Kowboyboots

You know I think I can make that work. Get the cabochon bezels & screw these in to them with the stone i want to use. Thank you so much. Kathy

Thats really cool!

I am looking just for the part that holds the glass dome on the old bridle rosettes. I want to make scarf slides. I have checked Weaver, my jewelry suppliers, but they don't seem to have what i am looking for. Any ideas or any one make them for me. Thanks in advance. Kathy

I seen a beautiful hide the other day & darn I didn't get a picture but let me see if I can explain it maybe you can help me learn how it is done. It was a full elk hide, the background was either sheared off or tanned that way. That is what I am wondering, when was it done? I am trying to find some pictures of this kind of art done on cow, deer or elk but I must be using the wrong search words, can any one help me? thanks Kathy

Update! It cuts so smooth. One question earlier was if you could follow a straight line. Yes you can guide it along a ruler, but you can cut the smoothest corner I have ever cut. Another thing i found is if you pay attention to how you start & start under the hair you can cut the whole piece with out cutting the hair. This is if you cut with the back side up. I leave a lot of the edges with long hair, looks good on the stuff I make. I love it even more today.

I agree with Ian, do a test spot on yours. I flatten almost all my leather with a t-shirt press at 385 degrees, so it can take a lot of heat. I just use a sheet of paper between mine if there is a design or foil on it. Other wise I haven't had any problem flattening mine direct. This works on hair on as well as the thin wallet & craft type. If you are doing the suede side don't panic, it will ruff back up. Kathy

I just got it today, i have little scraps laying all over the floor trying it out on everything. I originally wanted it because it cuts sign board an sign making is my real job. It wasn't until about a week ago I got to thinking it may cut leather. I have 3, low profile 4' x 8' tables with a thick sheet of corrugated plastic on them. The boards aren't self healing but they take a lot of abuse an are cheap to replace plus I can turn them over once. Also they wipe up very nice and glue can just be rolled off. The Skil cutter has a bottom on it to help guide it, today I just drew lines & followed them. I will keep you posted as I use it for other thing. I cut out a bread box set of hair on hide today an it was perfect. I love it. My other favorite tools are my Dremel Duo.

Skil Cutter I have been eying this for some time but put off ordering it thinking my local Home Depot would get it soon. They haven' so I bought it for my self. I can't believe how it cuts through my upholstery leather an the hair on hide. So slick! I haven't tried it on any tooling leather but darn this is going to save me so much time & money on blades. It self sharpens constantly. Put it on your Christmas list, hohoho. Kathy

I have been using Massasoit/Tackband in Chicopee, MA. They have been great, ship fast an are very willing to use the flat rate boxes with combined shipping. I get a a box of 1000 tacks/nails in most colors for $11.00 to $12.50 a box. Do any of you have a cheaper supplier? Also I am looking for some smaller tacks/nails with shorter shanks, sometimes I have things I can't use the 1/2" shanks on, its a pain to snip the ends off. Just thought i would ask. Thanks Kathy

Gosh Clair those are beautiful. If you need any inlay work cut get a hold of me, I can help you out. Keep up the great work. Hey if you see Drew Knowels around don't rent to him a place to live, LOLOL! Hope Trevor does better tonight. Kathy

Beautiful! What did you use for the braiding?

That is absolutely amazing!

You know I am just a country girl brought up on a ranch. All are vacations were rodeo's. I didn't even know people took trips with out horses. Even though I am well traveled I am very ignorant in some things. When I joined this forum I thought it was going to be all western people and never even crossed my mind that leather was used in so many ways. You all have really open my eyes and now I will pay more attention to what things are made of. It is so inspirational to see so many ways to use the product I love so much to work with. Thank you all, I may have to venture into some new area with the knowledge I have learned here. You are never to old to learn, just to stubborn sometimes to admit it, LOL. Kathy

Tina those are so intriguing, love them

I see Billy drew Black Knight tonight. I sure didn't think he made the buzzer, but he did. GO BILLY!

