whinewine

Frank: Black always crocks (rubs off), no matter if it's spirit dye or eco flo. Actually, the eco flo crocks less than spirit, IMHO. Problem with eco flo dyes is that they're water based, so if you sweat a lot, you're going to get dye transfer unless the entire belt is sealed. Better to use drum- dyed black than try to buff off all the crocking, as far as I'm concerned.

Ray: Only once did I see them come up on ebay, & that was several years ago. I don't think too many people know about their versatility, or even know about them, much less own a set of them. Best of luck on finding them. I have a partial set, & only in the largest size, & I can't part with mine. russ

Ian: I do know that if dye is applied with a dauber, it can go on very unevenly, due (probably) to the abundance of crappy leather available out there. I've found that parts of the hide absorb dye at an uneven rate (some parts take it well, some take it not well at all). If given a choice, I'll spray my dye on rather than use the dauber or sheepwool method. I'm sure others will disagree, but for me, spraying works the best. JRB: deglazer is essentially a 'last resort' to strip a finish off like few other things can. I would only use it as a prep if you knew there was a definite foreign substance (like oil or finish or some such) spilled on it beforehand. Oxalic acid is essentially a bleach: it can prep & it can lighten somewhat, but few people use it (or really need to use it) on a regular basis. The alcohol wipe is probably sufficient. I rarely use any of the above- I use water: if it won't take water in a certain area, then I know I have an absorption problem & I would go to one or more of the above treatments. russ

Ray: if you mean filigree punches, I believe Hidecrafter still sells them at about $8+-USD. http://hidecrafter.com . They are made in 3 sizes for each of their punch configurations. They're really pretty versatile, even if you don't do filigree. Contact them first. russ

Or teaching... my wife can tell when it's full moon even if it's cloudy out: the 4th graders are wacko at that time (& she doesn't have a bad class this year in comparison to some other years)

Tandy used to carry it years ago & discontinued. Hardware stores & Home Depot & Lowes carry 'wood bleach'. It's oxalic acid (but read the label just to be sure). It's pretty inexpensive. JRB: If the oxalic acid doesn't work (which it possibly won't- since the dye is already on it), use fiebings deglazer (use outside- pretty nasty smelling stuff) to strip & re-do. Deglazer is definitely a last resort. russ

Brettuns Village also carries camo leather from time to time. russ

Scott: can you go over the tooling?- the beveling looks choppy, as if you didn't walk the tool. also maybe use a modeling spoon to smooth over the raised areas too. you may be able to salvage the design this way. russ

If you are talking about the 'thing' with the thread on a spool in the handle and the thread goes through the needle at the other end, there are numerous threads here about how useless they are. It's something you would use in an emergency to fasten 2 things together if you couldn't do a real hand stitch (or didn't want to throw the item away). Best recommendation is to return it to tandy & get your money back for it. TrooperChuck is right about real awls. (And Bob Douglas awls are the best, if you don't want to search the threads.) russ

I use pliver- it is probably TOO flexible & TOO stretch-able for what Suze wants to use it for, & it tends to tear easily. It's the top grain of sheepskin which is removed before the rest (the split, or flesh side) is made into garment suede. It's too fragile for anything that would have any stress placed upon it. Suze would be better served with veg tanned goat or sheep. russ

Josh: Absolutely phenomenal!!! You've come so very far!

Ray: I was answering someone's question about drinking jacks, NOT blackjacks. I do know what a blackjack is & I do know what a jack is (a drinking vessel). And what you have pictured is a blackjack. I know that. russ

They were just called "jacks"- but, for the most part, they were black (perhaps age, dye, vigaroon, whatever), but they were NOT blackjacks.

Des: I had one from back in the '70s that that happened to. I hadn't used it for probably 25 or so years. Stripped the screw inside. Now I have the tandy groover that doesn't have the screw inside- it's the one that you tighten with your fingers. And yes, they should take it back with no problem. BTW, Tandy does carry a freehand groover that you hold like a pencil (-if that is what you're needing...). russ

The first one looks like a tool a bookbinder would use, simply because there is not a lot of depth to it, & it seems to be more dull & rounded than a creaser tends to be. While it could be a creaser, bookbinders generally use tools that don't have a lot of depth, because the leathers they work with are VERY thin as opposed to the thicknesses leathercrafters generally work with. Pure speculation on my part... What the others are, I don't have a clue.

