WinterBear

Tandy caters to an entirely different clientele than most leather stores anymore. From talking to a lot of people, who like myself, buy from Tandy, Tandy's base has become more specialized as interest in hobbies and crafting has declined and internet sales have become so much more prevalent. Their base for the most part seems to be kids and the small, locally-run camps and youth events (rather than district events); micro-makers who probably don't use an entire hide in a year; those just getting their feet wet in learning the craft; and those who can't or won't spend a lot on investing in tools, or purchasing more hide, in quantity or quality, than they need. A lot us don't have wholesale licenses either, so that automatically excludes us from the wholesale pricing at other suppliers. Wholesale license cost varies by state too. The last time I looked into this, just to have the necessary permits and licenses for me to legally buy materials at wholesale cost and then sell the completed items online, at a flea market, or whatever, the cost was around $500. That knocks wholesale licensing right out of the ballpark for a lot of people. With the economy being what it is, a lot of people just can't flat out afford a whole top grade hide and terrific tools, even if they did have a wholesale license.They might have enough to buy some kits and a few tools they won't mind their kids beating up, just so they can dabble and maybe pry the kids away from the TV, or be retired and just want to be able to afford make a few things for themselves, enjoy time with a hobby, and still keep to their budget. In addition, for a lot of us, the Tandy is local, which saves a lot of money for us in this area because shipping to the backwaters of the Rockies can account for a considerable amount when shipping large items (such as a box of hide--unless you are buying several sides, the cost of shipping added to the cost of an economy-grade hide is often more than what you can pay for a better and bigger piece of hide at Tandy). Lastly, from everything that I have heard, kids' exposure to leatherwork is being significantly affected by the economy and the move away from handcrafts since the 70s and 80s--the schools, camps, after-school programs, youth clubs, and churches in some instances have gotten rid of their tools and have no intention of replacing the programs. Some kids are only getting the opportunity now because someone bought a few tools at a time, paying out of their own pockets (so they bought what they can afford). Since they could either afford one or two quality stamps or a dozen or more cheap stamps at a time, Tandy cheap wins out. Then someone brings stamps and tools to the Cub Scout Day Camp and lets the boys make neckerchief slides with their den logo or name stamped on it, or a Scout Patrol meets at such-and-such's garage to make tooled knife sheathes and billfolds some Saturday to fill the requirements for the merit badge, or a bunch of kids meet in someone's basement or at the Boys and Girls Club to make bracelets, coasters, or barrettes with the borrowed tools. Having Tandy tools and hide is often the first experience any of the kids have with making anything with leather, and while "low" grade, these kids wouldn't have otherwise had the experience. All in all, I take Tandy's prices with a grain of salt and buy what tools and hide I need for now as I learn, and replace with other brands and other leathers as I gain experience. I'll buy the licenses and permits I need as soon as possible, and maybe make the jump into selling on etsy or at the Holiday markets, and maybe eventually be able to recoup the costs of all of those fees by purchasing wholesale hides and tools.

That is really neat, what a fascinating item. I had no idea such book cases existed. I have questions? What is the figure (yourself I presume?) holding in its right hand? Also, are the channels on the side meant to have a cord passed through to hold and carry it (rather like a Japanese inro)? What kind of cord would you use? I'm guessing probably not leather, otherwise you would have had it on the item for the judging, I guess?

Wow, look at all of the bird slings! Mind if I pick your noodle at some point? I'm working on making one for my boss for his birthday in my spare (HA!) time.

Try looking for it as "wood bleach" at the hardware store.

Thanks Pete. What a great idea. I'll have to see if the VA here is in the program.

You might try hardware supply stores or art stores and see if they have a spray-on lacquer. It might seal your current buckles enough that they can be used up until you can get youself better stock.

That's a great bag, love the style and the details. And best of all, he won't have to worry about the nylon jobbers most people have giving way and dumping a pricey pump onto the sidewalk.

Is your brass unsealed? Most brass is lacquered to prevent corrosion and tarnish. It could be that your brass buckle is not, or the lacquer coat is too thin, and the buckle is reacting with the acidity in the leather.

hectron, think of a clicker die as a cookie cutter for leather, especially a thick leather, or where you want a lot of exact replicas (boot soles, key fobs, holster and handbag parts, etc.). A clicker press is what presses the die through the leather.

Best thing about paracord is that it can be unknotted if you made a mistake. That and the dogs aren't much interested in it. Cats, on the other hand. They tend to not care so much for the rawhide (the "ew, ick" face when a cat grabs a wet rawhide string is hilarious), but I can't work with a piece of paracord without stopping to remove a passing hairball. They come out of the woodwork to pounce, even cats I've never seen before! I'll add that book to my wishlist, thanks!

Thanks for the info WyomingSlick. I'd like to begin buying some of the older tools, but have been generally hesitant about making the ebay plunge. I'm waiting on two Craftool stamps, both pre-USA, I've just purchased from ebay, so I'm now really looking forward to seeing how much better they are than the Tandy ones I bought for my Scouts.

