TomBanwell

Thank you one and all. I readily admit I'm not your regular type of leather worker. I didn't know what steampunk was either, till about a year ago. I learned about Etsy from this forum, and there I first came across the word "steampunk". And golly Ned, now I are one! This leather forum has allowed me to learn lots of new things. Thank you!

This is my latest steampunk helmet, made of handstitched 5-6 oz veg tan leather with resin and metal parts. The front plate is cold cast aluminum. The neckguard has ten luminiferous aether collection devices for gathering aether energy and converting it to light the headlamp. Step-by-step construction on my blog http://tombanwell.blogspot.com

Thanks, I called them and talked to Tom. Since the foot was stuck it sounded to him like something was "gummed up". I opened the front cover and pried with a screwdriver and the foot slammed down. Then generously oiled everything relating to the foot. Working good now.

I just bought a used Boss, and it looks pretty good like it has little wear. The presser foot was not moving smoothly, and now its stuck in the up position. The cable is moving at the handle end, so I'm assuming it isn't attached at the foot end. Can I safely remove the front cover to look at it without a problem? I don't want any springs to go aflying. Thanks.

For a part-time business, etsy has worked very well for me. www.tombanwell.etsy.com

Not sure if this applies to your seat with multi colors, but I get the old bomber jacket look as seen on this steampunk mask as follows. Apply clear antiquing to seal the leather. Then apply brown antiquing over it, and wait till almost dry. Scrub hard with a paper towel to remove brown unevenly, giving the old look.

Hi Lokiprime, I'm in the Grass Valley area. Are you nearby?

Anne, the pictures aren't showing up.

Very nice! You have a natural talent there, I think.

Congratulations, Tom. All publicity is good publicity, and hopefully you'll get some good out of it!

I'm just curious: How is a sporran different than a purse?

Thanks, all. The upper "trunk" has lots of holes cut into it for breathing.

My latest project, a steampunk leather gas mask.

I have the same tool, and I love it. I don't think it matters which is up and which is down. I just press it all the way down. No need to adjust the depth.

I made a holster for my raygun. 5-6 oz veg tan, shaped around the gun.

Beautiful work!

Win this raygun! Enter here http://tinyurl.com/dkvqwq

One thing you may want to do is to curve the front piece to fit the shape of the helmet. The veg tanned will shape easily of course. You can take advantage of the two pieces of leather by making the front piece slightly wider than the back piece. When sewn together it will naturally curve. That's how I made my steampunk helmet pictured.

I could make a mold for you. My real business is makinging custom rubber molds and resin casting. It would run about $50 for the mold. www.lumicast.com

Hey Brent, that looks great. It's amazing how professional looking you can be even when computer ignorant (not you personally, just in general).

Beautiful work, as always!

Thank you, Tina! Regarding websites and blogs, you usually have to pay someone to host your website, but you maintain control over it and can move it wherever you want. Blogs are generally free, and you don't need to know any code to set one up and enter information. But you don't own it, so it could go away. Just like with Etsy. If you displease them they will shut down your shop. If you want to set up a blog go to www.blogger.com. It only takes a few minutes to do and be online.

I've just started a blog to talk about my leather projects. I think it will work for me to talk about my ideas and projects as I go along. Currently I'm working on a steampunk gasmask. http://tombanwell.blogspot.com/

So you're advocating that the Feds break up a company because it's successful? MySpace had the same kind of "monopoly" until Facebook took away much of their business. Ebay's business is nothing like Ma Bell's, and they are already losing revenue.

Personally I'm thankful we live in a free market economy. Ebay is a private company and can run their business however they like. They can't "cram PayPal down your throat" unless you choose to do business with them. If you don't like it, don't do business with them. If enough people don't like it, they will lose business and change.