rodneywt1180b

I love the sculptures too. I've never seen leather used like that. Rodney

Thank you! Nice job on the axe too. Rodney

Welcome! And Good For You! I don't drink nearly as much as I used to. It's amazing how much more time, money and energy you'll have for other hobbies. Rodney

Nice looking work. I'd like to see more of the axe too. I'm thinking your friend is going to be pleased. Rodney

I don't know much about leather but I do have a pretty good working knowledge of old domestic sewing machines. The Singer 99 is a personal favorite of mine. They're sturdy and well built ,little machines BUT they were never made to sew thick leather. They're fantastic little machines for kids to learn to sew on though, especially when you fit them with a hand crank. If you're serious about leather don't bother with domestic machines. Even the better ones like the Singer 201 or 15 really aren't designed for anything heavier than garment leather. Most don't want a steady diet of that either. Not all commercial machines are created equal either. If you go for a used commercial machine make sure it's designed for heavier materials. A machine set up to sew ladies underwear isn't likely to work well on heavy leather. A lot of Craig's List and Ebay sellers like to claim their machines sew leather. Verify the model and the machine's capabilities for yourself before you buy. ISMACS is a great resource for researching old machines. Here's a link to their section on Singer industrial machines. http://ismacs.net/singer_sewing_machine_company/singer_industrial_model_sewing_machines_and_accessories.html It should at least give you an idea of what you're looking at. Rodney

Welcome! Sounds like a good resource for those in GB. Rodney

Welcome! I'm new here too and have yet to work with my first piece of leather. I'm learning a lot just reading the posts here. Rodney

I'm thinking you should be prepared for some orders when she comes back. Really nice work and an awesome design. Rodney

Welcome! Both our dogs are rescues too, though not your breed. We fostered for a little while and ended up with two we couldn't part with. Rodney

I'm new here too. Welcome! Rodney

I'm not sure what's wrong but your pictures are tiny even after I click on them. Rodney

Welcome! I'm new here too. Looks like we're almost neighbors-at least as far as forum distances go. Rodney

Thanks for the welcome guys. Sounds like the learning curve will be a bit steep at first. The handles I want to make are going to require a fair amount of precision in the fit and finish to look good. Think more along the lines of nice garments or upholstery than a rustic "wrap some leather around a stick" look. The good thing about it is there will be a nearly endless amount of possibilities for the handles when I'm up and running. I'm at least a few months off before I can even start making them. I'm just trying to do some research before I start. Leather is a completely new thing for me. All I know right now is it comes from dead critters and that I like the stuff. Rodney

I've been lurking and reading here the last few days and decided to sign up. There are a lot of really talented people here and I've been learning a lot.. I'm not really a leather worker though it looks like I could get sucked into it pretty easily. I mostly do woodworking and am currently making canes. I have some ideas for leather wrapped handles on the canes I make and am trying to learn more about how do the job properly. I'm going to have a bunch of really basic questions when I get started. Rodney

Great looking bags. I especially like the top one. Rodney