStarLeather), with 25 linear feet of hand stitching using Pink Fil Au Chinois Lin Cable thread. My hands are tired! YinTx

Wow $500 seems pretty inexpensive! Something for the Canadians to jump on: no border issues, low price! YinTx

? I suppose you don't like the little handcrafted stamp? Sadly, I don't have a fancy hot foil press, or a maker's stamp.. perhaps you'd like to make a donation I could use towards such a thing? Sadly, another artisan/perfectionist flaw I have reared it's head tonight, and I elected to donate a piece to the scrap bin that I was previously ok with, but changed my mind. Starting over on a carved wallet... Biker, Thanks for the compliment, I am selling some items these days. As far as antiquing, it is just one of those things I really want to get down right. I'll just keep on tryin different stuff, but sure is getting frustrating (and expensive). YinTx

Chas, I have watched that video in the past, several times. Interesting he shows the bottle on all the dyes and resists he uses, except the antique! Just calls it high lighter. In another video he did he mentions in the comments that it is water based, so I am presuming Eco Flow. All of the antiques I have are acrylic or the Fiebing's paste style antique. Resist I have been trying are Bee's, Angelus Acrylic, Clear-lac, Saddle lac, Tan Kote, Resolene, and probably some others I can't recall right now, none of which I have had great success with yet. I have had some success with using no resist, but then I don't get the coloring effects I am looking for. One day I'll hit the right note. Those aren't really samples, more like attempts I wasn't happy with. A couple of them came out well enough to use, they'll be on book covers, Ipad covers, 3-ring binders, etc. The rest will likely end up in the scrap bin, not a fancy saddle. And yes, many, many hours - and many other pieces that aren't shown. YinTx

stellar. YinTx

Normally, I would blame my tools for accomplishing this task.. but the pile on my right would attest that your comment about practice is on point... Thank you all for the positive comments on my basket weave, that was unexpected! I was pretty excited it came out so straight, didn't know if anyone else had that same obsession for good basketweave... now if I could just get the *%$(* antique to look decent I'd be a happier man! YinTx

Brian, I have been contemplating a watch strap with exotic leather, but wasn't sure where to start. You are a fount of knowledge, and I truly appreciate it when you share. Motocouture, I watch with bated breath... YinTx

Really enjoyed using my Beard basket stamp with a Barry King beader and Craftool Pro beveler...and an old border stamp on this Hermann Oak leather! Looking forward to finishing this project, this is version 3 of the same thing since I wasn't happy with the first two rounds.. Stamped from the center out, came out fairly straight I think.. YinTx

I picked up a lot of the Pro stamps that were on sale, and just tried out the bevelers. And got some of the regular tools at $3 ea, which I won't feel bad about modifying with a file and grinder. Pro tools worked awesome, worth every penny especially when you (and I) aren't ready or willing to step up to the $50+ tools. YinTx

There are entire threads on this site about the splitter on sale.. seems to pop up every year when their sale happens. I read through some, and opted to keep on looking for an older splitter and bypass the sale. YinTx

Awesome belts! YinTx

Could you maybe mix the fudge brown with a little bit of the cherry? This is an "all in one" dye and antique, so just using a Fiebing dye wouldn't do it, you'd have to dye and antique... YinTx

LMAO. Well played. Those...those are for sale... right? Otherwise you'd consume half your decision power during the day selecting a hammer each time you needed one... YinTx

That came out really nice. and for $25, a significant discount from what you could have asked. Make a few more, and sell for double that, and your days of no funding for internet access can be over! I've never attempted braid work, but yours looks very consistent to me. YinTx

LMAO, awesome. Or, buy/make tools to fit the drawing. There is a big sale on Craftool Pro tools right now, and those are pretty darn good quality for $10 or less! I have my online basket full... deciding whether or not to click that "buy" button... YinTx

I really dig the "thin blue line." YinTx

That. I think I missed fall, I don't remember it. Woke up on Friday to a freak snowfall! I think the last time that happened was Christmas Eve, 2004. Matt, the scroll was - for me anyhow - tiny as well, and I am surprised at how it turned out. Couple of things I would improve on, but it is growing on me as well. Thanks! robs456, it is possible, since I don't have anyone to tell me exactly what properly cased leather should feel like. It may have started a bit wet, but after I was done in 6 hours, I think it was a bit dry. What is it you see that I should be looking for to know if it is too wet or too dry? YinTx

Thank you Sheilajeanne. This was a Tandy Celtic cross pattern that they give away for free, but it is supposed to be like 10" tall, not this lil bitty thing. I have lots of lights shining on my work so I can see what the heck I'm doin. Here in south Texas, that means the A/C has to stay on in the winter. YinTx