FatSmitty

Do a search for the member BOBOCAT on the board, he did a full interiror. Also you can check out Paul Cox's website(the motorcycle seat maker), he did a hot rod and has some photos on his site. Also I have seen a Peterbuilt hot rod in several hot rod mags( I can't remember the name or magazine it was in) but it is a very popular ride and you may be able to goggle it. It has a full tooled interior and looks really sharp. Porter or Arizona style western tooling is for covering large pieces, this may be the ticket for tooling a large piece that is not as complex as maybe a sheridan style design. I wouldn't let the the scale of the job detour you, remember how to eat a elephant-one bite at a time. Nevada Okay ran the search and the name of the truck is - Piss'd Off Pete, I'm not good at this computer stuff and adding links to posts- sorry.

Your presser foot pedal chain should go thru the hole in corner of the base and thru the table to the pedal. That will keep the chain from scratching up your cylinder arm and work piece. That is a good looking machine, hope it works as good as it looks! Nevada

I think that when a wallet is carved or stamped, a thicker leather is used to get a better relief of the design. If you are just making a plain wallet, then the thinner leather would be more desirable. When I have bought wallets before I started making my own, I tended to buy plain, thinner wallets with a finer leather. These wallets have a more supple feel and seem to be a higher end product. I have 2 wallets that I switch between. I have a chain drive(biker/trucker style) and a thinner plain/supple trifold I use when fancier clothing is required. When I used to travel abroad, I would keep 2 wallets on me-1 in my front pocket with my real cash and ID and the 2nd "dummy wallet" in my back pocket with a 20 in it and nothing else important. I try to keep the contents to a minimum to keep the thickness down. I have a customer that keeps a tooled/laced billfold stuffed to the gills that is over 2 inches thick. Needless to say that this keeps him coming back for a new one once a year. I have told him that the wallet isn't made to carry that amount of stuff and causes the lacing and lining to fall apart quickley. I guess he likes buying a new wallet each year. These days, a custom wallet can be purchased as much as an "accessory item" over just being a functional item, and they may be buying thicker wallets for the overall fashion appeal over function and comfort. With the amount of celebs wearing chain drives in the media, it is "cool" to wear one and a fashion statement more that anything else. I would make your product your way and market to the entended deomgrahic-comfort and function and/or quality over fashion, if thats what you make, or make whats selling hot right now, or make and offer both, or make custom orders to the customers request. My .02 for what it's worth. Nevada

The other plus to the SheridanShow, is you will be right in the middle of some of the most beautiful parts of the US. Yellowstone NP, Grand Teton NP, Glacier NP, and the Black Hills of South Dakota are all within decent distance to Sheridan. I spent almost a year in that part of the country 2 yrs. ago chasing my job, and it is some of the most beautiful country that I have seen, next to my naitive Arizona of course. Good luck on making the trip Ray.

I know this is sorta an old post, but I just found it and wanted to add an idea. I have a thinner barrel swivel knife (ALS brand), and I prefer the 1/2" size, so I took a foamey pencil grip and worked it onto the barrel. It gives me a firmer and ergo grip. If you think you like the ergo style, you could get any thinner barrel knife and add a rubber or foam pencil grip to it with the same affect in a higher end knife. I do have a leather ringed ALS brand 1/2" knife that I do not like, it is to smooth to get a good grip on for me. Just throwing out some of my eperiances. Nevada P.S. I am going to order a SK-3 knife soon, I have used a friends a little and really like this swivel knife, but if your sharpening challenged like myself, I would suggest ordering the adapted Keen-edge jig from Leather Wranglers when you order the knife. I have a Barry King knife I like alot, but don't use, as I can't fit the Barry King blades into my current stock Keen-Edge jig. That's one thing about most custom knives, their blades usually only fit their knives. I have heard really good things about Robert Beards knives from Pro-Series Tools, but haven't personally used one.

