Bob Blea

I think you did a great job highlighting the carving. They look great! Bob

Looks good, like the carving of the revolvers. Bob

You are absolutely right Paul. I just bought some new stamps from him including an amazing basket weave stamp. I think it is going to quickly become my favorite. Bob

I still have a LOT of room to improve and like Cyberthrasher I look at each thing I make critically, looking for what I can improve on next time. There is always lots I can improve on. If I don't do that I won't get better and I want to make the best product I can. But, I also have feedback from my customers that are thrilled with my work, so I'm probably doing a good job BUT I know I can do better. If I ever get to the point where I don't feel like I can improve, I've stopped growing and then I'm just producing, and that isn't as much fun. Bob

The late Paul Burnett had some really creative designs that he stamped in leather this way. His website (www.paintingcow.com) still sells some of his books and home study courses on the subject. I don't have any of these but would like to get one, and they might be what you are looking for. Check out the books section and the home study course section too. Bob

Try contacting Barry through his website. I know he does ship internationally, and he can probably tell you what the shipping costs are. He is very responsive and he (or someone in the shop) will get back to you quickly. Bob

Really nice! I can really appreciate how much of a challenge it is to tool flowers that are small like these. Yours turned out great. Bob

I like them both. Don't see many saddles like that first one! Bob

Hello and welcome to the forum! I make quite a few notebooks and journals. I found it works best to fold the leather as soon as I finish carving/tooling the cover. The leather is still moist from casing at that point so it fold easily and will hold that fold once it dries. I then give it a good coating of neatsfoot oil. This restores some moisturizers to the leather and it is less stiff and more flexible. I make sure the spine area gets a good coating since it will do all the flexing over the lifetime of the notebook. Just make sure you use it sparingly. A little goes a long way. I haven't used Resolene as a finish, so I haven't had any experience with it flexing, but I know enough about it to agree with billymac above. I apply several thin coats of Wyosheen to my notebooks prior to antiquing. After antiquing, I have a spray on acrylic coating (similar to Resolene) but it's thin and just there to protect the antique and give some moisture and UV protection. If you thin down your Resolene (you should always use it thinned 50/50 with water) and put it on sparingly, it will probably flex OK. Hope this helps, Bob

Hello, You want to make sure you are striking with an even amount of force every time, and if the leather is too wet it will be hard to make even impressions. Do you have any pictures you could post as examples? Bob

I hope you didn't get too much of your leather damaged. Maybe you can find projects for the stained parts where you can dye them and hide the problem areas. Bob

With seats like that I'm sure you will get lots of attention. The seat looks great! Bob

Not bad work at all, you should be proud of your first attempt! Welcome to the forum. Bob

The Utility leather sounds like Latigo, which does have a lot of oils added to it. I know you don't want to store latigo with veg tan because the oils (and the dyes) can bleed out into the veg tan, and I think that is what happened here. I haven't worked with latigo much and I don't make things out of it, so I can't say what risk there is in the oils getting on your customer's clothing. Hopefully someone more knowledgable on that issue than me could answer that. Bob

I've looked at the new stamps and they look good, I also have read a few comments here that they are pretty good. On sale they probably are a good buy, though when not on sale in general the Barry King tools are cheaper. If I were upgrading the first things I would get would be bevelers. They are the most important good tool you could have. Next would probably be the undershot bevelers or petal lifters, as they are pretty important to getting the Sheridan style leaves and flower petals. Also, I think my floral work got a lot better once I discovered what a center shader could do. Add to that a good veiner and you are probably all set for a lot of things. For knives, depends on how much you want to spend. I started with a tandy round knife a year later I bought a Leather Wranglers round knife and found out how unsharp my tandy one was. The Tandy knives, especially when on sale, might be a good place to start IF you can sharpen them properly. Hope this helps, Bob

I would love to know how you do this too. I've marvelled at the quality of stamping I've seen on some swells, especially when they use tools like the crazy legs that I have trouble doing on a flat square surface. I would love to know if there are some tricks to this. Bob

Wayne Jueschke in Elko, NV makes excellent geometrics, though most are probably are not going to be under your $80.00 limit. He doesn't have a website by you can request a catalog by calling (775) 738-4885. Bob

That stamp is commonly called a 'tri weave'. There was a discussion on here a long time ago about it. Took a little searching but I found them again. http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=4459&hl=%20tri%20%20weave%20%20stamp&st=0 and http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=24009&hl=+tri%20+weave%20+stamp#entry152869 I don't recognize the stamp you have but it looks like a good one. They are definitely one that takes skill to run well. i have one and it is a craftool, but it actually works pretty well. You will want to check yours to make sure it is symetrical. Sometimes the lengths of the sides are not always the same so if you turn the tool it will give you a different impression and things won't line up. Try stamping it in cased leather, then turn the tool 120 degrees and stamp in the same place. If the impression doesn't line up the second time (at least around the edges, the center doesn't matter much) then the shape of the tool will be a problem. If that doesn't line up, it's not the end of the world. You just need to know to keep the tool always oriented the same way when stamping. The threads I linked to have some info on using this stamp and problems with them, maybe they can give you some help too. Unfortunately it's one of those geometrics that takes a LOT of practice. Hope this helps, Bob

You should be able to find Woodland Scenics liquid latex (or other brands) at any hobby store that has model railroad supplies. I have also found it at Hobby Lobby and at art supply stores. It's commonly used to make latex molds.

Fantastic work as always! I always look forward to seeing your posts here. Bob

That's a fantastic knife, I know it will work well for YEARS! I bought one from Paul last year and love it! Bob

Nice idea, thanks for the tip. Bob

Hello Spartan, Tandy used to make these backgrounders, but they were discontinued about two years ago when they eliminated many of the old figure carving tools. They will probably be hard to find used since they probably didn't sell that many (you don't see them used very often anyway.) Check ebay tool auctions, and also there is a site dedicated to selling used leather stamping tools, www.usedleathertools.com. I just looked there and didn't see any of these listed. For new ones, I know Robert Beard makes them but he will have a long lead time. Clay Miller could probably make them if he doesn't already. Other than that I'm not sure where you would get them. By the way, I see I forgot to mention what the customer ended up choosing. Turned out he liked the effect of the large figure beveler. Bob

Fantastic work, especially for you first time around with a sunflower. I had seen several notebooks and saddles with sunflowers on them over the past couple of years and every time I think I should try making something with a sunflower. Yours turned out great! I see what you mean about the seeder too. I hadn't considered that little problem! Bob