Howdy From Texas

[caaront]

I originally posted this in the Getting Started forum, but then I saw this forum and think this goes here, sorry for the double post and hope this is the right place.

Hi everyone, I haven't done anything with leather since I was a teen in summer school when I made a nice tooled wallet. Life and the Army has kept me busy until 2002 when I was medically discharged after a neck injury and 2 surgeries.

What got me interested in getting a kit and getting started is a Bible cover a friend at church made me, it is pretty nice, and I thought I'd like to get into making western styled stuff, and maybe even some biker styled accessories.

I am currently remodeling my home so I am pretty busy, and pretty broke after buying supplies every two weeks, but I might squeeze a starter kit in there somewhere soon and start creating.

I am seriously considering this kit here:

http://www.tandyleat...d/55510-00.aspx

I'm sure it is a great bargain and would give me a pretty good start, but please opine.

Glad to be here, and hopefully in time I'll get a kit and have a finished photo for y'all to critique and hopefully admire.

Thank you, Aaron.

P.S. I am also into medievil armour as well as fantasy armour, I'd love to also get into making leather armour.

[BWL]

Aaron, Welcome aboard! I don't know if you have a Tandy near you but, you missed a good Black Friday sale. I got some good deals. As for as LW.net, this is "the" place to connect and to get more. Welcome aboard and good luck with your remodeling.

[caaront]

Thank you for the nice welcome, there is a Tandy Leather in FT. Worth near the VA outpattient clinic, I plan on stopping to check it out on the 5th of DEC.

[hosscomp]

Welcome Aaron.

I am relatively new at this leather work myself. I started this year with that very kit. I got my money's worth out of it in learning since it was my first exposure to leather working. I am actually using the belt and the wallet now. I am also still using most of the tools: the mallet, punch, swivel knife, dye, and some of the stamping tools.

A word of advice if you are a total beginner like I was. This kit does not have what I would expect for step-by-step directions. The how-to's are all there with included patterns and general instructions, but there is no clear cut starting place. I had to read through material a few times and study it before I finally just dove into one of the projects. Also, it doesn't come with any scrap leather to practice on. So I suggest starting with the simplest items, like the coaster or key fob, and treat it all as a learning process. Expect to mess up a few times. Some things are hard to teach from books, like making sure your pattern is laid out correctly on the leather. Yep. I ended up with my pattern going from front to back on the checkbook cover rather than across the front. But I am learning to be more careful now.

Anyway. I think that kit is worth the money, and welcome aboard. I am about to post some pics of my first real project on here.

Ron

[caaront]

Welcome Aaron.

I am relatively new at this leather work myself. I started this year with that very kit. I got my money's worth out of it in learning since it was my first exposure to leather working. I am actually using the belt and the wallet now. I am also still using most of the tools: the mallet, punch, swivel knife, dye, and some of the stamping tools.

A word of advice if you are a total beginner like I was. This kit does not have what I would expect for step-by-step directions. The how-to's are all there with included patterns and general instructions, but there is no clear cut starting place. I had to read through material a few times and study it before I finally just dove into one of the projects. Also, it doesn't come with any scrap leather to practice on. So I suggest starting with the simplest items, like the coaster or key fob, and treat it all as a learning process. Expect to mess up a few times. Some things are hard to teach from books, like making sure your pattern is laid out correctly on the leather. Yep. I ended up with my pattern going from front to back on the checkbook cover rather than across the front. But I am learning to be more careful now.

Anyway. I think that kit is worth the money, and welcome aboard. I am about to post some pics of my first real project on here.

Ron

Thank you Ron, and good luck on your projects.

[King's X]

Welcome to the forum.

[caaront]

Thank you.