Randy Cornelius

I have had some HO that has some hard spots that you just about could not cut. HO is more firmer and agree will tend to hold the tooling better. I find that W&C more softer and will mold better and is more consistant without any hard spots. It is all in what you like and get used to. I have used some of the skirting from Siegel and Thoughbred that works very good also. Randy

false, I order all my leather for law enforcement and biker stuff drum dyed black. Never had any problems. Randy

What is even better is make a leather belt for the belt sander and put your rouge on it. That is what I have done and it works very well to power strop all your knives. When you make the belt, over lap the ends at least 2" and skive them down to a feather edge and cement them together. I make my belts out of splits. When I order leather from W&C and have the thickness split, once in awhile I have them send the split piece and that is what I use to make belts for my sander. The last one has lasted over a year now. Randy

Harness leather acceptable? Or stick to skirting? I would stick to skirting as harness leather is very waxy, it is given a wax bath to prevent the sweat from soaking into the leather. It would make very good horse gear if you were not going to tool it. It will not take water very good and you need to case it to carve and stamp. I have used some basket stamps on it before but just not as good as using veg tan. What weight range is ideal these kinds of projects? I would order an 8/10 oz for most of what you are doing. You can always skive it down if you want thinner weights. If you are wanting to make a set of saddle bags I would have W&C split it down to 6/7 oz. You will also need some 3/4 for the gusett. Would double shoulders be acceptable? They will work but they will not be very long, ususally 50" is the max on a double shoulder. So if you were wanting to make a set of reins it would not work Hope this helps Randy

You get what you pay for. I would save for a CSO.

The shark I have been getting in black seems to be a crome tan type leather. I have not bought any lighter colors and have not tried to dye it but I would think that oil dye would work well. I would try it on a small scrap. As expensive as it is I would not want to ruin it. Randy

I would suggest a clicker die that you can use with a mallet.

Here is how I do it and seem to have good luck. I use oil dye from Feblings as I have had the best luck with it. I use right from the bottle and buy in quarts. For a large object I pour out an amount in a plastic dish, (ok I use butter dishes) I then cut a piece of wool and cut it real short. I start by using a back and forth motion, then change directions and then go to a circular motion until well covered. I see no reason to spray on a holster and gun belt. I quit using the spirt dyes years ago because of streaking problems. I have the best results with the professional oil dye from Feblings. I have tried others but none have the results that the oil dye does from Feblings. I tried some of Weavers oil dye ONCE! Never again. I am sure there are as may ways to dye as leatherworkers who use dye. This is just what works best for me. I like appling dye by hand as I can blend it and rub it in. I like to feel the leather. The best way to discribe this is that I can feel when the leather has absorbed the right amount of dye, something I cannot do with a sprayer. I used a sprayer once and got overspray everywhere. One more thought. If you do not have enough dye in one bottle for a project use a new bottle. Then afterward I will mix them together as I do not want to start a large dye job with a small amount in a bottle and then open a new bottle. There is no garentee that it will be the exact color. Always blend the new dye with the old dye to have a consistant color. Randy

I think it is limited to the leather industry so I would think that leather suppliers would be the only place to get it. I know that Weaver Leather handles it. Other non-Tandy places would be Hidecrafters, Springfield Leather, Siegles ect. Randy

Throw away that Eco Flo stuff and buy some real dye. Don't get your stuff wet with the Eco Flo, bleeds off like you cut it. Get some Quality Oil Dye if you what it to look good and stay that way. They should keep the Eco Flo in the prisions and schools. Randy

Hey Bruce, do you happen to have a picture of the back side of the black one. Interested to see what you done on the back side. It looks like you sewed it together without doing the inside out thing. The last one I did I sewed everthing together inside out then turned it right side out through the zipper so all the seams are inside the bag. Randy

Welcome abord, you will find a vast amount of knowledge here so don't be afraid to ask. Randy

