JDRamsey

Tandy has an e-book on sandal making. I have the book that they offered in the early 70's and found that it is pretty informative. Here is the URL http://www.tandyleatherfactory.com/home/ebooks/EB-10011.aspx?feature=Product_13 Jim

Thank you. If anyone sees something that can be improved upon, please let me know. I already understand that the picture taking skills could improve by keeping the feet out of it.

Thank you. This is the second Targe I've made. The first was for a fellow Clan Ramsay member who lives in N.C. Thanks. Once the leather gets in one's blood, it's all over.

Thank you. We are aware that the coat of arms is the property of the Clan Chieftan, and should not be used without his permission. Even the Clan Crest without the belt and buckle surrounding it should not be used. As a member of the clan, I am allowed to make use of the crest that includes the belt that surrounds the crest. This is my understanding.

Thank you, Wyvern. Do you by chance make it to the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games? I wanted to go this year, but the day job is acting like a jealous mistress at this time, among other issues. If you get there, please stop by the Ramsay clan booth and tell them I said hello. Jim

A couple of pictures of the item currently in progress are attached. This is a 22 inch diameter shield with the Ramsay clan crest. Front is sun tanned, oiled 6/7 oz vegtan & the back is 4/5 oz vegtan, likewise sun tanned & oiled. The decorative nails on the front are hand forged iron, each 1/2 inch in diameter. The core is 3/4 inch exterior grade plywood. Handmade steel 'U' bracket are on the back to receive the arm and hand straps, which are yet to be completed. The finish is Aussie Conditioner by Fiebings. I may put on a layer of neutral Kiwi polish as a final finish coat. This item will decorate the front of the clan booth at Scottish festivals I attend. Please ignore the toes of the silly old man seen in the bottom corners of the first picture. Jim

Take your time, Donnie. I have a very full, demanding day job, so I understand completely. I have a thought about the center tassel that you don't want to be knotted inside. You could make a 3 strand braid for about 3/4" to an inch in the middle of the strands, which are cut long enough to develop a braided cord of the desired length, pull it through a couple of strategically placed holes in the front, and then combine them into a 6 strand braid on the outside, comng down to the length you want, ended in a terminal knot that is covered by the tassel, or the six strands beyond the terminal knot could be all or part of the tassel. You would have a loop inside rather than a knot. If that's a concern, you could sew a small patch style leather pocket or cover over the two holes to prevent the loop being pulled inward by a stray finger and thread the 3 strands through with a live eye needle. Might have to tape one end of the 3 strands to the needle to get it through, but I think that should work. The braiding takes a bit of time, but I think the results look very good. Down side is keeping the badger fuzz out of the way while you braid. Maybe a plastic protective cover over the braid between you and the fuzz would help. Just split the plastic in a couple of spots to about half way in, slide it over the two ends of 3 strand & tape the slots to keep it in place as a shield while you combine the two into 6 strands and then braid to length. You may already be familiar with this type of braiding, but if not, Robert Black has an extremely good set of instructional DVDs on braiding and tying several different decorative knots. That's where I learned to do all of the braiding that I do. This set of tutorials is well worth the 60 bucks. He has also put several good articles in the "Leather Crafter's and Saddler's Journal" that provides instructions on doing this very thing, but it may be a set of 4 strand looped into an 8 strand braid, I don't remember. I have several issues that contain some of his articles. The idea above is in my mind and there is an understanding of what I would do, but there may be assumptions I've made that shove my instructions into the realm of vague and incomplete. If there are any questions, feel free to ask. Do you think this would work ok, or are there pitfalls I just do not see? have a wonderful Easter. Jim By the way, I'm impressed with your Super Squirrel.

