terrymac

It appears you will have a minimum of four stiches on each side. If you will saddle stitch with nylon thread, I would think you will be ok unless you are planning on doing some serious steer jerking. Hope this helps Terry

I use a drill press and use my diamond awl blade to punch my holes. You don't need to ever turn the machine on, just use the handle on the drill press to punch the holes. You can punch thru fairly thick leather without much effort. I know some people use a tiny drill bit, but you are still removing material from the hole. If you get a Tandy awl handle, you can pull the chuck out of the wooden handle. It may take a little effort, but it will come. The end of the chuck is a round shaft that fits right into the drill press just like a normal bit would. You can angle your blade just the way you want. Mark your holes like you normally would and punch away. If I am doing a belt, I will take and set up and guide along the back to keep the distance from the edge uniform. It doesn't take long to do a belt, and if you have your chuck set chuck set correctly, your holes will match up just right from front to back. Just a suggestion that works for me, Terry

Clearlac will serve as a resist for antique paste, but I would be hesitant to use it as a resist for dye. I have a feeling you are in for problems, If anything. experiment some on something besides your strap. If it were me. I would use some small brushes and dye the colors separately.

Good stuff for fishing, but I wouldn't use it to sew. There is no stretch or give, and I will bet it would act like a bandsaw blade on your leather. Everytime your leather would flex, there is going to be some leather fiber destroyed. Just my two cents worth.

The traditional resist is Clearlac, but don't use it if you are using any of the Eco Flo antiques as you will end up with a mess. Most people use Fiebings Antique paste. I have never used black, and I understand there can be some problems with the black. There was a thread a couple months ago where Double U leather had some problems and how he resolved them. The Clearlac will also serve as a final finish. Look at some of Hidepounder's work and you will see some beautiful work using the above process I described. Hope this helps a little. Terry

The Quick Slik readily accepts a dye, it is a great product. If you read Bob Park's tutorial on finishing edges, he explains why he won't use gum tag because of the way it will not dye. Terry

Really nice Wayne! I promise you if you will try Bee's Natural Saddle Oil, you will never pick up another can of Neatsfoot oil. That unpredictable coloring is the reason I switched. Terry

If you will go to the "How do I do This" part of the forum. Bob Park (Hidepounder) has provided the best tutorial on finishing edges I know of, and he explains the how and why of using saddle soap. The problem of using Edge Kote is that it just does as the name implies and simply coats the edge with no dying whatsoever. Instead of using saddle soap, I personally have gone to using a product called "Quik Slick" avaiable thru Sheridan Leather, and it also accepts a dye readily. Hope this helps, Terry

The woolskin also does a great job of getting the antique back out of the background areas and cuts. I don't think a sponge will work near as well. Another piece of advice if you are using the Ecoflo antiques, don't block or resist with Clearlac, you will get the ugliest colors I have ever seen. I learned the hard way Terry

"Sheridan Style Carving" by Bill Gardner and Clinton Fay is the holy grail as far as I am concerned. The next book I am buying is the new one written by Bob Parks (Hidepounder). Knowing his skill and artistic ability, I am sure this book will compare with the first one I mentioned, and if you find a post of his, it has the information concerning his new book. The Sheridan style book is available at Tandys or a number of other places Hope this helps, Terry

We have had a severe drought in many of our cattle producing areas, and cattle numbers have gone down. Proucers couldn't afford to hand feed. When supply goes down, prices go up. Simple economics. I personally don't feel we have seen the highs yet, it is still coming. Terry

The biggest mistake you are making looks like you are beveling the wrong side of the cut. Bevel down the side where you are backgrounding. Appears to me you are doing the other side making it almost impossible to get your correct depth. Also, if leather is too wet, it won't form as it should. The moisture should be at a point that when you background, you get a burnishing (darkening) of the area tooled. Hope this helps, Terry

You have started out with a good combination of tools. My only recommendation would be to get some different sizes in the tools you bought. For example your 27 bargrounder, 7 hole will be to large to fit into small areas. I have a 3 hole and use it quite a bit. As you progress, you will notice which tools really don't fit, so the need for different s sizes. I recently bought an "0" size checkered beveler to use on tight curves. You are difinitely on the right track, just start doing some work and you will figure out the rest with experience. Good luck, Terry

The value of a Bearman maul is in the material used in the head of the maul. The beauty of the wood is an added value. I, too, tooled with a Garland rawhide mallet, and used it for over 45 years. Since getting my Bearman maul, it is usually collecting dust or used for driving punches. The sweet spot is larger with the maul than with the mallet. The material Ed is using is unique, and not used by anyone else. Terry

