olfart

It's a triple-insulated chimney, so no heat other than direct sunlight. Yes, being exposed to the weather 24/7/365 may have had a bearing on it, but their advertising leads us to believe it can handle anything.

My experience with Flex Seal is not on leather, but where I sealed around our metal chimney on the roof, it cracked and peeled in just a few months. I was not amused.

And finally, we have a D ring worthy of Elmer! Believe it or not, the local hardware store actually had one.

The boots look a lot like the ones I was issued in the US Army in 1959. They were holdovers from the "brown boot Army", and I was issued two pair and a bottle of black dye. Obviously the boots had some sort of leather finish applied at the factory, and the dye didn't take very well. Several coats of dye made them black, but as they got scratched and bent, the brown came through. Then, of course, I had to dye them again.

I don't have one yet to put in the collar. I did allocate a spot for it between the buckle and the keeper. I'll hit the hardware store Monday, then end up ordering a dozen of them online.

Here's the collar after dyeing and a few coats of Neatsfoot Oil. And no, Sheilajeanne, there's nothing wrong with your eyes. The blemish was hidden from the camera on the back side.

I got a little carried away with the punch. His neck measures 20" just behind his head to 26" where a collar would normally rest, and I wanted to be able to snug it up for securing him in the open trailer. I also decided it could be used on any other goat that needed it for transport, and they're all smaller than he is. Then there's also my reputation for building things "bull strong and stud horse high".

Thanks. Yes, he can do pretty much whatever he wants. Luckily his wants usually come close to coinciding with mine, but a good collar will ensure the desired outcome.

Our Nubian buck goat was scheduled for a trip to the doctor this morning to have his horn remnants removed. While feeding him, I noticed his nylon collar was getting threadbare and in need of repair. Having most of a shoulder of leather sitting idle in my junk room, I decided to whip out a quickie collar for him. Well, there I go thinking again. No hardware to go with a collar, so I found an old belt of mine and stole the buckle. Then I set out to make my first "belt". By way of explanation, this goat weighs in at about 200 pounds. He's gentle as a lamb, but 200 pounds of 4-wheel drive is a little hard to control. Ergo a 1 1/2" wide collar (besides which, that was the size buckle I had). I cut a 1 1/2" strip off the only straight edge of the leather, which included a blemish about mid-length. No problem there, as he's not going to a show, just to the vet. Needless to say, I didn't finish the collar before time to leave. Once we got home and got a very drunk Elmer settled in his pen, I set about finishing his collar. Here's the progress so far. I still need a large, stout D ring, and I'll probably dye the collar to help hide the blemish.

I have a pint of Sunnyside BLO that I picked up at the hardware store a few years ago. It doesn't take much. The mineral spirits are Klean Strip brand that I got at Wal-Mart. I usually use about 1/2 teaspoon of each in a small bowl, stir it with a finger and apply it with my hands. Rub until it feels almost dry and do it again. After a couple of coats I let it dry overnight and repeat.

The knife and sheath are both spectacular! True craftsmanship is a beautiful thing to behold.

I use BLO cut 50/50 with mineral spirits for gunstock finish, and it dries in just a few hours. After several coats it makes a beautiful hard finish.

Welcome from northeast Texas! Nice looking work on the dog collars.

I use the end grain of a cedar 4"X6" post. It gives plenty of support, yet soft enough to prevent damage to a punch.

Never having skinned a deer, I have no idea.

I usually keep a pair of binoculars on the bookcase, but apparently they migrated to the car while I wasn't looking. I wanted to check the plumbing on those deer to see if there were any bucks, but no such luck. Maybe next time.

I'd have to be 60 years younger to even think about it. No antlers on any of those. Might be a buck among them, but if so he hasn't got his antlers back yet.

These showed up in our front yard this morning and stayed for nearly 2 hours. First we've had in several years. I think our neighbor has kept them thinned out.

Welcome from NE Texas!

The Dremel is a handy little tool for delicate work, but the 1/8" tool shanks are way too small for Tandy's burnishers. For that you need a 1/4" electric drill and a 1/4" bolt with nut to attach the burnisher. As for the collet nut on the Dremel, the WD40 should help some. You shouldn't have to turn the nut more than 1/2 turn to loosen the collet, but then I find it necessary to push the tool into the collet just a little before pulling it out.

Lookin' good!

Hmmm... I think he probably said "ewe".

Hey! I resemble that remark! Our gym teacher in junior high school used his size 12 tennis shoe to motivate us up the rope. If we didn't touch the knot at the top, he'd send us back up with a swat from that shoe. At home, though, my dad wore out most of a hackberry tree on me over the years.

Dwight, I like your two loop design, because it's capable of straddling a belt loop on the trousers. That prevents any forward/back movement of the holster and makes for a more secure draw.

I can't wait to see those drawings translated into carved leather. Should be spectacular!