mendedbowl

Most Hobby Lobby stores have a leather craft section, and they sell 12" X 12" pieces of hair-on cowhide that have a nice look. it's a little pricey buying it that way, but if hair direction doesn't matter, you should be able to get 3 pieces from each panel. I would suggest going to your nearest Hobby Lobby so you can see and feel what you are getting, but if that's not possible, you can buy it online at this link. hobby lobby link hope this helps, ken

Hi Mike, I've found a few sites with saddle pics that you may wish to compare to your saddle. (I think your guess was correct) on the first site, scroll down a little and compare saddle type 3. from Caucasus and Kazakhstan. 1st site here on the second site is a Circassian saddle. 2nd site here the third site is an eBay auction. check the pics without the thick seat pad. notice the underside of the bars is almost identical to your saddle. 3rd site the last is a 19th century Cossack saddle. enlarge the pic, and you call see how the overall shape is similar. last site ken

Wow! thanks Art and Wizcrafts, great info. now i know the Singer is priced way too high for me to bother driving to see it. I'll keep everything you both have said in mind as I continue to look around. Maybe I should save and get something new. I still have lots to learn. Thanks for the help, ken

Thanks Wizcrafts, I'll scratch the Pfaff from my list and go kick the tires on the Singer. Is there anything I need to check out on a used 111G? what's an appropriate price range? thanks again, ken

I had to Google to find out. When the pictures loaded, I realized I'd owned one once, and didn't even know that it had a name like Morris... I called it something else. It had big chunky claw foot legs, and my wife kept putting it in the way of my toes.

I need a machine to sew wallets and belts and maybe a small bag now and then. I'm considering a Pfaff 463 or a Singer 111G walking foot. I know nothing about sewing machines, so I was hoping someone familiar with these machines would share with me the pros and cons of each. Are they suitable for my needs? or should I be considering a new/different machine? Thanks for any help, ken

oops i posted late. thanks for the info art and bobby.

Beautiful work. the carving looks very nice. want to see it after you finish it. ken

looks nice clean work. what is the first silhouette? ken

love that artwork and the "entire" seat! this is the first time i've noticed that you run the stem out the bottom of the pan. do you call that a select comfort seat? i like your style. ken

hello Randy, can oxalic acid damage leather in any way, if it's left on too long or if too strong of a solution is used? can it be used to bleach leather? thanks, ken

k47, your samples are $40 wallets? come on man, you're selling wallets not samples. if you really wanted to show the capabilities of your new "magical" process of printing on leather, samples would consist of several 4 inch square swatches of leather with a wide variety of colors and patterns printed on each. and they would be sold at a bare minimum price. but you're not selling a process, you're only selling a product aren't you?

Hi TwinOaks, can you give more info about your home-made resolene please? thanks for any info, ken

Now that is just beautiful! pretty and dangerous. ken

Now this is a marketing idea I can agree with. They're not claiming you're buying leather from the exact cow you helped eat, but leather from the same locally sourced animals that they sell in their restaurants and butcher shops. As long as they're being honest with their advertising I support that 100%.

Very nice work. ken

Look at the spokes of a bicycle wheel and notice how they radiate outward. the thread spacing on your circle will be closer together than around your tube. Instead of punching all your holes, try only marking the spacing on your tube edge. You can groove your circle, but don't mark any stitch spaces. Miter the joint and glue it together before stitching. As you punch holes with your awl, (one on the tube edge and it's corresponding hole in the lid circle) imagine each set of holes as being points on a continuous line radiating from the center of your circle (like the spokes of a wheel). Aim for the stitching groove in the circle. With a little practice you'll be hitting that groove consistently. hope this helps, ken

Thank you Bruce and Ben, Just what I was hoping to hear. you guys rock, ken

Hello, I'm a fan of Jeremiah Watt's style of carving, and I've been interested in his DVD series "The Art of Leather Carving and Layout" for some time now. But the price is a little steep, so I would really like to hear some opinions from people who have viewed this series before I make up my mind about this purchase. Are these mostly for beginners? Will this just be basic beginner information that I have already viewed in many other DVDs, or will there be some real golden nuggets of information that set this series apart from anything else I've seen? All opinions and comments are welcome. Thanks for any input, ken

Hi Konrad, I can see where that would be a very novel effect to produce. Like on some personal item that is given as a gift, with a secret message that only appears with age. Maybe a bracelet with the hidden message "Our Love Grows Stronger" which isn't seen at first, but gradually appears and gets more defined each day. ken

I use clear packing tape for belts, and I use the clear plastic shelf liner for anything larger. Duck brand peel & stick clear laminate. Big Steve's advice about pulling the backing from the leather instead of the leather from the backing to prevent stretch is very wise. The only trouble I've ever had with packing tape was when using a cheaper tape (with cheaper glue) it released from the leather around the edges after casing the leather. I solved that problem by using a better tape. ken

Hi Holly, Just wanted to say your work is amazing! sorry I don't know the answer to your question, but I'm sure there are many sewing machine experts here who can help you. good luck, ken

the link works for me now too. thank you Chuck. great info. ken

It happened to me too.

hi tattoosbyjay, you did wonderful work on the koi. can you give more details please? is the koi on veg tan or chrome tan? did you use any sealer for the surface to prevent ink from staining where you didn't want it? some say that it's harder to tattoo leather. can you explain why? is the leather harder on the needles? do you use different needles for leather than for human skin? i have no desire to attempt putting a tattoo on human skin, but i would like to tattoo some of my leather products. any help would be very appreciated, ken