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Everything posted by TrooperChuck
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use of little boxes/conchos
TrooperChuck replied to wildrose's topic in Boxes, Clocks and Game Boards
Thanks for sharing that idea, Holly. Seems like something that would sell well at craft fairs. Now, I guess I gotta drive to the Michael's store in Spokane! -
I've sometimes wondered what will happen to my tools (and everything else) when I pass away. My wife and I had three children, but they died, and none of our nieces and nephews seem seriously interested in leatherwork or saddle making. I'm only 49 years old, so unless God has other plans for me, I hope to have quite a few more years left for pondering this question.
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That truly is a a sad piece of news. I didn't know Mr. Hunt, but almost every horse clinician working today owes something to him. The Parellis, Clinton Anderson, Charles Wilhelm, Josh Lyons... they all benefitted from Ray Hunt's knowledge and experience. Damn. I think I'm gonna go spend some time with my horses now and send some thanks to Mr. Hunt for what he's taught us.
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I don't know about the Friday the 13th stuff, but the full moon thing is an absolute truth. When I was a state trooper we ALWAYS knew when it was a full moon because of the increase in weird people we had to deal with. Someone once told me that, just like the moon affects our oceans, it affects us because we're mostly water anyway. I don't know if that's true, but I do know that working a nightshift in Fairbanks was never dull when there was a full moon. I hope your finger heals quickly Josh. We're all looking forward to seeing more of your leather work.
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I've had the same thoughts. It kind of feels good to think that decades from now someone could still be riding a saddle with my name on it. There used to be a saddle maker named Art Barrett here in northeast Washington. He wasn't well known outside of our little area but he made lots of saddles. He died a few years ago, and I still run into lots of folks who own his saddles and enjoy riding them.
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Gary: I just tried your technique and it worked wonderfully! Wow, that made the job so easy. This will really save a lot of time next time I need to edge saddle strings. With a little experimentation, I found that you can do the same thing with a french edger in order to create more of a bevel. Be warned though, using a french edger requires a lot more concentration to end up with a straight cut. Using a basic edger is a lot easier. Thanks for sharing your idea.
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Mould For Making Magazine Pouch
TrooperChuck replied to TomLine's topic in Gun Holsters, Rifle Slings and Knife Sheathes
Jordan: The suggestion of plastic wrap over the leather to protect is a great idea. I'm gonna start doing that. Thanks for sharing it. Chuck -
Mould For Making Magazine Pouch
TrooperChuck replied to TomLine's topic in Gun Holsters, Rifle Slings and Knife Sheathes
Tom: Here's what I use to mold things like magazine pouches or pocket knife cases. I made it from scrap wood. Soak a 4"x5" piece of 6 or 8 oz. leather in water, then put it over the plug. Push the top of the mold down on it, and clamp it with several spring clamps. Let it dry overnight. Take it out of the mold, trim the edges to shape, and sew it to a back piece. Hope this helps. -
awesome!
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And another question..
TrooperChuck replied to CharlieR's topic in Saddle Identification, Restoration & Repair
The old cowboy who taught me to make saddles always said too much oil was worse than too little. Too much oil can cause leather to become "lifeless" and lose its shape. It also causes the pores to open real wide, and allows dirt to collect in there. Lastly, on warm days an over-oiled saddle will start to "sweat" out that excess oil. -
Last week in the home workshop
TrooperChuck replied to Lobo's topic in Gun Holsters, Rifle Slings and Knife Sheathes
I really like the belt! Good luck in your new shop. -
Des: Check out this posting from rdb about keyrings... http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=14947 I took rdb's idea and made up half a dozen of similar keyrings, using scrap leather and some conchos that have been sitting in a jar on a shelf for a long time. Everyone who has seen them loves them. I haven't tried to sell them yet, but if my friends' reactions is any indication, I think they'll sell quite well. In my neck of the woods I'm thinking they'll go for about $15.00 each. You got some leather. You can get some neatsfoot oil or olive oil. You can go to Walmart and buy a package of split rings for less than $2.00. If you don't have any conchos yet, it's no big deal. Make up some tooled keyrings. Sell them. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you.
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Did the cowboy order a whiskey for him and a beer for his steer? Gosh... that rhymes better than "beer for my horses".