They are generally used to set line 20 & line 24 snaps (although they perhaps could be used as eyelet setters or stamping tools too???).

nice triffids! (for those who remember the movie) russ

"This is the way the world ends, not with a bang but a whimper" 'The Hollow men' by T.S. Eliot, not e.e. cummings

Amazing how the mind slips over time (y'know, the 'good old days' scenario, where we remember stuff that never happened, like "when I was a kid we walked 8 miles to school all year round, every day, up hill, both ways, in blinding snowstorms..." ??.). I thought I paid around $30 for my ruby then... Oh well... Just in curiousity, Billy, what were the prices of the standard blades then? russ

Perhaps I'm wrong on this, but I would feel that a veg-tanned split would be way weaker than an equivalent thick piece of veg tanned grain. Chrome tanned split, no, but veg-tanned, yes. Any thoughts pro or con out there?

I have both the ottlight & the verilux (the kind Bree pictured) & I like & use them both at the same time. The ottlight is positioned over my tooling slab (it has a slightly better reach than the verilux) and the verilux is in another area that gets illuminated. Others here have criticized the ott, but both I use in conjunction with my wearable magnifier when doing tooling, so I'm working in close anyway. The illumination is even & the colors are true & undistorted, although I would wish that both would be a little more bright. I got my Ott at Michaels for $25 (it was a clearance item that originally sold for about $150) & my Verilux came from an Ollies store for $29.95. It pays to shop around & look for clearance items.

My son & I just started on etsy. It's all handcrafted/handmade stuff. russ

You could contact Steven Siegel at Siegel leather & ask him. He does have sources for stuff no one else has. You might also get some pliver (which is the grain side that is removed from veg tanned sheep skin. The split part is used to make fine suede & the grain is sold as 'PLIVER'. Wholesale Leathers sells it through their ebay store- look up 'pliver' 'craft leather' 'sheepskin'... It's very, very thin & very inexpensive (about $5/ skin + postage). The seller is seymourssi.

They are genuine ruby, but they were lab grown, rather than nature grown. I would speculate that they aren't made anymore because of the labor and time involved. they consist of a thin slice of ruby faceted to an exact angle & then that thin wedge is fastened (epoxied?) to a brass-colored fitting. The alignment needs to be exact with the brass colored setting, unlike a ceramic blade, which can be cast/machined as a single unit. I've also heard that the ruby can separate from the fitting, although I've never seen that happen personally. If it would happen, I'm sure one who is skilled with faceting could make the re-alignment & epoxy it back to specs. While they are very hard, they are also brittle & can be chipped easily because of their small configuration & size (look at the ruby blades that come up on ebay- the majority are in very poor shape, with cracks/chips evident on a closeup). Bottom line: if treated properly, they will last, just like a ceramic. I just happen to like mine, & I dislike every ceramic that I've tried because of the drag. If I had a choice between a good steel alloy blade (like a Henley) & a ceramic, I'd pick a steel one every time. I originally paid about $30 for my first ruby blade back in the '70s... adjusted for 2009 dollars, what would that be today? $60? $70? Would anyone pay that for a ceramic blade that will chip as easily? I seriously doubt that. Yes, straight blades were made. There is one right now on ebay [unless it just ended- type in 'ruby blade'].

I know the manager of the Atlanta store; first met him when he was the Pittsburgh PA manager when I was just starting back into leatherwork right after retiring from the Department of Corrections. Jimmy Walthrop is a fantastic individual who always went out of his way to give my son & me the absolute best service (and, the most honest advice!!) whenever we would stop & shop. I have nothing but the highest regard for him! He has always treated us with respect & professionalism. He's one of the 'old school' guys- you don't find those rare gems too often anymore. (Drac: next time you stop, tell Jimmy that Russ from Altoona says "hi!")