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Billy P

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Everything posted by Billy P

  1. Hey TexasJack, people from my part of the country went to Bye God Texas, and helped fight for their to FREEDOM. BillyP
  2. Hey Ryder, I like your seat too. I've been messing up good leather off and on for 40 yrs. and still have not done a bike seat, I guess like of confidense, LOL. I'm thinking of buying a seat pan and doing one to see how it turns out and sell it if possible. I'm kind of like you, in this little section of South Carolina I live in people just don't appreciate the work and material cost it takes for that sort of work. Just across the field from my house there is a used auto parts junkyard. the guy also has a shop and couple of mechanics, that work on other peoples cars. He charges $60.00 an hr. for their work. He charges a min. of 1 hr. so if they change 1 spark plug and it takes 5 min. he gets $60 +the cost of the plug. He asked me about doing him a carved belt with a bike theme on it along with his nickname, I told him I charge $25.00 an hr + materials and such. He got all red in the face and told me that I wanted to much. I told him to spend about 40 yrs. and about $8 or $10 thousand dollars on tools and leather and make his own. He thought about it probably after checking around somewhere else and got back with me and had decided he wanted me to do him a belt after all. I told him screwit, I didn't have time to do it and didn't have any idea when I would. which is never. Anyway keep up the good work, and you and I both need to work on our pics, but we know that. thanks for sharing your work with us. Billy P
  3. Hey Dave, great job on the bag. I hve just one comment, It would be much stronger if you used a stitching awl, for your stitching holes. I know this from experience. Just my .02 and again nice work. Billy P
  4. Hey Eby, like the idea of the Mason jar wraps. Springfield Leather has some stuff, like a coozie lining to put inside the leather wraps. It keeps cold stuff from sweating on the leather and hot stuff hot longer. Also when using the basketweave stamps, I think that the border tool you use should be as close to the width of the basket stamp as you can get it, to balance it out. Just think that is what I read somewhere. Billy P
  5. Hey PaPaw, that is a beautiful piece of work. I am sure that it will be deeply appreciated. I want to thank you and Chief and all the other veterans, that fought and served, and died so that Americans can cookout on Memorial Day. Most people now, just see it as a paid holiday, they never even think of what it cost so many. When you consider the people in the military who served, the families that had fathers, husbands, brothers and sisters, that came back from the wars with either physical or mental injuries, or both, I do this and I think everyone should tell them thankyou for what you did for our country and me personally. My big regret is that I couldn't pass the physical to serve. When I turned 18 in 1970, I tried the Army, Marines, and Navy. I guess I became somewhat of a country hippie, but if somebody wanted to fight a longhaired,hippie, redneck, all they had to do was make a bad comment about a person who, was or had served. I'd give'em what they wanted. My dad was in the last year of WWII, and the first part of Korea, wounded in Korea. My wife's dad almost lost a leg in Korea, came home healed as best as he could and then served in the National Guard, he died way too soon at 43 years old, from old wounds and health problems caused from war. Pretty much the same for my Dad, died at 54, from bad health brought on by war injuries. Anyway mine and my wife's utmost thanks for all of our veterans and all who served so that we can work on leather and write on the computer in American, and not some other language. May you all have a truly Blessed Day on this day. Billy P. ALL GAVE SOME AND SOME GAVE ALL, please let us a nation never forget that.
