Rusty

I buy mine from S-T Leather in St. Louis, MO. It costs $3.50 plus shipping for an 8 ounce package. Rusty

Alex - twenty years ago, I'd have jumped on the chance to do a project that would have been seen half way around the world, but these days, due to arthritis creeping into my hands and failing eyesight, I've gone back to doing my leather work as an enjoyable hobby rather than a business, and, frankly, I enjoy it much more now than I ever did when I was making a living at it. I work on what I want to, and when I want to, and you just can't put a price on that. I do appreciate your compliment, and sorry about not accepting your order, but I'm sure there are members here in this forum that are as good - some even alot better, and I'm sure you can find someone to fill your wish. Thanks. Rusty

Grumpy - I know there is one old boy in Mount Vernon that works strictly on saddles and tack, and I've heard there is a shop in the Amish Settlement outside of Opdyke. Other than those two......?? And, I can't really tell you anything about either one of the ones I mentioned - I haven't been to either place - got three Purple Hearts in Vietnam, and I'm a mite stove up, so I don't drive. Looks like there ought be some shops south of here though - lots of horses and saddle clubs located throughout southern Illinois. Rusty

Spider, back when I called myself being in business, I had yearly magnetic calendars and other magnetic advertising made up to give to customers - always some left over each year, and they'd just wind up in a corner someplace (hate to throw anything away). So this is a way for me to utilize them as well as use up some of the pieces of scrap leather in my scrap box. Not a bad idea, huh? Rusty

I'm familiar with both places Grumpy - born and raised in this area, joined the Marine Corps back in '65, stayed gone for quite a few years, but I'm back home now. Odd how we, as young folks, can't wait to leave our hometown, and, as we age, we begin to long for a return to it. Rusty

On the coloring - I used Fiebing's Tan Antique Finish and Fiebing's Black Leather Dye. As to the size - I used the Stohlman patter found on page 25 of The Al and Ann Stohlman Personal Patterns Portfolio - Volume Two - nice patterns in there if you're into tooling horses. The pattern measures approximately 5 by 8. I attached a couple of other magnets that I made from the Al Stohlman pattern on page 24 of How To Carve Leather - they measure approximately 4 by 4. I used different shades of brown with the light areas being plain. For some reason, when I scanned them, they took on a reddish tint - don't know why, but, then, most things about this computer are pretty new to me. Anyway, as with anything new, this magnet thing is kind of cool.

Luke, I'm right at 40 miles near 'bout due north of Metropolis (McLeansboro,IL) - boast a population of around 2,000 - kind of place where you can leave your door unlocked when you leave, and everything will still be there when you get back, or leave your keys in the car when you go into the store, and not worry about it being there when you return - not a real exciting place, but real comfortable. Rusty

Another one of my "try it, and see how it works" This was a hurry-up job for my niece's birthday - yep, she loves buckskin horses. I made this one into a refrigerator magnet by gluing the finished product to an old advertising magnet, let it set up, and then, with an exacto knife, trimmed off everything but what you see. With the magnet behind everything, it doesn't curl while hanging. Rusty

Thank you for the welcomes and the compliments- I feel comfortable here amongst folks who share a passion for leathercraft, and, although I've been beating on one piece of leather or another for a number of years, I am always open to trying something new, and I surely enjoy looking at the work other members have posted. Y'all do some fantastic work. Randy, I'm located about 300 miles south of Chicago - 'bout 100 miles southeast of St. Louis, MO. Rusty

Yeah Tracy, I've always had a degree of difficulty with my dying - just when I think it's right, I stand back and look at it, and, sure enough, I'll have to do something else to it. This hobby seems to be a never-ending education.

Thank you Scouter - I got tired of doing the same thing day in and day out - belts, wallets, purses, etc., so I decided to try something a little different - got into figure/pictorial carving, and I'm loving it. Always room for improvement though. I do like the uniqueness of the frame - I've seen numerous leather projects displayed, and they always seem to be displayed inside a glossy wooden frame, which, to me, seems to take something away from the overall appearance, so I thought I'd try doing it my own way. Once I've decided on the frame width, I mark the inside border with a wing divider, the diagonal corners with a ruler and stylus - then I cut them in with a swivel knife, bevel, and matt away from them to give them a raised appearance, and I make the wood grain with a stylus. The beauty of it being that wood grain is like clouds - no set pattern. I've attached another example of a frame - the scan/print picture had a coffee cup set on it, so it's not too impressive, but I'm more interested in showing the difference of the two frames - both made the same way - just different grain. Rusty

I have to confess, there was a time when I was intimidated by the thought of figure carving and pictorial carving until I figured - what the hey - and decided to give it a try. I think I'm getting a little better with each piece I do. As for the dye - the gold is cova dye, and the sky is a mixture of light blue and white cova dye. The rest of it is dyed with Fiebing's spirit dyes. I have an air brush and compressor, but I started out in this hobby using bristle brushes, and tend to stick with them whenever possible - old dog, new tricks..... Rusty

Thanks Scouter. It's made from one piece of leather, and, after I finish the picture, I carefully cut the outer border with an exacto knife - time consuming, but I think it enhances the picture. Rusty

Thanks guys. I've attached a scan of the photo that I used for the pattern. I think I got fairly close. Ralph