If you are serious about Sheridan carving, then go with tools made for that purpose. As far as I am concerned, Barry King has the best value in these tools, and if you go to his website, he has a recommended tool list depending on what you are doing. IMHO. Craftools don't really work that well, as the bevelers aren't steep enough, thumbprints are too wide, and veiners are too thick, and they no longer have bargrounders. Start out with the best stuff, and you won't have to worry about replacing at some point in time. If will purchase the "Sheridan Style Carving Book" you will see the author does the big majority of his work with some 20+ stamps. As far as a swivel knife is concerned, there is none better than the SK3 by Leather Wrangler. It is pricey. but well worth it. They use a special alloy in the blade that holds an edge better than anything I have ever used. Hope this helps, Terry

I was referring to the original Neatlac. I have been under the impression that Wyosheen and Clearlac are the same thing as the original Neatlac, same manufacturer, just different label. I am pretty sure about the Clearlac, not so sure about the Wyosheen. Maybe somebody else will chime in and give us the definitive answer. One thing I am doing different than you is applying Bees Natural Saddle oil prior to applying the Neatlac. This is an amazing oil and will not discolor the leather as Neetsfoot Oil or olive oil. Terry

Seems like something else may be going on. If I AM Correct, Wyosheen is the same thing as good old fashioned rubon Neat Lac, and I have used it over the Fieblings Oil dyes numerous times with no problems. The secret in using Neatlac is to apply light coats, letting it dry somewhat between coats. Never had the problem you are having. Terry

Don't know if it would work or not. Just remember the groover is actually removing material, where the swivel knife is just cutting. I am inclined to think you will end up with some funny humps just using the swivel knife.\ terry

If you want the best value in a round knife, I would get hold of Bruce Johnson who is a member of this foru. Bruce gets hold of old (the good ones) round knives, cleans them up and sharpens. If you want a new kind of round knife go to Leather Wrangler.com, and look at the new design Paul has come up with. From everything I have read, this is a super knife, and I intend to get myself one. Terry

Neatlac and Ecoflo do not mix, period. There was a thread a short time ago where Wayne at Double U Leather was having the same problem with Fiebing black dye. He solved the problem by going to Angelius black dye and using a product called RTC as the resist available from Bee's. I don't use black so I have never encountered the problem with any of the Fiebing brown shade dyes and Neatlac. I am a die hard Neatlac fan, but I will not use the spray. You have to go with Clearlac or Wyosheen if you want the same product and apply with wool. When people have problems with Neatlac cracking it is usually with the spray version or applying it really thick with a rag. Terry

They don't flake off on the leather, they don't get "beat-up" edges, and it seems like you have much control over your tools and what is going on with the leather. Kind of hard to explain. Terry

You were asking for advice on a rawhide maul. Bearman mauls are not rawhide, but are made from sort of poly material. All I know is you couldn't trade me out of my Bearman maul for anything. I really don't understand why you are wanting a rawhide maul. I, too, used a rawhide mallet for 40 years, and wouldn't even consider going back to it. I do use it for driven punches, but that is about all. Terry

I think you are going to find the Lexol will also tend to darken. If you don't want to darkken, the only thing I have found is Bee's Natural Saddle Oil. It is really good stuff and is worth every cent it costs. It is all I will use and will give veg tan leather kind of a "Golden Hue". Your cost per strap in oil cost is minimal in relation to the time and effort you are putting in, and as far as I am concerned, go with what works, regardless of perceived cost. Good luck, Terry

They are collector pieces, and has nothing to do with the impression the stamp makes. The price is right in line with others I have seen for sale. Why does a pre 1964 Winchester Model 70 command the prices they do, when any modern rifle will shoot just as well? You want a piece of history, then you are going to have to pay. Simple as that. Terry

Cheryl, I think you need to re-read Hidepounder's tutotial. He first applies glycerin soap to the edge and then goes to the saddle soap. He states Beeswax may work, but he doesn't use it as the dye won't penetrate as it should. He dies after the burnishing is finished, and the applies parafin wax as a final polish to the edge. It if a person is using Gum tag and edge coating, then this process won't matter as you are really painting the edge rather than dying and penetration doesn't matter. IMHO, a dyed edge as done by Hidepounder is in a completely different league than a painted edge. It takes work, and can be completely done without any power equipment. Just wanted to let you know before you end up with something you didn't want. Terry