Chef niloc

Another problem with rouges or any "bar/stick" type compounds Most of them are not made with heat treated steels in mind. They are made to be used on buffers. Buffers spin fast and create heat this heat melts the binders in the compound thus allowing the abrasives to do there thing. When hand stropping not a lot of heat is produced so those "hard" compounds don't work as well as they should/hoods. There are only a few that are made for heat treated steel, you can tell because they are softer. The binders are geared to melt easer and have a higher amount of abrasive in them, they cost more too.For hand stropping tools I find that the green chrome and diamond powders work well, but can be a little dusty used on leather, felts better. For a leather strop the diamond sprays can't be beet. They are a slurry of fine grade diamond dust and alcoholl, the 98% alcohol so it evaporates fast leavening a fine even layer of diamond on the strop. As you can guess diamond will cut/polish better and faster then anything else. Diamond dust when looked at under a microscope looks like little sharp pieces of broken glass. Chromium and aluminum oxide on the other hand look like little balls. Now don't go thinking " won't sharp broken glass looking particles be scratchy and not polish? Not when your talking about dust that's 3 micron or smaller.The sight below has good stuff, good strop and such too. the green chrome powders and "diamond dust" can also be mixed your self that way you can control the concentration of abrasives your self. Hand America use to have a green chrome soap mix that worked great. I don't know what kind of soap he used but I think it was just dish soap? Other soaps made for leather should work just as good if nit better? http://www.japaneseknifesharpeningstore.com/mobile/default.aspx#C27

Wow !I was looking threw this thread trying to figure out how basket weaves were made. They just seem so intricate and impossible to make, I couldn't even think we're to start. You did a amazing job! It's been a few years I'd love to see how you work has progressed

Bruce do you split the leather dry or wet?

Dave:I did a few Internet search's and all I came up with for sit-n- stitch is the link I had above. maybe the add you found was marking up the price or the link I had was a old price. as you can see from the link I posted its not available, so maybe a old price? Do you have a link to the add you were looking at?Also in looking I came across this thread http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=6380 Looks like a good design for sheathes and not to hard to make. The clamps smashing your work thing, did you line the jaws with leather? I had the same problem till I did that. The trouble I run into with sheaths is the clamp pushing the top seam apart do to the welt. Looking at the above design I think if one cut a 1/2" channel about 1/2" -1" down from the top across the whole length of the clamp that would work better? This way the clamp would hold the sheath above and below the line to be stitched? PaulYes I do things the hard way and I should ask/ look for info before I do things LOL. That sad, I wanted a pony built from exotic wood (zebra in this case) and I'm a sucker or "old/ antique" things. So I used antique hinge on the bottom and incorporated a old wood workers clamp for the screw part. I used the a piece I cut from the threaded part of the clamp and one of the threaded rods, so I didn't have to do any threading myself. To be honest I would have tried to thread the wood but I couldn't find out how to do it. Hint: if some one reading this knows how to tap threads into wood and thread a dowel please point me in the right direction. I used the long handled rod B/C I always had trouble with the thread getting stuck around the short nobs that come on pony's. With my design the thread just falls on top of the handle. The leather strap and leaver thing on the one i linked to above (sit-N-Stitch) looks like a better way to go about it, wish I had seen that 1st.

I'm assuming your talking about this? http://www.grandpaspastime.com/Pages/SITNSTITCH.aspx Looks pretty good to me. I made this one my self, it was a P.I.T.A.! I wish I had seen this one first. I also make sheathes and have been wanting a hand held clamp. Sheridan Leather Outfitters makes oe they call the "colt" that looks good but it not in stock right now, looks like theirs a big run on stitching clamps these days???

I punched 1/2" holes in a leather 1" strap and set 1/2" x 1/8" rare earth magnets in it then covered it with some thin 3oz black leather so that it would blend into the lid of my case. I put this in the top of a suitcase style tool box so when the lid opens all the tools are facing me. I spaced the magnets apart as so to keep the specific tools appropriately spaced. I got the idea from a custom "magblock" kitchen knife rack that I have. I can't see how the magnets would hurt the tools? Knives have been storied on magnetic wall bars/ racks in kitchens for as long as I can remember. Hope that helps?Colin

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That is some beautiful wood, mauls not to shabby either When last I checked with Beary he was not making anything this heave, has that changed? Well I guess that last question is obvious, I'll have to drop him a email.He makes the best mauls I have come across. They are not only the best looking but what ever that compound ( / brand / mix ??) he's using has the best feel to it. It's not to hard but by no means soft, no tool slip with his mauls at all.

