buzzardbait

I had a Boss for 3 years and used it quite a bit. The happiest day of my life was the day I sold it.

there is no longer a catalog on his web site either, and hasn't been for some time. I don't know how anyone ever gets any of his tools, I quit trying.

the tool you are looking for is called a creaser. they are made in different sizes that determine the spacing of the line from the edge.

made this one from plywood, used the mags wrapped in a ziplock and another plywood under. squeezed it together with c clamps and a long jaw vise grip for the middle

contact individual Tandy stores with that stock number. If the store had it on hand when it was discontinued chances are they still have it. My local Tandy store has searched other store inventories for me several times and found discontinued items. I have always gotten these at discounted prices because they want to clear them from inventory

exactly. wipe it on and wipe it off

I did this carving from Al Stohlmans How To Make Holsters. The display case is for an old Colt that is credited to an actual gunfighter. The cardboard gun was replaced with the real gun, and the blank space to the right in the case is where a document of authentication from Colt firearms was placed. Unfortunately I did this for a gunsmith who was a go between for the owner and I wasn't allowed to know any details or photograph the finished product.

after the acrylic paint is completely dry ,I like to use a small amount of Tandys Gel antiques before I seal coat, it really makes the details pop. the only paint color I have had a problem with is white. If I seal the white with Super Shene first it works fine.

An overstitch wheel (stitching spacer) works well

some folks apply a light coat of oil before casing. the only time I apply before casing, is when the old leather is very dry and needs a little rehab. In either case you must be very careful to not over do it, it is easy to use too much. I like to apply a light coat, and give it at least 24 hours to soak in. If it needs more I repeat the process until it feels right. experience is the teacher for this process. Too little oil is better than too much because once it is in the leather it is in there.

i tooled out a bunch of those old kits in years past. It was cheap practice leather. If there is no mold or mildew the musty smell will usually go away when they are exposed to air for awhile. The main issue I had with those old kits was the leather was really dry. A light coat or two of pure Neatsfoot oil will usually remedy that.

they did make those log letters in 1/2" you can find them on E-bay from time to time

use the oil before you use the super shene. use light coats on the grain side not the flesh side. give it a few days to absorb be careful not to saturate the leather then use super shene to seal it.

Sorry that my advice didn't help you. Have you tried a search for Tippmann Boss on this site. you should be able to find more info. You will find that people either love or hate those machines. I had mine for about three years, and used it a lot. My experience was that there was always something frustrating going on with that thing.

Make sure you are pushing the handle through the full stroke, If you don't go all the way up until it stops it will drop stitches. I had one of those for a couple of years, and always had trouble with the thread looping around the needle on the upstroke until someone told me to put a pipecleaner through the last guidetube on top of the machine to hold tension on the thread at that point . Goodluck

I use the antigue gels over acrylic paint quite often to age a project. Just make sure your acrylics are completely dry before you antique. Then seal with Super Sheen

Thin that paint way way way way down, and build up to the final color. When you paint the shadows, wet the brush then brush the paint out on scrap or paper until there is just enough paint left in the brush to make a faint mark when you scrub the brush on your work and repeat until you reach your desired shade. This dry brush method works best with short bristles. I use old worn out brushes and trim the bristles. This method will trash a good brush

It looks like too much force. My snapsetter has a stop adjusting screw. when I put the dies in, I take a scrap piece of the same leather and adjust the stop until the top die just barely imprints the leather without a snap in place. I haven't had any problem with poorly set snaps or marking on my leather since I started doing this. My setter is from Kamsnaps It cost less than $90.00 and has worked great for years.

lightly sanding with 220 grit paper will usually work for me

I use an 8 foot aluminum circular saw guide from Home Depot

Fiebings British Tan

I see them on E-Bay from time to time

I have the stamp it is a Craftool USA D441. It was probably manufactured in the 70's or 80's

That is a Craftool D441

Thanks for the photos, and the info. Its great to see the blanks. I have around 500 stamps and 325 of those are mostly pre letter Craftool Co. stamps. I have about a dozen RBS stamps and I have wondered about them being produced together. some have identicle numbers and are an exact match when stamped side by side. The quality of the pre 1963 Craftool stamps is great as far as I am concerned. The variations in shapes and sizes are due to variations in forging dies which wear with use and have to be replaced periodically. Variances also take place in the hand grinding process as abraisives and cutting tools wear they change shape and size. then you add the human element of hand grinding and each toolmakers individual "style". I love the variations and differences in these old tools. As a retired Artist Blacksmith I find perfection in the imperfections of Handmade and the fact that they still do a great job when I use them. makes me love them more. Hell I think I'll have them buried with me