whinewine

Thank you, Ray. This helps. This is the info I was looking for. russ

Ray, I'm asking about the current (not older) Barnsley stuff being offered- I know that the old Barnsley stuff was/is very good. [it's like saying that Osborne stuff is good because their old tools were decent- we all know that the new Osbornes don't use as good a steel as what is in the older tools]. So when I see all this plethora of Barnsley stuff on ebay right now, I'm just sceptical... So, to reiterate: does anyone have knowledge of the stuff currently being marketed under the Barnsley name? Has anyone actually purchased something from the seller & compared it to an original Barnsley? russ

I know what you're going through. I have a pair of Tandy's Plainsman Boot Pattern mocs that I started about 4 years ago & I've not been able to fit the bottoms to the tops successfully yet. I thought it was just me. One of these days I'll try again, now that I know others have the same problem...

Recently,I am seeing a lot of 'Barnsley' tools being advertised on ebay- mostly awls of various kinds, a round knife... Are they any good (as in Bob Douglas quality), or a waste of money (I'm not in the market for awls or head knives, so I have no axe to grind [no pun intended, btw] one way or another, but I'm just curious as to their overall quality.) Or are they in realm of the many 'tools' on ebay listed with key words like "sweet", "a new beauty", "a real beauty", etc...?

Crissy: it's primarily a bleach (as opposed to a cleaner) & helps lighten leather a bit (veg-tan), but it will NOT turn it white, nor will it help a lot with sun-struck leather to a tremendous degree, but it may help even out the contrast somewhat. It does help bleach out some stains. I don't use it a lot, as I feel it's unnecessary for most projects. It may also help remove any surface oils that may screw up dyeing. If you really want to be sure, I'd use the oxalic acid, let it dry & then go over it with deglazer. As far as application, I would simply wipe with a sponge that's been dipped in it. russ

Luke, I've not had to do that, but I have 2 suggestions: 1] go to a jeweler friend & have him re-attach it- he's got the proper jigs & stuff to line it up precisely (but you might take along some super glue- after all, they generally don't glue stuff down) or, 2] use gel super glue- it doesn't run & fills the gaps that might exist between the 2 surfaces & therefore makes a better bond than the thin, runny stuff. russ

While it's not a 3d stamp, Brenda at Laser Creations can make you one up in Delrin, She does a lot of maker stamps for the members here & she'll do custom work to your specifications, all for about $35 + shipping. I doubt that you could find a machinist who would make a 3d up for less... russ

Arley: I don't know about 2d or 3d stamps, but there are a lot of Baron stamps floating around out there right now. Baron went out of business years ago & the entire inventory was put up and sold a few months ago. If you check ebay, you'll find lots & lots of Baron stamps of all kinds: animals, cars/car insignias/car logos, smiley faces, etc... Some of the asking prices are outrageous, some are reasonable, depending on the dealer selling them, so it pays to check & not bid on the first ones you come across. My suggestion is to first call Kevin at Springfield Leather (look for their banner at the top of the pages) & ask there before going anywhere else. They have many more things that are not listed in their catalog or on their website, mostly because of small quantities or odd lots or odds and ends. They used to have some of these car stamps, & maybe they still have a few somewhere there. If you speak to Emma, she can also help you. Their prices will be incredibly reasonable, if they have them. Good luck. russ

Travis: I got mine at the local Sherwin-Williams Paint store. It is a Savogran(Sp?) product, so a full service paint store should carry it, or be able to get it for you. It lasts forever because you use so little. You won't find it at Lowes or Home Depot, but you might find it at your local corner hardware store. Oh, yeah- as Barra says, it's listed as 'wood bleach'. russ

You also have Tandy in Delmont, PA (800-246-8813). Talk to Deb Collins- she's the manager there. You can go straight down I-79 & pick up Rte 22 East into Delmont -she's located in Salem Plaza along 22. Call to see if she has what you need. I don't know if there is any place along the Lakes corridor that's any closer than Delmont. Wickett & Craig is in Curwensville, Pa. If you can pick up Rte 36 (which starts somewhere southeast of Erie- look it up in your rand-mcnally) & follow it till it intersects I-80 at Brookville, then take 80 to the Clearfield (or Curwensville) exit. 36 goes on a diagonal, so you cut some time & a lot of mileage off by doing that. russ

