Billy P

I know very little about Steven Siegal or his company, so no comment about that. However, a couple of years ago I ordered a Craftsman Oak double shoulder from a Tandy store, not in my state. It was susposed to be 3/4 oz., when it came and I opened it it had hole all over it. I clled them back and they told me they would send me another one and a return shipping label. When the ups man brought it I had him wait a second and repackaged the first one, applied the label and he left with it. I had explained to them that this is a hobby and I didn't have much money, thus the reason for buying the Craftsman leather/cheapest to begin with. When I opened up the piece they sent and got my paper work they had sent 4/5 oz. Live Oak, the most expensive leather they were selling and abill for $40+ more money. Good leather, but thicker than I needed and a heck of a lot more than I wanted to spend. I don't think I've ordered from that store since then. While I appreciate what they did, they could have called and asked me first, before having me spend the extra money. Just a thought about the way things happens sometimes. Billy P

Check with Springfield Leather co. They have a 3/4" set listed. Kevin is great to deal with. 1-800-668-8518. I hope this helps Billy P

Hey Fat, Henley makes a 3/8 by 1.5 barrell size. I don't know their web address right off hand, but I'm sure some others have it handy. Maybe they'll post it for you to check out. Billy P

Kevin at Springfield Leather has them and S-T Leather carries them too. Billy P

Back in the day when I got my ear pierced, the saying about being gay or not was left ear is right and right ear is wrong. I guess it meant if the right ear was pierced you were gay. I have 3 tattoos, one on each leg and one on my back. I didn't get any tats until in my mid 40's. Still say if it don't effect me I don't care. Billy P One last thing, I worked shutdown construction in Nuclear Power Plants for about 20 years. If you were gonna get a job, leave the earring out until after you were hired and showed them you knew how to do the work, in not you were not hired. Billy P.

How much including shipping? Thanks, Billy P

I had a birthday on October 16th, and turned 58. I've had my ear pierced since I was 18, and still wear a earring most of the time. When I got my ear pierced, that is when I really learned how to fight, LOL, down here in the south it was fight or take a bunch of crap, and I was just redneck enough that I wasn't gonna do that. Anyway to me pierce it or not I don't care as long as it doesn't effect me. Just do your own thing. Billy P

I went to Harbor Freight and bought a Rheostat. You plug it into the power and then the router int the rheostat. I can slow my router down until I can count the RPM's. Should work with a burnishing tool chucked up in the router, can slow as much as you want to. Hope this helps Billy P

Springfield leather also has a good selection of rivets and beads too. Billy P.

You might try Brettuns Village and Spriongfield leather co. The ph# for Springfield Leather is 1-800-668-8518. Hope this helps Billy P

He did some really cool work, and he will surely be missed. His family and friens will be much in mine and my families prayers. Billy P

I just got a package from Springfield Leather and it had a piece of 2/3 oz veg/tan and it only cost a bit over $10, but I have a I think gold card account. That makes a difference on the price, but either way good clean stuff and very well priced. Billy P

Hey Ed, beautiful work as usual. I am totally fancinated by the work that you and others on here do. LOL, it's both encourgeing and discourgeing at the same time. Myself and I suspect a bunch of others on this forum surely hope to someday be half as good as ya'll are. I wish that sometime if you have time and will do it, maybe do a tutorial on how you did the basket thing on the back. My eyes are bad and the puter is old and I don't/can't see as much as I'd like to. One last thing, I have a couple of Henley knives and blades and the sure are the cats daddy in swivle knives. Later Billy P

Sometime back, Tandy had the Military stamp set on sale for $6.99. My wife saw it when I was looking at stuff in the newsletter/sale thing every Friday im my email. She told me to order it and she would buy it for me. I ordered it and the set that cost $6.99 cost almost $10.00 shipping and that was for only about 75 miles away. I say that is excessive charges. They also usually don't want to send anything thru the regular mail, which would be cheaper for most. Because of the shipping issues I have started mostly using Springfield Leather Co., usually cheaper on the cost and they send it the best cheapest way. I had personally rather spend money on something to use in the leather work and on shipping. Billy P

