By Paul Brinegar There have been several articles in the Leather Crafters & Saddlers Journal about making a carved and tooled leather frame. The methods I use here take some techniques from my saddle-making bud-dies. For this project, I used a plain pine frame with the following dimensions: 13 1/4 inches X 11 1/4 inches outside and 9 1/2 inches X 7 1/2 inches inside. Most inexpensive pine frames come with squared edges all the way around the out-side and inside. Prepare the frame To make it easier to mold the leather, you’ll need to break the hard edges with a belt sander and/or a palm sander. I take a belt sander and turn it upside down and turn it on. Then I work the frame all the way around on the front edge. Don’t sand the back edges because you’ll want to be able to cut the leather off-square on the back. Be sure and round the corners too. Next, take a palm sander and really smooth out the edges on the front, corners and the inside edges of the frame.

(Continued on page 4)

Hugh gets help from Annette and Ruben on his leather-covered frame.

Volume 2007, Issue 5

Making a Leather-Covered Frame

July, 2007

SASS In Town 2

Pattern of the Month 3

July Contest Winner 5

Treasurer’s Report 5

Tip of the Month 6

July Meeting Report 6

Upcoming Events 7

About NMRLAG 8

Inside this issue:

NMRLAG NEWS New Mexico Roadrunner Leather Artisans Gui ld

Message from the Guild President Howdy! We have had a really good month. Saturday and Sunday (June 30 and July1), Paul B. gave a workshop on making a leather-covered picture frame. We didn’t have a big turnout but Hugh Jones and Liz Torres had fun. They both made frames and now have the knowledge to make their own. Saturday July 7, we had the monthly meeting and about 18 members showed up. Many thanks go to Paul Z. for giving his lesson on the importance and the techniques of sharpening your swivel knife. The State Fair is coming up so I need the names and dates that you can volunteer for our demos at the fair. I need this information by the August meeting on the 4th. Also, let me know if you’ll be here for Jim Linnell’s workshop Sept 1st, 2nd, and possibly the 3rd. A suggestion has been proposed that the members of the Guild should be the ones who vote for the ELDRIDGE MEMORIAL. That would ensure that our members would get down to the fair at least to see for whom to vote. Think about it and we’ll discuss it at the August meeting. Don’t forget, the Guild is the sponsor of the State Fair Leather craft. Let’s make sure we have a super showing with entries from everyone. New bit of news: Clay Miller is the manager of a new Tandy store in Rapid City, S.D. He’s there now and getting ready for the Grand Opening. He’s the only Tandy in South Dakota, so business should boom. Congratulations Clay. Call him toll free at 1-877-800-1853. Keep your swivel knife sharp. (We now know how). Paul Brinegar

The Shootist. See more SASS pictures inside.

SASS Rolls Into the Valley

PAGE 2 NMRLAG NEWS VOLUME 2007, ISSUE 5

The annual SASS End of the Trail gathering took place June 15-24,2007, at Founders Ranch, which is just a short trip east of Albuquerque through Tijeras Canyon and then a few miles south on Highway 217. To find it, just follow the line of cars and trucks headed that way. This was my first time to attend a SASS event and if you’ve never been to one, it is definitely worth checking out. Competitors come to this event from all over the United States, as well as from foreign countries such as Italy, Japan and Australia, to name just a few. All of the participants come armed to the teeth and many are decked out in gun rigs, clothes and accessories that are “period accurate.” Vendors were selling everything from gun holsters of all shapes and sizes, to pistols, rifles, cartridge belts, am-munition reloading equipment, saddles, period-accurate clothing, boots, hats, and even custom made earplugs. Prices on gun rigs ran from $350 for a plain, double-holster rig to $580 for the same rig with floral carving. Several vendors specialized in making the carts that every

participant used to carry their guns, ammo and accessories from one shooting event to the next. Food and beverages were also available from several different establishments. Tandy Leather Factory set up a booth on site and proved to be a very popular vendor, saving the day on more than one occasion for participants needing supplies and fixin’s in a hurry. The booth was ably manned by Rawhide Wishbone (Paul Brinegar), Doc de la Haye (Doc Hayes) and Ruben Saiz. From what I could see, the shooting competitions were either freestanding or mounted events. I didn’t make it over to the mounted shooting competition but at the free-