I don't know if this is to late or not, but I have been to Israel, Egypt, Dubai(U.A.E), Bahrain, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia. Saying the "middle east" is very vauge. There are many different religons, races, and countries in this part of the world. Soccer or "football" if you will, is very popular thru out the region. Muslims do not eat pork, and beef is scarice in the area, so chicken and goat are very common staples. Dates are also commonplace. In Israel, they eat humice, eggplant, grape leaves, olives, tomatoes, cucumbers, and lamb. These are not inclusive lists just some general observations. Fanta orange soda seemed to be everywhere, be it the middle east, mediteranian, or southern Europe. Most food is prepared fresh in these areas, very little comes from a box or a can. Maybe you could intoduce them to local cuisene and American foods. If you knew for sure where they were coming from you could reserch this more. For the most part, aside from religous or ethnic constrants, kids are kids all over the world. It seems to be the adults that really mucky things up. Hope this helps, and good luck. Hopefully this exchange is a positive experiance. Nevada

Very nice!!! Bob if you don't mind giving up secrets or such, how do you do the round border pattern? Do you use a plain seeder or is that acheived with a Carlos border style tool? Thanks for any advice. I really enjoy viewing your work, there is nothing better IMHO than a true craftsman/artist making something that they put all their heart and soul into. Your work is a true benchmark in the leatherworking world. Nevada

Real nice, just in time for Arizona's birthday. Your work always is awesome Kevin, thanks for sharing. Nevada

I really like the finish on this holster. I'm not a expert in holster making, but IMHO, I think it would look better if you laced it up with wider lace, maybe the same width as the holes. I think it would look sturdier with a wider lace. Over-all the design is nice, good work. Nevada

Well to bump this, and since nobody else has posted, I found a website that offered these Portmanteau for sale(Purty Gear or Perty Gear, can't remember now). I think the basic concept is a roll shaped bag that has a porthole type opening with a flap for a cover. You could try to make your own by determing the size of bag you want and set the circular end piece size and make 2 cutouts from heavy cardboard and then take some craft paper or paper grocery bag and cut it to the width of the bag's inteded witdth. Then take your paper and tape it around your cardboard discs and determine where you want the edge of the flap to fall and mark this spot on your paper. I would also over lap the back edge of the "porthole" to the flap enough to be able to stich or rivet these pieces together. Then untape and unrole your paper and then find dead center and fold this in half. locate your flap end mark and mark your corner layout, either freehand or with a aide(such as a lid or plate with the radius you are looking for). Then cut your corner out with the paper folded and you will have exact matching corners. With the paper still folded, you can layout half of the "porthole" opening where you want it and cut the hole out following the layout line around to the fold. When you open your paper out, you should have a exact pattern for your bag. The bag body and flap cover will be one piece altogether, over lapping itself. This will make the bag be 3 pieces all together except for handle and closure straps. If your lucky, the porthole cut out maybe large enough to cut your end pieces and straps out of. Depending on how you decide to sew your end pieces on, but I think that I would over lap the bag body over the disc by atleast 1/4 inch or more and add the same measurement to the leather piece when cuttingthe disc out to be able to form a lip so that you can sew the pieces together. Hope this helps and best of luck on the bag. Nevada

After doing a little searching, I found that Tandy Leather Factory here in the USA, carries a link belt kit. This kit is simular in technique, but a more simpler design than those that you posted. Tracking the history of leather work can be nearly impossible to do it being a skill that was closely gaurded and passed down from one generation to the next. There is alot of speculation on tools and technique that is barely over a hundred years old, let alone a thousand or more. Good luck with your research. Nevada

I don't know the origin of this work, but I can tell you how it was done. You take a group of "o's" or modified "figure 8's" leather pieces and they are over lapped or threaded thru one another and folded and then a piece of lace or thong is woven thru to hold it in place. the tounge and billet ends appear to be riveted in place to lock it all together. My mother had a western floral purse with a shoulder strap created in this way back in the late 70's. These are very cool and unique belts, thanks for posting them.

Superior Tattoo Supply sells a "practice skin" for learning to tattoo, in the instructions they say to wipe down the "skin" with vaseline or A&D ointment. I don't know what the "practice skin" is made from, but from the pictures, it appears to be like foam board or the like. I do know that A&D is by far the goo of choice for most pro tattoo artists and most claim that vaseline blocks in bacteria and such. Maybe this will lead you to an answer on what they seal it with. Nevada

I had to Google this one myself, it is also a word that combines to well known words into one word with a distinct meaning, such as "spork" , "Spanglish", and "skort" for example. The word "portmanteau" came from Lewis Carroll's book "Through the Looking Glass". I guess you do learn something new everyday.

