Tugadude

All chemical materials have an expiration date. I have some Fiebing's Edge Paint that smells terrible in the bottle, but after it is applied, the odor seems to dissipate. I actually have two, one black, one brown and only one smells bad. As someone who has had a career of selling chemicals, and products comprised of various chemicals, I do not find it unusual that some products develop bad odors over time. Many products, especially water-based, can harbor biologic growth, i.e., mold, mildew, fungus, algae, etc., etc. which can smell ripe. Some products have inhibitors added to stem the grown of biologics, but many don't, and they don't work forever either. If I were you, I'd purchase the smallest practical size of paint and understand that it will indeed "go bad" at some point.

One possible reason is that the cardboard won't stretch, whereas the leather does. Adding a stiffener that won't stretch will make the attachment more robust. I say robust, even though it obviously deteriorated, but I doubt the deterioration had to do with the cardboard.

I'm a throwback in a lot of areas I guess. Writing on paper, in general, is a lost art. Many take notes on their phone or tablet. I'm stubbornly refusing to give up my ink.

Thanks. There are now several companies putting out fountain pens designed for the EDC enthusiast. Many are metals, titanium, brass, and copper, and smaller than the usual desk-style pens. Good times!

Very nice. I like the pen also. My mother was a fountain pen collector. Even wrote a book on inkwells, the ornate, desk set types. What brand is the pen?

Most here are nice! I noticed a typo that showed up on two pages, same mistake. It is in the sentence where you say you don't use zippers. You say "uses" zippers, should be use zippers. May seem like a small thing, but it drives some folks nuts to see typos on a web page. Also, the sentence in the verbiage under the "About Us" tab, where it says "No catchy or nasty surprises" doesn't really make sense and I wonder whether you need to even bring up "nasty surprises". Did you mean no "catches"? Otherwise it seems to refer to catchy surprises and I don't think that is what you wanted to say. Stay positive. That's the best bet, in my book. I also noticed a page where a link took me to the wrong page. If you click on the "Latitude" bag, under categories it says "Computer Bags, New Arrival". Clicking on "Computer Bags" takes me to the "Custom" page. Clicking on "New Arrival" also takes me to the "Custom" page. People get frustrated when something unexpected happens like that. Your photos appear to be very nice. I think the overall appearance of the site is good. Stuff is easy to read, and that is appreciated. Another thing I noticed is when you click on "Shop" in the header of the site it doesn't take you to the store, but shows two possible links, "Cart" and "Checkout", is that what you intended? To me it should take you to the store. Good luck with your venture!

Regarding "fearing the Chinaman", as stated above, that misses the entire point. I have nothing against the Chinese people, it is their government I have an issue with. They have no power and when they try to speak up, we all know all too well what happens to them. And then there are the human rights abuses with forced labor and interment camps. They also have no respect for copyright or any other intellectual property laws. They copy everything and they are very good at it. In one of my other hobbies, creators will write books or publish videos which sell for anywhere from tens to hundreds of dollars. You can get them a month later from Chinese sites for $1.99. Need I say more? I think not. We all buy things made in China because sadly we sometimes have no option. Many of the drugs we are taking come from there. But when I have a choice, I choose not to. And I hope others begin to follow suit. But if they insist, not much I can do about it.

I wanted to make certain it was the same company. Sorry if this turned into a "anti-China" thread, but I believe it is best to try to find alternative sources. For what it's worth, based on the photos, the products look nice. There is a spectrum of quality in China just like everywhere else. There is junk and then there is some really, really quality stuff. And everything in-between. Perhaps you'll find someone here who has done business with this specific manufacturer, but don't be surprised if you don't.

These people? Nice looking but I avoid China whenever possible. Personal choice, YMMV. https://www.instagram.com/p/CaZVgETPajY/

https://losspreventionmedia.com/are-rfid-blocking-wallets-necessary-to-prevent-credit-card-theft/

Nowadays there’s a better chance you will lose your whole wallet to a pickpocket than encounter someone exploiting RFID.