Firing the Gatling gun at SASS.

standing competitions, spectators are kept a safe distance away from the shooting galleries so you can only hear the “plink” of the bullets hitting the targets. You are unable to actually see the results. If all of the shooting going on around you makes you want to burn some powder, you can shoot an authentic Gatling Gun for the bargain price of $1 per bullet. It does-n’t take long for a Gatling Gun to run through that last $10 in your pocket and this is where those custom earplugs will definitely come in handy. All in all, it was a good day with lots of things to see and definitely some very nice leatherwork to look at; maybe you’ll get some ideas for something you’ve been wanting to make.

Rawhide Wishbone and Doc de la Haye manning the Tandy booth.

Carts resting at a shooting gallery.

PAGE 3 NMRLAG NEWS VOLUME 2007, ISSUE 5

Pattern of the Month

Add the leather Now it’s time to get your leather ready. I find that 5 to 6 oz. leather works best for a carved and tooled frame. Cut a piece that is approximately two inches larger than the frame on each side. Since my frame was 13 1/4 X 11 1/4, I needed a piece of leather 17 1/4 x 15 1/4. Do not cut anything out of the center yet! Lay the leather down on your bench with the flesh side up. Center your frame on the leather and, with a pen or pencil, mark the outside and inside corners so you’ll have a reference point when you put everything together. Next, take a fine-pointed scratch awl and make VERY light pinpricks on all the corners both inside and outside. You should be able to just barely see these on the grain side of your leather. These pinpricks usually will go away in the tooling and stretching process but only if they are VERY small.

Remove your frame and set it aside. Turn the leather over so the grain side is up. Take a damp sponge and lightly dampen the leather. Find the small pin marks and with a straight edge and a sty-lus, VERY, VERY lightly draw lines from pin prick to pin prick, making a very light outline of the shape of your frame. Again, these lines will disappear with the stretching of the leather over the frame, although occasionally I’ve had to use a modeling spoon to get rid of the marks. Now, you’re ready to wet the leather enough to do your carving and stamping. There are all sorts of corner patterns available that make great carving for frames. Use these with some basket stamping. You can also draw your own patterns for a one-of-a kind frame. Another method is what I did at the workshop: I marked off a centerline on the leather within the outlines of the frame. Then, I also marked a line 3/8 of an inch in from the outside and inside lines marking my frame. I then tooled the new Southwest pattern down the center of

(Continued from page 1)

Leather Frame (continued)

PAGE 4 NMRLAG NEWS VOLUME 2007, ISSUE 5

Paul Brinegar marks the corners of a frame.

the rails and a barbed wire pattern on either side on the 3/8 lines. After the carving, tooling or stamping is done, take a break and come back after the leather has dried. And assemble Now that the leather has dried, start the assembly. Turn the leather over so the flesh side is up again. You should still see the ink or pencil lines you drew so you could place your frame again. Check the fit again. You’ll see that there has been some shrinkage or stretch but it will be minimal. Just center the frame on the marks. Measure the depth of the frame at the inside edge. This meas-urement is not the whole depth, just the depth from the front of the frame to where the glass will sit. In my case, this measurement is 1/4 inch. Now, at each inside corner, make a mark at a 45 degree angle the same measurement as the one you just took for the depth. After all four inside corners are marked, take the smallest drive punch you can get and punch out a small hole on that mark. This will prevent the leather from tearing when you start stretching it. Measure 3/4 to 1 inch from all four inside edges, mark your box and cut out the center. On a 45-degree angle from the small punch hole in the cor-ner, cut through the leather toward the center. Finishing assembly Using Barge cement or any good contact cement, spread an even coat of glue on the flesh side of the leather. Let this coat com-pletely dry (about 30 minutes). Spread another coat of glue evenly on the leather and let this second coat dry completely. While waiting, spread an even coat of glue on the wooden frame. Be sure and coat all the sides, inside and out. When the glue is completely dry, SOAK the leather completely, probably for a few minutes. This will be really wet, limp wet. Take the leather out of the water and place it face down on you work bench. Let it dry for a few minutes. Dab the moisture off the glue side. Check the glue and see if there is some tackiness to it. If not, spread a thin coat of glue on the leather. I find that if I’ve done the first two coats of glue right, I won’t need any more. After 10 minutes or so, you can VERY CAREFULLY place the frame on the leather. You must be very careful when doing this to center the frame on the marks you made before. Once you have the

Here’s a sample of a frame with the edges turned down.

