Davy

Thanks bluesman Bill !! I love the blues , never heard of Zydeco music though , can you enlighten me ?

AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!! I've got a hollow body arch top that sounds great . How does the leather affect the sound of it ? I could image it feels great to hold too . Great job mate !!!!!!

After a few years doing work for the mining industry with the occasional motor and boat trimming job here and there , then a couple of stints as a fitter and turner working on valves in Power Stations I have finally sold my share in a mining supply business and finally come to the realization after talking with family and friends that the one thing that I'm sorta good at but more importantly enjoy doing is making leather goods . So what I'm going to do now is start up my leather business again . And maybe with the help from my Aussie friends I can source some decent dyes and finishes as the last lot I purchased were that watered down they were unusable . I don't know how some companies can charge premium prices and deliver such rubbish . I need to buy some good polish to prep the leather prior to dying , some good quality antique , some Satin Seal if its still available for my final coat . Also a range of oils in various colors , equivalent to raven oil or waproo who I think sells raven oil now . I used to be able to buy dozens of different colors in 50ml bottles for example , Ox blood , burgundy , carmine , rose , red , cherry red , aquamarine , turquoise , light green , lime green , emerald green , green etc etc . It's kinda frustrating not knowing where to get the products that I need !! Any help would be appreciated . I hope some of you remember me , I posted in the forums a few years back , uploaded some embossing examples then disappeared . But a man has to put food on the table for his kids so sometimes you have to work at jobs that you don't necessarily like . Anyhow now I'm back , hopefully for the long haul and to reacquaint myself with all of the good people here at Leatherworker.net !!!! Cheers Dave .

For embossing tools marble is the best base to deaden the blow . I use 2" marble and never had a tool bounce yet . A good heavy rawhide mallet for tooling is the go and a lighter one for beveling works well for me . Also the leather needs to be just wet enough to help the tool leave a nice crisp print . If its too wet it wil be spongey and the edge of the print won't be sharp and clear , it will also displace too much leather causing distortion which is no good at all . If you get the wetness right you can emboss large areas without having to rubber cement your job to X-ray film or whatever else . Hit hard for stamps with a large surface area and lightly tap for those small triangle or mules foot stamps . On 3.5mm leather I hit hard but on 1mm to 1.5mm I go very carefully . If you wet your leather a bit too much wait till it dries out a bit , the more you do the easier it gets . Finally try using your stamps at different angles , not all stamps lend themselves to this but by experimenting you can get a whole new pattern base . 1 stamp can give you a few different impressions that are really noticeable after antique is applied . Good luck , there's nothing more satisfying than creating a pattern that looks great , is one of a kind and that you know nobody will ever duplicate it !!! Cheers , Dave .

Howdy folks !!!! I'm a bit out of touch with the current price of leather hides , in particular bridle and harness leather plus chrome or veg tan splits . Prices needed in sqft or sqmtr , I can convert to Aussie dollars . Leather here in Australia is absolutely ridiculously priced so I was looking at buying a container load from wherever I can get the best quality at a decent price , quality being foremost . I've heard that Argentinian leather is quite good , I know American leather would be good and Canadian as well . Any info or contacts would be greatly appreciated . Thanks !!!!!

My sincerest apologies to Leatherworker.net and members for not responding to anyone over the last coupla months . There has been a serious family problem that has required urgent attention and at this point in time has remained ongoing . There is a good chance that things will settle in the not too distant future and I will be able to get the templates I promised posted (They're finished) and respond to others . All the best to everyone for Xmas , I hope everyone has a safe and happy festive season and that Santa fills your xmas stocking with all the stuff you want . Again , my apologies and hopefully I'll be back Soon in the new year . Take care all , Dave !

now that's what I call art ! What an excellent job , you've done it again ! . Cheers , Dave .

yes allen , you and your daughter have said what lots of people have said over the years , you see some different images when you look at the patterns . turn it upside down and you will see something different again , thanks also for the kind words . tania, havent seen you for yonks , hows it going , i bet your work is going ahead in leaps and bounds , you're without a doubt one of the keenest leatherworkers I've ever met . i'll send you a pm and give you my contact details again . You're gonna love this site , best on the net . Cheers , Dave .

