BorisBaddenov

I have glass that I use for cutting intricate masking tape designs. Put the tape on the glass, draw on the tape, cut on the lines, remove tape from glass, put tape on project, paint project, remove tape. That same glass can be used like Zulu described. Thanks! Boris

There is a local place to get headstones - I hadnt thought of them. I was thinking of going to the kitchen counter top guys - to see if they have a granite scrap. With that said, I'm not in ANY hurry to do tooling/carving, so while I might purchase a 'stone' - I'm not going to need it for a while I appreciate every reply - I'm not sure if I was expecting this many or not. I have been "advised" to NOT make any purchases before the 25th of Dec I was surprised to discover that I was NOT on the naughty list this year! Peace- Boris

Ian has a video, something about a list of things to watch-out for/common mistakes. On his list #15, if memory serves, is "The customer is not always right". And then he goes on to explain a situation similar to the one you've described. Peace- Boris

OK -- I've settled on my first project. Drum roll please ...... A stitching pony! I have a decent shop, and plenty of wood scraps. Quick run to the hardware store and I should be all set. I have some old wooden chairs, maybe I can use two of those and end up with a Stitching Horse Peace- Boris

@SilverForgeStudio I took your advice and googled "line art". I had to adjust my search a bit, finally ending up with "line art on leather crafting". Holy cow! I saw some really cool stuff. I was able to watch a video on how to use tracing paper to take the design from a book and transfer it to the leather. Then how to use a swivel knife to cut the lines. Yeah, I don't want to do that. Maybe later, certainly not now. Peace- Boris

@immiketoo @TomWisc I order a lot of stuff online, so Im not new to that! I may also take a drive to Spokane, I have a buddy who lives there so we could meet up for lunch. I think I'd like to walk the Tandy store and touch a few items before I buy. Then again, winter is arriving soon so maybe I'll just stick with the e-commerce route. Tom - just a guess - but my family is from the Fox River Valley @chrisash Thanks, I had not considered etsy.com as a source for tools @SilverForgeStudio I am familiar with most of those YouTube channels. In fact it was a video of Ian's that suggested this forum. I am going to postpone much in the way of tooling as a way to keep costs down. Those stamps (is that the correct term?) for tooling look like they could add up in price rather quickly. I might get a few to do borders or something equally simple, but I have no desire at the time to get into "Sheridan". I really dont understand how you can say that SKILL is not the issue when it comes to tooling. No way I can match the work that Don does. Thanks for the hint on looking for cloth patterns that can adapt to leather. Peace- Boris

Thanks for the hints Tandy is an all day trip -- 3 hours minimum, one way. I can choose to brave the mountain passes of the Cascades to Tacoma, or can I trek through endless dry-land wheat farms on my way to Spokane. Third options is a drive through the Columbia Gorge on my way to Portland/Beaverton. Peace- Boris

Previet ! Thank you for allowing me to introduce my self. I am Boris Baddenov, world's greatest No-Goodnik. Please inform me if you seeing Moose and Squirrel. HA! Obviously I am not really BB I live in Central WA, and I am very much interested in getting into the Leatherworking Hobby. I don't have much experience working with leather, but I do have extensive craft and hobby skills. I grew up in my parents Hobby Shop. I understand the patience and attention to detail that it takes to produce good looking craft work. I'm interested in making knife sheaths, wallets, belts, card holders, other simple trinkets to use up scrap (key rings?). Oh, I'm sure that eventually Mrs. Boris demands, err asks me to make her something. I am not real keen on learning stamping or carving straight away - at least not much beyond simple things along borders (for now). I don't have any Leatherworking specific tools, so I will purchase them as needed for specific projects. I'm asking for two pieces of advice - First - are there common mistakes that beginners make that you can help me avoid? Second - what would you suggest I select as a first project? I'd like it to be useful to me, so that even if it turns our icky I can at least get use out of the item. Peace- Boris