DaCodaBuchan

Does this mean that something like distilled or spring water(bottled water) would not cause water marks from the wetting of different small portions of a larger project? If so several Wal-mart bottles of water would cost about $10 and would be worth it.

Anyone would be proud to wear that belt. I agree that the incorporation of your signature is wonderful. It's a challenge to find a nice way to leave your designer/leatherworker's mark without it being a) unnoticeable or b)intrusive on the design your method is very classy. The color is beautiful and really shows the natural elegance of the design and the leather itself. Wonderfull.

Ok, so we discussed it briefly on my thread about making a mallet grip, but after not finding anythign I have decided to ask again. How would I make a rawhide mallet? It looks like tightly coiled rawhide is nailed and coated with something. I still can't figure out what I would use to make the leather stiffen to the point that it works as a hammer. Now I assume you could wrap leather around a lead core and then tack the last piece tight. I am trying to figure out what I would need to coat the leather with, and what if any treatment would be needed. Should I wet the leather first? I think I would just to help make it more workable. After I figure this out I will be making a handle from scratch and then making a nice leather grip for it.

I may look for a place like that around here. I think the habitat store may carry something I can use. If not I have my sites set on teh Pro leatherworker tool set in the next few weeks and that kit includes a slab.

I think that I will look to replace my stamps after I buy them. For now I need stamps just to do my work. If I ever make money I'll pour all of it right back into buying better tools to replace my craftools, until then they at least give me the diversity of patterns I need.

That is how I would do it. I'd have done the front in thinner leather and the back in thin leather that was dyed that color when needed, but was made to match everywhere else. I would sew the two together with whatever stitch seemed appropriate. It's be cool to see that a with matching suede lace whipstitch instead of the thread.

It won't le me edit my first post. Kangaroo is another material I want to try and make wallets from.

One last question. Is there anyone out there that sells Tandy's stuff cheaper than they do? I know that some of the stamps and tools are cheaper at the other sites. This makes sense, they just don't mark up as much as Tandy does after wholesale prices. My goal here is the Tandy Pro Leatherworker's Tool Set (4899-00). Is there anyone that has it cheaper than Tandy? I don't think that will matter. I have three kits, and that tool set in my wishlist. If I bought the gold membership for $30, I get wholesale prices and save $95. Seems like a no brainier, but before I did that I wanted to ask if there were alternatives. For example, does someone have it for sale for less that the $250 that it's for sale by them for? If not it'll be mine form them by the end of the month.

Would a white plastic cutting board from wal-mart work as well as Tandy's? They look the same to me.

Well, yeah. I do nothing wider than a belt so far. I need something to stamp on and the slab I had my eye set on was $70. I figured an anvil at $16 would serve the same purpose. I'd have to put a stamping pad on top. I want one either way. It sounds silly, but since I want it anyways, I figured I'd ask if there was any danger of using it for leather as well before I had the money for the slab.

These are the LV of chess boards. I am adding one to my wish list.

That, my friend, makes perfect sense. I'm hoping to get shoulders or a side in the next month. I plan to cut it into six by six sections and just practice. What I'll do with all of these perfect squares afterward is beyond me. I'm focused on the practicing for now.

I believe this started as a complaint against people bending tools, stating that properly cased leather and techniques would yield a bend free environment. This may or may not be true. Now we are debating the quality of tool brands. This is something I was just researching and I'd love to see who wins in the end. My only comments are that every can not afford a DeWalt drill, that does not make their need to attach a few hinges, or build a doghouse any less important than the next mans. We here all have a need to produce a nice basket weave. If you can afford the best handmade tools I suggest you use them. I hope to someday, but that does not mean I shouldn't spend the six dollars to get a Tandy tool in the meantime. There is an obvious quality diffrence there is no argument to that. Just looking at the stamp samples in this forum you can see that there is a lot left to personal taste. Some would say that a Louis Vuitton wallet is just like the $12 one at wal-mart, others would disagree. I personaly am using the tools that came with the Ez Kit, they suck. I have nothing to compare them too but they suck. The flower stamp barely leaves a print. I have to beat the hell out of it just to make an impression. Some of that is my ability to case leather, most of it is the tool. I bought their Fluer de Lis and it works much better. Leaving me to believe that cheap tools made their way into the cheap kit. The quality of the leather tells me that they stuck bottom of the barrel stuff in that box. This leaves me to believe that I need better tools, but until then I settle. I've always been one to say that things are worth the expense.

Thank you, I will purchase one at that very decent price. I won't expect it to work like a rock though. I'll keep shopping for a granite slab.

Montana Leather sells a two pound anvil that can mount to a workbench. Would this be as good as a granite slab for smaller work? Would the metal react with the leather in an unwanted way? Would there be any reason to not use one, at least until I purchased a slab of granite?

