Stan

Howdy! Look up Australian saddles and tack. You might get some ideas. They make a number of saddle pockets. As for keeping the front, back, and gusset all lined up, here is what I do when I hand sew a sporran (the pouch worn with a Scottish kilt). I use a 4 prong stitching chisel and pre-punch all the holes. If all the holes are all the same distance apart they will line up. Good luck, Stan

Howdy! In addition to the above, go to You-Tube and watch Arthur Porter. He uses many machines and makes all sorts of bags. Good Luck, Stan

Howdy! Try You-Tube - The "Desert Artist" makes leather clothing and shows some lacing. Also try some of the Argentina and Brazil places. If Spanish is a problem, just turn down the sound and slow down the speed. Watch the hands. My favorite is Cesar at "El Rincon del Sogero". He shows a bunch of what you want. Enrique O. Capone has a book called "Rawhide and Leather Braiding" (in English or Spanish) that has some applique work that is used as you want. Bruce Grant does some applique work in his books. Gail Hough has some books about braiding that shows applique work. Good Luck, Stan

Howdy! I just finished a new (for me) work bench. I saw one on You-Tube and copied it. It is a piece of fir log about 12" in diameter and 27" long. I took off the bark and then sanded the entire log. I used some stain and then varnish. It sets in front of me when I am on a chair. It is heavy and solid, but easily moved around. I can use a 1/2" piece of steel on top to set rivets, a piece of marble to set 3D stamps, a piece of thick rubber to use a punch, etc. The main advantage is, it is inexpensive to make. Did I say,"It is very solid!"? A good piece of hardwood would be better than fir, but where I live there are only pine and fir. You just gotta love this site and all the great people here. Stan

Howdy! Can you file or cut the cable on a taper? Or considering cutting your lace strands on a taper. I'd advise using scrap lace first to make sure it will work for you. From what I can see you are doing nice work. Stan

Techsew Ron, Thanks for interesting reading. I just sent a link to my Grandaughter for the basis of a school report. You never know how wide and fast info can travel today. Stan

Howdy! Start with the vids on You-Tube. They have ideas using paracord and various leathers. Some are better than others. The ones from Australia are pretty good. Then buy several books. Morgan has a good one. Good Luck, Stan

Howdy! I have a pile of braiding books. My most recent - and one of the best - is by Enrique O. Capone - called Rawhide and Leather Braiding (in English or Spanish on Amazon). In the book he shows how to shape knots using several styles of normal and some rebuilt pliers. He also shows how to make some neat tools for working up Rawhide into lace. In Argentina, they bolt two pieces of wood together and put a sharp blade in between and sticking up. Then they cut or file a groove on each side of the blade. Makes a great tool for cutting the corner edges of lace. Also visit You-Tube and look at Cesar @ El Rincon del Soguero, or Ismael Paula and Cristian Buchner. If the Spanish or Portuguese languages get in the way, just turn down the sound and lower the speed. Watch their hands! These guys lace edges, braid all sorts of stuff and do applique work. The best to you. Stan

Tony W, Howdy! The Leather Crafters and Saddlers Journal. It is a great magazine. Comes out 6 times a year and covers many phases of Leather Work each issue. Costs $32.00 per year and - I think - is well worth the money. www.leathercraftersjournal.com They provide patterns as well as "How To" articles. The best to you and yours, Stan

Howdy! My two cents worth. If you want a good book about braiding, go to Amazon and get Enrique O. Capone's book. It is titled" Rawhide and Leather Braiding" and is available in English and Spanish. There are many other books in Spanish available. I am sorry that I can't help with other languages. Stan

Howdy! My two cents worth. Part of the advantage of "good" tools is the variety available. Barry King has a bunch of tools for "Sheridan Style" carving. Bob Beard has an even larger bunch of tools for all kinds of carving especially "Figure Carving". I teach at a Tandy store and have all of their tools. But when I am doing "Sheridan" I use many of Barry's. The same for "Figure" carving and Bob Beard's tools. Tandy now has a new line of tools for "Sheridan" style and they are a little more money, but for "Sheridan" they are pretty good. Good Luck, Stan

Howdy! Google Arthur Porter on the videos on "You Tube". He is the coolest man alive and has videos about using all kinds of machines. The best part is, he will make a "mistake" and show how to fix it. His videos are sometimes - long - , but very well worth your time. Good Luck, Stan

Howdy! I have one and it is a good - solid machine. Tippman has a great web site for trouble shooting or a phone call to Tippman and they will treat you right. Remember to always keep everything (nuts, bolts, etc.) tight, make sure you use oil and then clean around the needle, and move the handle completely up and down. A short stroke will usually make a bad stitch. They will send you a DVD on how to use the machine if you don't have one. There is a slight learning curve, so practice on scrap leather. Good Luck, Stan PS Arthur Porter has some great videos about sewing all kinds of items on heavy machines. He is the coolest guy you will ever watch.

Howdy! Please read the warning labels on the oxalic acid. You do not want to breath the fumes. Have lots of ventilation. Stan

You can't go wrong by spending some serious time right here. Just poke around! Take some notes on ideas, resources, good sites to visit, and keep coming back to Leatherworker. It takes time to realize what a valuable resource this place is. Stan

Johanna, We all feel for you and share your sorrow. Stan

The old oil and spirit dyes should be okay. Some of the new water based "dyes" have had problems with color retention, both in the bottle and after being placed on the leather. Always try on leather scraps of the same type you will be using. Good Luck!

Weaver has tons of stuff! Good Luck.

Hello!, For my money, it's hard to beat Barry King's swivel knives. Handle and blade for about $50.00. The new Tandy catalog shows some new stainless tools (out soon) for less than $20.00. I have some of King's stamping tools and love them ($25 - 35). Stan

RE: Injector Blades. Call Steve @ Lace Master Tel # 208-884-3766 (a good number the last time I used it). He sells the Lacemaster. It's the one that cuts from the center of a disk of leather. He sells very good blades in boxes of 100. Or try lacemaster.com. No, I don't work for him. I do use his stuff, however. Stan