Hey everybody, I have a CSO that my wife bought for me back in about 82, and about 5 or 6 years ago she bought me a Tandy Al Stolhman Head knife. Since I am not the world's greatest at sharpening a head knife, I sent it to Dewey Peters and he sharpened it for me. It looks as if he had to change the cutting angle a good bit in order to get it shaped right to cut. It seems to me that as much as they charge for them that they would be sharp enough or at least ground to the proper angles to begin with. Since Dewey did his thing with it a few years ago I have been able to keep up with it better. If I was gonna buy another head knife, it would not be from Tandy. I do buy other things from them, but not cutting tools anymore. One last thing, I actually don't and have never used the head knifes very much, just have found it's often easier for me anyway, to use another type/shape knife. Billy P

Kevin Hopkins at Springfield Leather Co. sells them, and at a good price too. Billy P

When I was about 18 or 19 years old I was helping my dad in the pulpwood/logging business that he/we ran. One Friday he said we were going out with some of the crew and cut the last of a tract of timber, so we could begin to move equip. Monday. Well Friday night I went out to the local dance and tied one on. When I got in about 3:30 soaked to the gills Daddy didn't know it. He called me about 5:30 and I rolled out got some clothes onand out the door. I had an old pair of work boots in the truck and they were too big for my foot. Now what I done was sawing the timber to length on the hill after the gogetter drug it up. I had one foot on each side of a log and was using a chainsaw and wobbling around and let the saw cut thru the wood, and when it fell thru it cut the end clear off my right boot. It sobbered me up ina hurry and I have tried to be careful with sharp objects every since, especially fast moving ones. Billy P

Hey Keith, I don't know if I saw this before and forgot, and just didn't ever see it, but that is some kind of beautiful belt. I hope to carve like that one day. I got to go now, my keyboard is get'in wet from my mouth hanging open. Billy P

I'm almost 58 yrs. old and have diabetes pretty bad. The hard to control diabetes came from a Dr. giving me the wrong medicine. It, the sugar messed up my arteries and caused me to have 2 heart attacks. I have the high blood pressure problem too. I don't use much salt, mostly kosher or sea salt, take my meds, and my bp runs like a 25yr old now. I've cut smokeing down from 3 pks a day to about a pack and trying to quit, but not for the bp. It seems every time you see the Dr. he tells us if you put in your mouth and it taste good spit it out. Bum that I'm gonna go one day and if it's not one thing it will be another, so I plan to enjoy a few things along the way. Billy P

Hey Bob, welcome to the group, you'll find it friendly and helpful. Most of my Mother's family is from Fort Mill. I spend some time up there with my grandma when I was young. I guess I know it fairly well from visits over the years. Again welcome, Billy P

Hey Luke, Harbor Frieght has a 6 ton bottle press that mounts on a table or bench for $89.95 and if you have the room a 12 ton floor model for about $129. I think both are spring return, for more speed in recycling. I don't know if this will help but I hope so. One thing too is you have to get some thick plate for the base and fix a jig for the ram side. Simple things for old hounds like us. Billy P

Hey JayMac, seems to be a good idea. I'll have to get off the Double Barrel and get some more better wine too. It looks like it did a pretty good job. Thanks for sharing. Billy P

You might want to check out Jeremiah Watts at ranch2arena.com He has some nice stuff and is really resonable too. Billy P

Hey Skald, the first background stamp you listed the 98 is usually used in small spaaces, there is also a 99 that is kind of rounded on the end for the small spaces. I have never used a bargrounder, I usually use the 104, along with other maybe a little bigger backgrounders. You just have to do a lot tap,tap,tap. You will also need to remember to turn the tool alot, in the more open areas. The point is not to leave individual tool marks if you can help it. I have and I'm sure others have also done some backgrounds that had several thousand stamps with a background tool. It's just a part of doing the work right. I have had to go over my work 2 or 3 times with a tool, to get the tool marks out, some of that comes with experience enough to hit the tool with the same amount of force each time. That will only come with practise,practise, and then some more parctise. I hope this helps some, Billy P