Chief31794

This is a new model I am trying out. I made this one for my guitar to see how they come out. It is 7/8 oz Hermann Oak, 2 oz Glazed Pigskin LIner, and laced with about 22 yards of lace. I think the color is a little too dark. Chief

A litho stone is used in the printing industry and is an industrial product not used much any more. I must assume that the book you're reading was recommending this to do stamping and carving on. What you would need is a Marble, Granite or Quartz Stone about 2" thick and either 12X12 (very common) 12X24 or what ever size you think you can accommodate on your work bench. They are available from any leather craft supplier, Tandy, Springfield Leather, etc. You can also get them from companies that do granite counter tops (the sink cut out is perfect) or head stone makers (mistakes and cut offs). Hope that helps, Chief

No leather product is ever completely water proof, but some finishes do a better job than others. I use Fiebings Aussie finish on items that are going to be getting wet, but the main finish I use is Clear Lac, It is a lacquer based finish and will repel water pretty well, either one will be better than Super Sheen for protecting the leather from getting water spots. In stead of Super Sheen, when I need that type of finish, I use Mop N Glo and cut it 50/50 with distilled water, it is a very nice acrylic finish and a lot cheaper to by than Super Sheen, set them in a jar side by side and I can't tell the difference. Sorry the checkbook cover got spots, but you can have fun making her another one. Chief

They both look great Rohn, excellent job. I really like it on wallets, one thing is that it looks as good on the inside as it does on the outside, that really sets it off on a wallet. I haven't laced any holsters, I sew them, but I think yours look great regardless of which stitch you use. Chief

Really nice work, glad the videos helped. Chief

Thanks halitech, Excellent work, one of the things I like about working in the art of leather craft is that we make things that get used and last for many years. This is a treasure they can have and share for many decades, a real work of art. Thanks for sharing, Chief

Thanks, I appreciate the comments, make sure you post pictures of the wedding album. Chief

oxyalic (sp) acid, it's sold in Lowes/Home Depot as "Barkeeper's Friend", I normally put a teaspoon in about a pint of distilled water. Since it's natural and the stain was caused by glycerine soap (saddle soap) you may just want to saddle soap the pieces, that may very well balance out the look. Chief

Thanks, it is a lot of work but then so is hand stitching. Machines are quicker and I have one, just rather lace. You should try the Mexican it's really pretty easy, I think it's easier than double loop. You got it about right, I have about 6 hours in the lacing, and about the same in the carving. Both hurt my old hands anymore so I don't like to do these very often. Thanks, Chief

Thanks all, I don't think it's totally dying, but it sure isn't as popular as it once was. Chief

Thanks Rohn, Chief

I know that lacing edges has lost a lot of popularity but when I started leather working it was the rage. It appears to be a dying art, I'm making more and more sewn items, some hand some machine but I still like doing lace and I still like the look. Oh well, here are some of the items I put out this week. Thanks for looking, Chief

Thank you, very nice of you to say. Thanks, I no what you mean I have to totally retrain after every weekend. Chief

I like it a lot. It'll last for years. Lacing looks good, the ending of the double loop is a touchy area, it can be done but takes some practice and patience. That's another reason I like the Mexican Basket Weave you commented on in another post, it closes a lot easier and neater than the double loop. Chief

Thanks Rohn, it's pretty easy, I think it's easier than the traditional Double Loop, I do both a lot but like this one the best. Thanks Dwight, I understand about forgetting things, I don't have senior moments anymore, I've started having "Senior Hours" from time to time. Chief

I made this lady a wallet (she lives in Canada) several months ago for her father that I posted out here with the Native Indian Artwork carved on it and his name, she ordered another for her husband. The translation of the name is "Man from the Mountain". Thanks for looking, Chief

Over the decades many people have tried tooling on concrete, none of them that I know of stay with it, then you've bought the concrete, did the labor to get it poured and probably (very probably) won't be happy with the results and it will chip and crack over time. There are ways to get free marble/granite, grave stone companies have cut offs, counter top installers do sink cutouts as was said, Tandy has a 12X12 Quartz Slab for <$50 if you're a club member it's more like $30. You might try Ebay, works sometimes, but the suggestions given were all good. One thought, if concrete provided a good tooling surface, we'd all be using it. I recommend you get a marble/Granite etc slab and put a poundo board under it. You'll be much happier in the long run. Chief

Stains are why they invented black dye, if you dye it with fiebings Pro or regular black (USMC) it will cover the stain. Some other dyes may as well, however the best cover possible is with USMC Black or Pro Oil Black. Chief

Welcome to the forum. Chief

Sir, Very nice of you to complement my edge braiding, thanks. Chief

Cynesra, Here are my answers to some of your questions, hopefully others will have more and probably better responses; 1. I don't know of any tutorials on how to line collars, but you may be able to find some on lining belts, after all a dog collar is a small belt with a few changes, but it is basically a belt. I would think the best lining would be either pigskin splits or sheep shearling. Based on your second bullet, I'm thinking for you sheep shearling. 2. This is a product called shearling, it is used a lot in saddle making, you can buy it in bulk but it's expensive, you might be better served for products like dog collars to buy "cut offs" from saddle makers. 3. I don't think there is a place where you can download patterns for harnesses and sight hound collars, but I could be wrong. It may well be worth your investment to purchase one of each, then use them to develop patterns. 4. I don't know of any books on dog collars, etc, however there are many good books on leather working in general and some on belt making that might be useful. You can also view many videos on YouTube just by searching for leather work, you might even try "Making a Leather Dog Collar", never can tell. Tandy has some good free videos on leather work, Springfield Leather Company has a lot of them on YouTube, Tandy also has a video library with lots of videos that you can watch for a small monthly fee. 5. I don't do any braiding, some of the members who do will likely answer that for you. 6. Same answer as No. 4. Good Luck and welcome to the forum. Chief

I saw tons of it when I was stationed in Korea(88-89), they have a big market for goods made from eel skin. I was never impressed with the look but that's just me. My dad used to say, "If every body in the world liked the same thing, there would only be one flavor of ice cream." Chief

Yes, after cutting the lines with a Swivel Knife, then you bevel one side of the line or the other to give the carving depth. Chief

Thanks, Chief

Thanks, Tom, Thanks for the comments, the strap is made from 6/7 oz. Chief