Leather Frame (continued)

PAGE 5 NMRLAG NEWS VOLUME 2007, ISSUE 5

Hugh cutting out the center of his frame.

frame set on the leather in your marks take a shoe hammer and tap this down to seal the glue. Don’t pull up the sides yet. Now you can pick up the frame and check your alignment. If you make all your marks right and set the frame in the marks, it’ll be perfect. Start pulling and pushing the side around the frame, working the corners so that the inside corners are as tight and close as you can get them. You can use a slicker or bone folder to do this. There will always be a small space on the inside corners. I find it helpful is to cut a “V” in the outside corner, but don’t cut it too near the frame itself. Once you’ve got all the sides and corners as tight as you can get them, set this aside to dry. Don’t cut off the excess while it’s wet because it will shrink. After it’s dry, you can cut all the excess off and have good flat edges. Use a box cutter or other good cutter to cut off the excess flush with the backside edges. Finish the frame in any fashion you want. One way is to glue strips of leather on the rails only and leave the picture area open so you can change photos. Just be sure to glue them tightly to the edge leather and slick them down. Another way I prefer is to install the glass, matting, picture and backing, then place a full piece of leather over the back. I slick and seal the edges and I’m done.

Treasurer’s Report Beginning Balance 06-07-07: $962.78

Income: $ 0.00

Expenses: Kinkos Card $100.00

Ending Balance 07-07-07: $862.78

Kinkos Card Beg. Balance: $100.00

Six color copies of Newsletter -$34.24

Kinkos Card End. Balance: $65.76

Liz’s frame nearing completion.

The workshop leader has been framed.

Pattern Contest for July Pat Lynch had the only entry for the July pattern of the month contest so he hit the Trifecta – taking first, second AND third. He wins the $10 Tandy gift certificate for July. Con-gratulations to Pat!

July Guild Meeting

PAGE 6 NMRLAG NEWS VOLUME 2007, ISSUE 5

This tip of the month is kind of a personal story. In my other life, I was a professional musician. I was in the U.S. Navy Dance band that toured all of southern Europe and the Middle East back when 16-piece bands were the norm. Later I was a Clarinetist in a Symphony Orchestra in Chicago. What brings this up is the idea that as leather crafters we must make our own patterns in order to get ahead. I was thinking about that when it occurred to me, what would hap-pen in the music world if we, as performers, could only play music that we had written ourselves. There wouldn’t be any performances of Bach, Beethoven or Mozart. Nor would all the great jazz band tunes be heard. Don’t get me wrong. All of the musicians I knew did a lot of their own writing, includ-ing me, but there was no reticence to use the music that someone else had written. So, to get off the soapbox, draw your own stuff but don’t be afraid to use patterns other people have produced. Paul Brinegar

Tip of the Month

The July Guild Meeting was called to order promptly at 4 p.m. by President Brinegar with 18 members present. The first item of discussion was the Jim Linnell workshop, which is to be held September 1-3, 2007, at the Tandy Store. The starting times will be announced as they become available. The workshop project was voted on by the members and will be a flask kit with either an embossed white buffalo head with floral carving or an embossed roadrunner with floral carv-ing. Paul was going to ask Jim to provide patterns for both. To check out some of Jim Linnell’s work, go to his website at www.elktracks.net. Cost of the three-day workshop is $45. Judging of State Fair projects will be September 4. Paul B. announced that he needs to know who wants to volunteer to work at the State Fair this year so he can get parking passes. He needs names by August 4. Paul B. brought up the substantial cost of making color copies of the monthly Guild newsletter to be mailed to mem-bers who do not have an e-mail address. A motion was made and seconded that newsletters that are mailed via the U.S.

