Tandy wallet problem corrected!

[SCOUTER]

I'm so pissed! My friend's Father asked me to make him a wallet that has laciing around the edges... I thought I would knock one out in no time if I ordered a "kit". I have heard the nightmares about Tandy's line of wallet kits but I was in a pinch and ordered one up. (Maverick Wallet kit- #44020-02) I received the kit and the first thing I did was check EVERY hole to make sure they lined up and they did... So far so good. Then I tooled, dyed, finished and went thru the TEDIOUS process of lacing the wallet as per instructions (Double loop) and low and behold with 5 holes left... I ran out of lace! Did I mention

If you have ever laced before you know what a total pain the begining is because of having to feed 20 feet of lacing thru every hole and it takes t i m e .

Am I the only person who has had this problem? If not maybe we can save some poor soul from making the same mistake.

Oh yeah...

[TomSwede]

Hey Scouter!

Feeling for ya'! I have not had this experience but very close. 1" remaining and I still had the ending of a mexican basketweave to do. After some trouble getting the lacing needle into the braid for closing I did manage to get it closed, puhh. I sure was frustrated with myself for being sloppy with measuring. I did not want to rip up 3 hours of work!

The double loop is easy to splice so if you have some similar lacing laying around it could be done without you having to start allover with lacing but being who I am I'd probably end up on the phone with TLF and my angry voice, lol.

Anyways here's a link to how to splice, just in case you'll need it but you should give them a call anyways.

http://www.btinternet.com/~kingsmerecrafts/page96.html

Good luck and hope we get to see the final results, always enjoy to see your pics.

Tom

Edited March 27, 2008 by TomSwede

[abn]

Been there, done that, brother. One and only one Tandy kit was enough for me!

[Tangent Creations]

I feel for ya! I'm fairly new to lacing myself, and can't believe that a simple laced handbag kit (Dasher) is labeled 'intermediate' and the double laced kit (wander bag) is labeled 'beginner' are they mad? I ordered some of the little double laced zippered kits for our neighbors granddaughters (3) and yikes! On one of the kits the lacing was so cheap it broke several times! Lucky for me my hubby is a master at splicing and you'd never be able to tell!

[kimberangel]

Tandy kits are famous for that stuff. Fortunately i never use the lacing they provide. Either it is too weak or i pull too hard. Don't get me wrong , i use plenty of Tandy products, just no kits and never the lace they provide. I am lucky enough to live close to one and do not have to order off line. As good as the Kangaroo lacing is , i still have had a roll that i threw out a window cursing Tandy to the heavens.

[tazzmann]

I went through something similar with a Tandy kit for my son. I won't get into that now, but will give some advice on lacing. Use an arm's length or less at a time. Too much lace and it will get tangled a lot. If it tangles too many times, it gets weak spots. Also, heat from the friction of pulling the lace through CAN hurt the cheap lace. Keep it in small strips and you will go faster and have an easier time, especially with the single, double or triple loop lacing since the splicing is so easy on these three as mentioned above.

[SCOUTER]

UPDATE- Thankyou all for your sympathy. I don't feel so bad now! I wrote a long e-mail to Tandy and addressed it to the "deaf ear" department. The good news is that I also mentioned it to my Tandy guy and he took the lacing out from another kit and had it in the mail within minutes! THAT is why I am so loyal to my Tandy Rep. Problems happen, but when the dealer makes it right, it makes everything right! Now by him taking the time to right a wrong I will be placing a new order this week that I was pondering...

[Pip]

have had similar troubles, its a right royal pain in the *****. You can splice and add in, but if they ain't given you enough it is mighty annoying, only thing i can suggest after that is try a simpler llacing as it takes less lace if your in a hurry, but they don't look as good.

If you want to splice in a piece its relatively easy but you need the peice to splice, i started using vynyl coated stuff cause the stretch has saved the air turning blue more than once, I was given it so got no idea where to get it from though.

good luck.

[wildrose]

To be honest with you, I've never run out of lace and I almost always do a double loop. I have had some lace that broke/split alot, but like you the manager made things right for me.

