SUP

When I keep something very safely in a place that seems obvious at that time but when I want it again the next day, I can never find it. Lost a whole huge roll of drawing paper I bought for patterns. Also 6 yards of canvas; big items; still cannot find them. Had to buy new and hubby kept them away. Says he cannot trust I will keep them carelessly enough to find them, since my 'safe' means 'lost'!

@fredk The ready mixed colors sound delightfully gruesome. Just checked Citadel. Available on Amazon too. Thank you for that tip. This will make painting the hand much easier.

@Sheilajeanne I should have thought of putting up the URL. Sorry about that! You had quite a search.

@Sheilajeanne @billybopp I would love to put it up when done - both when I finish the stitching and when my daughter completes the painting. Fun project but a little complicated. Hats off to the people who designed this. I have no idea how they came up with the ideas of making the nails embedded at the base, how to make the fingers curl a little and so on. It's worth the price of the pattern. It's on Etsy, if you search for - 'The Hand'.

@GezzerI have not seen this, since this is the first time I am attempting something like this. Did not think of searching for 'fake blood'. Been busy trying to stitch that hand - complicated! Thank you. @chuck123wapati if that's so, all the better. Which brand did you use?

@Dwight I will check at the local Lowes. Good tip! My daughter says she will paint the hand once I make it for her, which is a good thing as she is very artistic while I am not so much. However, she has never done leatherwork, so I would like to provide her with everything, along with instructions.

@Wepster Thank you for that link. The matte finish should help get just the right balance of matte and gloss. I was planning on making it look like dried blood. Some bruising and cuts in blue and purple and yellow maybe. But fresh blood with the rest matte might look better. @chuck123wapati yes I have used acrylics. For a while I used them on edges and I know they become pretty glossy, more than I want for this project.

I am making that hand from The Addam's family for Halloween for my daughter. She wants it to look relatively newly chopped off, so it needs to have a color like skin and bleeding, maybe a little early putrefaction. I am making it with veg-tanned leather, so it is naturally skin colored. I plan to apply neatsfoot oil so it will darken a little. Before that I need to decide on how to color it. What type of paint should I use for this? Acrylics was suggested but they would be shiny and not look very natural, isn't it? Alcohol based Dyes? Can they be painted on? Or are there other types of paints or dyes that I could use? Any suggestions would be appreciated.

The tall one looks even better.. I think the proportions make it look mor elegant.

@fredk @Frodo This is just in time for me. Saw a pattern for a key holder with a concho snap and wondered where to get one and then read this. Nice. Thank you.

LOL. Oh yes! @fredk Great idea. Good for gifts. Hand made and unusual as well. @Gezzer You have hit upon a winning idea.

@chuck123wapati If you insist on being a grumpus each time you are awake at 4.00a.m. why unload on this forum? Go outside and yell and stomp around a bit. It will decrease tensions until your coffee is ready and will not be offensive to anyone. Now back to the topic of the lovely candle-holders. @Sheilajeanne thank you for clarifying that it was someone you knew whose table was damaged by tealights, but you know about it and warned about it. That was nice. @Heartless You are perfectly right, about making different sizes as well about the care to take. Different sizes in complementary colors are going to look stunning!

@fredk yes those are really nice and convenient. I use them too. But I also need real candles for other reasons. And @chuck123wapati nothing silly about wanting to be safe and people are talking about personal experiences; not conjecture. If @Sheilajeanne's table burned, it is possible others have faced that as well and just been more careful about it from then on, without making a big issue about it, like Sheila Jeanne did not until this subject came up and she mentioned it, which is so nice of her. I, for one, rather hear about possible dangers than have people say " I should have told you' after I face a problem. I'm sure you feel the same. Leather gloves are used by welders and blacksmiths usually cowhide which are believed to be able to withstand temperatures of up to 500 degrees C and of course, resist sparks and electric currents. Elk is good as well, I believe. So leather is probably fire resistant and as long as we make our holders of cow leather or elk and don't let the wax run down the side and catch fire (does it do that?), we should be fine. Now I think that is enough from me on matters other than the lovely candle holders. Will make them as soon as I make some Halloween things for my daughter! Those, and the candle holders are exciting projects and short ones too. @Gezzer, I will put up photographs if I manage to make them reasonably well. If I don't put them up, you can take it to mean that I messed them up.

@Sheilajeanne, I did not think of that! None of mine have ever burnt down. Usually they burn down about halfway in the center and then refuse to stay lighted in the liquid wax, so I throw them away, or rather, store the wax for my wax punch surfaces. My glass holders are from Ikea. I use their unscented candles. I have no idea what will happen if the entire candle burns down though. They are plain transparent glass, which is why I want to make these lovely leather holders. I think I will let one candle burn down in its glass holder and see what happens. I do not want to damage a leather holder that I take the pains to make.

@Sheilajeanne thank you for that warning. I do not normally use tea lights and this is a further reason not to do so, since I always forget them until they die out. I plan to make these holders a little bigger for the small glass candle holders which I normally use and which are very plain. I always collect small bowls everywhere I go and place my candles in them. I need them, forgetful that I am.

I was just telling my husband how touched I was that @Gezzer took the trouble to give such clear instructions to make the beautiful candle holder he designed and made. We talked about how nice people are, in general, in this forum and my husband said something very significant. To quote: "If people form an opinion about the world on the basis of the nature of the people in this forum, they are in for a rude shock when they interact with the world outside." So true! I feel blessed that I found this forum!

@Gezzer thank you! Your explanation is very clear. Can't wait to make this!

@Gezzer maybe you could include a slight rim around the edge so that if the candle is lifted, the melted wax will not overflow onto someone's hands? I love this pattern though. Do you think you could share the pattern?

You could try using a non-oily conditioner first. I think chemical guys conditioner is one such - being water based, it might restore some of the moisture. Follow it up with something like neatsfoot oil or anything that will retain moisture. Not sure this will work but could be worth a try.

I vote for the leather strap.

@Gump I found the pattern pack. Thank you for directing me there and sorry about the very delayed response.

Yes, mine have curled up a little too, all of them. Will see what happens over the days.

That's really nice. I like the colors.

Oops! if orange oil does NOT show damage, I will use it undiluted, else diluted with mineral oil.

I do not know about the Vergez Blanchard but I have a Henckel and that works well for me - I use leather up to 6oz. so no idea how it would work for heavier leather. Frankly, I increasingly only use a Stanley knife and a round knife for most cutting these days, using the scissors only for the odd corner that might not be completely detached. Using a scissors, I find, does not give me as smooth a cut line as a knife does but that might just be that I am not cutting correctly with the scissors..