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Unethical Business Practices
TrooperChuck replied to TrooperChuck's topic in All About Us and Off Topic
Well, I'm both glad and disheartened to see that this kind of stuff has happened to others. You know, I'm really beginnning to think the real reason for the turmoil in the world today is not because this person is conservative or that person is liberal, not because this person is a member of a church or that person is an atheist, not because this person is one color and that person is a different color... I think the real problem is that somewhere along the line lots of people in our society decided "Anything is okay as long as you can justify it!" Morals and ethics are thrown out the window in the pursuit of more, more, more. I wish I was smart enough to know how to fix this. Unfortunately, the only idea I've come up with is to try to set a good example for others. And, I suspect someone else already figured that out, so it's not even MY idea! -
U.S. Cattle herd at Lowest Level in 50 years
TrooperChuck replied to ArtS's topic in Leatherwork Conversation
It's not just in Texas... Up here in Washington state our cattle ranch neighbors have told us cattle prices are waaaaaaay down. They can't free-range the cattle all year, so they feed hay in the winter. If the market keeps falling they're worried they won't be able to make enough money to cover their winter hay costs. I really worry for these folks. Many people don't realize that lots of ranchers make their whole year's worth of wages on one big sale of their cattle. All their bills and expenses are organized around that once a year payment. If they have a bad year, they are in REAL trouble. -
Flask
TrooperChuck replied to Big Papa Leather's topic in Purses, Wallets, Belts and Miscellaneous Pocket Items
Very cool! Thanks for sharing it. -
That is one great looking saddle!
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I am so tired of businesses taking advantage of us. For a few years I had a subscription to a magazine called Men's Health. I decided to cancel the subscription because I no longer found the magazine interesting. I've been married to the same woman for 28 years, and intend to stay that way, so I didn't need tips on dating. I'm NEVER going to buy a pair of $120 blue jeans, so I didn't need their fashion advice. Except for this dinosaur of a computer, I'm not into techno-gadgets, so I ignored their reviews of the latest, hottest mobile communication devices. So, last November I cancelled that subscription. Then, in January, I received a new copy of the magazine in the mail. When we checked our credit card account we found we had been charged for a yearly subscription. A call was placed to Men's Health. They admitted they had started up a new subscription for us, using the credit card information they had on file. The customer service guy said, "We always do that because lots of people, when they get the magazine, change their minds and decide to keep the new subscription." GRRRRRRRRRRR!!! You know, where I come from, if someone tells you, "No thanks", but you go ahead and charge something to their credit card anyway we call that THEFT! But, apparently, it's a routine practice in the magazine business. Men's Health agreed to RE-cancel their danged subscription, and, they replaced the charges they made on our credit card. But, I'm wondering how many other folks have experienced something like this?
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I've had the same problems. The only way to cure it is to buy a better quality awl. You wouldn't think there'd be much difference with tools that are so basic and simple, but there are! The ones from Tandy are kind of the bottom of the line. Look through the postings in the hand sewing section of this forum and you'll see several recommendations for good awls. -------- Oops... now that I've re-read your posting, it seems like you're talking about one of those stitchers that have a spool of thread in the handle. If that's the case, I highly recommend you only use that for quick fix-it jobs, and learn to use the two-needle saddle stitch for most of your work. With a little practice, you can saddle stitch something just as easily and as fast as with one of those stitcher gadgets.
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Swordmaking is definately an art. Lots of folks don't realize that a good sword is kind of like a giant spring. If it didn't have that springiness it would snap in two the first time it was used hard. Very cool photo, Tony. That looks like a fun sport.
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HorsehairBriader: Thanks for posting that link. My wife is going to saddle train her 4-year old mule this summer and wants to use a bosal and macate. She's been reading everything she can on the subject, and you've just given her one more resource. Chuck
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I'm reminded of a story about Abraham Lincoln. During the Civil War, when our country was tearing itself apart and there was very little good news to be had, one of President Lincoln's children died. A reporter interviewed him and asked, "Do you think you'll ever be happy again?" Lincoln looked at the reporter and replied, "I think most people are about as happy as they want to be." He meant that it's in our power to decide to be happy or sad, positive or negative, optimistic or pessimistic. I know that sounds very simplistic, but it works for me.
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2 OF A Kind !
TrooperChuck replied to jbird's topic in Gun Holsters, Rifle Slings and Knife Sheathes
Josh, those look really great! I am totally impressed with your determination to improve your leatherworking skills. And that determination is paying off! Thanks for sharing your work with us. -
Hilly: I've often wondered how much of what we hear is calculated for its entertainment value. As for the "Fairness Doctrine", I hope that doesn't happen. I don't think the government should be in the business of selecting the program content of any media. I say, let the people who own the radio stations decide what they can or need to air in order to stay in business. It doesn't matter to me if that is Mark Levin, Alan Colmes, Opra Winfrey, or Rush Limbaugh. They all have a right to success or failure without the government trying to dictate "fairness". But, this probably should be the subject of a different topic. This one is supposed to be about carrying concealed weapons.
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HorsehairBraider: If you don't have that book I would encourage you to get it. It's less than 100 pages, but it's got more information about leatherworking tools than any other book I've seen. Every page is full of illustrations (I need lots of pictures, believe me!), most of them drawn by Al Stohlman. If I could buy only one book on leathercrafting, it would be this one. It doesn't tell you HOW to make things, but if you know how to use the tools properly your imagination can take over from there.