CanuckAmuck Report post Posted January 9, 2018 Hey everyone! I'm Ben, a 26 year-old Canadian expat currently living in Taiwan. I recently got into leatherworking in October, after I took a leathercrafting workshop with a friend in Vietnam. Bought myself some tools and leather on my return to Taiwan, and have fallen in love with the craft! I've always been a maker - I do photography, cross stitching, filmmaking, and (frankly, too many) other hobbies - so I've enjoyed diving into leathercrafting. I started out making a really janky-looking passport cover, and have since made some coin pouches and moneyholders and dice bags for my Dungeons & Dragons players for Christmas. All through, my cutting, stitching, burnishing, and designs have become better, so with each new project I'm even more proud of my work. I'm amazed with how much I've learned in just three months, and I know I've just scratched the surface. Can't wait to see what the next project will be! Attached are some images of my latest project, an updated passport cover that I'll be taking with me on my travels. Hope to see y'all around! -Ben Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DJole Report post Posted January 9, 2018 Hey, welcome to the forum! You've got a great start here. Since you're in Taiwan, you might appreciate something with a pan-Asian flavor like this project of mine: <http://djole.altervista.org/djole/Publications/Leather/DemonBox/TempleDemonBox.htm> Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bikermutt07 Report post Posted January 9, 2018 Since you're in Taiwan.... You should check out hexnhit stamps. You may be able to get a super deal locally. Welcome aboard. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
garypl Report post Posted January 9, 2018 Welcome Ben - you are doing well and will keep getting better! So many talented people in this forum that we can learn from and hopefully we can give back to,others! Gary Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CanuckAmuck Report post Posted January 9, 2018 @DJole That looks great! I'm not quite at the point of tooling things yet, but that's a great design! How did you apply the dye to precise areas like that? @bikermutt07 Thanks for the recommendation! Hexnhit appears to be based out of Thailand rather than Taiwan, but I'll check around my local leather shops (heading to one later today for some supplies anyway) to see if they have any! @garypl Thank you! I hope this forum will be a useful resource for me to develop my skills, and hopefully I can inspire/help others as well! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bikermutt07 Report post Posted January 9, 2018 Oops, my bad. They are a custom stamp maker. Forgive my ignorance. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DJole Report post Posted January 9, 2018 4 hours ago, CanuckAmuck said: @DJole That looks great! I'm not quite at the point of tooling things yet, but that's a great design! How did you apply the dye to precise areas like that? I used paintbrushes of various sizes. It's some nervous work, because you do NOT want to mess it up, since the dye cannot be brushed off or removed. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JMcC Report post Posted January 9, 2018 Welcome to the website Ben. Good start at a craft that will only improve as you go. It's a great hobby/work. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
garypl Report post Posted January 9, 2018 5 hours ago, DJole said: I used paintbrushes of various sizes. It's some nervous work, because you do NOT want to mess it up, since the dye cannot be brushed off or removed. Ben, when applying acrylic paints, in addition to several sizes of paintbrushes, I also use small plastic bottles with very fine steel tips to apply paint along borders. I outline the area using the squeeze bottle because it allows a very fine line of paint to be applied. Then I can paint in the interior area with brushes. The steel tips are not much thicker than a hypodermic needle, so you have to thin the paint so it will flow through the tip. Gary Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CanuckAmuck Report post Posted January 9, 2018 7 hours ago, DJole said: I used paintbrushes of various sizes. It's some nervous work, because you do NOT want to mess it up, since the dye cannot be brushed off or removed. 2 hours ago, garypl said: Ben, when applying acrylic paints, in addition to several sizes of paintbrushes, I also use small plastic bottles with very fine steel tips to apply paint along borders. I outline the area using the squeeze bottle because it allows a very fine line of paint to be applied. Then I can paint in the interior area with brushes. The steel tips are not much thicker than a hypodermic needle, so you have to thin the paint so it will flow through the tip. Gary Thanks for the tips! I'll keep them in mind when I paint something. 5 hours ago, JMcC said: Welcome to the website Ben. Good start at a craft that will only improve as you go. It's a great hobby/work. Thanks! I enjoy it a lot already. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