For attaching a tie down?

When I took my first job as a manufacturer's rep., a regional manager, I had South Dakota as part of my territory. A guy from Sioux Falls called me one day, asking where my nearest dealer was. I recall telling him they were nearly 4 hours away and I said it apologetically. His response? No problem! Bear in mind that folks in my hometown are upset when they have to travel 20 minutes more in order to obtain something. Different perspectives for sure. No nonsense allowed! But seriously, it appears they all love what they are doing. I wish we all were as fortunate.

And even if they had the money, they had to travel hours to the nearest stores. There was a small general store (actually run by my father's uncle), but they had only basic household consumables. One of my father's favorite jokes: When the toilet paper was getting low in the outhouse, my father called Montgomery Ward to order a case of rolls. After dad provided the shipping information, the clerk asked my father for the catalog number of the toilet paper he was wanting. My father replied, "Catalog? If I had your darned catalog, I wouldn't need the toilet paper." And then he'd laugh so hard...

Another thing that I thought was really sweet was how Charon talked about the comfort of the horse when designing a saddle. And another thing I noticed was the Billy Cook Saddles sign on the shop wall. Shows she remembers her roots and her mentor. I'm not in the market for a saddle, not owning a horse, but if I did, I'd be wanting one of hers.

The host reminds me of Val Kilmer in Tombstone. Definitely some resemblance there. Another thing my father taught me was the old waste not, want not. it does come along with some drawbacks, namely a tendency to hoard, but it has saved me time and again. As long as I'm sharing stories of my father, another thing I recall is when he told me about how all of the farmers would help each other. When someone's barn burnt to the ground, they would go through the ashes and collect as many of the nails as they could find. They'd straighten them and reuse them. My father showed me how, and I still do it to this day.

Thanks Chuck! She is wicked smart. Reminds me of my Aunt, who was always a step ahead of most folk. That was time well spent.

Thanks for sharing this! Always fun to watch these sorts of things. Regarding tools, imagine how hard it was to obtain them back in the day. Many were probably made by the artisan themselves, and some by the local blacksmith, if there was one. I'm sure there was lots of overlap, using the same tools on metal, leather and even wood. What's cool is that this continues to this day, with several here at this forum able to fabricate their own tools, knives, etc., in addition to leatherworking. That's one of the things that has always impressed me, resourcefulness. My father was a farmer and I remember him telling me about the ways they had to do things in order to just get by. There were no stores where they could buy replacement parts for their farm implements, so they frequently had to jury rig something just to keep working. Ingenuity and resolve abounded. Humans are capable of quite a lot. More than many know.

Personally, and I can obviously only speak for myself, but I don't put much stock in reports such as this. Not to say the poster is fabricating anything, but because the supplier has no chance to explain their side of the story. And I guarantee there's another side to the story, there always is. So I don't know that it is fair to the supplier. We do have a few Aussies on the site and I have to believe somebody probably knows him or at least of him. In any event, it will likely be a small audience as this is an Australian dealer. I visited the company's website and it appeared professional and seems to have been in business since 1982 for what that's worth.

NDphung, all of the examples are more than adequate and would look just fine depending on the project. The thicker thread isn't my style, but would look just fine on large bags, holsters, etc. My preference is the 3.0mm and both the diamond and flat irons yield a very attractive, consistent result. Thanks for sharing your work with us!

Thanks. It is the first in the items on the page. I says "The Perfect Stitching: What Does It Require"

Would be helpful if you could provide a link. I tried to look them up on Instagram but was unsuccessful. If they have helpful information it should be detailed here.

Yes, nice work. And the knives themselves are beautiful. Do you have a website, or an Instagram page?

I think the value of these kits is as a starter project. For example, in scouting, these can make a relatively easy project and the kids can decorate them in a variety of ways. They end up with a usable item that they crafted, even if it is only assembly. From there, they might want to tackle something else, and on, and on. My older brother did that.

Just to be clear, this is the sort of kit I'm talking about. The holes come pre-punched.