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Bob Blea

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Everything posted by Bob Blea

  1. Try: http://www.leatherwranglers.com/images/IMG_2009-1.jpg Had to type it in manually. You can see how his scrolls are like the vinework you would see around the flowers in a floral carving.
  2. The sky's the limit on finger cuts, but often you see people making cuts that look like scrolls used in engraving work. Search for Bob Park's (Hidepounder here on the forum) work. He is very good at these sorts of cuts. I tried posting a link here to some of his work but for some reason it won't let me do it.
  3. That is very cool and different. I like it a lot!
  4. Those do look cool. How does the woman wear them?
  5. Just curious how the redrawing worked out, and also what kind of headband did this turn out to be? Is it something she would wear in her hair like a barrette?
  6. It's hard for me to make a barrel size recommendation because that is going to depend on what feels good in your hand. Some people prefer large barrels and some small. Make sure that the knife has an adjustment for yoke height because that is a big factor in whether your hand will feel like it's cramping up. For the blade I recommend starting with a 3/8" wide flat blade and learning good knife technique on that. Small blades or angled blades help you in some ways when carving tight curves and small details, but they can also cause you to learn poor techniques. Start with the basic flat blade and get good with that then work up to the specialty blades if you think you need them. If you are looking for a good swivel knife to start off with, you almost can't go wrong with a Barry King one. It's not too expensive and performs well. Hope this helps, Bob
  7. Bob Blea

    interior

    From the album: Personalized Notebook

    The is a custom ordered notebook that holds an 5x8 inch notepad. The notebook is refillable and it has an interior pocket and a pen holder. See more like this at my Etsy shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/CandBLeather?ref=si_shop.
  8. From the album: Personalized Notebook

    The is a close up of the leather carving on a custom ordered notebook that holds an 5x8 inch notepad. The customer wanted an oak leaf design with her husbands initials on the front. See more like this at my Etsy shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/CandBLeather?ref=si_shop.
  9. From the album: Personalized Notebook

    The is a custom ordered notebook that holds an 5x8 inch notepad. The customer wanted an oak leaf design with her husbands initials on the front. See more like this at my Etsy shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/CandBLeather?ref=si_shop.
  10. I agree with everyone above. I have switched over to Barry King tools almost exclusively though I do use quite a few Robert Beard tools. My main tools for floral carving are Barry King, and I couldn't work without them. The quality is far better than the Tandy ones and if you are serious about making leather items, they are worth every penny. I have BK mauls, a French edger and a swivel knife, and they work great too. I'll also throw in the name Wayne Jueschke from Elko, NV. I have several of his geometric and basket stamps and think they are the best. Robert Beard's are probably as good but I don't have any of his. Bob
  11. In the Tandy 'Hand Sewing Leather' book, I believe it shows an example of sewing a round bottom in a case by cutting a mitre joint in both the round end and the tube end. You are basically cutting the edges of the leather at a 45 degree angle. You then insert your awl through each piece of leather at a 45 degree angle to your leather and come out the other side. I can't remember for certain if the round case mitre example was in the hand sewing book or in the 'Art of Making Leather Cases' books. The cases books definitely had examples of installing round ends in cases. I'm not at home so I can't check the books out at the moment.
  12. Good to see you again, nice work! I especially like the finish on the first wallet.
  13. Good morning Willie0, and welcome to the forum! I think it would be perfectly fine to use the flesh sides out if that is the look you prefer. Suede is just leather with the grain removed. It can be a pain to keep clean and I'm not sure how you would seal it to protect it, but it certainly can be done. Bob
  14. Welcome Jason! First off, let me preface this by saying I've never made a tri-fold wallet. I like leather carving and to me it seems hard to make a carved wallet with three folds that wouldn't be bulky. If you are planning on carving the outside I would think 3oz would be a minimum for the outer piece. But for the interior parts that would be too thick. I carry a tri-fold wallet but it's made out of VERY thin chrome tan leather, and it still gets too bulky with stuff in it. Your interior pockets will need to be made with some very thin and flexible leather for it to work well. For your second question, if I were using vegtan for the outer part of the wallet I would fold it into shape while it's damp so that it would take the fold. If you a more flexible chrome tan it will probably fold on it's own just fine. Hope this helps. I'm sure someone else here that makes trifold wallets can give better answers. Bob
  15. Bigfoot, Three or four loop lacing is similar to double loop lacing but with more 'loop' to give more coverage or a more complex look. It will cover a wider edge better, but takes more work. Tandy has some simple books on lacing that show the different types, they are pretty cheap and you can purchase and download electronic copies of them from their website. Hope this helps, Bob
  16. That saddle looks great, and I'm sure she will be very proud riding that around the arena! Bob
  17. Welcome to the forum! I cut things after they have dried with no problems, but reforming that area might be a bit tricky. If you wet only that area you might end up with water marks. I was always advised against only wetting certain areas, but I have gotten away with it. Of course, if you are going to dye that a dark color then potential water marks probably aren't an issue. Just my opinion as I am not a holster maker and don't really wet mold very much at all, so I could be wrong. Bob
  18. Nice looking Chief! It's cool to see something really different on here.
  19. I'll also add in that Robert Beard makes some excellent and tiny bevelers, particularly figure bevelers if that is what you are looking for. They are not cheap and it's about a year wait for his tools, but they are very well made. Bob
  20. Thanks for posting this! I can't wait to give it a try too. Bob
  21. You know, with some 1000 and 2000 grit wed/dry sandpaper you might be able to work out that burr and clean up the edges of the awl.
  22. Personally I recommend The Leatherwork Manual by Al Stohlman and others: http://www.tandyleatherfactory.com/en-usd/product/leatherwork-manual-61891-00.aspx It's what I got started with and it's still available from Tandy, and it covers a lot of basics. And it doesn't cost much. And I think you can buy it as an electronic copy from their leatherwork library if you are so inclined. Another book that will show you lots of neat tricks and stuff you can tool is Craftool Tech Tips by Al Stohlman: http://www.tandyleatherfactory.com/en-usd/search/searchresults/66056-00.aspx When it comes to Craftools, the ones without the letters are better. Once you get into the letters they might be old and might not. The newer the tools the less quality in their impressions. I know someone who describes the modern craftools as mere echoes of the original tool design because the patterns or dies they use to make them have worn out over the years. However, I think Tandy is taking steps to correct this, and their pro series tool line is a big improvement. Hope this helps, Bob
  23. Congratulations! That is a great feeling when you get that positive of feedback from a customer. Bob
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