No, Tim. I've never gone that high on stupidity, nor even come close. But I've certainly done my share on the low end (so I guess that fits into quantity, not quality of stupidity). I now have learned to try to research first , rather than to react . russ

Assuming that there wasn't any shilling going on, and assuming that everything was on the up-and-up, you can't fault the seller. Each and everyone of us would praise the buyer(s)' naivete and stupidity all the way to the bank, if we were in that seller's shoes.(And no seller is going to stop an auction to say, 'hey dummy, you're bidding too much for this widget, you can get the same thing at Hidecrafter for $7.99, and for $4.99 at...') And yes, I'm sure that there is not one of us on this site who hasn't done exactly the same stupid thing ("gotta have it gotta have it now no matter what, gotta outbid everyone else, gotta gotta gotta it's the only one out there in existence... "). What's the saying, Caveat Emptor... Let the Buyer Beware...? russ

Beautiful! TimD is closer to your part of the State, I'm at the other end (closer to Penn State). It's good to see other PA leathercrafters here! russ

Thank you. I know that this is not true damascus- I do have a true damascus dagger blade I got from India to build a custom dagger (mild steel, mind you, but still real damascus, and it's meant for show, not for work). Tandy's damascus blades are etched. You can tell by the look that they are not fold-weld-forged as real damascus are. Still, they do look cool. However, I was more concerned about how they would compare, steel quality-wise & blade quality-wise, to the range of blades out there, from my W. Rose down to the cheapy imports. Googling the internet, I noticed that many expensive chefs knives are made by sandwiching a very high carbon steel between layers of SUS 410, which is a (apparently a much lower and) softer carbon stainless steel. I'm not exactly sure what the advantage of that is as far as sharpening & keeping an edge (maybe it has to do with ease of sharpening?- I don't know & if someone can explain it, it would be appreciated here), but the damascus round knife is not a sandwich- it's totally made of SUS 410. So is there any advantage to something made totally of this? Any blade makers here that can give insight into these considerations? Again, thanks for the comments. I've decided to keep my money for higher quality merchandise. russ

Has anyone used Tandy's new offering, the 'Damascus' round knife yet? I'm wondering about the quality of the steel (sus410- or somesuch) used in this knife. How does it compare to the W. Rose knives of old, the modern osbornes & other modern steels? Do they keep an edge well? .

It just came across the web: craftool half price, 50% 1 item, etc, etc. Thanks. I didn't see anything about 40% off entire purchase, though. russ

Does anyone know if Tandy will have a Black Friday sale this year? Someone said yes, but I haven't seen anything definitive yet, so I'm wondering... russ

Odin: it is NOT a latex paint, it is a liquid rubber used to make molds of things to be cast in plaster, or resin, etc. It can be painted on with a small brush, and when dry, antiques, dyes, highlighter, all-in-ones, etc can be carefully applied over it (be especially careful with dyes, as they can migrate underneath the latex if not blotted up immediately after being sprayed on). After everything else is dry, the latex can be rolled off with your fingers. I bought mine at a store that specializes in model trains. I don't remember the name, because I dropped the container & the lid shattered upon impact, so I transferred what I could salvage into another (unmarked) jar. I believe it is Citizen Kate on this site who has a tutorial about using liquid latex as a resist. The advantage is that, if properly applied, will leave whatever is underneath the same color as the original leather, unlike other resists, like Tandy's Blockout, which are NOT effective blocking out spirit dyes (I don't know how effective it is with water based dyes- I haven't tried that). Tandy's Blockout will also pick up the colors of all-in-ones & highlighters, but at a much lighter shade. Disadvantages of liquid latex: it is thick, so it is hard to apply over very narrow areas without getting it on the parts you don't want to cover; it generally takes several coats to completely cover; it has a distinct, strong ammonia smell (which is rough on the nose if you are working at close range); if it dries on the brush you're using, the brush is generally junked- use disposable brushes. I hope this helps. russ

Ruthless, I remember there was a soldering iron-type branding iron that was offered back in the'70s, early '80s... I think I remember seeing ads for them in the back of MIWL magazines from time to time- maybe they were marketed by Tandy? I don't know, but, at any rate, they are no longer offered, & I've never seen any offered on ebay (so maybe I just imagined all of that- too much sex, drugs & rocknroll? :brainbleach: ) Suggestion: If you could have someone make up a custom, threaded screw-on soldering iron tip for a higher wattage soldering, then you could have your own branding iron. russ

