Arturo

Ray: +1 Water buff horns come in a variety of colors from nearly gray, to brown, to the black like in the photos you posted. Arturo

Steve: Thanks for checking in here and I'm glad the Wickenburg show went well for you. I have been trying to contact you via email through your website for several days but for some reason I keep getting an "undeliverable" message. I'll PM you with some questions through this forum. Thanks again, Arturo

Trooper Chuck: Do you remember the Hank Williams song; There's a Beer in my Steer? Ha Ha! Arturo

go2Tex: I wasn't always just a Harley jockey and I can tell you this guy had that steer doing things like a sure enough reining horse! He had a pretty good "tourist trap" going too by letting people climb up on ole "Tex" and have their picture taken. Arturo

Ruthless: Is that an Irish pit bull, Australian pit bull, or an American pit bull? In any case it is beautiful dog with a very nice collar! Arturo

How do you know you are riding your motorcycle in Texas? There is a guy on a Longhorn steer in the bike parking lot! I just had to post this; my riding buddy and I made a quick stop in Lukenbach to see what Willie and Waylon and the boys were up to. Arturo

Hammer: If I am looking at the right photo on the site you referenced you would use 3/16" lace and punch 3/16" holes on about 5/8" centers. I'm just guessing here so do a little experimentation with the hole spacing. Anyway, to create the "X" effect just pass your lace through the top and out the bottom until you reach the end of the first pass. When you reach the end just continue doing the same thing in the other direction and that will "X" the lace. I hope this makes sense, I've been on my bike all day with no ear plugs and my ears are ringing so loud I can't hear myself type! Another good resource is the book, Encyclopedia of Rawhide and Leather Braiding. There are several edge braiding tecniques in the book that would cover the pan edge and still give the over all "X" efffect. Also, check this site out; http://www.btinternet.com/~kingsmerecrafts/page96.html , there are some good round edge lacing techniques described and depicted. You will have to dig around the site a bit to find what you are looking for but it is there. Arturo

Hammer: I know a fair amount about motorcycle seats but can't visualize what you are referring to. Can you find a picture on the net somewhere and post it here? Aturo

Cool seat! Am I oilfield trash? Wait, I'm your Dad, I must be oilfield trash!

Ya'll: Just FYI; I emailed the seller and they said the machine was purchased used over a year ago but no one has ever verified wether or not it will actually sew. Arturo

Pete: Super Glue is a CA (cyanoacrylate) product and you canget it anywhere. It works really well to "sew" cuts in your fingers back togeather as well although it does burn a little at first! Arturo

I don't know what a "cyber squatter" is but you are right, .org not .com. Thanks'

www.theleatherguy.com

My "shop" is on "Momma's" antique dining room table right now because my work bench in the garage is covered up with motorcycle parts and other very important stuff! If I drop something heavy or sharp on that table I'll be looking for a new home!

ATX: Wow, I opened the catalog and it looks like they have discontinued half of their former inventory. Have you been to their store? I was pondering making the 235 mile drive from the Huntsville area when I get home from work next week. Do they carry a significantly better grade of leather than the typical Tandy offerings? Thanks, Arturo

John: That is truely sweet! I really think $800 is way too cheap for that much work and level of detail. Arturo

Oldtimer: Thanks for the reply. I figured that to be the case but was not sure since it is vegtable tanned. Art

Ya'll: Wil English Bridle leather wet form like tooling leather? Arturo

ATX: I'm way new to the forum but I can't help but put my two cents in here. This tool that you ask about makes a "lock stitch" just like any commercial sewing machine. Does that mean that anything that was sewn on a machine inferior? I think that there might be times that no other tool will allow you to join two pieces, like say down in the corner of a bag, in any other manner. Arturo

Hey Ya'll: I've been lurking around the forum for a few weeks now and I am continually blown away by the stuff you all are creating. I am interested in everything from motorcycle seats to boot making and this forum has been one stop shopping for me. My son got me interested in leather work again after having let the tools sit in a box for about 18 years. He made a really cool seat for his Sportster and when he sent me a picture of it the leather bug bit me hard right in the check book! A little about me: I work for a major oil company at the Prudhoe Bay, Alaska oilfield. We work two weeks on and are off for two weeks. During the coldest/darkest winter months I travel back and forth from the Houston, Texas area every two weeks so I rack up lots of frequent flyer miles. I spend my days off during the spring, summer and fall on the Kenai Peninsula of Alaska fishing, flying, hunting and swatting mosquitoes. Several months ago I saw a guy in the airport with a very cool looking "man purse". He was across the waiting area from me so I got up and walked over closer to him so I could get a better look at the bag. I really liked it even though it looked a little "border townish". Those of you that have ever been to a border town in Mexico know what I mean. Any way, I asked him where he got it and he said it was a "Sway Back" or "Broke Back" or something like that. I looked them up on the net and DANG those things were expensive for what they are. Well I got over wanting one of those because there is no way I am paying $500 for something I can make myself for $700! No that is not a typo, since the bug bit me I have bought about $700 worth of tools and leather and still have not completed a single thing! I saw the bags that "Walden Bags" is producing and thought; "OK, thats what the are suppose to look like". I now have a bunch of parts cut out and ready to assemble so hopefully it will turn out at least as well as the "border town" versions. I have attached a picture of all the parts layed out in the living room floor to give those of you that dont know how much leather and work there is involved in these type bags. Thanks to all of you that post pictues of the great stuff you are creating and an even bigger thanks to you all that tell us newbies how you do it! Arturo (my real name is Art but that "handle" was already taken)