WyomingSlick

If you are going to "borrow" stuff, you need to be more sneaky, lol! For example: if you want to use a horse pic, go ahead. BUT, change the background, alter the mane, or whatever you need to do to conceal your "borrowing". On the other hand; are you sure the painting is copywrited. If so, perhaps you could contact the owner and ask their permission to use the pic.

People who spend a lot of time sitting on their caboose, and who carry their wallet (billfold) in a rear pocket can, over time, develop a misaligned spine. This is more common in older people. I know as I got older, I found it was better for me to take my wallet out when I am driving somewhere for any extended distance. It wasn't so bad years ago when most of us just carried mostly cash there. Nowdays with all the credit cards, insurance cards, pictures, etc, a wallet can get pretty thick. Is it no wonder, that many are looking for a thinner wallet to start with?

From the time Craftool began making their tools until they were bought up by Tandy around 1962 their tool were stamped "CRAFTOOL CO". Most of these had a 3 digit number except those that were less than 100. Numbers less than 60 where the stamping tools begin with an undercut beveler, were used for tools such as: snap setters, lacing punches, eyelet setters, etc. When Craftool was taken over by Tandy and operations were moved from Los Angeles to Fort Worth, TX, they started using a letter prefix before the number that signified the tool grouping it belonged to: A for background tools, B for bevelers, C for Camouflage, and so on. Around 1968 they added USA after the CRAFTOOL CO name. And then some time after that they dropped the "CO" so it was just CRAFTOOL USA. ____________________________________ A rough guideline as to age can be made from what is stamped on the handle; If it says: 1. CRAFTOOL CO - No Number-most likely made before Craftool started putting the numbers on the tools around 1950. 2. CRAFTOOL CO. - with only a number, it was made prior to 1963. 3. CRAFTOOL CO. - with a letter prefix & number it was made about 63' to 68' 4. CRAFTOOL CO. USA - with a letter and number it was made after 69" 5. CRAFTOOL USA - with a letter and number it was made more recently, and 6. CraftJapan - made very recently AND in Japan. Go to my blog for more info on Craftools and download the Craftool Index I have there...

Recently a Craftool #115 went for $105.50 on eBay - See attachment. For some insights as to why this tool went so high, visit my blog on this site (Just go to blog section). In my blog I ramble on about this, show some pics, and offer some information. If anyone has comments or questions, please post em. Other topics jawed about also.

I have a Craftool Index on my blog( right click on C Index ) where you can compare the sizes and configurations of all the shaders Craftool made. Some of these are not available from the stores anymore, but may be found on eBay from time to time. The narrow shaders (sometimes called "rose shaders") work very well on the type of leaves you are doing here.

"I want it to cut coasters." Years ago when I needed to make coasters for the 4-H kids, I simply got a piece of pipe that was the right size, and sharpened up one end, and welded a plate on the the other end. It cut quite a few coasters between sharpenings.

Think of them as "training wheels" like you see on bicycles for kids just learning to ride. They enable you to at least get a good transfer of the pattern onto the leather with a bare minimum of effort and time. The artists who developed them were very good at their job, and with the photo-carve pattern to guide you, there is no reason you can't turn out a fine looking product. Later, after you have progressed in your skills, is the time to try developing your own individual patterns. But while you are learning, they are money well spent. "There is a reason why they have sold a million of em !"

There is a nearly comple set of the Indian Craftool series up for bids on eBay now. The wheel of life tool is included. For more info on this series check out my blog.

Speaking of tool whackers, there is a video on utube showing tooling in an overseas shop where the craftsmen are stamping and using what looks like about 2x4 chunks of hardwood. Doesn't slow them down a bit, which shows you what practice will do for ya. The guy they show does all the camouflage work on a piece (about a dozen lines) in the same amount of time as some would spend on just one line.

While they do make a swivel knive that is designed for cutting through leather that is called a filagree blade, I myself use an exacto knife becaquse it's very thin blade workks better for me. Because the blade is disposable and relatively cheap I have many blades and can change one out when it gets dull. Not that I throw them away - I hone them as sharp as new on a diamond hone and reuse them over and over. I do my work with the leather on top of a piece of styrofoam or foam type insulation board which allows me to penetrate the leather as much as I want without damaging the blade.