Well, I'm looking for tools on a budget. Old is fine with me. In fact I would love well worn tools. For me it's like the difference in using my grandfather's hammer and a new one. The difference is obvious. Older tools usually just feel better. Plus if something has managed to be used by someone else for years without being thrown to the rubbish pit it must be useful. If you're looking for someone that will take care of the tools and would enjoy seeing what they do with them then I'm sure I could give them a nice home. I am on a fixed budget though. I'd love to look at what you have when you have the chance to take photos.

I'd love a nice slab, but don't have one yet. I move into a larger more craft friendly building soon and I will purchase one then. Too wet? I will let it dry more. The best results I've had were on a piece I didn't have time to do and thus stored in a bag overnight. I guess I stumbled upon the right answer and didn't know it. I don't susspect I'll do much more work untill my stuff gets in from Tandy. Then I'll have remnants to play with. Both Leather and Suede. I'm looking for the supplies to hand stitch, and a good set of sheers. Then I will work on basic Fobs and whatnot until I get everything right. I'll purchse some tooling leather off of eBay in a few weeks. Probably not the best, but cheap enough that I can not feel bad when I mess it up. At this point I am just working on patterns for small things. Different shaped fobs, I'm almost done with my first wallet pattern. I cut them from those thin cheap cutting boards that are like a piece of paper thick. Then I store them in labeled envelopes. I think the design will be as important as the crafting. Being both the designer and the craftsman I'm trying to do what I can while my stuff is en route. Thanks for all of your help and support everyone. You make developing a new skill fun.

Believe it or not my name is spelled DaCoda. Like the Musical term, not the state. :D I've had an interest in leather all my life, but never the time, money, or space. Now that I'm older collecting two paychecks (albeit small ones) and am moving into a warehouse that my family is renting for their different businesses I finally have the time. I've been interested in tabeltop wargames and terrain for years so I'm used to the expense of hobbies. I just wish I had more money. Don't we all?

I have found 3/4 alphabet sets as low as $18 on eBay. I'll grab those when my next paycheck comes in because I want to do a bunch of personalized belts for my family. I've found much cheaper items on Springfield's website so they will bet my business for most of my stamps now. I'm beginning to learn what to buy where. Thanks for all of your help guys.

I don't think that flowers are beneath my skill. I am sure that I will work several flowers before I get tired of them. It's not so much that I can do something else well, it's that if I'm going to do something wrong I'd like it to be something I enjoy. I do like he flowers, I've just never been a hardcore fan of western, or biker designs. More power to those that are. I'd like to try my hand at scenes from around God's country. Alabama has a lot of old barns and even down into Florida and over to Georgia. The TN river was my home when we lived on a boat so I'm sure it's banks will provide several lifetimes of work and I think on top of being something I can love it will be something other's will appreciated.

I am in need of a lot of tools, but I don't want to have my paycheck transfered directly to Tandy before making sure they are indeed the best. I would like to know what other brands are out there for stamps, carving tools, and everything else I may need. Any comments are also welcome. What do you like and not like. Mainly I need a swivel knife (but I just read a thread on those), the punches needed for belts, basketweave and other geometric stamps, and bevelers. Oh and a set of leather sheers. P.S. What is the difference in a maul and a mallet. They seem to serve the same purpose.

I feel for you, I'm in a similar albeit much smaller boat. I'm at just over a 100$ spent and all I've got to show for it is three bracelets, a wallet, and two coin purses. I have ordered leather, but just scrap leather and suede. That's about what one of my jobs pays in a week gone on this hobby. Good luck getting set back up.

No, not at all. I just wondered if there was a history behind it or if it was just a good teaching tool and that's why so many beginner kits seem to include it and teach it to death. They are pretty. They do seem to all look the same after a while though. I'd love to see some beachscapes, maybe a nice tree with Spanish moss dangling from it's lofty branches. I'm working on a skyscraper that I'd like to carve on leather when I'm finished drawing it.

This site is great, but I also suggest you check youtube. Type in things like "Tooling, stamping, carving, sewing, etc etc - leather" and you will find everything you need. I find that it helps to see things done sometimes.

I have noticed that a lot of leather carving seems to be geared towards floral carving. Why is that? Is it just a traditional thing? It seems like Cowboys, Bikers, and people that like Flowers are the only ones contributing leather carvings. I just wondered if it was a preference, or if there was a long history of florals in leather working. It seems like even Tandy's stamps are geared towards florals, the leather craft handbook shows one cute monkey and then goes into several pages on floral stuff. I think it has something to do with the fact that a single floral will demonstrate the use of almost every type of stamp, but at the same time I'm having a hard time finding things that are not about the west, the open road, dragons, or flowers. Your thoughts?