hidepounder

Rookie, Good job on the straps! What I like best is that you planned your pattern so that the vine would cross over your keeper. That is the type of planning that makes a piece stand out from the rest. Bob

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAVID!

I think this has a lot to do with the type of rouge you use. some are intended to be used dry, others are not. I've found that WD 40 works pretty well to help a dry blend adhere better. I think honing oil is a lot lighter than general household oil. Maybe one of the knife guys could jump in here and tell all of us about both.

Ed, Your bag is impeccably done! Now I know why you were concerned about your method of attaching clasps! Did you buid two shoulder straps for this bag? I see a contoured strap and a padded one? Bob

Clint, Great job on the site! It looks terrific. Also I want to thank you for your support of a very special group of soldiers!!!! I think what you are doing is pretty special! Bob Park, 7th Special Forces Group E5, 12B4S 1972-1975

Ricky, I use mine a lot also. I used to put my head knives on it but I've gone back sharpening them by hand, then taking them through a couple polishing stages. I recently had to replace my motor and went to Sears and picked up a bench grinder that is variable speed from 1750 to 3500 rpms. That worked out really well. I reversed the base so that I could work on the top of the wheels as they turned away from me, and modified the wheel guards so that they exposed the top of the wheels instead of that the area facing you. The reason I jumped in though is that I used to use the bees wax and have dumped it for a tube of grease that does a better job of lubricating the grit wheel, giving me better cutting and less heat. If you like using the stationary belt....3M makes some really fine belts....my favorite is a 1200 grit belt that does a great job of refining an edge before you start buffing.....just thought I would share that...... Bob

Troy, I'd be wearing a sweater there, it's 115 here and we haven't hit the highs yet.........what's your address again, Troy.....I might be visiting soon, LOL! Bob

Looks pretty good Oscar....I like the way you combined the inverted carving with conventional beveling. Good job! Bob

Dustin, I agree with Marlon, practice doing both. The more you learn to control your knife, the better your results will be. You will find that different situations will arise which will force you to cut in one direction or another. It is also important to learn how to bring two cuts together, so that the beginning and end don't show. You can't practice enough, even the pros need to practice from time to time. Something to keep in mind is that practice does not make perfect! Only perfect practice makes perfect! What I mean is, just cutting for the sake of cutting is not going to be as fruitfull as trying to accomplish a specific cut and practicing until you get it right. To do this you need to work from a good example. In other words, don't practice making cuts by copying someone who is only average. Find the very best examples of cuts that you can find and work on copying one cut at a time until you have mastered it. Part of being a good at finger cutting is the ability combine several different cuts into a pleasant looking pattern, so as you begin mastering different cuts, practice putting them together into something that is pleasing to look at. It takes a little while to master the use of the swivel knife, but it is the foundation of everything you carve. I hope you find this useful..... Bob

In this month's LC&SJ Bob Klenda wrote an article where he discussed slicking the flesh side of leather. After wetting he applied saddle soap which helps to bind the fibers together and help them to lay down....same principle as using saddle soap on edges. Bob

Another good looking rig, JW! Bob

Dolphini....tapering a belt for a narrower buckle is a commonly accepted practice. Here's an example... Bob

Great job Marlon and congratulations on the win!!!!!! Bob

Requiring a deposit is pretty standard. I require 50% with the balance on completion. On internet sales, I require the balance before I ship. I usually will send a photo of the finished product along with the final invoice. I don't ship until payment is confirmed. I really don't want to insist on full payment at the time of order, but that is probably the safest way to protect yourself. I have a friend in OK who is very successful. He requires a non-refundable deposit which puts that customer in "line". When it is that customers turn, he requires the balance before he starts the project. If he does not receive payment within a certain window, the customers name goes to the bottom of the stack. When it is his turn again, he requests payment a second time. If not received on the second go round, he cancels the order and keeps the deposit. Not a bad policy! Bob

Rookie, Don't give up on making the case out of multiple pieces. I like that....it gives you the opportunity to make better use of your leather and to make the case a little fancier (therefore worth more money). The way you attached the flap was okay. An alternative is to extend the back of the flapdown a little farther and hide the seam behind an outside pocket which is handy to use. If you aren't going to add an outside pocket then, yes, the back and flap would be made from a single piece. Many briefcases are made where the gussetts acutally extend from the side, all along the bottom and up the other side. Again, this allows you to use smaller pieces of leather. You did a great job on this one! Keep on strokin'! Bob

Rookie!!!!! Great job! It's a really good looking case! I don't want to make many comments on your tooling. I think you're doing a good job....just keep on practicing. I agree with Rick, however, you need to make your petals a little bigger and more elongated to help balance out the background with the foreground. You also oversized a couple of "acnathus" leaves to fill space. They need to be made a little smaller. But a lot of that is purely a matter of style. I am curious however about your choice to run the strap under the flap instead of over it. That is unusual, I'd like to hear how that works out. Keep up the good work! That was a big project...they can be complicated. Bob

Hi Mick, What you are experiencing is a fairly common problem. Usually cracking occurs when finishes are applied too heavy. I'm with Ross, I'm also a NeatLac fan....it's all I use. But it also can crack on bends and folds. The trick with NeatLac is, like Ross said, to rub it in. I prefer a couple of light coats. In addition, you are more likely to see fine cracking on a smooth belt like you made as opposed to a tooled belt where the tooling hides imperfections in the finish. I don't any experience with the finish you used so I can't comment on your application. I would think any finish which penetrates the leather would be preferable to something which sits on top of it. Bob

IT'S YOUR DAY! Have a great one!

Ed, I don't think they will fit, but I probably shouldn't say because I haven't used quarts is such a long time. It's cheaper for me to buy by the gallon and feed into the plastic bottles (I think they are pints). I just replaced the brush on one of my bottles that's been in use for at least 10 years. Bob

Charlie, I agree with Max....it's conceptually what you need. I too worry that the lamps will do the job. I also discovered that with the one I use I always have to iron the backdrop fabric because the folds in the fabric show in the photos. The fact that is all folds up is handy for storage....I just hate ironing! I always thought it would be handy to have some sort of roll down shade on my bench to use for photos....someday I'll get around to trying it. Bob

Ed....when Barge dropped the hazardous shipping requirement on the new product, they seemed to have dropped the "sticking" requirement also..... Bob

Great job Casey! I'll bet that was fun to do. Are these three ring binders? Bob

Add me for Hansens.....haven't tried Wages yet, although we've had some dialog. Bob

I'm with Art on this one......Good job Rookie! Bob