First Try

[Syd]

Hi,

Got fed up waiting for my Tandy starters kit (nearly three weeks waiting) so i had a piece of leather that i bought,i had no swivel knife so i used a different kind of knife just to see what the leather was like working with.

This was a very fine blade knife, afte i done the cuts i used the beveler it didnt look to bad for 1st attemp and hands shaking lol,only one problem when i bend the leather the knife cuts seem open up badly is this normal.

Cheers

Syd

Hurry Up Tandy Starter kit.

[Froghunter]

Hi,

Got fed up waiting for my Tandy starters kit (nearly three weeks waiting) so i had a piece of leather that i bought,i had no swivel knife so i used a different kind of knife just to see what the leather was like working with.

This was a very fine blade knife, afte i done the cuts i used the beveler it didnt look to bad for 1st attemp and hands shaking lol,only one problem when i bend the leather the knife cuts seem open up badly is this normal.

Cheers

Syd

Hurry Up Tandy Starter kit.

Pardon for me asking, but where do you live? Seems like 3 weeks is a tad long to be waiting for a kit from Tandy.

I hope it comes soon!

As for the cuts opening up, yes they will always do this, of course a sharp knife will cut leather differently than a swivel knife.

Edited January 29, 2008 by Froghunter

[Tina]

Hi Syd.

I sometimes use a very pointy scalpel for tricky places. After some experimenting my experience is that you can only cut down maximum 1 mm (0.04 inch and less) Otherwise the cut will crack wide open when the leather dries and that is not attractive at all.

[Syd]

Hi froghunter,

Thanks for answering my thread and helping me out.

I live in N,Ireland and i ordered the kit from USA.

Hi Tina,

Thanks for your help.

when i bend the leather the cuts are brave and deep so guess i cut to deep,once i get the Swivel Knife will try and cut to 1mm as you say.

Cheers Both for your help

Syd

Edited January 29, 2008 by Syd

[Hidemechanic]

Garry, you want to keep in mind when beveling that you bevel as deep as your cut, so there are times in a given patern that your cuts will be at different depths so as to create a better transition from one portion of the patern to another(3-D effect). We are assuming that you cased the leather before you cut and beveled?

Properly cased leather will retain it's impessions after drying and should not appear as cuts opening up when bent(for the most part). Hope that makes sence. GH

[Syd]

Hi Hide,

Many thanks for your help with my project as i call them.

Done another one today and kept my cut shallower,also i followed your tip about keeping the bevel the same depth as the cut and my project came out a lot better this time,consider i used a rubber mallet and Stanley knife and i only had one beveler which was very large and another tool i had, dont even know what its called but i used it for the background.

When i said it came out better its still ragged looking but im just experimenting lol.

Maybe it doesnt look that great but i enjoyed every minute,it dont half give yee a sore hand,kno ive caught the bug for more.

Thanks All

Syd

Edited January 29, 2008 by Syd

[tazzmann]

It never hurts to experiment. When I was 14 and my friend got me into leather working, we had a Tandy store fairly close but I, being a kid, didn't have any money. My friend gave me some scrap leather, a couple of his older tools and a worn out wood mallet. I experimented and practiced for 6 months with those tools and that leather. I finally decided I wanted to take the plunge and make my own project. Looking back it turned out ok, but wasn't great. I even made some of my own tools to conquer certain problems. I still make some special tools today (a lot of one time use items) when I want a certain effect.

The moral of the story is to have fun, which it sounds like you are doing. Don't be afraid to experiment, you won't learn what the tools can do it you don't use them in every possible way. Heck, I learned something new last night (see the thread in How do I do that about the cool eye) with tools that I have had forever.

Keep practicing and you'll love it when your "real" tools get there!

[Syd]

Thanks Tazzmann,

I was having fun ok,looks like im hooked.

Went and had a look at the eye,it is very life like for sure.

Cheers

Garry