Some other sources for this information would be on eBay (Lots of them sold there) and on the back of the older doodle pages where they advertised them.

The best source for older Craftaids is on eBay. I built my collection by buying them there. I think I have at least 95 percent of Al Stohlman's patterns that came out in Craftaids. After you have done enough of his patterns, it is no big step to developing your own. Al's books on figure carving will help you a lot in this direction.

Hey, you know that is the same way Japanese saws work; by cutting on the pull stroke. And I tell ya, I wouldn't part with my Japanese wood saws for anything. If I was doing a lot of skiving I might give one of these a whirl. If you get one, let us know about it. .

This looks to me like a wood plane. It may work okay for leather if it is sharp enough. The angle of the blade is rather high for skiving leather though. It really all depends on what you would want it for.

You done did yourself, and Paul, proud. Straight on impressions of any animal's face are difficult to do well, but you definately succeeded here. Attaboy!

Pretty much a waste of time to contact Craftool about any historical info on tools. These tools would be from that period of time before Tandy bought Craftool and basically - the corporate folks don't know squat about those days. Very few of them could even tell you who Dick Gehan or Lou Roth were.

The indicies in this thread should do the job for you. Craftool Index

I recently aquired a set of nine 50's era Craftools that have a "S" after the tool number. These are not part of the heavy duty Saddle Stamps series that were made later on in the 70's and 80s. See pic 1. These S tools are much the same as the regular craftools of the same number except for some differances. The veiners and shells are the same except that the lines are somewhat finer - Pic 2. When it comes to the bevelers;there are two significant differances. As seen in Pic 3; the beveling angle is steeper on the S tools than on the normal Craftools. In addition to that, the checkering on both of the "S" checkered bevelers is finer than on the regular Craftools of the same number. In pic 4, I show a comparison between a regular Craftool beveler (c.50's), a Craftool S beveler (c.50's), a Barry King Sheridan beveler (c.2005), and a CraftJapan Stainless Steel Sheridan beveler (c.2007). Now, I have quite a lot of old catalogs and leather magazines showing Craftools back to the late 40's; and have never run across any showing these for sale. Also I have never seen these "S" tools mentioned or shown in any old Doodle pages. I did run across a mention of them once in a discussion on the IILG site which only said that they were finer cut than the regular Craftools. So........does anybody know how many of these were made, what numbers, etc??????? I would appreciate it if anyone has other numbers and could post pictures. Or if anyone has any advertising on these.

I just wanted to say thanks for the entertainment, folks. I got quite a few chuckes out of this thread. I do want to say I support the idea of trying to expand "our" market into any area where it might fit. Nothing wrong with that. Where would the cowboy boot makers be if their market was actually limited to those who put their feet into stirrups? Same for Vegans; who cares what they think, if, we can sell them a leather product. Kinda makes it a win-win situation. And, of course, there are plenty of things we can make out of leather that has "drag marks" on it. Good luck Mr Siegel and hang in there.

Pretty Sneaky Rusty! Your win percentage at the pool table will be sure to go up since your opponents will be so occupied slobbering over your case that their game will have to suffer. Just looking at it, I would place it in the top ten of all the cue cases I've ever seen - and I've seen many thousands. Very well done!

LOL I thought it was kind of interesting that the scholars didn't know why grass was in the shoe. "Odor-eaters!"

I went to the Tandy internet pages to try to see what your stitching awl is like. I did not see any thing there that fits your description of an 1 1/4" blade. I hope they didn't sell you a fid to use for stabbing holes with. Every awl blade I've ever bought was pretty much ready to go already. I only needed to resharpen them after much use. Here's a picof a couple stabbing awls with a fid above them for comparison. Notice the diamond shaped holes (2 sizes) that the blades produces. Did you get Al Stohlman's book on hand sewing leather. Like any of Al Stohlman's, books, it is worth way more than the cover price.

Well if that is what you were thinking of.......it might get you in trouble! Some of your buddies are going to want some too. Good thinking!

eBay is one source for unusual lining leathers. A few pics of some of the ones I've picked up there. All of these are thin 1 to 2 oz lining kips.

Looks hot !!! Yes, visually and physically. Do you line the inside with cotton twill or some other type of corset lining? Are there stays inside of the lacing?