tashabear

I've made a quiver using rivets for the strap, too -- what would you suggest as an alternative?

Adding a solvent will not lighten a dye; all it does is make it thinner. It's like adding water to paint. The consistency changes, but the hue stays the same. You need to add something to reflect more light, like white dye/paint (just don't mix dye with paint, that'd just be a mess!). By the same token, to make a color darker, you add something to absorb light, like black.

No, you're right -- that's block dyeing. It's a really cool technique, if done right.

Yes, all your stuff will be safe on the external, as long as you make sure that you have really copied the files, and not just made shortcuts pointing back to the file's location on the dying hard drive. I use external hard drives for my music and video files, and they work like a charm. I'd like to say no, you don't have to get Vista, but do bear in mind that I don't believe XP is supported by Microsoft anymore. Whether or not XP is available to you depends entirely on who you buy it from. Tiger Direct, for example, has lots of XP Pro desktops and laptops. As for whether your files will be recognized under Vista (if you get a Vista machine), that depends on what type of files they are. Image files (.jpg, .gif, .png), text files (.txt), those will be fine. Programs, not so much.

I have an on-again, off-again nickel allergy. I've had reactions to my dogtags, white gold jewelry, even the coins and keys in my pockets. The rashes on my forearms from the armor positioning snaps on my motorcycle jacket were particularly entertaining, as they were inside the lining and I couldn't reach them. Stainless steel is of the devil when you have a nickel allergy. I've used nail polish on watch backs and inside rings with excellent results. It does wear off, but it's not like it's hard to redo. The leather dot solution sounds like it'll work nicely, though.

I thought those bags were Dutch? The Preface clearly states that "the basis of this book is provided by material excavated in the Netherlands." (pg 9) It does reference finds from neighboring countries, but I don't think they're Viking Age. I mean, the subtitle of the book is "Archaeological finds of late medieval and 16th-century leather purses, pouches, bags and cases in the Netherlands". If I've missed something in my reading, though, please let me know where you've found Viking Age examples in this book, because that's my area of interest, too. While the late period Dutch pieces are fabulous (especially the recreations), and I want to make them, they're just not appropriate for my personal use.

Poke the awl through and pull the thread to the other side of the work, a long enough piece to go the length of the work plus a foot or so. Poke the awl through to make the next stitch, and pull the hanging end through the loop of thread attached to the point of the awl. Pull the looped threads through so the crossed stitches are inside the hole. Lather, rinse, repeat.

This is just me, but I'd lose the Comic Sans altogether. It looks very mid-90's nursery school to me. There are so many great fonts at dafont.com; surely you can find one that looks more professional? I'd lose the drop shadow, too. It looks great on a computer screen, but it rarely reproduces well on a business card.

I doubt it, given that wax is a time-honored resist for dyes (i.e. batik, pysanky, roketsuzome).

What size do you want? I like this 3/4" set from Tandy: http://www.tandyleatherfactory.com/home/de...ature=Product_4

The smell wears off, plus the neutralizing bath helps a lot. As for why not use dye... I can make a gallon of vinegaroon for a couple of bucks. A gallon of dye costs around $50. I can reasonably justify its use in historical reenactment. And if cats or kids get into it, it's unlikely to kill them, nor will it stain if I spill it on the vinyl floor in the kitchen.

In a moment of hubris, I named my swivel knife Sharpy McSlicealot. All my electronics have Norse or Norse-related names. My Kindle, for example, is Runestone, my two favorite external hard drives are Ask and Embla, and my laptop is Ratatosk. There are others; those are just the highlights. My spinning wheels are Patience (my first wheel) and Polly (Polly Portable, it folds up for transport). And my motorcycle is named Boudicca. :-) I know a guy who named his bike Gullinbursti. You mean not everyone does this?

Take something rusty. Put it in vinegar (white, cider, doesn't matter as long as it's not balsamic). Let it steep for several days. Take a piece of undyed vegetable tan leather. Put it in the rust & vinegar mix. Watch in amazement as your leather turns black before your eyes. This is a result of the acids in the mix reacting with the tannins in the leather. The acid needs to be neutralized to stop the reaction, and the easiest way to do that is in a baking soda solution, though some folks say rinsing in water will do the trick. After your piece is dry, you can oil it to deepen the color. Does that help?

Diet Coke on the counter behind me, audiobook on the iPod (or Pandora.com, streaming new-to-me music). Usually an audiobook, though; my Audible.com membership is worth the expense.

Hi! I'm a girl, but I'm not a girlie girl. I wear pink; I even have a pink motorcycle jacket. Pink is okie dokie in my book. I would not want pink luggage. I think that case looks classic. It looks like steamships and the Orient Express and Ingrid Bergman wearing fabulous hats. The only thing I would have different is a slightly larger mirror. I think it's beautiful.

Are you whacking the hell out of them, or are you tapping gently? Other than them being too long (which would be my bet too), hitting them too hard would be my next guess.

Nice to know those three years of high school Latin weren't wasted. :-D "Seize the night" is "Carpe Noctem," by the way. What did you think it was?

Carpe Diem is Latin for "Seize the Day."

Scale drawing, my friend. If you don't want to do it, I can.

Did you try cutting and pasting the URL into the address bar of your browser? Those aren't active links he posted.

I listen to audiobooks, mostly, but sometimes I switch the iPod to Pandora (I have an internet capable iPod touch and a home wireless network), or fire up one of my playlists. My "speeding ticket" mix is actually designed for riding my motorcycle, but it's fun to listen to anyway. I love video game soundtracks (the Halo 2 soundtrack is AMAZING), Celtic fusion like the Dropkick Murphys or Flogging Molly, modern folk like Great Big Sea, Enter The Haggis, or Wicked Tinkers, classic rock like The Who, Led Zeppelin, Blue Oyster Cult, and The Doors, and Southern rock, like The Allman Brothers, Molly Hatchet, Nazareth, and Lynyrd Skynyrd. Then there's the modern stuff: Staind, Disturbed, Godsmack, Trapt, Green Day, Marilyn Manson, Lacuna Coil... the dance mixes by Rihanna, Black Eyed Peas, electronica by The Crystal Method, Daft Punk, Mindless Self Indulgence and Skinny Puppy, and my guilty pleasure pop by Avril Lavigne and No Doubt. Yeah... kind of eclectic. I never know what mood I'm going to be in.

Not that I want to rain on this particular parade, but that's not always true. I paid for my spot at Birka ($15/table), and many events charge merchant fees these days. Granted, it's MUCH less than craft fairs, but still, $15 is $15. Plus you're expected to wear garb. I just like full disclosure. SCA events are fun, and you can make some money, but merchants do often have to pay for their table and they are expected to wear garb. Good luck to you, Des. I hope you find something soon.

Very pretty! I'd love to see pictures of the sides.

I LOVE THAT. Can I steal the idea to make a purse for myself? Can I, huh? Please, mister, pleeeeeeeease? (If you say yes, I'll shut up. See? I even make it worth your while. )

Thank you, but you needn't bother. I made enough remarks of my own via email.