Heres some prices on what I got . Wallet lining - Kid / $3.29 sq/ft , calf / $3.29 sq/ft Natural Embossing dble butt 3.6mm - $22.28 sq/ft , Natural Embossing side 1.5mm - $10.84 sq/ft . These prices havent got tax included yet , which is 10% . And , i'm not sure what the thickness is in ounces . I've seen a conversion chart here somewhere , does anyone know where it is so that i can download for future reference . ( how you can measure thickness by weight beats me . And you reckon we're upside down here in Aus ! lol ) Cheers , Dave .

Dead right Steve , zips are exactly where its most useful (forgot about that one) . Ever tried sewing a 6mtr chunky zip into a cover freehand , that's fun !!!

Some times you have to be careful with the double sided tape , It's generally acrylic and some are different to others . If you get the wrong one , as your needle gets hot while sewing fast the glue will stick to the needle and thread then you will start dropping stitches . The best one to use is one that trimmers use , generally obtained from upholstery supplies , you won't have any problems . Great to locate things , clean no mess , definite edge , though sometimes as with wallet folds etc its better to use contact or neoprene solution . If you can bind freehand , with practice you'll get better and better , its always the best option I think .

Off to Sydney today to get some leather , happy days !. NSW Leather Co is the place I'll be going , they have the largest range of leathers I've ever seen anywhere . This is gonna be great , I think I'll be like a kid in a lolly shop , the excitement is growing by the minute .

Whats the most popular size belt width you make . I've noticed that 30 yrs ago 2" belts were most popular . then jeans belt loops shrunk to 1-1/2" and now thats the most popular I found , with the occasional 1-1/4" .

Leathercraft in Australia , where is it going ? Unfortunately , its already gone , right down the poopa . I live near the 6th biggest city in our country , Newcastle , and there are no leather shops or leatherworkers advertising anywhere here that I know of . I've heard of a couple west of Lake Macquarie , but never met em . as for guilds , I sent a message to the NSW guild in Sydney on 11th Sep with phone numbers attached and still have'nt heard a word back from them . Maybe they're too busy , who knows . As for supplies , I used to be able to buy raven oil in 4 or 5 shades of green , now they dont even make any green raven oil at all . If it was'nt for Rod Stangers offer to fill me in on how he makes up dyes , I'd be stuffed . Anyway Leatheroo , I think we're stuck with what we have , maybe it's not too bad in one sense , at least we now have to be a bit more innovative , what do they say , necessity is the mother of invention . Like Tom said the world is a smaller place now , thanks to the internet . And at least we have the LW to keep in touch with our peers and exchange info . Since being here I've gotten more info about the local scene from yourself and others than I could have hoped to from any other source . Oops , forgot there are'nt any other sources . Long Live LW Cheers Dave .

Get back out from under that rock Ray , no offence taken whatsoever . I dont want to miss out on any thing you have to say , God bless ya little cotton socks !!!! Ah , theres nothing quite like the aftermath from throwing a bit of petrol on the fire . Sure gets things going . Probably one of my faults is to enjoy stirring things up a bit , but ah , what the heck , who cares . - as for being all new and wanting to post heaps of threads and replies , I think that comes from being a leatherworker for so long but only ever having met or spoken to a handful in all that time . finding this site has been like coming out of a 35 year coma and finding over 3000 people i have something in common with . One thing i've wanted to do for years is share all i've learnt over this period and finally I've found a place to do this , with an added bonus of learning new stuff from some truly great craftsmen & women . So , forgive me if I ramble on a bit , or have my bent sense of humour taken the wrong way ( I dont normally apologize for anything ) but youse only have yourselves to blame , afterall you accepted me as a member , warts and all ! And rawhide 1 , that 2 cents worth was priceless . From the original topic and right throughout this one I think you perfectly stated what everyone else wanted to say but couldnt as well as you just have . Summing up I'll just say blah blah blah blah blah blah........................lol Cheers , Dave.............Sick of me yet ?

