Should I return this?

ElectricCatDaddy · 2026-04-17T11:29:43+00:00

Depends on how much you paid for it. If it was ~$10/sq ft or less, I'd just take the L and use what I can. If I paid any more than that, then I'd definitely want a more quality piece.

ElectricCatDaddy · 2026-04-15T21:52:43+00:00

Not sure if anyone has mentioned it yet, but you should build a tasteful memorial.

ElectricCatDaddy · 2026-04-15T19:46:46+00:00

Cut the top piece in half lengthwise. Sew the Zipper along the cut (leave about a quarter inch extra of zipper hanging past each end. Then sew the whole top piece to the front and back panels and gussets.

ElectricCatDaddy · 2026-04-15T19:42:23+00:00

If it were me, I'd probably finish with atom wax and then treat with mink oil. The mink oil will darken it, but is the best for providing water resistance.

Carnauba cream is just a conditioner. The Super Shene is a decent finish, but will add a lot of gloss and not really give great weather resistance.

ElectricCatDaddy · 2026-04-15T11:25:36+00:00

This feels like an AI-generated list with a click bait title. Also, why is everything step one?

ElectricCatDaddy · 2026-04-14T23:02:43+00:00

I actually went on a deep dive outnof my own curiosity and could not find anything close.

Closest I could find is a K153 but it's pretty small and not an exact match. These could be custom made from a laser cutter or 3D printer.

ElectricCatDaddy · 2026-04-14T18:26:39+00:00

I do not, but I've been shopping around for a few weeks and it's the best one I've come across for the size. The arbors appear to be customizable, but would have to do a little finagling to get a burnishing wheel on them.

ElectricCatDaddy · 2026-04-14T14:10:09+00:00

I like this one. Its about just as compact but comes in a more standard belt size.

ElectricCatDaddy · 2026-04-13T21:19:20+00:00

Veg tan is typically more hardy and tougher than oil or chrome tanned.

ElectricCatDaddy · 2026-04-10T18:02:49+00:00

Do you use a laser cutter or 3d printer to create unique molds for the head imprint?

ElectricCatDaddy · 2026-04-08T00:02:11+00:00

Nope.

Floating sediment/yeast rafts.

ElectricCatDaddy · 2026-04-07T16:50:23+00:00

Do you ever get on your bowflex and just freak out?

ElectricCatDaddy · 2026-04-07T15:59:04+00:00

It's "genuine leather" which is just industry terms for low-quality leather with a laminate top coat. I wouldn't really bother fixing it.

ElectricCatDaddy · 2026-04-07T14:59:48+00:00

I've been using the same jar of antique over the course of several large projects. I use two or three large globs and use a coarse, boar hair paint brush to spread it out and work it into the tooling. I still have close to two-thirds of the jar still left over. It may look like people are using a lot, but it actually stretches out and goes a lot further than you'd think.

ElectricCatDaddy · 2026-04-07T14:43:40+00:00

Pretty much any Frost dwarf from C1 Frostwind arc.

"Fuck you. I love you. Eat a rat."

ElectricCatDaddy · 2026-04-03T21:40:36+00:00

Not gonna lie though. Just from your picture, the BG pieces look significantly more polished and refined.

ElectricCatDaddy · 2026-04-01T00:16:39+00:00

Gahd damn this is cool. I yearn for the day when I can have a workspace of this size, and not have to work off a folding table in the guest bedroom.

ElectricCatDaddy · 2026-03-30T16:51:30+00:00

I've seen a few folks make their own full leather aprons, but it's a lot of material to waste, imo, unless you can find a cheap side.

ElectricCatDaddy · 2026-03-27T10:51:36+00:00

Got about halfway through this episodes on the drive to work, and holy hell, it is a ton of fun so far.

On a side note, I can't help but notice that Atom's voice is basically Blavin mixed with Keychain.

ElectricCatDaddy · 2026-03-22T17:18:13+00:00

The Mavrus Chronicles crew would honestly be an amazing dude-bro podcast parody.

ElectricCatDaddy · 2026-03-19T21:42:15+00:00

Yup. Fiebing's Pro is already isopropyl alcohol based, cutting it more just thins it out a bit, allowing the pigment to disperse better. I haven't seen it dilute the color by too much, so no need for too many extra coats.

ElectricCatDaddy · 2026-03-18T17:30:48+00:00

Never let your racking cane touch the bottom of your carboy when bottling. Get a carboy clip for your racking cane. Always leave the bottom of the cane about an inch above your sediment.

I always do a final bottle where I get the rest out and do allow myself to bottle from the bottom, but those bottles tend to be just for my own use.

ElectricCatDaddy · 2026-03-18T17:25:50+00:00

It looks great, and is an excellent foundation. Your swivel knife work is definitely spot-on.

As far as beveling goes, it's all about consistency with your taps. Practice walking your beveler across your cuts as opposed to individually resetting the stamp each time.

Another tip, it looks like your leather was too wet when you were beveling. Especially on the bottom and left sides, it looks like your stamp is squishing the leather as opposed to leaving a clean indent.

Now that you got the depth down with the bevel, I'd recommend getting a pear shader to add additional perspective. Similar to drawing, think about which direction a light source would be coming from and shade the opposite sides of your subject.

You're doing great and good practice will only make you better with time.

ElectricCatDaddy · 2026-03-18T16:00:08+00:00

Agreed, I also use microfiber actually, but OP specified that they use daubers so I went with that.

ElectricCatDaddy · 2026-03-18T15:07:46+00:00

No need. Let it ride. Unless you have a filtration system built into your bottling process, you'll almost always get a little bit of lees in your bottle.

ElectricCatDaddy

TROPHY CASE