UKRay

Ray

You might want to look out for a round end punch (check out the Weaver's catalog). This will make a nice neat job of cutting the ends off for you - the downside is that they are quite expensive!

My experience suggests that snakeskin will tend to hold oil for quite a while. It appears the skin was pretty dry when you applied it so, by the look of it, the oil was absorbed right through the skin. Obviously the more oil you have in the skin the darker it will appear. For future reference, you might want to try a conditioner like Lexol before oiling in future as this should add oils without making the snakeskin quite as dark as neatsfoot. You could then use a transparent beeswax waterproofer like Skidmore's Biker Wax to seal it all up. Ray

Some things are so obvious... it worries me that I don't seem able to think of them! Thanks Bree, most helpful. Ray

The ultimate Robin Hood - not a hint of 'men in tights' about this guy. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmNMYQgqhdQ What a hero! Ray

That jig sounds interesting, Bree. Any chance of a picture? I frequently mess up when it comes to gluing with contact cement and end up with one bit out of alignment. I NEED a jig! Ray

This really is a celebration of Scandinavian art. Beautiful work, Tina, I love your use of colour. Ray

Here are just a few pictorial reasons why I moved to Ludlow. We can't compete with the 'Space Age' (amazing pics, BTW DC) and don't have a beach but we do have something special to offer from days gone by. Ludlow is a medieval walled town full of black and white timbered buildings and oozing history and character. The houses are incredible but you mustn't expect the bright lights of a city if you visit Ludlow, we only have a population of 10,000 and that includes all the outlying villages. The hotels and B&Bs are great though and the Church Inn (yes, it is right next door to St Lawrence's Church) serves a great pint of Eastgate Ale. The food here is exceptional as you might expect from a town famous for Michelin starred restaurants and celebrity chefs. Try to get here for the food festival, now that really is truly amazing! Ray

I think you are enjoying that as much as they are, Kate! ..and your dog is called Nigel. You really are a whole lot crazier than I first thought LOL Say 'Mush' to the dogs for me <grin!> Ray

This is something of a problem for me too. I am happy making the outside of a bag but would like to add some nice liners. The ones I have tried have rarely worked out the way I intended. It would be great to see some kind of tutorial on this - any offers? Ray

I was thinking of using a machine! What do you glue the stingray in place with before you stitch? Ray

I freely confess I'm a bit of a dreamer and can sit at the bench daydreaming for hours whilst doing mundane tasks. I've been thinking about travel lately and, as one who has been round the world a few times as a journalist, I thought I had finally got the 'been there and done that' tee shirt. Now I'm not so sure. I keep seeing place names attached to postings (it seems the requests for profile info are working) and each time I do so I wonder what those places are really like. Forth Worth in Texas is a good example. I have been seeing that place name on boxes and invoices for the past thirty years and have never had the opportunity to visit. Same goes for North Dakota,the Great Lakes and TN. I have spent months in Silicon Valley but would also dearly like to see the old plantation houses in South Carolina. I want to see aligators in the Everglades but there must be a host of other great places in the US that never make it onto my radar. To make things worse, my son is about to fly out to New Zealand in a couple of weeks time to work as an IT contractor and tells me he may not be coming back. This opens up another can of worms as Australasia is suddenly on my list of places that I'm going to need to visit. Hey, I've always wanted to see wild kangaroos and Kiwis, but there must be loads of other things folk shouldn't miss downunder. Scandinavia is also on my list of destinations. I have spent time in Norway, Sweden and Finland but mainly saw the inside of offices. Is it really as beautiful as the tourist brochures say? How about the rest of Europe - Germany, France and Italy are all gorgeous and so are many of the eastern European countries. How about a brief description of your area of the world and maybe a few pictures so we can all see what we are missing. It might make holiday planning a whole lot easier! Ray

Got any good tips for sewing Stingray? It looks like it would blunt any needle you showed it to. Ray

What a great design. Any time you feel like doing some more just share them here! Thanks, Ray

Welcome to the forum, I hope you enjoy it as much as I do! For the past thirty years I have been buying from Tandy and have always had to imagine what Fort Worth is really like. It is great to welcome someone to the forum who actually lives there. Now how about some pictures of what many people may consider the 'home' of leathercrafting? I'd be fascinated to see how it matched my expectations. Ray

Add red and green ribbon oiled leather fasteners to attatch wind ribbons to your shrouds... Stainless steel flask covers carved to look like scrimshaw... Leather knee pads for crawling around the deck... Chamois leather sponge pads for washing down salty windows... Ray

Paul, Leaving aside the fid work which I know nothing about but admire from a distance... where did you get that amazing axe? Ray

Y'know, almost every time I read a post on this forum I learn something new. I have been dealing with Le Prevo for years and didn't know they did those plates. Brilliant and just what I need for a new job. Thanks for the info. I read the tutorial with interest and you are quite right, if you don't know what the rules are you can't possibly break them. The work you turned out does exactly what you want it to and looks good into the bargain. Your techniques are a tad original but they work and I had never thought of using an instant clamp like that either. All in all, a fascinating post. Keep 'em coming and next time you are any where near Shropshire let me know and I'll gladly buy you a beer and we can discuss canoes! Ray

Glad to hear it... heheheh!

Now that looks like a whole lot of work - even for someone without arthritis! I like the frog design and the lacing looks well against the tan. What are you going to make next? Ray

Being able to braid well is the nautical equivalent of having a classical education... I grew up with old wooden boats and massive timber spars, I guess things have moved on a bit since then. I still can't braid but I wish I could. Nice idea Dave. Ray

I would make re-leathering kits for oars, decorative leather strips for boom gallows, quick release leather sail ties, leather gaff jaw protectors for the old gaffers, cork and leather keyfobs, bracelets with a pocket in them for the marina gate key - I could go on for hours! Ray

Cute little pouch, Dave. Those sort of things always take longer than anyone thinks to make them look that nice. Ray

Right, now you can stop being grumpy, you can get rid of those stitches and get some work done! LOL Ray

I'm with Jordan on this. I have an old Tandy machine and a Tippmann embosser. The Tandy works fine on new cased leather but it may be hard to adjust the pressure on the roller accurately. In this instance, with a part finished belt, the dye may also tend to harden the surface of the leather making it more resistant to an impression. The Tippman is a different story and has all the pressure adjustment you need to deal with a job like this. IMHO it is a vastly superior machine. Ray