fredk

okee-doakly you need a basic photo editing program or use the likes of Photobucket. I'll say what I do; 1. I use a very basic Photoediting program. [= PaintShop Pro, which was on a free CD on a magazine very many years ago] In it I can re-size the photo. I use a Canon 50D and Fuji 5000. I save the original photo into my files where I want it. Then I bring it into the photo editing window. No matter what size the original is I can 'crop' it - remove excess photo around the sides, then I save that photo to another file where I want the copies. Then I choose to resize it from the 'Image' menu. I can set the pixel x pixel size to any I want. I make the largest side no more than 760 pixies thus the shorter size is usually well under 600. I save this photo with the same name as the two original copies but with the suffix of s - for small, eg 'Img,1234s'. The image/photo suite that came with your camera may well have a similar facility - seach the drop-down menus. I place the small image on Photobucket and from there I can post it anywhere on the internet. It keeps my useage of Photobucket small, Currently I have nearly 1700 photos on it for only 430mb of storage. 2. Another way to do this is to put the original large photo directly onto Photobucket. It has an editing menu in which the photo can be resized to a any size, just type in the numbers. Then re-save in the new size. Note; you can save the smaller image as an extra one or to replace the original. Then copy the image URL to paste into here Othee photo hosting sites have some editing facilities too but I can only say about Photobucket as thats the one I use. #1 sounds long but I've been doing it that way for 10 years and I can do a bunch of photos in short time ~~ in all cases I recommend you save your original photo to your computer and either a DVD/CD or extra hard drive and only use copies to mess with

The only bags I make are variations on the messenger type, from small to medium large. I've just about settled on having the strap mounted via tabs and brass loops on the upper corners of the rear. A bit like the bag in your penultimate photo; but both on the rear, tabs a bit longer, set in from the corners a bit, maybe 1/5 of the bag width. Sometimes I use hooks or snaps so the strap is removable, sometimes not and the strap is permanently attached

very classical looking

I'm going to be your analyst; as you are posting here for ideas, thought and suggestions because you are 'not sure' about it then you are not happy making such a holster. Tell the client that having considered it you'd not be happy making such a holster for anybody and walk away from the deal. Better to walk away than make something you're not content will do the job required for if it does as you expect then its failings will reflect badly on you and your work

From reading other peoples' discussion on this; I believe there is company in the US called 'Harbor Freight' or something which sells a/p at a good price. Also; I believe the 1 ton version has a hole in the press bar which matches the Tandy letter adapters for their press

Firstly; an explanation; I live in Northern Ireland. We have a very high amount of rainfall plus no place is more than 50 miles from a sea. Metal items rust very speedily; you can actually see the corrosion setting in on some things over just a few days. I've had nickle and brass plated steel based rivets showing corrosion inside a week. Last year I dumped 1000 unused, new, bagged, nickle plated steel rivets as all of them were showing signs of corrosion bubbles

The legs on that 'stamping table' look fine for front-room parlor furniture but rather spindly for an actual working stamping table. I use to use a table which was stronger built than that but I got too much table bounce. I built my self a special block table. LumpenDoodle2; put a trailer on that thar time machine - I'll take a couple of the tool chest and wood tool racks. Don't want no stinkin easily broken plasticky stuff

Normal woodworking PVA* is good for this. It makes a good strong bond. Prime seal the wood surface first with a coat of diluted PVA first. After it has dried, apply a second coat to the wood suface and apply the leather, in stages, eg top, then two opposite sides, other two sides etcetera. Let each area dry before moving onto the next. A good alternative is contact adhesive. When I use that I prefer the time-bond version. You can reposition the leather a bit, the glue doesn't fully stick until 12 hours or more later * I was asked to repair a sword grip, on site, one day. The owner had tried various other glues but the leather kept coming loose as he fought. I peeled it off, cleaned the grip up a bit and stuck it back on with PVA. It is still holding 5 years on.

I have had straps pull out from around the rivets when under strain or constant use. I changed to putting the straps on the 'Al Stohlman' way - through a slot in the bag's leather so the strap is riveted on the inside - thu the slot - then riveted on the outside as well. No failures since changing to this way. I prefer brass based double head rivest now. I have found that the steel based rivets will show corrosion over time no matter what their top coating is whereas brass still looks good when it ages. As for strength of either, not done any actual test but they seem to be just as strong

Not necessarily; one can buy the individual letters and do them that way For about $50 one can buy a full alphabet set of letters 1cm [3/8''] high letters in italic script made in brass for use with a pyrogravure/soldering iron

