WyomingSlick

You need to add: metel lathe - useful for turning good solid pieces of metal into brillo pads and/or steel wool.

Pretty darn good for a first effort. You did bevel the wrong side on the front part of the cheek though. One thing to keep in mind is that thhe dotted lines on any figure carving pattern should be transferred to your leather as lightly as possible, yet still be usable as a beveling guide. The heavier you make them, the more you are restricted in what you can do with them. Note also that the beveling on those lines usually needs to be tapered off like you did with the throat, and not just end abruptly some of your other lines.

First of all, thread is relatively cheap, so you shouldn't worry about some waste the first few times you sew something. It's better to have too much than have to end one piece and start another. On the other hand, if you have a long distance to sew, you don't want to be pulling a bunch of thread through the holes for every stitch - that will extend your stitching time unreasonably. How much thread will be required depends on the thickness that you are sewing and how many stitches per inch you are using. On sommething like a knife sheath, there is no reason you shouldn't be able to use just one piece to do the job. Just measure the length of the stitching line. Add to that the number of holes time the thickness of your sheath. Now add eight inches for working room, and double the whole thing for your total length. Remember to keep the thread waxed so that your thread will not fray while pulling through the holes and end up looking "ratty" ! Sewing leather is just like any other leatherworking skill. It is best learned by doing it, critically evaluating the results, and striving to improve your work. I really do suggest that you get and study Al Stohlman's book on the subject. It is the most comprehensive work I know of for the beginner. Then I would suggest his 3 volumes on making leather cases for more advanced work.

LOL I too was curious about the parasites. Then I find out you are just bitchin' about middlemen and other people who want a cut of the action. And yes, there are a jillion of them out there. It seems to be a fact of much of modern marketing. All you can do is make an objective evaluation of whether their service is worthwhile. And then make a decision as to whether you want to remain an artist or become a cog in the machine. LOL

Very well done. It is a real pleasure to see a well executed piece like this. A very good job of matching the tri-weave stamp impressions to the border stamp line to produce a harmonious design that fits the size of the belt and the holster. This is a rig that screams " TOP QUALITY WORK " through and through!

I would suggest a collection of Al Stohlman's books over Baird's anytime for anyone. In particular, i would suggest as must haves are Stohlman's books on, Tools, Belts, the later book on Figure Carving, the book on dying, and all 3 volumes of the books on making Leather Cases. There is a reason why most of the Craftaids that Tandy ever sold were by Stohlman, they were superior to most other artist's work. In contrast, while Baird's book is a masterpiece, the patterns are also very much dated and reflect a style of carving that is not popular today.

I have been informed that according to the rules here ........ I need to post an asking price. So here we go..............for the set of all 7 tools.......... $800.00 plus postage. Individual tool prices will be priced accordingly but they will be a bit higher depending on the tool. You can count on the #13 and #14 being more expensive simply due to their rarity.

We have here a set of pricking irons made by T. Dixon & Sons in England about a century ago. As you can see, these are very high quality tools made by master tool filers. Note that the cuts are fairly even unlike many of the other pricking irons you will see. Note also that the thickness of the irons at the pricking tips becomes smaller as the teeth per inch size increases. See the later photos for this comparison. The last photo shows the differance in tooth thickness between the #14 and the #8 sizes. This is the way that pricking irons are supposed to be...... unlike some of those made today which cut too large of slits for finer stitching. As you can see, there has been some oxidation of the irons over the last century but the tools are every bit as usable as the day they came out of the maker's shop. These are tools that will increase in value in the years to come because not only are they "collector" items, but they are also the pinnacle of the art of filing. I am open to "serious" offers for these. Keep in mind that I was not born last night, LOL

These are the most artistic thing I've seen done with leather for quite a while! Totally superb and outstanding work.

Aw.....comeon folks. My Craftool Index has been on this site ( leatherworker.net ) for a couple of years. It is located in my blog on page 2. http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?app=blog&module=display&section=blog&blogid=31&st=10 or http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?app=blog&module=display&section=blog&blogid=31&showentry=68

I would like to caution people that there are a lot of mistakes in the pslac guide. There are a great many stamps listed as made by Craftool that were actually made only by McMillin. I sent emails to them about this several timesm but they seem to have no interest in correcting their database.

