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budd4766

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Posts posted by budd4766

  1. Posted · Report reply

    I had one of those nicely sealed bottles "blow up" on me while trying to open it once, (new bottle). Unfortunately, at that time my workshop was a spare bedroom of a rental house. Took forever to get the saddle tan off the off white walls.

    I've come to accept that, no matter how careful I am, if I'm indoors where I DO NOT want to make a mess, SOMETHING besides my leather is just going to get stained...:(

  2. Posted · Report reply

    I still use 'em where I can. Just for the ease of use. Only problem with them is, it's really tough to modify them if you want something slightly different than what they're made for. Like, you can't scale them up or down to different sizes. But, they're quick and easy, and if they fit what you're trying to get your project to look like, then they're great!

  4. Posted · Report reply

    Welcome, JC!

    I happen to be teaching that holster class at Tandy Memphis. It's going to be a pretty basic class, just to show you how to lay out a pattern and a little wet molding. Just a simple class to get you started. Looking forward to meeting you in person later this month!

    And, as Luke said, if we can help at all, just give us a shout!

    Donnie

  12. Posted · Report reply

    The speech went off quite well the other night. I made my own sporran, straps, and kilt belt:

    gallery_6892_614_34987.jpg

    I talked about that coat, (which is actually called a "jack"), being a leather or canvas coat with metal plates riveted in...they'd also hang chains from the bottom to help protect their legs from sword slashes. Armor, at least as we envision it from T.V., would have been a rare sight in ancient Scotland. The terrain and tactics of the highlanders required them to be more mobile...and plate armor just wouldn't cut it for them.

    I talked about how the Scots were known for being frugal....and that any people who would come up with haggis, knew how to get the most out of the animals they slaughtered...:)

    I took a piece of cowhide and did a demonstration of how they would make ghillies. The picture I posted previously is pretty historically accurate, as they wouldn't worry with tanning the hide they used for these "shoes", but would wrap it around their feet....fresh off the animal, and strap it on.

    gallery_6892_614_33354.jpg

    gallery_6892_614_7445.jpg

    gallery_6892_614_40822.jpg

    They'd wear these until they fell off, or they killed another animal. The highlanders weren't very worried about fashion as much as they were about functionality. Life for a highlander was so hard, only the clan chiefs could afford to worry about being pretty.

    All in all, I think they were duly impressed. Got a lot of good comments afterward, so I was happy.

    Thanks to all for the help!

    Donnie

  14. Posted · Report reply

    Unfortunately, I wasn't able to attend the show, though I've heard LOTS of great comments from those who were there.

    As I had an item in the competition, the only thing I would suggest is some sort of posting, be it here, or on your website, showing what/who won ribbons. If you did pics, that might be a lot of space to load on a site, but at least an "official" listing would help. I know a few people posted pics taken as they wandered around, but didn't get all of the winners.

    And...pics would show what beat us how the competition stacked up..:)

    Plus, the stuff is just plain cool to look at..:)

    Just a thought.

  21. Posted · Report reply

    ChuckBurrows: Thanks. I'm having trouble finding books by Waterer...none of the libraries I've checked with can find it. But that's exactly the stuff I'm looking for.

    KatieG: Yes! Go Scots! I'm a Keith, and darn proud of it..:) Like I said, I'm making a kilt belt, sporran and straps, (for myself, but to pass around as well). I'm planning to carve thistles on both and color it "sheridan style"...at least that's the plan. Thought about the sword sheath or a targe, but I'm going to run out of time, so I'm trying to keep it simple.

  22. Posted · Report reply

    Thanks James.

    I'm also a kilt wearer, and I'm a member of both of those forums. I've been searching them for info already...even sent Matt Newsome a PM to see if he has anything I can use. Thought I'd try here as well.

    I know belts aren't really necessary with a kilt, but they do look cool with one. I was thinking more along the lines of a great kilt...that doesn't fit quite as nicely as our modern kilts...a belt would be handy there. Plus, there's sword sheaths, frogs, and straps that I imagine were mostly made of leather. Need to find out how they tooled their stuff, or if they tooled it at all.

  23. Posted · Report reply

    I'm speaking for 30 minutes...I'm thinking early 1700s or before. There wasn't much kilt wearing after 1745 for quite a while. I know Andrew Muirhead in Scotland is one of the oldest tannery's in the world...sent them an email for info if they have it.

    Just wondering how I can make the stretch from what a Scottish leather worker would do, to what we do today. Things like, I don't know if they tooled their leather, or just painted designs on it....? These are potential customers, so I have to tie the history into what I would do for 'em.

    I think I can BS my way through 30 minutes or so, but, if there's any info out there, I need to do due diligence to find it.

  24. Posted · Report reply

    I've been asked to do a show-n-tell on leather work in Scottish history....because I'm a leather worker, and have Scottish ancestors. I'm going to make a sporran and kilt belt for the "show", but I'm having trouble with the "tell" part.

    Problem is, I can't find any material to talk about how leather was tooled/used in Scotland, other than the obvious...to hold up yer kilt! When you do a search on line, you'll either get hits from sporran makers, kilts, or William Wallace...but I'm yet to see any info on the history of leather in Scotland.

    Anybody have any information on this? Or, can you point me towards where I could at least find it myself?

  25. Posted · Report reply

    Great looking stuff here.

    Pricing is always a tricky subject...one I struggle with a lot. I love doing leather work, and it seems wrong to charge a lot for something I had fun making, but if the market will support it, why not? That way, I can afford to have more fun making the next thing..:)

    My dad used to work for this old farmer in MS who told us the story of a fridge he was trying to get rid of. He'd put the fridge out on the curb with a sign saying $50, and it sat there for weeks. Then, one day he changed the sign to $100 and sold it the next day.

    I had a similar incident with a hot sauce holster I was selling on Etsy. I'd posted it at $45 + shipping...sat there for weeks. Then, I changed it to $65 shipping included, and it sold within a week. Weird...but true.

    The lesson I'm taking away is, never sell yourself short.

    As for the stuff you guys have listed here, I'd expect the leash to bring between $50 and $75, and the box to be in the $100 range. Would I pay that for it? Maybe, maybe not. To be honest, I'd probably try to figure out how to make my own and not pay nothing...) (don't look at me like that, everybody who does this stuff does the same thing all the time...nature of the beast kind of thing). But, somebody who doesn't do leather will pay for what they perceive as a quality, hand-made, unique piece of work. So don't feel bad about charging 'em for it..:)

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