zuludog

The key to good leatherwork is to have razor sharp tools, Once you get a sharp edge keeping it like that is relatively easy - little and often is the rule, and most of the time just a strop or occasionally very fine abrasive paper or a stone is all you need. For my bevellers I use a strop with green chromium dioxide compound and paper varying from 1200 to 5,000 grit There are several videos on sharpening edge bevellers, with variations on a theme, but watch a few and you'll get the idea. This is a good and simple one

Yes, that's another thing I did, getting the correct angle of attack aka the angle of incidence, as they say in the aircraft industry Get something like 2 or 3 mm veg tan leather, cut a straight edge then start bevelling --- at first lay the beveller down so it's quite flat and won't cut at all; then repeat again & again, raising the handle each time to make a steeper & steeper angle until it jams & judders, and can't be pushed any more Somewhere in between you'll find the best angle. Cut back the leather 5 or 10mm to obtain a fresh cut edge as required It is noticeable that each of the type of bevellers I used need a different angle

When I started doing leather work I got the cheap basic edge beveller that I see Tandy still sell for $9-99, and it works well enough, but I spent some time getting it really sharp Then I got a set of Craftool Pro, with the black rubber handles, in Tandy UK's closing down sale They do the job, but I need to be careful on using the correct angle or they tend to jam When I retired I treated myself to a set of Palosanto bevellers as they're supposed to be the best. They do a good job, but so they should for the price. ...... are they worth the money? Hmmmm... maybe not. Although I haven't used them I would think about a good mid priced item like Barry King; or a similar style to Palosanto such as Kemovan, George Barnsley, or Tandy's Round Edge Beveller SKU 86001 for $49-99 . I find that I keep going back to the cheap basic beveller Whatever you choose get a range of sizes to match the thickness of the leather, and keep them very sharp, there are several YT Videos about sharpening. Also the type of leather affects how easy it is to edge bevel, with softer & thinner leather being more difficult than stiffer & thicker There are videos about edge bevelling, or as you watch videos of items being made you'll see how other people do things

Have a look at YouTube videos by JH Leather, she is an excellent leatherworker, and her favourite type of knife appears to be a head knife, aka a half round knife. She uses a few different makes, including Barnsley. She has videos on skiving and other techniques, and as she makes various items you see how well she uses a head knife, for both cutting & skiving.

I like Japanese Leather Knives, also known as a Japanese Skiving Knife; I use them for both cutting and skiving. They're not so easy to find in Britain since Etsy have a ban on selling any kind of knives in the UK, but Crafts By Little Bear have a few mid priced ones that will do the job You can find the JLK listed by Tom E for about £10 and it's surprisingly good for the money, but it needs a lot of work & sharpening to get it into a decent state You will need to get them very sharp - a diamond stone and fine abrasive paper are easy to start with, and The Scary Sharp System from Workshop Heaven is good. A full system is expensive, but the sample pack is only about £10 and will be good enough for these small knives, just find your own sheet of glass or porcelain tile Also make your own strop, there are loads of YT videos and green chromium dioxide compound is as good as any Play around with the Search Box on YouTube for JLKs, skiving, sharpening, making a strop and so on; follow the suggestions, watch a few, and you'll get the idea . This is a start -

AFAIK Rocky Mountain's own brand linen & synthetic thread is Yue Fung, under their own name, and it's good stuff I've tried Ritza thread and I too don't see why it's supposed to be so good The threads I've settled on are Artisan Leather's own brand braided polyester - Chinese from a UK supplier - and Yue Fung

Ah, we're definitely going Off Topic and rambling here, but during the decline of the Roman Empire they had the choice of bringing wheat for bread or animals for the Circus from Egypt as there were only a few boats available - they chose animals

Fortunately I have already stocked up, and anyway I drink more coffee than tea If any Americans or others are wondering about the importance of tea to the British Way of Life -- a couple of years ago there was a terrorist bomb threat in London, and the police were going door to door to clear people from rooms & buildings that faced onto the street When they got to a cafe the customers refused to leave as 'we haven't finished our tea yet'

Thanks Meanwhile I've been Searching supplier's websites, and in the UK at least, Identity Leathercraft, Metropolitan Leather, and others have alternative edge finishing gums, and gum tragacanth of course. Although I haven't tried these they are reputable suppliers, and the alternatives should be OK

Do we know the current situation with Tokonole? I've heard there is a shortage It's out of stock with a couple of UK suppliers, but still listed on several Etsy UK suppliers, but of course that doesn't mean you'll get it if you order it

Knife making looks like it is a popular hobby in the USA, and I also think there are a few knife makers on here. I'm sure that if you made a request on this forum or a knife making forum someone would make a head knife for you I have a Barnsley head knife, it is made from sheet steel about 1,5 to 2,0 mm thick. Barnsley probably stamp out the shape but it shouldn't be too difficult for an experienced maker to cut it out. Then just make a long gently sloping bevel. The handle is simply turned with a brass tube ferrule.

I see you live in the USA, so I thought you might be interested in this. I think it's more expensive than those from Barnsley or Osborne, but I know that RMLS is a reputable supplier Rocky Mountain - Half Round/Head Knife - Sharp! (rmleathersupply.com) You might also consider a Japanese Leather Knife, I use one for straight cuts and skiving. They are easy to sharpen, and as with most leather tools prices range from cheap to expensive. If you're not familiar with it, Search YouTube

It is a head knife, so called as the side view looks like a bird's head. Watch YouTube videos by JH Leather, she uses one for most of her work www.georgebarnsleyandsons.co.uk usually have one, but don't appear to at the moment. In fact they seem to be reorganising their range of knives as it looks like they are selling off a lot of old stock at reduced prices Osborne also offer a head knife, but you'll have to do your own Search Generally, although these knives are not very cheap they are reasonably priced for the quality you get. They are an alternative to the more common round knife, which has two points, as they are usually cheaper, and the single point makes them easier to use. Typical price for them is about £40, say $45

One time I bought a couple of bellies in a sale that were fairly thick, about 3mm in the middle and 5mm at the ends I made axe covers and chest protectors for spoon carving, with an extra thickness glued onto the centre of the chest protector.

Diverting slightly -- I have visited Fort George in NE Scotland, find it on t'Net This was built in the 1700s, and is still an active military base, though this is reduced, and a large part of the fort is now a museum The gunpowder store, now part of the museum was once lit by candles, as a naked flame was the only source of illumination at the time. The candles are placed in a small windowed enclosure that juts out into the magazine, and is sealed on the magazine side. Access and ventilation is made from outside the magazine, on the other side of the wall For similar reasons, the tools and equipment used were made from wood, copper, and brass