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When I started the person at Tandy told me I needed Artificial Sinew. "It's the only thing the Pro's use for leather work". So being new and trusting I bought a 1/2 lb spool. When I made my first holster I was informed that it would look better if I used thread instead of sinew. I now agree. I do not plan to do any period work. Just belts, wallets, holsters, etc. Any Idea what I should do with this 1/2 lb spool? Thanks Michael

The tools that come with the Tandy kits are designated with a Z-. Like the picture above it shows a Z-A104. Those are total carp and best returned to the store for replacement with one of the single sell tools. My Tandy manager told me when I asked what the Z- means. It seems a different manufacturer makes them and then are worse than the regular tools you can buy at Tandy. I did notice that this year Tandy is starting to sell a pro-line line of punches and chisels. The rumor at my TLF store is that will extend to the stamping tools soon. Lets hope so. As noted above some people do not have the option of not using Tandy. Michael

Get a cork backed square. The cork prevents it from slipping. The other option is to put weights on the square so it will not move while cutting. It just takes some practice once you have the right tools.

Can you post a picture of the tools with a few closeups of the some of the tool faces? It might be easier to help if we know how bad they are.

You are welcome. Glad to be of help. Michael

+1 on that. Page 78 of "Al Stolhman's book Leathercraft tools, How to use them, how to sharpen them" has it in detail. Its a great book to get.

Try using an ultra thin pen. Get a Pilot Precise V5 extra fine. It is super fine and perfect for fine lines. Use an old one if you do not want ink on the transfer sheet. You can get them at any office max/depot. Its what I use.

nice, One question, Why the rivets? does that shape require them? Michael

I use a #0 or a #1 harness needle with 3-5 ply Irish linen. It works great. you have to prep the thread to get it to thread the needle but the Al Stohlman book tells you how to do that. No disrespect to our resident grumpy old man but, I use an awl that allows me to pull the needle through the leather without pliers. Its just faster and since it is a close fit it still closes up really nice. I sometimes have to pull it with pliers but not often. Its all how you like to do it.

Looks very nice. Better than I could do.

Casing can be tricky. Most mistakes are using too much water and then not waiting long enough for it to dry out some. Try passing the leather quickly under some running water. The grain side should be wet all over but not soaking. Then put it in a plastic bag for at least 8 hours. After that take it out of the bag and allow it to dry out until it starts to look like it is almost dry again. At this point you are ready to use it. It should look almost dry but be cool to the touch. It is hard to learn it but once you get it down it becomes easy. You could quick case it which is done by applying water with a sponge so it gets the grain side wet but not real wet. Then let it sit and when it is looking like it is almost back to normal start to tool the leather. You might need to wet the leather again as you work it. Its not really cased but it is a trick that is used for classes. When quick casing I pass the sponge over the leather once and when the water is absorbed I do it again. Some times it looks too dry and I do it one more time. Then I tool it. You need to learn to case the leather but a quick case is good for when you want to carve more than stamp. It has its place. Keep working on the case method and you will get it. Most people do not let if dry out enough. It should look maybe one shade darker than dry leather. You will get it. Please let me know if that does not work for you. Michae

from the Cougar website When it comes to cutting the Cougar is virtually unstoppable. With 900 grams of pressure it will get through an amazingly long list of materials. The usual suspects are of course on that list – cardstock, vinyl, velum, etc. – but consider the family of projects you can create when your die cutting machine can carve precise shapes into rubber, leather, sponge and even faux fur. You can create your own rubber stamps, promote your business with a set of customized magnets and create amazing scrapbooking layouts. We like the versatility of the Cougar in its feeding options. You can cut large quantities out of any material that comes in a roll or you can cut one page at a time. it does leather or so it says Michael

really nice holsters, That had to have hurt. Is that an "N" Frame?

Thanks everyone. I tried some lightly oiled Veg-tan and it was pretty close. With a little sun it should work. The other thing that seems to work is the Briar Brown Stain from Eco-Flo. But on some leather it gets splotchy. Ill have to try the buckskin one. Thanks Michael

Take a look at the case below. It holds a jewelers magnifying loupe. From what I can see and tell there has to be a small piece glued inside the case along the stitch line to provide a shoulder to stitch between the two sides. A triangle shaped piece would work pretty. one side for the case wall and one side for the case side. Glue and stitch. I thought it might be the side set in a grove but that would make the stitches exposed on the inside. Thats how I would do it. Anyone got any ideas? is there a better way? Would my way work? Thanks Michael

No you are not missing something I just messed up the terminology. I got 16 sq ft of leather cut from the high side (close to the spine) of the back and shoulder. They called it a back but technically it was a portion of a side. Originally I was going to buy a double shoulder but needed 3 long belts so Heather at Springfield Leather suggested they cut it the way they did. I was originally getting S. American leather but Emma from Springfield called and told me that they could give me a really really good Herman Oak piece for the same price. They get C's and D's but some are really B's and some are no doubt a D. This was a B. It's fantastic in quality. Yes I got a little neck on the piece but I cut off 5 inches X 24 inches off the neck end and have really sold leather from there to the end. So roughly a sq foot Ill use for some small stuff. I was the one that used the term "back". Sorry if I confused anyone Im still new at this. The good thing is I got a large chunk of Hermann Oak leather for a great price. Cheaper than buying the "best" stuff at Tandy. I wasn't upset about the neck part, just wondering what it was. I am happy with the leather and very happy with Springfield Leather Company! Michael