Very Nice! Reminds me of ICP!!! (Insane Clown Posse for those that don't listen to that kind of music)

As to the original post, I too use what ever font I feel matches the piece. It's easy using fonts, you type up what to need to carve in the size that you want and print it out, and you have a ready made pattern. I agree with Kevin, the inverted style looks really nice. When I'm just doing a couple of initials, I will sometimes just freehand it out with pencil and paper. Using a different font, instead of standard stamps, really gives a piece a custom and professional look over all.

Ray, I use a plastic rule taped down for a straight line to keep everything lined up and then a wing divider to set my spacing when using letter stamps, that way I don't have to set the stamps side by side and I can get whatever spacing I need between my letters. It takes a little longer to stamp having to place each one seperately. This works well when having to use the same letter multiple times in a stamping. Hope this helps. Nevada

That set is pretty new at Tandy, I've never seen a alphabet stamp set in that style(there is probably alot that I have not seen though), you could contact Tandy corporate and see if they are planning on releasing a more contemperay styled alphabet stamp set. They are always looking for new stuff to offer consumers, they just may need to see that there is a demand for things to look into manufacturing it. When I do things and I want a more modern or themed letter style, I search a font site on the internet and find a style I like and in the size I want and print them out and make a pattern out of that. Hope this helps. Nevada

If you have access to a grinder, I would dress the shank end as previously suggested. Just grind the "mushroomed" pieces back flat with the shank and then put a 45 degree angle around the drive end sorta like this \___/ . Impact tools can be very dangerous when in that condition. Chips can fly off and are just like shrapenal, let alone they can slice your hands when handling them. When I worked Maintenance of Way department at the railroad, a welding crew used a drift punch with a mushroomed drive end and it "threw" a chip and cut a guys neck and into his jugular. He survived, due to his work crews quick thinking and action, but that could have been a fatal accident. One of the chips could easily take out an eye also. This could be accomplished with a hand file also, would just take some time and elbow grease. I just don't want to see someone be needlessly injured is all.

Just to follow up with some resolution or the solve if you will, I happened to find a non-adjustable at Tandy that measures 1.5" and I took it and cleaned up the action on the yoke and lubricated it with powdered graphite. It spins very freely, and when she got home from school she gave it a try and it fit much better and seems like it will work for now. If she sticks with this, I plan on getting her a Henley for her birthday. Thanks for all the suggestions and input. Thanks a bunch, Nevada

Thanks for all the replies! We tried my Barry King at it's shortest adjustment and it is to tall/long for her to manage. I let her try my other 2 ASB swivels -1 a 1/2" thick and the other is a 1/4" with a pencil cushion on it and she seems to handle a skinnier knife better, but both are still to tall. Daddy wants a SK-3 also!!! I did find the Henley site and they have a 1.5" barrel length as well as Bob Beard. I think I'm going to give the folks at Henley a call and see what we can come up with. And if and when I can get a SK-3, I'll let her give it a whirl and see if it works better. Thanks for all the help and suggestions, and I am still open to more suggestions or personal experiance in over coming this. Thanks a bunch, Nevada

My ten year old daughter wants to learn leather work, so for Christmas she got a deluxe leathercraft kit from Tandy. I was working with her tonight on using the swivel knife that came with her kit, and she had difficulties holding the knife and working with it. I have it adjusted all the way down to make it as short as possible, but it is still to long for her hand size. Any ideas on a make of swivel knife that may be smaller or shorter in length that she would be able to handle easier? She is naturally artistic, and I think she can pick up on this quickly, she just needs a proper tool. Thanks for any help. Nevada

Your swivel knife cutting and beveling look great! You can use a sealer, such as Neat Lac or Saddle Lac, to seal the pores and then apply antiqueing. There are some good threads in the Dyes, Finishes, etc.. section on the board on using antique stains.

Very nice! I especially like the cuff, very unique, kinda like an abstract western floral pattern.