TomBanwell

I am storing some of my veg tan masks in a garage that gets rather hot in the summer. How hot can the garage get before the masks will suffer some damage? It is very dry here in California so there is no humidity to speak of. Thanks,

Thanks so much for your information.

Thanks, WinterBear. How long do you wait after oiling before you paint?

I have an old piece of leather that is quite dry. I want to paint it with acrylic paints, but feel it needs some Neatsfoot oil first to restore it. I fear the paint won't adhere once I've oiled it. Can I oil it, leave it for a few weeks and then paint it? Thanks for any help. This is veg tan leather.

Not cheap, but definitley lifesize http://www.ebay.com/itm/Terminator-Life-size-Bust-1-1-Sideshow-Arnold-Schwarzenegger-T2-T3-hot-toys-/221153405077?_trksid=p2047675.m1985&_trkparms=aid%3D444000%26algo%3DSOI.CURRENT%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D13%26meid%3D3606242273980552424%26pid%3D100012%26prg%3D1014%26rk%3D2%26sd%3D221153171967%26 A bust of Arnold Scharzennegger. 22½" head, 17½ neck. Very nice. Just received mine today. I also have been very frustrated with how small mannequin heads are.

Sweet!

Very nice!

Looking good.

I've recently been studying both photography and Photoshop to better show my work. This is a single mask shot on both my wife and myself and then combined in Photoshop. Made of veg tan leather and resin castings.

Both the shaping and the coloring are top notch. Well done!

I mostly use 1.5mm for our lighter weight masks.

Very nice!

The length of the fur varies quite a bit, even on this small piece. The underfur ranges from ½" to 1½" long, and the outer fur ranges from 1" to 2" long. There is no curling evident. The out fur is quite blond. Most of the underfur is fairly uniform in color (reddish blond), but in one sectiion the tips are a distinct brown. Thanks,

Where do you live?

Thanks for that information, Terry. I did find an identical pin on an eBay forum, except that it had five ermine tails rather than four. Looking at how the velvet is wrapped around the tails I suspect that mine originally had five as well.

Thank you for that careful and inciteful analysis. I agree that the tassle cords appear newer. Looking closely they appear to be all cotton and not a synthetic as you'd likely find today. I can't see how the badge is attached as nothing shows on the back, so if it is not original someone had to have torn the sporran apart to attach it. It is a flawed brass stamping however. so definitely mass produced. The fur is quite soft, more like fox than deer (at least the white tailed deer in north America, which have quite coarse fur). Another curious feature is a series of pin holes around the cantle, which appear to have been made from the back but can also be seen on the front as raised spots. BTW, it was quite inexpensive, and the shopkeeper knew next to nothing about it. He was unfamiliar with the work "sporran". But he did sell it with the ermine tail pin as if they went together.

Beautiful work on the helmet! I love it.

Yesterday at a consignment shop I purchased what first appeared to be a sporran. Upon closer inspection I found that it is not a pouch as it should be, but a flat piece of leather with a belt loop on the back. The back is a full grain leather and on the front some kind of soft reddish fur. The "sporran" measures 8" (20cm) high by 5½" (15cm) wide. I can date it to 1901 - 1910 from the brass cypher of Edward VII on the top. It has two tassles with what appears to be sheepskin. Sold along with it (although I don't know that they go together) is pin with a gold and pearl and diamond (presumably all fake) cross on black velvet and four small white tails with dark brown tips. Can anyone tell me anything about these? Thanks for any info.

I do all my designing with Corel Draw, which is a vector program. I make a sketch in pen and ink, scan it in and refiine it in Corel Draw.

I have no scientific evidence, but I would swear that when I hold veg tan leather under a faucet to get it wet it warms up. I have noticed this over and over again, but can't think of any reason why it would do that. Has anyone else experienced this? Curious in Rough and Ready

Wonderful!

Nice work! And thanks for the kind words.

Damn those youngin's with their new-fangled technology!

I've just completed a new steampunk plague doctor's mask, and listed it on eBay. Ichabod Hope you like it! It is made of 3-4 and 4-5 veg tan cowhide, plus a garment lambskin to cover the neck. All hand-stitched with coldd cast aluminum fittings. ">