WinterBear Report post Posted June 4, 2011 (edited) Hello all. I've been poking around on the web to get some information on leather-working and have come to the conclusion that this must be the place to be! I am amazed by the beautiful work in the galleries, the friendly folk here, the great tutorials, and topic after topic of ideas, tips, and techniques. I'm mostly picking up leatherwork due to the Scouts youths I work with (Boy Scout, one Lone Weeb, and a Venture Crew), along with other folks in OA, in my Wood Badge class, and Lions. So, from week to week, I'm usually up to my eyeballs in people who use leather and need leather, but since they are all non-profit, costs are an issue. To go hand in hand with that, I've been asked to teach a leatherworking class for the Troop summer camp...and I am only a dabbler at best! I have a feeling I will be begging for a lot of help on this forum. Luckily, the merit badge requirements are pretty straightforward and most of the boys are 12 and older. I'll also have one of the other adult leaders who went through Wood Badge with me to help, thank goodness. I've been working on sample projects for the boys to select from prior to camp. So far, I think I have 6 or 8 different woggles (turks heads, mystery braids, and tooled or stamped ones that are stitched, laced, or formed). I've also taken an embossed BSA buckle kit, and dyed and finished it as another sample, and I'll be making key fobs, one or two knife sheaths, and maybe a formed belt pouch for other ideas. I'm also teaching myself some lacing, but I'm hoping to avoid the plastic stuff, so I have some nice braiding manuals to help me learn to use latigo lace. Are there any other Boy Scouts/Scouters around that would have any good ideas for some projects for the camp in the short term, and for the Troop and Crew as a whole for the long term? One idea I have for the Troop/Crew, for instance, is to make leather cases to protect our dutch ovens using the techniques in the Stolman's leather cases books... edit--it would really help if I watched my spelling! Edited June 4, 2011 by WinterBear Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
King's X Report post Posted June 5, 2011 Awesome. Welcome to the forum! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TwinOaks Report post Posted June 5, 2011 Welcome to Leatherworker.net, from an Eagle! Some of the things you might use for projects other than the oven covers (which will require a lot of leather) are some watch straps (you add riveted loop on each side of the watch face and use a plain strap with snaps) , folder covers for patrol rosters (made like the book covers we used to make from grocery sacks), along with the things you've mentioned. If you've got a Tandy nearby, go and talk with the manager and see if he'll donate or discount material/supplies for the summer camp program. He knows that he'll probably see future sales from it, so at least go ask. The worst he can do is say 'No'. There's a really good picture tutorial for the 4 strand round braid (dog leash) at this website: http://myriam.dakotabraiding.com/Tutorials/Tutorials.html. Be sure to check out our "getting started" section, and the Paul Burnett School of Leather ornamentation that we have here. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WinterBear Report post Posted June 5, 2011 Thanks King's X. Ohhoo, tutorials. I'm all over those like ugly on an ape. Thanks for the links TwinOaks (also an Eagle).The oven covers are just a pipe dream at this point, but Springfield Leather's Low Grade Hides would probably work and the cost might not be too frightening. I can also talk to the Tandy manager and see if he would sell me a lousy side. The Troop is old (1934, I think), and has a lot of good equipment that needs some tender loving care. I'm hoping oven covers would keep some grand old ovens around for another 40 years or so, and I hope protecting them from knocks, scrapes and drops by giving a good case to carry them in will go a long ways towards that. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WinterBear Report post Posted June 5, 2011 Whoops. I just realized my gender was set to "male". It's fixed now. I'm one of those odd ducks in the Scouting program, the adult female. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LNLeather Report post Posted June 12, 2011 (edited) Hi WinterBear I was a girl scout, heheh.... a long time ago, but we didn't do any leather work. Maybe if we had I would have started this sooner... I just thought I'd share a couple of links - Standing Bears Trading Post They sell a whole lot of leather craft supplies and also - Here you will find Free Patterns and Project Ideas in downloadable pdf files and this link to leathercrafts, showing how it is done, and how to do it. Kingsmerecrafts 116 pages of all kinds of info... all about leather, tools, tooling, sewing, lacing, etc. Hope this helps OH, just a thought - cookie cutters make for a simple pattern for designs on coasters... you can find them for just about any holiday Edited June 12, 2011 by LNLeather Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WinterBear Report post Posted June 16, 2011 Hello LNLeather, sorry for the long wait, I wanted to poke around on those sites a bit. They have some great resources. I'll be making use of those in the coming weeks. And it might be time to dig out the cookie cutters... (I wish the Girl Scouts in my area had done something like this too. Frankly, they never really did anything and I wound up joining 4-H just so I could do something). Hi WinterBear I was a girl scout, heheh.... a long time ago, but we didn't do any leather work. Maybe if we had I would have started this sooner... I just thought I'd share a couple of links - Standing Bears Trading Post They sell a whole lot of leather craft supplies and also - Here you will find Free Patterns and Project Ideas in downloadable pdf files and this link to leathercrafts, showing how it is done, and how to do it. Kingsmerecrafts 116 pages of all kinds of info... all about leather, tools, tooling, sewing, lacing, etc. Hope this helps OH, just a thought - cookie cutters make for a simple pattern for designs on coasters... you can find them for just about any holiday Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