I agree with much of the above. I find that quality/ custom made tools not only preform better but that they make you do better work. Let me explain, for me I find that when using good tools that the maker put pride in that I take more pride in my own work. I'm a chef by trade so I have had a " working knife" in my hand 6 days a week, 10-16 hours a day for the past 25 years. Back in the day before I was conferrable sharpening my own knives I use to keep 2 sets. When one set would get dull (1-2 weeks) I would send it out to get sharpened by a pro sharpening service. Then I'd start using the 2nd set, this way I always had sharp knives in hand. Pro sharpening services at the time charged $0.50 a Inch, kitchen knives are kind of long so it ran me about $15.00 to get my work set sharpened. So with it costing me about $30.00 a month and knowing most custom makers offer free sharpening services for there knives I thought to my self " nice knives would pay for themselves in less then a year". I started with two 10" chef knife that cost me $600.00 for the two of them ( more then a weeks pay at the time). I built up my set over a year or so and then one day decided to get a set from a deferent maker. This is about the time when my knife obsession started, expensive obsession. Well sorry for the long side story and back to the topic. I love Arkansas stones I was born there after all. By I will admit I hardly ever use them anymore, they are way to slow when compared to Japanese water stones or diamond hones ( I prefer the Japanese stones). About 8 years ago I found the best thing ever!! Harbor fraught 1x30 belt sander fitted with a leather belt. The set up will run you under $50.00 at today's prices and will "true up" a edge in less then a minute. I find that there is more of a learning curve to using wheels, and a buffer/ wheel set up will cost more...also like the edge from the leather belt better.

The beadier blades that they make for a swivel knife, are they used together with or instead of the "push beadier" tool? I.E. do you cut the bead with the knife then shape it with the push beadier or is it just a preference thing?

Sight shows that they are no longer avalabule

I would like to go to a trade show to hopefully get to see some of the "masters" work 1st hand and two see and hopefully pick up some good or hard to find tools. what and when would be the biggest trade shows in the U.S. 2. Are there any worth going to in or close by to N.Y.? Thank you Colin

I would like to complement you on what I think is the best setup leather web sight. It is attractive, very easy to use and navigate. I love how the pictures are interactive and zoom in, nice touch. PayPal interface works great. Lastly the fact that your sight does not require "flash" is a big +++ as my self use a iPad almost all the time to shop on line. I have placed 5 or 6 orders from your sight and your turn around time is consistent and fast. It goes without saying that your tools are top notch! One suggestion that I can think of:Being new to leather work (about 3 years now), and living on the east cost (NY) I have found it very hard to find sources of good leather tools. Your sight and this sight have been a big help! That sad there seems to be a void in the vintage tool area for those of us who can not travel to the leather shows and or don't have the "good shops" like you guys out west have. Maybe you could try and put together a vintage tool section on your sight? I could be wrong here by saying this but I have a feeling you know a lot of people in the business? Your sight would be a great way for them to sell vintage tools on consignment?

Your new stuff looks great!! Not that your old ones didn't, best maul I have

I have been using one made by Paul Zalesak of leather wranglers and like it alot. I got a email from Bill Burke today saying that my new knife is ready!! Been waiting a Long long time for that email...dam when will that post mane come

This place sells them, but they won't ship to the US http://www.bowstock.co.uk/acatalog/Stitching_clamps.html

I get most of my belts from , they have a great selection. The leather belt they sell is the surgisharp. http://www.trugrit.com/belts1. For the belt I like to use a green chrome diamond mix compound that I made my self. I took a bar of green compound melted it, added the diamond dust and stirred it till it got to thick to stir. Then I stuffed it into a Papper towl tube and let it cool over night. the diamond make the job go quicker and on harder steel, I also think that diamond compounds give a better "feel" to a cuting edge. http://www.diamondte...2_4_micron.html This is the best green compound I have found, 100x better then the barkriver stuff http://japanwoodworker.com/product.asp?s=JapanWoodworker&pf_id=01.098&dept_id=13100

These pictures might help? What way is right, A or B? A)

Thank you for the info When approaching the belt do you start in the center first or go right to left, or hold the blade so the tips of the knife are runing up and down?

I do a lot of my knives on a belt sander (modified for knife grinding) but have never done a round knife this way. Anyone here sharpen round/head knife this way? Seen any YouTube videos or any others? Better yet a video of a knife maker makeing one?

Would you list some of these tool makers here for me? I love custom tools and would love to check out some "new" makers. I have a nice small collection as I have only been working with leather for about 5 years now. My way of thinking is buy the best tools you can and one they will last a life time, two you will do better work as you kind of build a respect for the tool in your hand and thus the work your doing. Good after thought is the good custom tools seem to gane in value over the years so they make a good inheradence to pass on.

Thanks all, this thread and some of you helped me out alot! Bob had lost the papper work for my order but remembered talking with me and the order, we talked the other day and got it all straightened out. I never contacted him all these years as I thought he was just that backed up with orders. I don't like to contact guys like Bob to ask " hows my order comeing" as I feel like I'm being pushy, I guess checking in every 6 months to a year would be ok, and in this case would have been a good idea.

Good point

Ok no fighting! I do t want a mod to delete my thread till I get my tools (: