Spyros

it looks practical but not very appetising at the moment I'm sure it will look better once finished and buffed to perfection

I looked at those moccasins and they look great but totally different to pig skin? Most look like sheepskin with fur. I thought about wallets but it just doesn't have enough structure, it's really thin and soft.

By the way I did google pig skin ideas and pig skin projects, and I google returned some awesome recipes for pork crackling. Which is great I guess, just not exactly what I'm after LOL

So I bought those pig skins from Tandy to line a bag that I'm making, I guess I wasn't careful and ordered "glazed tan" pig skin which is much darker and glossier than I wanted for that particular project. Probably ordered a bit too much too. But now that I'm looking at I actually like it and I was wondering if there's any other use for pig skin other than lining. It's obviously extremely thin, so maybe I'll have to double it up and sort of line it with itself (or something else) depending what I'm making, I don't know. Do people make things out of pig skin? Any cool pig skin ideas?

yeah I ended up finishing it, I had no option, I didn't keep my mouth shut and she already knew I was making it LOL I don't have a final-final photo but this is it before final alignments, sanding and hardware You are right of course about pouring the epoxy in 2- 3 coats, I'm just not patient enough for that

Yeah that's very nice, I don't think you need much more than that? Maybe later you can add a steady bench if you end up getting a tabletop splitter or an arbor press as these things need a solid surface. You could also add under the table a couple of 5" or 6" PVC pipes for leather storage, just drill them straight into the wood. Even on the sides it would work, drill them into the legs. What is this creaser you're using? Doesn't look like a Regad

I use it to flatten the flesh side when I don't want to use lining, I just apply a thin layer and then burnish with a flat rolling pin or ideally ground glass. Works good, not great, but much better than a fuzzy interior. I think tank kote does the same, might be a cheaper way to do it. In terms of edges, it works. Just let it dry a minute otherwise you risk squishing your edge with whatever burnishing tool you're using. I haven't tried it with anything else over it other than a bit of wax or saddle soap. If you have to paint the edge I believe the same company makes a specific product to be used over the tokonole layer, it's called Cova Super and they say it's pretty good. Very blingy.

Geez that countertop is really impressive, well done! I'v made a lot of projects with epoxy and I'm avoiding torches like the plague ever since this happened to a little inlay pencil box I was making for my daughter: Basically the red jarrah burl had lots of holes in it so I had to cover the whole thing with epoxy to get a nice smooth finish for the box lid. But there was obviously trapped air under the dog inlay which started coming out in bubbles as soon as I covered it with epoxy so I had to use a torch to get rid of them... but they were a little deep in the epoxy and apparently I held the torch for a couple of seconds too long and the epoxy started drying. The whole piece was a write off, I had to do it again. A thin layer of epoxy, especially colored, is a little easier in that sense because you only have to get rid of the surface bubbles, so I'm sure a light pass with a gas torch worked great for your counter top. But with deep & clear epoxy (like those coasters with the bullet casings) you can see all the way through, so any bubble deep in the epoxy will show. Especially with objects cast in it there's always nooks and crannies for the air bubbles. Really only the pressure chamber works for that kind of thing. Having said that, if it's a project for me I wouldn't worry about a couple of bubbles. But if it's a gift or to sell then it might be a problem.

Ι'm pretty sure you can blacken steel, there's a tonne of different methods and products. Gunsmiths know a lot about that.

This is what I've understood from my research so far: You can stitch it by hand but you can't pre-punch it because it will eventually unravel. Also at the ends you need to turn it and double stitch it because it frays. Canvas to canvas is really a job for a machine. You can stitch leather to canvas by hand, but pre punch only the leather, not the canvas.

Ι mean you guys are in America, elsewhere it's kinda hard to find bullets LOL But yeah it's a cool project, coins work great, buttons, beer caps etc And you can color your epoxy too. Problem is the bubbles (if you want a perfect result), epoxy is notorious for forming bubbles and they're pretty much impossible to get rid of. The guy who made the coasters in the photo obviously has a pressure pot, which are not cheap. Or you can you convert an air pressure paint tank which is about $100.

Don't forget the sharks! That's the first thing to my mind when I think sailing LOL

Geez it really glows! What is that thing? Looks like super luminova that they use on watches Well done anyway, I think she'll be very proud wearing those

I've watched this guy on youtube who restores old bags and shoes, when he gets something really bad he usually cleans it with some rubbing alcohol (lightly) and if it's still dirty or moldy he uses acetone (even more lightly) If you're going to use acetone try it on a corner first because it might affect the colour, depending on the type of leather, but it might be worth a try as a last resort if nothing else works with the mildew. To be honest Frodo's routine sounds more sensible to me, maybe try that first.

Visually it all comes together very nicely, well done! is that micarta on the knife handle? Or Kydex, I can't really tell, but I like it, very nice match with the leather.

Life lesson that australia taught me, never miss an opportunity to talk shit lol

Workshop tips? 1 Leather dust from sanding sucks. IF you're using a big sander build a small enclosure attached to the shop from the outside, put a 2HP or bigger dust extractor in there, and place the sander close to it (inside the shop) so it's a short distance for the 5" (or ideally 6") hose. Don't buy the enclosure, build it, so you can make it with thick walls for sound insulation. If you're not using a big sander see point 9 below for ventilation. 2 Make a big table that is all cutting surface. Make the top removable with countersunk screws so you can replace it. 3 Partition your space, just make a simple wall running halfway across. More wall space means more space to hang things. Drawers is where tools and materials go to die. 4 White painted thick MDF lining on the wall instead of plasterboard works great. You just screw things anywhere, and if you regret it unscrew, white gap filler, light sand, done. 20 seconds and the hole was never there. 5 If you built it from scratch, when the electrician is finished and before lining the walls, take a photo of every wall so you can remember where the cables are. Screwing things on live cables can be an unpleasant experience LOL. You can find the cables later with a tool but it's much easier if you just know where they are. 6. Get a nice window that is not facing west, you don't want direct light in your face. 7. Powerpoints! you can't have too many powerpoints, 2 every 4 feet of wall is a good rule of thumb. Computers, chargers, cameras, tools, desktop lights, you'll be surprised how quickly you run out of powerpoints, and last thing you need in your way is cables and powerboards. Place your powerpoints about a foot over your work surface. 8. White floor so you can find that god damn rivet that what you dropped LOL. White also diffuses and multiplies the light nicely. 9. Ventilation. Cheap fan from greenhouse supplies mounted high on the wall directly opposite a window that you can crack open. Rule of thumb for the fan CFM rating is that you want to replace all the air in your shop every 1 minute. So the fan CFM must be equal or higher to the total volume of air your shop. Get a fan with a speed dial and a long cable with a switch. Don't get a fan with a slim profile no matter what they claim, the fans that move air efficiently are deep and look a bit like turbines. 10. Ceiling lights: again you cant have too much light, and better to have more than you need with a dimmer or individual switches for each light. Important: get white lights with a kelvin rating on the high side so you can see the actual colours of what you're making, typical household lights are too warm and affect the appearance of colours. 11. Castors. Small square racks that you can take along work great. Tool rack, dye rack, offcut rack etc.

You have to take it slow, like cooking Greek moussaka! I mean you're never gonna get it exactly right at home (or maybe you will but with a lot of experimentation), you just have to accept the fact that it will always have this "marbled" look. I actually find it quite attractive, here it is on actual marble LOL another option is to change all your workshop surfaces to marble to match your mallet

I made mine out of plastic milk bottles that I melted in the oven inside a tin can from Heinz beans I use it to smack everything because i know I can make another one at any time so I don't care. Occasionally a little chunk might come off, no problem i cut a piece from a milk bottle cap and melt it in the hole with a lighter, then straighten it a bit, again with the lighter, done. Just like finishing a stitch LOL

I was wondering if maybe you had tried a few drops on a scrap to see what it looks like as a finish on the top as opposed to just for edging. You know carnauba cream by fiebings? that sort of thing. Even some woodworkers use it as a finish.

so how is it as a top finishing coat? not on edges.

I guess for a top finish I'd probably need to mix it with some other wax or oil Carnauba is really hard and it has a very high melting point, I didn't know you can just melt it in turps.

Thanks for that If you use it as top finish does it come out glossy? Or it depends on the buffing?

Yeah I realise it now, sorry I said slippery before because somehow I got confused with the epoxy and thought it was used in the exterior. But this stuff looks great, kind of like a CA glue pen finish. I'm a little apprehensive with the steel wool and light coloured timber because in the past I've had tiny bits of steel embedded in the wood fibres and then it's impossible to remove without deep sanding. Works great on brass though.