Sheilajeanne

Fred, I believe Dwight isn't referring to the ads, but to the pictures currently being shown in the Gallery. I agree - the Gallery is supposed to be for showing off your leatherwork, not showing old sewing machines.

I've spilled small spots of dyes in areas that hadn't been dyed yet. Rarely does the first coat of dye go on evenly, in my experience. By the time you've got the second coat on, everything usually evens out, unless it's really crappy leather. I would give Fred's method a try before dyeing the rest of the belt , if it really looks that bad.

Gorgeous work, Tim! And your tool rack makes me ashamed of mine!

Got a really nice veg-tan side from Tandy for $94.00 Canadian the other day. If you are able to shop in person, you can get nice stuff, as long as you go before the best sides or shoulders are gone. I got there while the store was still grading and sorting their shipment, and most of the sides were not that high quality: brands, holes, insect bites, wrinkles, etc. I went through quite a few of them before I found a really good one. So glad I live close enough to the store to shop in person. If I had to buy my leather from the States, shipping fees are ridiculously high!

That was going to be MY question, too!

I'm sure I will use the leftover grommets for leather working at some point, but right now, they are going in a nylon canopy for my gazebo! I will be careful with the measuring, to make sure they fit.

Thanks, Fred! I was thinking they might be like rivets, with different sizes for different thicknesses of material.

I need to put some grommets into a nylon canopy. Anyone know if the grommets used in leather work are different from the ones meant for fabric? I've asked several leather workers, and none of them could tell me.

Angelus is the go-to paint for leatherworkers. Even Tandy has started to sell it!

I once had a cat that could break out of just about any cat carrier ever made. Same with harnesses! I eventually found a figure of 8 harness that worked very well. It was just a long leather strap with a single buckle, and was very easy to put on him! There are some examples on this page here: https://www.amazon.ca/s?k=figure+8+cat+harness&gclid=Cj0KCQjw-uH6BRDQARIsAI3I-UebzpZjzzluy30ULJO63tET4Qi7iCVsrac3kBycGpBTj5O9ky7KLfAaAgt_EALw_wcB&hvadid=249805138783&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9000736&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=17754287918582392215&hvtargid=kwd-3722692357&hydadcr=4088_9337052&tag=googcana-20&ref=pd_sl_34ixqhlimw_e The harness I had was even simpler. It did not include the plastic plate on the top that the straps thread through. If I can find it, I will post a picture. It was the simplest thing you could imagine, but oh my gosh, it WORKED when no other type of harness did! Edit: found it, and am VERY surprised to find it doesn't fit my current cat! I always thought he was very small compared to the cat I bought it for! Anyway, here's how it goes on: Position buckle on top of cat's shoulders, with the tab for the leash next to it. Run strap around cat's neck, then through the tab and under the cat's belly and up the other side. Fasten the buckle. What I like about it is there is only the one buckle to worry about, and it doesn't interfere with the cat's shoulder movement the way many harnesses do. And when the cat tries to get free, both the neck and belly portions of the harness tighten to prevent escape!

Did that mean some of the metal had to be completely replaced? How much of the original metal was re-usable? I'm in awe of the craftmanship that went into the original, and also, therefore, into your restoration! I'm sure most people would have cut some corners when it came to things like the angle of the seat back!

Fred....wow....just...WOW!! I guess there's always someone that enjoys a challenge!

Someone was actually trying to SELL that rusted lump??

Scott, that looks really good! And I don't know why lanolin should be expensive: it's a byproduct of the wool industry. It has to be removed from the wool before it can be spun into yarn!

You need to give lessons to most of the rest of us! That is just so clean and professional looking!

As I said in my first post, you'd never think something that damaged could be restored AT ALL!

Lanolin comes from sheep's wool. Surprised it isn't used more often in leather care products. When I was a kid, it was in the shampoo my mom used on everyone in the family! The ads said: "Have you ever seen a bald sheep?"

The red deer, which is very common in Scotland, is a close relative of the North American elk, and I'm sure its hide would be a good substitute.

Yeah, that would be verrrry interesting! I have heard of weavers contracting anthrax from yarn. And given the washing and dyeing process yarn goes through, I wouldn't be at all surprised if you could catch it from hides, too! As a matter of fact, I think they used to refer to anthrax as the 'weaver's disease'.

Alaisage, both types of kits are disappearing, and being replaced with ones that require little if any tooling. (Sorry, I can't get rid of the bold font... have tried and tried!!) Some of the more popular kits that require fairly extensive tooling are still there, but this is an example of what I'm talking about. 5 years ago, these wallets would all have been shown with tooling on them: https://tandyleather.ca/collections/kits/kits_wallets?page=2

Ain't it the truth!! Looking forward to more pictures!

Tandy DID have a line of good tools, the Craftool Pro line (not sure where they were made). I guess they weren't exactly best sellers because 2 years ago, they announced they were discontinuing the line! Does anyone know WHY they did this? Were they not able to compete with tools like Barry King, etc.? I've watched what's happening with the kits they sell, and they are eliminating most of the kits that require extensive tooling. So, seems to be a trend to get out of the leather tooling business. Really, it has me scratching my head. Maybe the current generation just wants something that's cheap and quick to put together - instant gratification!

Awesome post, Johanna!

Alaisiage, very true! I was lucky that I got Bill as my sales person right off the bat. He did exactly as you suggested! Oleskiver, yes, they seem to be 'dumbing down' their kits, making everything so simple even an idiot could do it. It's discouraging people who want something more complex and beautiful. And you are SO right about them eliminating tools needed for the more complex projects. However, I am not sure I'd qualify Stohlman's work as 'easy' or 'simple' to do! He was a master craftsman and artist, and a lot of his designs need tools Tandy no longer sells.

The best thing that happened to me re. leatherwork was being give 8 weeks of free lessons when I purchased a beginners kit from Tandy. My instructor, Bill, was WONDERFUL! He knew it all, and was the store's go-to person for difficult questions that other, less experienced people couldn't answer. Even the store manager depended a lot on Bill, and he and other employees would often tell you "That's a Bill question. Go ask him." Bill didn't push sales on you, but if you asked him, "What will I need to do this?" he'd take you to the shelves and show you what to buy. He was getting well up in years, and had health issues. He died in his sleep one night. Tandy customers who knew him ( and there were HUNDREDS) wanted to arrange a memorial for him but the store was unwilling to do it, as they couldn't get family to okay it. :'( Tandy needs more people like him. And I think they need to have more classes, beyond the beginner's class. There is SO much to learn, and no one to mentor newcomers to the craft. Except the people on this board. Bill was the one who suggested I come here.