  6. In November, 2004 my wife's rotator cuff blew out. She had surgery on Christmas Eve, 2004, ajnd the sorry so and so broke her collar bone while he was in there and still didn't fix the rotator cuff. After 11 mos. she still couldn't pick up a glass of tea with her right arm. In Nov. 2005 another surgeon fixed it and 2 wks. later she could do about what she wanted to do . I wore mine out with repetitve motion on the job I was working when I had to retire on disability. I have trouble at times, but have learned to do some light exercises, and in a little while I'm back in business. Good Luck and hope you get well soon. Billy P
  7. I learned with a mallet and used it, about a 11oz until about 3 years ago. My mom bought me a little 14oz maul for Christmas, and i've used it for tooling ever since. When setting snaps I still use the mallets and when using strap end cutter the old steel with rawhide face mallet. All in all you can use both, but for tooling get a maul, easier on the wrist and arm. Billy P
  8. There used to be 2 old guys, brothers, who had a little leather shop about 12x12 ft. The made belts, braclets, and wallets. About 4 miles from their shop a friend had a old store building that he had an indoor flea market in. Well the brothers rented a corner and put in a display case and some hangers and started selling in there. Here is where the rub came in they would go to Harley Davidson dealerships and buy small to medium Harley patches and sew them on their wallets. They did this for about 8 or 10 years, with no problem. One Sunday morning a guy comes in browsing, he goes back to their little corner and asks Sarge, the one there how many of the Harley wallets he had, so Sarge thinking the guy may want to buy them all told him how many he had there and how many they hady ready in the shop, right beside the main road, also had. The guy told him that since he had bought the patchs at the Harley dealer, he would alloy him to sell what he had already made, that he had to cease and desist making anymore. He gave them the paperwork and informed them he would be checking back and if they were caught making any more the would be most certainly sued for copyright infringment. I had 2 Harley stamps made by Baron tool like probably a lot more of you have. Isaw them selling on ebay and found out you are not supposed to use them either so I listed them. I payed about $2.50 each back in the 70's. Those 2 stamps brought over $200.00. I couldn't use them so I let someone else have them. Anyway be careful what you put out there, because it can cause more trouble than it's worth to do it. You may never get caught, but you never know what might happen. Just my thoughts Billy P
  9. If you get the book Projects and Designs by Al Stolhman from Tandy, Springfield leather, StLeather, or a lot of other leather supply stores they have several patterns for 4 hook and 6 hook key cases like you want. The book has tooling patterns as well as the actual size cutting patterns for the outside and inside pockets. I've had it for years and I think it one of the best books for small things I've ever seen. Just my opinion. The are fairly cheap according to where you get it, Tandy probably the highest price, but that is where I got mine years ago. I hope this helps Billy P
  10. Hey Clint, I found them and want to say a big thanks. Gonna order a couple in the next week or so, SS don't give you much to play with, LOL. Billy P.
  11. While I have seen some pics. of the 64oz flask before, where in the world caan you find them to buy. I love your work, and down here in my little town in S.C. people still love a little sipping whiskey once in a while. Some of us sip a little in the morning and a while in the evening, especially on the creek bank. Really good work and thanks for sharing. Billy P.
  12. All I do is a few small cases and some belts. I also carve and dye some pictures up too about 12/14". I bouight a 8/16 ft. building to use as my shop. It didn't take long to outgrow it, even with the limited work I do now. I finally moved most of my stuff back into the spare bedroom in the house. The main bedroom is on one end and the spare on the other. I hope by the end of the year to get a 24/30 metal building with the cement floor included. I don't know where you are but, we get a paper down here in my part of S.C. that covers us and part of N.C. They have 5 or 6 different companies that offer some pretty good deals on the buildings. Just about all offer 2 roll up doors and a walkin door.Plus if it's not included you can add a couple of windows for about a $100.00. Try and look up www.stealsanddealsonline.com I see one 24x25x8 with concrete floor for $4'730.I don't know if this an option for you or not but, it won't hurt to take a few min. to look. Hope this helps in some small way. Billy P 4100
  13. Over the years, I've ordered a lot of stuff from S-T Leather Co. I have bought a fair amount of carving stamps from them and have found them to be at least a good quality as Tandy stamps. You can't beat their prices on a lot of their hardware, as always you sometimes get what you pay for. Often with them you will be pleasanty suprised with what you get. I have and will continue to buy from them. Head you sure are right about trying to understand and be understood bye the lady that takes your order. Patience will help you work through that. Just my take on using them for the last 10 to 15 years. BillyP.
