FNG76 Report post Posted November 13, 2018 Hi all!!! Found out about this forum from a reply to a product question on Amazon of all places! I've been lurking and reading as much as I can and am highly impressed with the skills you all have and incredibly grateful for a group that's so willing to help and share knowledge. Thank you all from the start for all your posts and help you've provided others!!! I promise to use the search function as much as possible but if I ask something that's been covered 100 times and I didn't find the answer I apologize in advance. It's not laziness it's well I suppose advanced retinitis pigmentosa. These screens play hell with my eyes and I can only read them for so long before I can't see across the room. Don't need or want pity just being up front as folks that aren't willing to help themselves first are a pet peeve of mine. Using a search function being the first step to helping myself! So I decided to wait until this point to start leatherwork for a hobby I can do since most of my others are largely out now. Interests so far are humble I hope. Making knife sheaths and eventually some holsters. No real ambitions yet for anything more than a hobby but like I tell my boys, we live in a world built by people who did so much with so little just to provide conveniences and an easy life for people who can't do anything with everything available to them. I've got a great respect for the old ways of doing things, quality tools, things built by man to be repaired by man, and can't stand disposable goods!!! Anyhow that's me in a nut shell, sorry for the tangent and all. If I have questions I'll ask, already have some for insight into people's opinions but trying that search function first before I waste folks time. Time being the most valuable commodity we all have.... Will run out of it before anything else.. A pleasure to meet you all and thanks again! Ray Another FNG lol Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
immiketoo Report post Posted November 13, 2018 Welcome, Ray. I am sure you will pick up everything you need here. What are some of your old hobbies? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ragingstallion Report post Posted November 13, 2018 Welcome to the forums bud, this is a great place, with lots of great people. you will find a lot of help here, immiketoo is a great person to get help from Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TomWisc Report post Posted November 13, 2018 Welcome Ray, I have learned so much on this forum. Great people willing to help! I am from Wisconsin also. The local Senior Center has lots of things going on and there is an experienced leather worker who comes once a week to help anyone interested in learning leather work. He is a great guy. if you are retired, you might check to see if your community has a leather working group to join. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
battlemunky Report post Posted November 13, 2018 Welcome Ray! Tons of solid info here. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FNG76 Report post Posted November 14, 2018 On 11/13/2018 at 9:09 AM, immiketoo said: Welcome, Ray. I am sure you will pick up everything you need here. What are some of your old hobbies? Oh I've had plenty... Mostly outdoor oriented. Hunting, fishing, camping, shooting, reloading, backpacking, wilderness survival, etc. Women when I was single... Spent a lot of time scuba diving years ago but then I grew up mostly in California and lived there for 30 years. Did I mention women??? Lol Done a bit of prospecting, gold panning, rockhounding and light lapidary. Found gold, silver, and gem stones in California in various places. Funny thing is there is now a housing tract built on an area where I found silver years ago! Lol (truth is when I found it I didn't know what it was at the time) never really found anything that'd make a man rich but the adventure is it's own wealth and riches in it's own. Learned to knap arrowheads from an older gentleman "Squawman" at a gem and mineral show my wife used to sell her jewelry at in California. Fun and relaxing yet haven't done it in years. Rode dirtbikes and dual sports, used to hill climb Carnegie but not professionally. Loved running fire roads and game trails in the Sierra's on my bike, take off and see what could be found. Exploration and adventure in the Sierra's was a big thing, take off in a direction and see what I could find. Saw some beautiful and unique things up in those mountains. Always wanted to explore the Mojave but just did a little digging out there and some hunting. Desires to go into the superstitions after the Dutchman's gold but mostly to explore and see what can be stumbled across but don't know if that's every going to happen. Moving to Wisconsin has been quite a change from California and after 8 years I'm still trying to adjust to some things. Camping isn't camping to me but then again I've always done primitive with the minimum rather than taking a home on wheels to a neighborhood called a campground. Solitude and nature versus what could well be an RV expo and drama... I'm still shocked at how little public lands there are up here. Haven't been to the boundary Waters yet but want to take my boys up there on a survival camping trip to teach them some important life's skills before I can't see at all anymore. Things are just different here and not in a bad way just different from what I know. Learning and reading is probably my favorite hobby if I had to pick one. Learning... All the amazing things a person can do if they just are willing to learn... A person can teach themselves virtually anything... It's amazing and in such they become a living library of Alexandria if they desire.... Anyhow I can go on but think I've rabbit trailed and got tangent lost enough. Thanks for the warm welcome everyone!!! And before any misconceptions occur no I wasn't in in 76, never served, grew up around a lot of Vets and even knew some bush vets my Dad knew in the PNW. Vets and combat vets for some teachers growing up. I'm a cold war kid and remember the duck and cover drills.... So yeah I learned young FNG.... 76 is when I was born. God bless and thanks again! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FNG76 Report post Posted November 14, 2018 19 hours ago, TomWisc said: Welcome Ray, I have learned so much on this forum. Great people willing to help! I am from Wisconsin also. The local Senior Center has lots of things going on and there is an experienced leather worker who comes once a week to help anyone interested in learning leather work. He is a great guy. if you are retired, you might check to see if your community has a leather working group to join. Good suggestion! I'll have to see if the local community college has anything! Over by Fort McCoy/Lacrosse area here... You? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TomWisc Report post Posted November 15, 2018 Hi Ray, I live in Milton, south of Madison. Kinda far from you. But, hopefully you can find either a community college that has leather working or maybe a local group, like the senior center, that offers something. And if they don't, no harm suggesting they look for a local guy to organize a leather working class. They are always looking for new activities. Maybe someone on this forum lives in your area and would like to get together with other leather workers to share ideas. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FNG76 Report post Posted November 16, 2018 On 11/15/2018 at 12:42 AM, TomWisc said: Hi Ray, I live in Milton, south of Madison..... Gotcha. Was curious since this internet thing brings the whole world to our fingertips! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