Wyvern, Fantastic! I have not logged into this site for a while, and just look at what I find when I do! This is lovely. It is uniquely your design, that's easy to see. I really like the Celtic knotwork under the cantle, and the contrasting colors are well done. Excellent job on the stitching. What was the order of assembly? What are the dimensions, about 8 x 9? Is the gusset tapered? Please drop me an email and tell me the nitty details of the good, bad, and ugly in its creation. I hope to learn from what you can tell me and any hints & tips you may have learned. How was the badger to work with? Cantankerous I bet. I had much trouble keeping the silver fox fur out of my way when constructing my own, not to mention the attraction it seemed to have for my nose. Couldn't keep the stray fibers away from my face. I'm in the thought process of making another one for myself that will have my clan crest on the leather under the cantle. It should be fun to do. You should be proud of this first of its kind. Great job from all I see in the picture. Jim

Kate, Thank you. I got over my laziness and retrieved the book that contains the art. If you want to find that pattern, it is on page 166 of the "Great Book of Celtic Patterns" by Lora S. Irish. Tandy Leather Factory carries that text and it is a good one. Jim

A few pictures are attached of a "Wander Bag" made from a pattern in the "Stohlman Book of Projects". This one does not have the normal Western Floral. This is a modified image from another book whose title I forget. This item has been completed for donation to the 2010 Columbus Scottish Festival, in Columbus, IN on Sept. 11 & 12. It will be a first prize for the winner of the Ladie's Haggis Toss contest. Of course, I'm never pleased with the outcome of my own tooling, but I thought this is one several of you might be interested in. Jim

Very unique, clean, original design. Pretty. You say it is made of horse hide. I've not done an intense search for horse leather, but have not seen it carried by any leather purveyors that I've seen. Where did you obtain this type of leather? Jim

Hey Wyvern, I received a catalog from them a couple of weeks ago but have not placed an order yet. I like the Celtic conchos they have available. I'll probably order from them before Spring. Have you done business with them yet? Jim

I, like you, got an EIN last year - in March for me. I ordered a Weaver catalog and received it. Then, in June, I decided to make a field trip to the Weaver location in Mt. Hope, Ohio. I went into their show room and received one on one demonstrations of all their tools in which I am interested. They had a record of my business on file, and I went back into their warehouse to select some leather sides. I ended up with 14 different pieces of leather. The veg tan Sadesa strap sides were the best quality I had ever seen, and I got to hand pick them with the help of one of their employees. I asked about one of their buckles that they have in the catalog but was not in the show room. They got one and gave it to me as a sample. They were very friendly, very helpful, and their prices were quite good. Their products are all first class. I paid for 1,200 + dollars worth of exceptionally good leather with a personal credit card, not a business credit card. No problem. Their headquarters is in the middle of Ohio's Amish country, and is a couple of steps back in time to a 'nicer' America than I'm used to. A good place to explore. Whoever told you Weaver would not sell to you unless you have a store front must have a subjective reason for saying so, and is in error according to the experience I have had with them when purchasing tools and raw materials. I have no idea about their finished goods. Other than being a satisfied customer, I have no other affiliation with Weaver. I highly recommend them. When you run a business, it is only good practice to obtain the best quality you can for the lowest price. The lower the price and higher the purchase volume per purchase, the greater your profit will be in the long term, as long as you utilize the materials in your final product, that is. That will help you to be successful. If you wish to continue to pay higher prices, your profits will suffer. If you rely on your business for a living, I feel it is your duty to purchase materials at the best price. Contrary to some folks in our government, we are still a capitalistic society. It is no sin to run a business for profit when producing a quality product. My own opinion. Jim

Thanks. If you're going to make one, here are a few tips that I found to be helpful. These are not terribly difficult, just time consuming, and a leather stitcher gives a great advantage. The fox hide is a bit fragile and needs inner support. I used 4/5 oz suede which worked nicely. The gusset is in 2 sections with the nap of the fur directed downward from each side. The back is of 3/4 oz vegtan cow hide. The furrier told me to be careful of glue, because if not chosen correctly, it can rot the skin of the fur. Since I did not remember what he said to use & what to avoid, I kept the glue off it. The cantle backs were glued to the suede on the inside with Barge cement, then stitched together with the front. The thong holes at the edge of the opening were used to help line it all up straight. The top is mexican round braided to make the front & back of the cantle sandwich look like it is one piece. This is the second fur sporran I've made. If you prefer a metal cantle, they can be had from http://stores.channeladvisor.com/Stillwater-Kilts/Kilt%20Accessories/Sporrans/ for under a 20 dollar bill. I thank Wyvvern for pointing me to that site.

Badger would look very nice. Please post it when completed. I'm sure it will look great as well.