OdinUK

Thanks Van! One background tool is called the 'pebble' tool but I forgot what the other is called. When I get home this evening I'll check the part numbers on the tools and send you a PM. I think I got the pebble tool from Springfield, and got all 3 sizes. Quite a few folk here make tankards and Jacks as they are sometimes called depending on style. Thanks Van! One background tool is called the 'pebble' tool but I forgot what the other is called. When I get home this evening I'll check the part numbers on the tools and send you a PM. I think I got the pebble tool from Springfield, and got all 3 sizes. Quite a few folk here make tankards and Jacks as they are sometimes called depending on style. Opps, seems something went wrong with my last post!

Very nice work. Will you be selling those buckles?

Welcome to the forum and fantastic work! I watched the video, very well done indeed. You found the right place to learn about every aspect of leatherwork.

Hi and welcome from Herefordshire. If its tooling leather that youre interested in, I could send you some small scraps to practice on. Many on here seem to have started with the Tandy beginner kit. The tools arn't the best but they're ok to start with and you can gradually replace the tools with quality ones as you progress.

Very nice work, thats definitely unique.

Thanks. I like this method of forming because it ensures the sides are flat.

Very nice. Did you make the formers by hand or cnc? I've done similar but used damp sand to form the shape.

I got my first tools from my gran who bought Craftool in the 60s and 70s, and as I required more I bought the same brand from Tandys and I noticed a huge difference in quality of some of the tools. The new ones just aren't as good. Matting tools dont have the same sharpness the old ones had. Sometimes I find there is too much chrome so the pattern is less well defined. I recently bought some stainless bargrounders, a steep beveler and a raiser from Gomph Hackbarth and these are far superior to any of the standard craftool tools I have. In future I will only buy handmade tools unless its a CNC made stamp. The extra cost is will worth it in my opinion. I'm not saying dont buy cheaper mass made tools, they are ideal for getting started and general use.

Welcome to the forum. It really is the best leatherwork community on the net. Cool work, what dyes or paints do you use? The designs look pretty unique.

Welcome to the forum. Where about in England are you? Im living in Hereford. I've only done a couple of sheaths, but plan on making more when I get time. You'll find lots of useful information on this site. It's taught me a lot!

Thanks for sharing that. I look forward to trying more figure carving in the new year after I finish my current project.

You're portraits are fantastic. Where did you get the original image from? Did you trace it yourself? I have the figure carving finesse book but not tried a portrait yet.

Hmm I'll give it a try, so cutting past the eyeball with a slight undercut. Thanks for the tip, I'll see what happens.

Im trying to tool this eagle onto the leather to make a backpatch. Im ok with most of it but due to its size I can't seem to get the correct expression of the eagle. The eye and brow are the main areas that I just cant seem to get right. Im trying to get that authoritive condident look. The brow needs to be deep, it seems, but then I loose any detail of the eye. I may go for a two tone colour scheme by blocking and then antiquing the eagle. I'll use a background texture tool for the background around the eagle. Does anybody have any advice or tips on how to do it? Im trying to use various size figure carving bevelers along with a modeling spoon.

Does anybody know if Clear Laq or WyoSheen is available in the UK? I checked on google and can't find anywhere. Thank you.

Looks good. May I ask what sort of press you use?

Very nicely done and oozes quality. What finish did you use inside and out?

Thank you for the explaination. I hope to have a go at this sometime.

They look great! What do you use as a core?

The stamping looks good. Perhaps you can bevel along the stamped edge and then use another tool for more decoration, something like a camo tool? This will make it look more 'finished'. Ive not had much practice at scrolls and flowers but if its your first or early attempts just keep practicing. I suggest keeping your early attempts to monitor your progress.

Thank you for the tutorial. Hopefully I'll get to try it out soon.

Thanks for that, Ill have to look for such a mask. Congratulations for winning best costume, its better when you've made it yourself!

Thats fantastic! Whats the former made from, ive been looking for something suitable to use as a former but cant find anything sturdy enough. I was thinking about making one with plaster or Herculite but can only find molds with expressions. The black and gold looks great for contrast.

Thanks for that, its a great resource and Id like to give it a try sometime. The rivets have given me an idea, I'd like to make a tankard with just revets instead of the usual sewing. Many thanks for that link to your site.

Thanks for sharing those pictures. Im interested in leather bottles and pictures like this are great to see how they're made. How do you cast your own rivets, do you make a mold into which you pour the moten copper?