If I can jump in here, Brian, my son had 2 custom maker stamps made for us out of delrin from Brenda at laser Gift Creations. Do a search on this site & you'll find her. Incredibly tough stuff delrin is, and our stamps are incredibly detailed, with sharp, deep images & lettering ... and Brenda will help you design your stamp at no extra charge if you can't freehand the design you want. I think the price was $35 per stamp (and it's a relatively large stamp, too, so the price was great). Brenda tries her best to work with you. She's great! russ Whoops, I missed Spence's post above: www.lasergiftcreations.com . Sorry, Spence- I should learn to read all the posts. russ

I just recently got a call from Colorado from a man with a very foreign accent ("hallowww, my name is [something banft??] & i call about your tires. You get price to ship me & call me back, OK?" I asked, why don't you buy tires there? & he replied, "I cannot get here." :wtf: Well, the 2 tires in question are slightly used & mounted on used 13" rims off an old car I no longer own ('92 toyota tercel), & I just want to let the entire set go for $35. These tires are also commonly available new and any junkyard generally has 13" 4 bolt rims, even in Colorado, probably for just a few dollars apiece. It would cost probably in excess of about $100- $150+ to ship the tire/rim combos... Now they are listed on craigslist (what a bunch of creeps- soliciting sex & 'hey, my unemployed brother made $1 Million per second & so can you just email him at www.boyimamoron.com), but since craigslist has me listed anonomously I figured this didn't come from that source. Additionally, I have the tires listed on a local 'dial and deal' program which also has an internet listing & it does have my first name & phone # published, so that's where I figure this troll got my name & #. I did a reverse phone number check & found out that his cell number originates from a town near Denver Colorado, but his name was unlisted, so I never called him back & he never called me back (in spite of the urgency/desperation of his call the night before). So if you get a weird call like this, be very aware that this is probably a scam, and don't bite. And if you list something on your local 'dialndeal' radio program, check to see if there is a website through the sponsoring local talk radio station (many do, anymore).

Odin: the neatlac & saddlelac are both lacquer based, they provide a much greater water resistance than do the water based finishes, and they do seal things quite nicely from the elements. And yes, they will provide protection from rubbing. But paint, being paint, whether brushed on or sprayed on, will still sit primarily on the surfaces, & thus, will rub off if abraded. I don't know if these products [neatlac/saddlelac] can be gotten where you live, although krylon, as Wildrose suggested, is probably available. While not a lacquer base, , it is a plastic or poly base (or so I have been told, so don't quote me on that). I have also used krylon clear spray, and it does dry very quickly. Good luck! (Btw, what ARE you making that has such a rubbing concern?-To paraphrase Shakespeare, "Ah, what is the rub?") russ

Odin: simple question... why would you not use a resist such as latex first, dye black, blot the latex to remove the remaining liquid black, then remove the latex when dry, buff the black, then paint with red? The black is a dye- it seeps into the leather. The red is a paint- it primarily stays ON THE SURFACE- if you buff it vigorously, paint will rub off. If you don't want to go to the trouble of using latex, then carefully dye around, then buff the black areas, carefully staying away from the un-dyed area. After buffing, THEN paint. There are certainly other ways to approach this, but I've used both these methods. Personally I've never been a fan of the atom wax stuff- I don't think it is particularly water resistant- I much prefer Neatlac of Saddlelac (both sprays, so the colors/dyes can't run), or, if I must use a water-based finish, Fiebings Leather Sheen spray. Additionally, if you will spray on a finish (light coats, so the dyes/paints can't run into one another) you often don't really need to buff the dyed areas, especially if the dyed areas are small and/or are not going to be constantly rubbing against clothing (like a belt or a wallet).

When I worked for Tandy, back in the '70s, my manager had a tree stump in the back room of the store that he'd use to whack out keyfobs & cut off belt ends. russ

She: for cutting/punching, get a poly board. Tandy, Hidecrafter, Springfield, among others, sells them. The poundo board is primarily used to reduce vibration/shock/bounce when whacking/tooling on granite. The older black poundo from the '70s could handle punching up to a point, but the newer red stuff is much too soft. Put it under your tooling surface, get a poly board for punching/cutting. [some people go to the trouble of melting lead in a pan & using that instead of the poly board.] russ