Sheilajeanne

And now, as a result of this discussion, I just had a package delivered to me with no fewer that FOUR bone burnishers/creasers in it! My sincere thanks to my Tolkien fellowship friend, Elengil! Anyone need a couple of folders? It will take me more than a lifetime to wear these out, so might as well pay it forward!

I recognized the Paladin chess knight immediately. Old enough to remember the TV show... Very nice work!

Thanks, Toxo. I actually have a cutting board I use, but I'm not exactly sure what it's made of, as I either retired it from my kitchen, or found it when I moved into a new house. I forget which! It's your standard white kitchen cutting board. I assume it's likely HDPE.

A silicone cutting board - is that different from a self-healing cutting mat? I'm thinking that's a standard cutting board, like you use for cutting veggies, right? Which mat is kinder to cutting blades and hole punches?

Here's how I do it. You've got Paint on your PC, right? If it's a Windows computer, you should have it. Okay open the photo in Paint. At the top of the Paint menu is a 'resize' option. Click on that, and choose 'Pixels', then enter a figure around 500. You only need to enter the one figure: the other figure will resize automatically to keep the picture in proportion. Close the file, save, then post! Been doing this for years...works great for me!

The head knife Tandy has been selling for a number of years now, using Al Stohlman's name to market it, is a piece of junk. It's poor quality steel, and will not hold an edge. HOWEVER, if this tool dates back to before Tandy started getting most of its tools from Taiwan, it COULD be a good knife. Edit: I downloaded the photo, so I could enlarge it, and read what's stamped on the knife. It does say 'Professional grade', and there's no mention of Stohlman, like there is with the newer knives. So, this is likely an older Tandy tool, and could be of very good quality.

JLS, in the wallet with the horse head, how did you get the darker tones on the flower petals? That's the sort of thing most people would do with antique.

Some of the tools branded with the Stohlman name and sold by Tandy aren't worth the price. The Stohlman round knife in particular is made of poor steel, and won't keep an edge. Buyer beware!

I'm guessing #9 is a tack/nail puller. Oops, Fred said that already!

Those are gorgeous, Tim! Your daughter is a very lucky lady!

Wow, that is AWESOME!

Good for you! Best story I ever came across about buying handmade crafts is this one:

Wow - just totally INSANE!!

That is absolutely CRAZY! So, did your customer get the item eventually? How long did it take?

Okay, maybe that's the standard for leather coats. I was just thinking pockets in general! The only leather coat I've ever owned was a sheepskin parka. I seem to recall it had patch pockets, with the edge decorated with an embroidered ribbon.

Re: the pocket question - there are SO many different ways to do pockets: patch pockets, zippered pockets, pockets inserted into the side seam of the coat..the list goes on! You mention going to your local Thrift store to get 'templates and hardware' for bags. Maybe you should do the same for pockets - at least look at the coats there, to see the different styles, and how they are sewn, then decide which style best suits your needs.

That would work, too. I think horn is even harder than bone.

This just totally blew my mind. Apologies for the swearing - but hey, we're all adults here! 50,000 years, and still the same tool... Blowing up the important part of the article so it's easier to read!

Dwight, that's wonderful information! Thank you so much! Yes, I've had splotchy dye jobs, and had to do multiple coats to get a good finish. This could save me a lot of time and effort!

Sorry - it was such a wonderful straight line, I couldn't help myself...

Only if they're REALLY sharp...

I know someone who paints pictures with coffee, but you're the first person I know of to use it for dyeing leather! That turned out quite nicely! It will be interesting to see how it lasts over time, with regular wear and tear. Did the leather take its coffee black, or with cream and sugar?

Battlemunky, I realized that every store is a little bit different. Fortunately, my experience with Tandy has been mostly positive, though I certainly realize they're not perfect.

Fortunately for me, that was not my experience with Tandy! The man who taught the beginner leatherworking course was quite up front if he considered a non-Tandy product to be better. And he REALLY knew his stuff! Also, I haven't experienced the other staff in the store trying to upsell me, or push Tandy products either. The just show me where the item I'm looking for is. My instructor also didn't take advantage of the course to push their products. If you wanted to know how to do something he'd show you what to buy, but you had to ASK first! The guy who actually managed the store was useless though. I remember he had to ask my instructor (who was on his lunch break) where to find an item I was searching for! What are you doing managing a store if you don't know where your products are located?? There's someone different there now, but it took quite awhile for the change to happen. The lady managing it now greets me by name... :D I also value being able to pick out leather in person to be sure I'm getting a good piece. The worst leather I've had has come in some of their kits.

Fred, Definitely some truth in that! Yes, some errors have happy endings! I once covered up a an edge bevel that went wrong by adding lacing to the edge of the pocket! And fortunately, the one major dye spill I've had missed my project. It got just about everything else in my work area, including my shoes, but thank GOD, the project was okay! It was one of those last minute touch-ups where you're in too much of a hurry to take the usual precautions with the dye...lesson learned!