Great work as usual Bruce, Have a great Christmas to you and Rudy Randy

In my case the closest guild is in Kansas City or Topeka ks, both over an hour drive one way. So I choose to join the International Internet LeatherCrafters Guild. It is an online virtual guild that is reconized by the IFoLG. You can also join any other guild but it helps to be conected somehow by attending meetings or active in some other way. Yes, you can mail in your entries. You have to make sure they are sent in time and they must arrive prior to a specified date. You must supply return postage to have them returned. I have never done this so I cannot tell you if it works. It must because a lot do send them. You miss a lot by not attending but if you cannot afford the trip it is the next best thing. By going you get to see all the other entries and you can compair yours to others, get ideas of things to try and see some you would never attempt. There is just so much to learn by attending. The judges are required to write comments when your projects are judged so you know what they liked and disliked. And you get a nice ribbon to hang on the wall and collect dust. No money payback, it's just for show. Randy

Mine came in a large box. There is some assembly required but I had mine put together and up and sewing in a couple hours.

There are a few contests around the country where you do not have to belong to a guild, Sheridan and the other shows that the LC&SJ puts on. But you will be up against some of the best in the leather business. If you join a guild you can show at the IFLoG Show each year. By showing at that show you can show against people with you skill level. You can start in begining, which is someone with less than one year of experiance, if you are just starting out. Then you can advance to OPEN, you can show in open until you have won 5 first places if I remember. You can then go on to advanced and then to the masters after meeting the requirements. You can go to the International Federation of Leathercraft Guilds web site, it will tell you all about the different classes, divisions and the rules of showing. It is a great time and I would not miss it for the world. I had to give up Sheridan last year because of a child graduating high school and will miss it again in 09 for the same reason. But that is a show worth attending. Also by going to the shows you can take classes by some of the great masters, look and try out all the new and great tools and network with everyone in the leather business. I have made some very good friends at the shows and look forward to seeing them every year. If you have some specific questions I would be glad to answer them the best I can. Randy

Hi everyone and happy Hollidays from the Cornelius family. I have been seeing others posting projects they have made for Christmas and thought I would post a rope bag that I was asked to make for a girl for her cowboy boyfriend. It stands 19" high X 19" wide with an 11" gussett. The center has his brand tooled in it with a hairon inlay and circle basket stamp. Hope everyone has a very merry Christmas. Randy

Ohio Travel Bag co. has all the clips, metal and plastic you would want. But they have a min. order. Randy

You really need to look at the Artisen Toro 3000, I do everything you want to do on mine, great machine, good customer service. Call and ask Steve or Jerry to send you some info. There is also a video that he posted that you can look at. Not sure where or what it was listed under. Randy

My cosin, Dave Robinson lives in Lewiston, Mt. I was up there 2 years ago my son and I stopped in a saddle shop in town, cannot remember the street. Could that have possibly been you? Randy

Sorry they are both gone. Randy

Their Standard is a #1 Utility is a #2 Special is a #3 Even a Special is a very usable peice of leather. Bought a Special on sale and only thing wrong with it is a 4" hole and one butcher cut. If you buy a 8/10 oz veg Special you can make a lot of holsters out of it. They have it on sale right now for 100.00 a side plus shipping. RC

If I have a project that I am going to line. I will use rubber cement and plexiglass. Apply rubber cement to both, let dry, and glue down. This is a perfict way to keep everything from stretching as you tool. The plexiglass keeps it flat and straight. If I am not going to line the piece I will apply shelf paper to the back of the leather and then rubber cement to the plexiglass and the back of the shelf paper as before. For a belt I will use 3-M packing tape and that seems to keep it from moving. But I have cememted a belt to plexiglass before if I am doing a full floral to a belt to keep it flat while I tool. Plexiglass can be bought at just about any hardware and home supply store. Just bought 3 big pieces 20 X 30 or so for 10.00. But ask 10 of us and you will get 10 different answers. Use what works best for you. Randy

That sounds complicated, I will stick to my spindle that goes on the drill motor! Randy

I have not posted anything lately. Here is a wallet I just finished for a Christmas Present order. Randy