You know something ? It really doesn't matter what we think. What is important is : What does the recipient think, whether it it is a sale or a gift. If they are happy, then you should be too.

I agree that some time studying Al Stohlman's books would be beneficial towards improving your faces, but the fact is that you are already doing better than most. One thing to really consider is to modify some modeling tools to fit the smaller detail work you are doing. Since the better tools are made of stainless, this is easy to do with some fine jewelers files, crocus cloth, etc. On another note, while you are studying Al's books, spends some time on what he has to say and show on matting. Where the arm on your lady is in front of her leg could be improved using the matting technique to provide a smoother, more natural look.

Crisp and clear? Do you need glasses?

I think most would agree it is better than okay for a first time. Anybody who does that good, already knows where there is room for improvement because they have a "good eye for detail". I know you are not happy with the retention strap and have already thought about how to tool the next one.

I don't think so. If you look at the angle of the blades and their spacing, you will see there isn't a match there. I know there was a punch like this made for the Lift-The-Dot Fastener as I have seen them, but this isn't it.

My recomendation is to buy used Craftools on ebay. Look for the older tools made before the early 60's. They will not have a letter prefix before the stamp number. This was before Tandy bought Craftool and moved the toolmaking operation from California ( Los Angelos ) to Texas. The original Craftool company had their tools made by various machinists in the L.A. area and were much more picky about how the tools were made, and the standard of quality they would accept. The very best examples of Craftools were some of those made in the late 40's and early 50's before the rising popularity of leathercraft took off. Now is a very good time to buy used Craftools made in those early years on eBay. A lot of people took up the hobby then as this was also the Golden Years of Western Movies and TV shows. And now here it is 50 some years later and a lot of those tools do show up on eBay from estate sales, and just people inheriting them from their folks, and not being into leathercraft themselves. In fact, that is how my collection started - from some Craftools my Dad picked up when he was in the Army and stationed in San Diego, Caliornia, around the year 1950. You should be able to pick up a good starter set with a selection of the more common stamping tools like bevelers, shaders, veiners, cams, seeders, etc for under 5 bucks a tool. Don't get in a hurry, watch some auctions, and get a feel or the prices tools are bringing. There are new sets showing up every week and right now, its a buyers market. Don't settle for some set that looks like it has been stored in the barn and is rusty. For instance.....I picked up a rack of 37 plus swivel knife from Hawaii a while back that looked as good as they did the day they came from the store. Really minty ! And for under 160 dollars !

LOL 259 bucks ?? That is just so they can get rid of them later on sale for half price.

Exactly right. Such hardware fastened onto the leather with prongs which went through the slots made by the punch. They were than bent over a backing plate with a hammer or mallet to secure the hardware. These were usually only used by "production shops" that turned out a lot of the same item since each differant hardware item might require a differant configuration of the punch. Does that one say CARR manufacturing on it? They made a lot of these.

No, of course not. If you like using the mallet, then you should use it. But if sometime you run across one that is like new, in the original box, then you should "collect it".

LOL I am a bit of a machinist so you are "preaching to the choir"! 3/8 bearings (shielded radial steel) are around 4 bucks from ENCO and can be had quite a bit cheaper on eBay from Hong Kong Suppliers and importers. Check out : http://www.ebay.com/...2#ht_302wt_1394 Here are 20 of them for under $20 incl. shipping. Perhaps you can now reconsider making that ball bearing swivel knife.

Cliff Ketchum, one of the early noted leather designers in Hollywood made a lot of leather work for use in stunts and such in the western movies back in the 1950-1960's era. He would use layer(s) of fiberglass strapping tape sewn between leather layers to strengthen his work. It adds very little in thickness, but a lot in strength and stability. Strong enough for a horse should be strong enough for the largest of dogs.

Would those be gold plated bearings with jeweled insides you are talking about?

The problem with rubber bands on lacing that is dyed and finished, is that the latex will react with the finish on the leather and stick to it in time. A better way is to punch two or three appropriately sized holes in the cardboard on the end of the spool and thread the end of the lacing through them.

Rinkeni Rakli ! Gypsy ( Romani Words ) for "Pretty Girl". NIce job indeed !