Postal Service should be black & white. The motion carried.

Doc won a close and unanimous vote to provide the truck to get the work tables delivered to the State Fair. The meeting was adjourned and it was on to the swivel knife sharpening demonstration by Paul S. Watch next month’s newsletter for a write-up and photos. Purse, wallet and notebook by

Liz Torres Knife sheath

by Paul B.

Steve Brown’s tool carrier (above and below)

Click on the State Fair icon, then Competition and Entries; Creative Arts; then Leather Craft under crafts. Make plans now to attend the Cowboy Sym-posium in Ruidoso Octo-ber 12-14. We didn’t have any representatives attend last year and we were told that people were asking where we were. The main purpose for us being in-volved in the symposium is to demonstrate the skills of leathercrafting to the general public. Please keep in mind that any sales are incidental, not really the main reason for our participation in this well-attended event. The annual Chuckwagon Cookoff is well worth the trip alone.

The next Guild meeting is sched-uled for August 4, 2007, 4: p.m. at the regular place – Tandy Leather Store in the Hoffmantown Shopping Center. Demonstration information is not avail-able at this time. The workshop with Jim Linnell has been scheduled for September 1-3, 2007, at the Tandy Store in Hoffman-town Shopping Center. Times will be announced at the August Guild meet-ing. The project will be a flask kit with an embossed white buffalo head and floral carving. The cost of the work-shop is a minimal $45 plus the cost of the flask kit. New Mexico State Fair dates are September 7-23, 2007. Entries will be accepted August 30 and August 31

from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on September 1 from 8 a.m. to 5.p.m. For a complete list of the rules, sections for partici-pants and the project classes, go to the State Fair web site: www.exponm.com.

Upcoming Events

PAGE 7 NMRLAG NEWS VOLUME 2007, ISSUE 5

Schedule of Events

•August 4

Monthly Guild meeting; 4:00

•September 1-3 Jim Lin-

nell Workshop Embossed buffalo figure and floral carving on flask kit

•September 7-23

New Mexico State Fair

•October 12-14

Cowboy Symposium,

Ruidoso, NM

AUGUST 2007 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2 3 4

5 6 7 8 9 10 11

12 13 14 15 16 17 18

19 20 21 22 23 24 25

26 27 28 29 30 31

The State Fair is coming!! September 7-23, 2007

New Mexico Roadrunner Leather Artisans Guild meets at 4

p.m. on the first Saturday of the month at Tandy Leather Fac-

tory #110, 8252 Menaul Blvd NE, Albuquerque, NM 87110.

For more information please contact any of the following:

Ruben Saiz, Manager Tandy Leather Factory: 505-296-3255

Paul Brinegar: 505-254-0337, paule49@msn.com

Pat Lynch: 505-862-7504, houseslash2@hotmail.com

William (Doc) Hayes: 505-281-4233 dochayes@naturesw.net

Please contact Tim Odle to contribute articles to the newslet-

ter at 505-265-1494 or todle54@yahoo.com.

The New Mexico Roadrunner Leather Artisans Guild is dedicated to promoting the art of leather craft in New Mexico and adjoining states. Our members are interested in all aspects of leather craft. We have members who work on sad-dles, horse gear, embossed pictures, figure carving, traditional Western style and Sheridan style carving, exotic skins and repair work.

We hold workshops and “show

and tell” demonstrations during our monthly meetings. Membership is open to everyone from beginner to professional leather crafters. We believe the interaction of individu-als at all craft skill levels results in all of us learning from each other.

New Mexico Roadrunner Leather Artisans Guild

Tandy Leather Factory #110 8252 Menaul Blvd NE

Albuquerque, NM 87110

NEW MEXICO ROADRUNNER LEATHER ARTISANS GUILD

Phone: 505-296-3255

Leather artistry...Yesterday, today, and tomorrow..

New Mexico Roadrunner Leather Artisans Guild