Flicker

Thank you for the positive comments. If anyone notice the "swirl marks" on the lock you are right, they are there. I really need to work on my riveting skills. I also learnt why the original doesn´t have that many interior pockets - it is a pain to make and it doesn´t look good at all (no I won´t show a pic of it - it is functional but ugly. I might even remove them later). Well, live and learn. The most interesting thing to do was the handle. A very comfortable (and unforgiving) design. Next one will be more "clean" in a "less is more" concept. No straps, one compartment and a rectangular brass lock. Thank you to the people behind this forum who made it possible to interact with the craftsmen and artists here. It has helped me improve my work. I also have to recommend the manuals by Francis Burdett-Mills.

My first try making a traditional British briefcase. Sedgwick bridle leather in Australian nut color. Found a few pictures of a model I liked and copied it. So it isn´t my own design. I have carried it for a couple of months. I still like the look but it is a tad too heavy due to my leather crafting inexperience. Next time I will use more delicate leather and a much smaller metal bar (sewn in the lid and the handle is attached to it). Thanks for looking.

Anyone that know of a good one that produce the quality like Abbey Saddlery but got their house in order. French or German correspondance no problem. /Juha

I will keep this thread updated if I find out anything regarding Blanchard portmanteau tools. I seem to have some bad luck doing buisness with British firms. Slow/no replies to e-mail questions. No replies to concerns regarding lost shipments. No explanations to added shipping expenses. No information about backordered items, when or if they will show up at all. Nevermind, there are others out there that want my money like Blanchard in France and small businesses in USA. I really don´t have a problem with the tools per se, it´s the people selling the stuff. Aeroflot vibes all the way... If you are into Blanchard tools do not forget to check out the nicest site on internet when it comes to high quality photos of leatherworking tools: www.vergez-blanchard.com /Juha

I am looking for information on pricking irons, portmanteau type, Vergez-Blanchard brand. Does anyone know if they make them? If so has anyone here seen and/or used them? The only pictures I can find are the "normal" prickers on their and the japanese sites. I live in Europe so I plan to buy directly from them, however my knowledge in French is extremly limited and I would really like to hear if their portmanteau prickers are as good as their normal prickers. I am not interested in Dixon or other English brands. Thank you. /Juha (Sweden)

I read somewhere that templates in the leather industry were made of brass. Hence the name "clicking knife" from the clicking sound it made connecting to the brass template. I also read that making these templates was a profession that doesn´t exist anymore. Does anyone have a picture of an "old school" template. I haven´t been able to find a picture yet. Thanks, Juha

Excellent thread, pushed me over the edge to try my hand at making my first stamp. I have only seen stamps on the internet so the first thing I had to do was to measure on my computer screen what the relation between length and width should be. I found some nice examples of stamps and decided to go for a single rope configuration close to what Barry King makes. The tools: A Dremel (saves a lot of elbow grease) with different cutting wheels. Sandpaper (400 grit, 1000 grit). Two small files, a triangular and a flat. A stainless bolt. Hearing protection. Safety glasses. So from this: I transformed it to this: It is not perfect (I am not Barry King ) but good enough to make me want to keep on making my own stamps. I am going to work on the “teeth” and make them a bit smaller so I get an even better shading effect. I am very satisfied knowing that if I have the time I can make most of the stamps I need. My leather crafting skill is just at a beginner level but I would definitely try something more advanced than a regular basket weave pattern in the future. To anyone hesitating to start a project like this: This is the first item I have ever made in steel. I have no education in producing stuff. If you plan on doing something like this instead of buying a stamp, try it! Take it easy, go slow with the decisions on how to make the next cut. Leave one or two tenths of a millimetre as a margin when you are cutting with your dremel (might sound small but in no time you will notice deviations that small). Remove the rest with files and/or sanding paper. Take a lot of breaks in between cuts so that you always plan ahead. And do not forget your safety glasses and hearing protection. I will take the opportunity to thank Chuck Barrows and Bob Park, for their excellent tutorials on how to sew leather and finish it properly. A big thank you also goes out to the nice people in this forum giving a lot of advice to newbies like me. Without you I would probably have been stumbling in the dark for years before achieving any results worth mentioning. I will post some pictures of my work in the future, together with a proper introduction. Now where is that link so I can order some pitch and start brewing my own thread wax. I believe I am hooked. /Juha (Sweden)