[manfrommuc]

hello scouter

dont be pissed off............

use kangaroo lace and not that tandy stuff

I only use tandy kits as a example to make my own pattern....it is the better way trust me

but the life is for learning....

greetz

from bavaria

mfm

[SCOUTER]

Last week I posted a problem I had with a Tandy wallet not having enough lace... Well, I wrote to both my distributor and to Tandy HQ. My Distributor sent me a few feet of lace the next day. Then I received a response from Jim Villwock of Tandy- He said

"I apologize for the fact of you coming up short in the lace of the wallet. There are several variables involved as to why, but the fact remains we just didn’t get enough lace in your wallet kit. I am sending you enough lace to re-lace the wallet. I could send you enough to finish the wallet, but I don’t want to take the chance that it doesn’t match."

Now, to me customer service is everything, and again Tandy comes up number 1. Bravo Tandy!

Edited April 2, 2008 by SCOUTER

[indypbear]

OK, I give up. I'm not going to stay silent and in the background on this one. I've been frustrated with the problem also and listened to an OLD TIMER, for a change, a long time ago. These TIPS are for SCOUTER and all of you frustrated lacers.

1) Better lace is always good but other is usable with treatment (see #3)

2) Measure the distance around the area to be laced and figure 7-8.5 times the circumference if doing western double loop. Others will take more or less so learn to dry splice shorter lengths. I'll try to find my chart for sewing and lacing reference and post it. It was in an old issue of Leather Crafters & Saddlers Journal. Measure the lace you get and be sure you have more than or at least enough before you start.

3) Put a little Leather Balm with Atom Wax on a soft cloth and pull the lace through it a couple of times after you have it on a needle. It will soften it somewhat and keep from cracking as much. Your lace will pull through smoother and wear a lot less (your temper too!). When you're finished it buffs up nicely also.

Ref Kits: All kits that are pre-punched are going to be a challenge due to stretching during tooling even if you tape the back or rubber cement it to a board. That's why "usins bin roun uh whal" don't use them 'cept in extreme cases mostly NOT though. It's not just Tandy Kits. Kits are punched to match and we tool them to screw that up. "When you become more experienced with leather carving you learn how hide your mistakes better".-Pete Gorrell

I hope you like these hints and they help. Now I have to kill ya'll. Oh well-send me your addresses!

Happy Lacin',

Indy

Edited April 8, 2008 by indypbear

[indypbear]

OK, I give up. I'm not going to stay silent and in the background on this one. I've been frustrated with the problem also and listened to an OLD TIMER, for a change, a long time ago. These TIPS are for SCOUTER and all of you frustrated lacers.

1) Better lace is always good but other is usable with treatment (see #3)

2) Measure the distance around the area to be laced and figure 7-8.5 times the circumference if doing western double loop. Others will take more or less so learn to dry splice shorter lengths. I'll try to find my chart for sewing and lacing reference and post it. It was in an old issue of Leather Crafters & Saddlers Journal. Measure the lace you get and be sure you have more than or at least enough before you start.

3) Put a little Leather Balm with Atom Wax on a soft cloth and pull the lace through it a couple of times after you have it on a needle. It will soften it somewhat and keep from cracking as much. Your lace will pull through smoother and wear a lot less (your temper too!). When you're finished it buffs up nicely also.

Ref Kits: All kits that are pre-punched are going to be a challenge due to stretching during tooling even if you tape the back or rubber cement it to a board. That's why "usins bin roun uh whal" don't use them 'cept in extreme cases mostly NOT though. It's not just Tandy Kits. Kits are punched to match and we tool them to screw that up. "When you become more experienced with leather carving you learn how hide your mistakes better".-Pete Gorrell

I hope you like these hints and they help. Now I have to kill ya'll. Oh well-send me your addresses!

Happy Lacin',

Indy

Boy that died quick-it was a joke gang!!!!! Well all except for the tips! The lace with Leather Balm really works. Try it and let me know what you think of it.

JKK