Ok, here are the pictures. The first shows the two, with a quarter between so you can get some idea of the size of the whole leg, as well as the shin scales. I've poke a petaler tool through the slit in the black so you can see where that lies. The second picture is of the right-hand end of the buttercup, with the quarter to show you the size of the scales at the end of the shin scales. The size of the other scales range from the shin scales, to this size, to the smallest, which are about the size of a pinhead. You can see some of the damaged scales to the bottom left of the quarter. Both legs, although flawed, will still provide me with enough shin scale with careful cutting for a small billfold, or inlays for several knife sheaths. As an aside, I haven't been to Tandy to see their legs, so I can't offer you a comparison between what they offer to what I received from Springfield. It could be that theirs are a #1, or a #1-2, and might be larger or have more of the usable portion of the hide.

This was a #2 leg in the "buttercup" color from Springfield leather. I bought two legs from them, the other is black. Both are of a good size, but they both have some flaws (which is why they are #2, of course) that I will need to work around when I decide what to make with them. The black has a slit along the shin and the buttercup has some small scales that are torn off along the center along either side of the shin, leaving fleshy patches. I'll upload a picture of both in just a moment with a quarter or something in the picture to help you judge sizes.

If you're using any part of the "shin" where the large, flat scales are, the scales will lift up unless your stone is very flat with little height to it. The scales are somewhat flexible, but can't conform to curves well across the long axis of the scale (I've uploaded a picture of the scale so you can see how stiff they are). They don't mold as the scales are somewhat like fingernails--made of keratin--and they don't absorb water like veg-tan leather will. When comparing python and ostrich leg, the leather of the python skin is about half the thickness of the ostrich, but the scales are thinner and more flexible on the snake. Towards the knee of the ostrich, or on either side of of the shin scales, the scales are smaller, and more round than oblong, and might work for what you need. Sorry, it didn't attach the file. Let's try that again.

I'll have to look around, I should have a couple of instruction sheets on turksheads, maybe one of them will explain a step a little bit better and you'll get the hang of it? And maybe try a latigo lace or a bit of paracord first, until you get the weave down? It took me quite a few attempts, but can make 3lead5bight turkshead practically in my sleep after making a series of them as a demo for Boy Scouts.

Well, it won't do you much good if you never use the leather either, right? Take the plunge, have fun, and learn from it? As for tips, this is the best place I have found for when you need a little help. Whatever it is you want to make, there is someone here who can give you advice every step of the way.

Try WyomingSlick's blog? He has quite a bit of his research on Craftools, Midas, and others. http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?app=blog&module=display§ion=blog&blogid=31

Steel plates can be found at most machinist's shops, and you can usually get a 6x6 inch cold-steel plate from most hardware stores that sell threaded rods and small angle iron. You can also ask the machinists about modifying the ram for holding different tools, or the tools to fit bushings in the ram, and see what their rates are (they usually charge er-hour + supplies). I plan on heading to the machinist's shop with a press when I get to that stage-can't be driving the neighbors bonkers by whacking away at stuff at 2am after all. You might want to look at these two threads for some ideas from users who have modified their presses and tools. http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=34181 http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=32770

Glad the fid is working out for you. Just be careful, if you get too enthusiastic, it gives you enough of a grip you can overtighten and pucker your leather, pop the lace, or overstretch the holes (if you ask me how I know this, I'll tell you--experience! Usually followed by a lot of swearing). If you really want to get into knots, I suggest the Braiding subforum here, and also looking up the user "Knothead" here on this site. He does fantastic knots, and he and other people have some great tutorials and tips here on Leatherworker, and on Knot Heads World Wide (http://khww.net/news.php). Most knots are completely above my head for now. All I can manage right now is the 3-lead turksheads, with 4, 5, or 7 bights, and crown knots. I haven't figured out the "long" turksheads, or any of the 4 or 5 bight knots yet, let alone a pineapple knot. Most braids are still beyond me as well, I can do various 3 and 4 strand braids, but that's about it so far.

I use my fid quite a bit, but not to enlarge holes so much (the edges of a fid should not be sharp, but more rounded than a lacing awl). Instead, I use the fid to help me make the lacing tight and smooth. Rather than trying to pick at the lace with my fingernails and scarring it, I slide the fid under the lace, press my thumb on top of the lace, so the lace is now sandwiched between the fid and the pad of my thumb, and gently pull. I find the fid indispensable when making turkshead knots and getting the flat lace to lie evenly, or when working a twist or kink out of a bit I'm lacing.

Looks like some are cobbler's tools. You might be able to identify those by asking some of the bootmakers here. The tool at the middle at the bottom left (dark handle with a crack) might be a lacing fid. The wheeled thing looks like a speedy stitcher of sorts, but missing the needle. See if the end unscrews--if so, there might be a needle in there--it's a good place to store extra needles and the tool used to tighten the collet. I'm afraid I don't use the stitcher much--I have a similar model--but I prefer a strong handsewn saddle stitch to the lockstitch the stitcher produces. If a thread pops, several stitches will unravel (or possibly the entire stitching if you've got a bored Boy Scout who yanks on a loose thread), where with the saddle stitch, only one stitch will unravel if the thread breaks. It's good for patching canvas though.

I've seen chaps made with heavy splits, and thinner splits get used for linings, especially for rifle slings and luggage straps where you don't want the strap to slip off the shoulder.