Sorry Ray , I've gotta stick up for the newbies here . I've only been here about a month but started posting on my first day and couldnt wait to share what i know , learn from others and try to make a million bucks just from this site alone . No really , I think that billy spoke with good intentions , but to say the newer people havent been members long enough to know what LW is about , sounds a bit patronizing to me . I dont think it takes long at all to work out what this site is about , I figured it out the first day and I'm sure I'm not the only one . The people I've met since I've been here are without a doubt some of the most knowledgeable , friendly , helpful and funny people I've been fortunate enough to engage in social intercourse with , yourself included Ray . No doubt i may offend some with these comments , but theres no offence intended , like my brother once said , the only reason i was given a mouth was so i'd have something to take my foot out of , and like the great Al Bundy once said being a man is "being able to make mistakes and not care" The only reason I keep coming back is LW is great in its current format and everything seems to work fine just the way it is . LONG LIVE THE NEWBIES !!!!!!!!!!!!We'll be seasoned veterans before ya know it ! Ya just gotta love it here ! Cheers , Dave . PS - I might be green , but i'm not a cabbage .Everbody here was new at one time .

thanks Clair , it sounds like thats just what the doctor ordered . Sounds a bit scary though , Normally i need things that are pretty well idiot proof , but , being the adventurous type , I'll give it a go if it looks like it'll do the job . Alphas , stencils , wiki page ? I like to create my own patterns and the reason I'm after something like this is to be able to see the finished pattern before i start banging away on a lump of leather . sometimes i might spend 3 or 4 hours on a circular pattern , get almost to the end , and something i visualised in my head just does'nt look how i wanted on the pattern , and i hate finishing something i'm not happy with . And , it's not like i can unstamp it . Thanks again , cheers , Dave .

Sorry digger , here ya go i've just reinstated you legend status .

Pie = dogs eye , mystery bag , maggot bag Best Pommie show - Father Ted

G'day Mattmatt , I think i know what you mean about your friends being able to find a bracelet as quick as they can . My daughter is 19 and I was 19 once , I think . What you're saying is they want to go to a leather site , find a list of products click on bracelets then choose one they like , the quicker the better , correct ? And I think you were looking for somewhere here that you could go and look at either lists of makers and their products for sale , or just products for sale from all the makers selling stuff ? As for using forums to sell your stuff , that is a real touchy subject here from what i've been reading the last couple of days . As Mark (CollinMS) said "I am going to give you some information that will be considered highly controversial." I don't know if he realised how controversial that info would be . Theres obviously 2 schools of thought on it . I personally don't have a problem with some one who has an interest in , or has genuine input into forums , going ahead and using that particular forum to try and sell product . If the administators of that forum dont like it they'll let em know soon enough . But as for false testimonials being generated in forums just for the sake of a potential sale really is deceptive at best and fraudulent lowdown lying at worst . It really comes down to ethics , and a credibility issue , for anyone that wants to use that type of marketing ploy to eventually give their product , wether it's good or not , a bad name . Anyhow , opinions are like assholes , everbodys got one , and most of em stink , cept mine of course ! Back to leatherwork , if you're just starting out Mattmatt I dont think you could find a better place to learn from than here ! Have you got any photos of your work ? If you enjoy making stuff and would like to make some money from it , pay your dues , with time comes improvement and it wont be long before you are harvesting the fruits of your effort ! There must be room for newer people here too , cause I'm one of em Member #7,378 here , and if they will put up with me , they'll put up with anyone !!!!!!!!!! this place has the friendliest most experienced leather people from everywhere on the planet and you will certainly benefit from and enjoy your time here . All the best #7517 from #7378 .

Greetings Karl , youve stumbled across the best site on the net , especially if you're a leatherworker . I've made it my second home !!! Anyhow good to see you here mate , Cheers , Dave .