  14. We lost our chiwiennie last year after almost 13 yrs., because of a sorry vet. This past Sunday Sept the 8th we got 2 what they call TEACUP Chi's. there is no such animal, just a name to call really small Chichacha's. When they reach their full growth I plan to make them both harness's and line them with some short sheepskin or a little bit of hair on cowhide that Bruce Johnson sent me a good while back. When I do I'll send pics. Great work on yours, and thanks for sharing with us. Billy P
  15. Hey Peter, welcome to the forum. I am from Patrick S.C. I am about 75 miles from Lowe's Motor Speedway, about 30 mi. from Darlington, and about 35 mi from Rockingham track and drag strip. I too like hunting and fishing, especially bass fishing. I just can't do it as often as I'd like too now, because of health reasons. Later Biily Perdue
  16. Down here in my little part of South Carolina, i'm fixing BLACK-EYED peas, with 3 kinds of sausage + smoked hog jowl. Then I will fry about 5lbs of sliced smoked hog jowl, fix 2 kinds of corn bread regular and with pork cracklins. My wife is gonna fix COLLARD GREENS seasoned with some of the oil left from frying the jowls, and some liquid smoke and a big SWEET POTATO SOUFFLE(sp). That is a traditional NEW YEARS dinner in our part of the SOUTH. Some of you other members chime in with what your traditions are in your part of the country and the world. Wishing everyone a really great and prosperous NEW YEAR. May we all be as busy with leather work as a one legged man in a butt kicking contest. Best wishes Billy P
  17. Hey Doc, get in touch wioth Studio-N. He is a member here and he can probably make you one pretty quick and reasonable. He use some type of plastic ? I have a stamp he sent me and it makes a good impression and it's tough too. I use a hefty handle like you use to stamp 3-D stamps with. Quick and easy. Hope this helps Billy P
  18. Hey Denster, I got lucky last week and got a punch like you are talking about with a new set of osborne tubes for $15.00. Also bought a english point 1&1/2 strap cutter for 10.00 and 35 Ivan brand carving tools for 2.00 each. It helped him out and me too. Billy P
  19. In one of the Stolhman books, he shows how to take one of the old Strap Ease strap cutters and add a grip to make it easier to use. Billy P
  20. Springfield Leather Co. also has a wholesale membership that you can buy. My first year was something like $30, and just $15 a year renewal since then. I just renewed and made an order and it well over paid for itself, so the rest of my orders until next August are a savings bonus. They also sell Tandy and a lot of other peoples stuff, just let them know what catalog you want it from. I can't use a tax ID or a business because of being on disability, and I am not able to do as much as I used to do anyway. I think saving is saving so their plan works for me. Billy P
  21. Hey Sir Prince, I want to say that while the type work that you turn out may not be my cup of tea, you do some fantastic work. You are about to get an old deep south redneck interested in armour and such. I love the colors and you do a top notch job on assembly. Great work and thanks for sharing with us. You also have a nice web-site too. Billy P
  22. Hey King, I just have a quick question for you. I'm not picking on you I'm just asking, I've been working with Leather off and on since about 1974. I've hit some stamps so hard that they cut through the leather and made a mark on my marble block. I use set stamps, carving tools, 3-D, etc, but in all my experience I've never bent a tool. I use a split head Garland Mallet, at about 3.5 lbs. on some things, but still have never bent a tool. You are by not the only one to say something about bending tools, by a long shot. I just wonder if I am not doing something right. I don't mean that to sound smart a**ed, but I don't see how ya'll are bending the tools unless you're hitting them at some sort of angle. Anyway just curious, thanks for now, Billy P
  23. Billy P

    Birthdays

    I have probably got this in the wrong place, but I wanted to wish Luke, UK Ray, and the rest who are having birthddays today a very happy day, and hope ya'll have many, many more. Billy P
  24. Welcome to the Forum. I know what you mean about losing someone and the leather spark getting low. On Christmas Eve 2008, my good friend and leather mentor passed away, we never got to meet in person, but we talked on the phone and emailed each other several times a week. Kind of hard to meet when I am in South Carolina and he was in Cal. I am just now getting some of the spark back to work on some stuff. It takes time, but hopefully you and me and the rest will get back to carry on this wonderful obsession of leather work we share. My God bless, and keep us all. Billy P
  25. Hey Particle, I thing Springfield leather and/or S-T Leather has the frog skins. Billy P
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