1. yes, most good leather suppliers will have some available but grey is not common and may need to be ordered in - at extra cost. 2. Black dye will still give you black 3. Leave it as it comes, or put a couple of coats of 'Resolene' 4. yes, it will be 'toxic' to the photos. The chemicals used in tanning leather will attack the photo inks or silver based image in a matter of days. The alternative is to use an archival rated storage pouch within the leather pouch

You don't want a fan blowing air across the work space. That stirs up the dust and makes any over-spray lift into the air. What you want is something to suck air from your chosen workspace Get to a DIY store; get a bathroom or kitchen air fan which effectively sucks the air. Attach it to some flexible hosing, sold specially for fitting the fans so it'll match it ok. Build a box out of MDF. [I use an old cardboard box] Put a hole in the top for the tubing, put the other end out thru a doorway as you've no windows. Put that end into a box with shredded paper or similar in it, but not tightly. When spraying just turn on the fan and it'll pull the overspray away from you

Most excellent artwork on those holsters If you are doing a number of items then getting a custom stamp done can work out cheap pro-rata I can get large stamps made for about $3 per square inch, minimum charge is about $120 for 40sq inches. That would do two stamps this size; so $60 per, on 10 items its then $6 per item But that artwork is sommat else

oh man, you have me in stitches

No, I'm somewhere else, with very draconian laws on just about everything

I don't know about your area but where I am there are very tight regulations on 'mixes' which I used to sell. I used to be a beekeeper and used to make beeswax polish and leather food/conditioner which I sold. Then tight regulations came in. I can only sell it now if it meets the regs - which it does - and I have $X million in product liability insurance and its been government tested. So now I don't sell my mixes. What I do now, for any polish, is buy a few bottles of good stuff at the cheapest supermarket price I can get and sell it on with a small mark-up in the price. Its more of a service to customers than a profit generator. Wholesellers don't want to sell one case of 24 bottles to me once every year, or less.

Did ya's hear the one about the sewing machine wot wanted to be on X-Factor / America's Got Talent ? Cos it was a Singer ok, I'll get my coat

Believe me, you will know the difference between cared for leather and not-so-well cared for. Cared for leather will always be supple, easy to hold, feel good in the hands, look almost like it was made last week Not-so careful looked after will show signs of drying out, cracks along the edges and in bends & folds. It will look old and feel old even tho it was made recently A chap I know has saddles made 200 years ago. They are looked after; they look like they were made just recently. Not too long ago I was passed a saddle to see if I could 'restore' it. Not carefully looked after but not neglected either. It looked terrible. Turns out it was made less than 25 years ago. When I have to advise someone how to look after anything I've made I just tell them to give it a good going over with any of the top commercial leather care products. How often depends on usage; items used by sports persons to be done before and after everytime they've used it. Re-enactment people; before the season starts, a couple of times during and at the end before packing it away.

Very nice

I've not had this problem of bleed afterwards. On black I use thinned black Resolene mostly. Resolene is available in 'clear' and black. By using the black version I'm not only sealing the dye previously applied but also adding to it An alternative for you would be to buy factory dyed leather and cut the strapping from it. Sounds like your present suppliers aren't very good at the dying

1mm waxed cotton thread is ok I wouldn't go to any finer than 8 stitches per inch with it though. I think 6 spi is about the best

Last first; reply to number 7; for the last 10 years or more I can reckon on supplies coming from Hong Kong/China taking no longer than an average of 10 days. Eastern Europe takes about 3 to 4 days, but from the US, even by special delivery courier; at least 12 to 14 days [mainly due to customs] some have taken 3 months [due to the courier co sitting on it] or more on average. There is now a direct train from China to the UK. On rare occasions stuff from HK/C has not turned up, but there again its been the same for orders from US, Europe, Africa.... To me its more of a lottery of a/ when or if my order from the US will arrive b/ what amount of duty will I have to pay to get into my hands c/ how long will C&E hold it or even return it to the US #5. Bank tells me 'wire' is old fashioned and un-safe. BACS is the modern way but US banks mostly don't accept that, only European and Far East banks do. [are we using different names for the same process, where the bank differentiates?] #1. tongue in cheek, ok, but my country is not a 'colony' of any country; used to have lots of colonies tho, like 13 of them in that thar New World place Lastly, bread cheap enough but not the organic food; about 100 to 300% dearer than regular grub As I said earlier; If I lived in the US I'd buy local, but I don't so I don't

Thats nice. Pity it'll be mostly under somebody's bottom end

I store some leather in the cardboard tubes which carpet is wound round. They are usually about 12 to 15 feet long. I got some free from a carpet shop and cut them down to 4 foot lengths