In 2002 I came up with the idea of doing bronze & resin cowboy boots, thus my name "kowboyboots". I commissioned Con Williams to do 4" tall cowboy waxes for me representing the boots each of the 2001 world champions. Through the help of many friends & my folks I was able to get contracts with all but Speed & Rich, who were in a endorsement conflict an couldn't sign any other contracts at that time. My mom & dad are very well known in the rodeo world. Dad was a top roper and mom is still a top timer. I am a has been, LOL. I made the bronzes of the boots with the cowboys signatures on them an on the side was a small spot for their picture. The PRCA allowed me to use their logo also. Resin boot was made for a great lower price gift for the kids. Here is a Picture of the boots used for another award I just did a few weeks ago. Well they didn't sell very good, even when the fellas were in my booth signing them, luckily I had a ton of stuff I regularly did also and made good money. It was fun though, maybe a little to much fun. I didn't come home with much money! I did have one darling lady come in one day an picked up a whole lot of my Billy Etbauer boots. I kind of laughed an ask her if she was a Billy fan? She said no she was a billy mom. She was so sweet I gave her everything she had picked up. His mom is as sweet as he is. He was my very favorite cowboy to deal with. But the highlight of the whole week was my mom & dad celebrated their 50th wedding Anniversary while we were there, my little brother got married an I had my booth. First time we were all in Vegas at the finals at the same time. We got great family pictures then my dad passed away shortly after that. We would have never had those pictures otherwise. I did it again in 2003 & 2004, but decided it was cheaper to send my stuff with some one else, that way I didn't spend all the profits an trust me paying someone a commission is way cheaper then me playing in Vegas for 10 day, lolol. Bruce who has been packin your rope cans, which by the way again they are so beautiful? Here is a box I did for Trevor & Jada last yr when they had their baby. I took a lot of Trevors pictures & decoupaged them on the inside. Then I lasered their brands, Treston's name & birth date on it. My pictures didn't turn out very well but the box was beautiful. Kathy

Very nice

That you for sharing that sight, I love seeing that kind of work. So inspiring! Kathy

My mom has me make these each yr for our friends & family so it is easier to keep track of whats going on & who is winnin. If you want to down load them or have me direct mail them to you, the pleasure is mine. Enjoy the rodeo! Kathy NFR Score Timer Sheets

That looks real nice. Only thing I have had trouble with on embroidering on the leather is some of my designs were just over lapping in colors and balled up the leather, so you have to be real careful designing the designs. BB, if you are just getting started the person you bought it from probably told you, but just in case don't try to stretch the leather into the hoops, just use the spray adhesive on the stabilizer and lay the leather on it. So many people are stingy with knowledge, even when you sell them the machines, hope this wasn't your experience? I figured it out by accident then said something to the folks I got my machine from, they said oh we forgot to tell you that, right! I have a nice design program for smaller items if you need anything digitized, I will sure do it for you at no charge. Kathy

What a wonderful job, coloring is great.

Western Style Fonts

Check Triggs Leather for some new concho's if you haven't lately. They have some cool new ones. RR, did you ever find the copper spots or rivets you were looking for? I use surgical a lot of surgical blades to cut, but haven't tried cutting what you are doing. kathy

Heck don't be embarrassed, we all run into silly things we can't figure out. I two have always had this problem an as you know I am not new to it. I have never liked the setters an can't remember the last time I used one. I first always iron my hair on flat, I use a t-shirt press but if you don't have one a hot iron will work. It won't hurt the hair or the hide side, I don't use steam cause I am trying to make it stiff not soft. Then I push the prongs through an bend them over individually. It is faster for me to do it this way then to decide if I am using one of those setters right, LOl. I bend the pron right on the area it attaches to the spot an lay it flat, not bent in. I use the metal end of my exacto knife. Does any of that make sense, I know what I am trying to say but not sure that's what is coming out, LOL? If you are going all the way through maybe slit or drill a tiny hole through the latigo where the prongs go through. one of my handiest tools I have recently got was the Dremel cordless drill & screw driver set. I pre drill just about everything with a tiny bit. Good luck, Kathy

Another idea I started doing was making just the fronts an offer two ways to attach them to your own halters. I do some with sheep skin backing, the top is sewn and the bottom half Velcro. You just slip it over the nose piece. The other way was to just send fronts with the right size screws on the concho's to go all the way through the halter, all you have to do is punch a hole. I sold a lot of these on eBay, until I got tired of making them. Did I tell you I have a short tension span, LOL. kathy