Thank you both. That is what I wanted to hear. Anyone know the weight of the Cast Iron model? Michael

He said, "He wanted a veg-tan belt that was 42" long from the tip of the belt buckle to the end of the tongue and that had the center hole punched at 32". What length was the belt when you sent it to him? Just the belt, not the buckle. Did you supply the buckle? It sounds like this person has no idea what they need its not common to have 8-10 inches from the most used hole to the end of the belt. Most times you tell people how to measure it and if they can follow instructions you get the right information. We have users here that dont do belts via mail order. They want the person in the shop to take the measurements. Since you are depending on others it can be hard to get the right information. I am doing one for a person that is 51 inches from the most used hole to the end of the buckle. I asked him to measure it and he gave me a 48" measurement, (his pants size) even though he swore he measured it. You just have to be careful. Some people charge a fee if the belt has to be redone due to the customers fault in sizing. Just make it clear up front. We would all like to hear what you find out when the belt comes back. keep us informed please. Michael

All great suggestions. My problem is the Boss seems to be the only one that will fit in my area. I don't have the 3X3 space to put a powered machine in. I do have a large table, seats 6, that is my "shop" I need something I can C-clamp the mounting board to the table and when I dont need it it's down the hall in the closet. If I can find the room then Id agree and buy a powered machine. Until then it looks like the Boss is what I will have to get. Thank you one and all for the suggestions and information. From what I gathered the Boss will do what I need but there are better ways to do the same thing if and when I get the room. Michael

I agree with all the remarks above and can tell you 2 things. 1: if you can, take a class or two at Tandy, assuming you are close to one. 2: Practice. practice, practice. All the good tools and better surfaces will not substitute for practice. I am doing a belt at the moment with a meandering boarder and I was no good at is. I cut 4 strips 30" long and 1.5" wide and did them all with the design I am going to do on the belt. The first one sucked. By the end of the 4th one it looked good enough that I was proud of it. That test piece you showed us. Do it 5 more times and see how much better the last one is to the first one. You have a good start now you just need the experience to go with it FWIW you can also bevel with a modeling spoon and never had a tool mark. You pull or push the spoon along the groove to get the same effect. It too takes some practice but its another good tool to have. Tandy, modeling spoon You can also get them on Ebay for less. Keep of the work and the desire and it will all become great.

I agree about the Oval punches but I cant work with a knife to cut the slot on a belt or holster, I use a chisel. I have a 1.5" for holsters and a 1" for belts. Since I am newer than the other guys above me I will say that a stitching pony or stitching Horse is a good idea. I use mine for all my holsters and it works. I can see as I get better not using it but for the moment, since I punch one hole then stitch it then move on the pony works really well for me. There are at least 3 ways to do everything around here an all can be right. All depends on who it doing it. Tandy has a new Stitching pony that is about $80.00 bucks I think and it looks much better than the cheaper one they sell. They even solved the turning the wing nut issue. This new one has a wedge you can use to open the jaws without adjusting the wing nut. I saw something similar on a stitching horse from Japan. Id say get at least the cheaper one but the new one looks better. Once you get good enough you can sell it off. Id love to learn how people can sew using a stitching awl, one hole at a time on a saddle stitch without a pony/horse. I have not learned that one yet. Anyway thats my opinion. Michael

I talked to Kevin at SLC and found out that the end where the strip was real loose was the neck end. That's why it was so stretchy. So Ill use that part for other smaller things. It still leaves me with about 14 Sq ft fror belts and holsters. Im happy. All I wanted was to know why it was that way. It makes sense that the neck should be looser. The part I cut was the farthest from the butt you could get so it was up on the neck. Its amazing what you can learn with this stuff. Thanks Michael FYI, as Im sure most of you know, The people at Springfield Leather Company are fantastic. I could not ask for better customer service. I dealt with Emmy and Heather and both were amazingly helpful.

I have a Back of Herman Oak leather 8/9 oz B Grade, Well 16 sq ft of it. The long sides are over 8 feet and the short side is 2 feet. I cut a few test strips from both ends, short side, they are 13 " x 1.5 " I cased them both with easy Carve. One is just like normal. Still on the firm side with a little wiggle. The other one is SOFT. As soft and limp as a wet noodle. Seriously, it's as limp as a cooked lasagna noodle. Any idea why? due to the way the leather is cut I know its not from the belly. I have never seen leather like this. The other side is great. I need to check it out more and see how far in it is like that. Hopefully not that bad. Thoughts welcome Michael Up date, I took the other end of the piece I cut he floppy strap from. Wet it well and it got floppy. It was 5 inches long. I grabbed it and pulled and it stretched down to 1.25". Id swear its a belly if I had not seen the place it was cut from.

The vender replaced the white cord for me and the new one is great. Must have been a bad batch.

Dwight, Thanks for the information. I was wondering about the 50+ belts. Of course right now I have the solution for those, I'm sending them to you . Ill send a Starbucks card in with the belts when I send them out. I wont be getting the Tippman before at least the first of the year. Need to get the rest of the bills paid up. My wife has this strange belief that I cant buy toys till the bills are paid. But I will be getting one when my check rolls around in January. I'm glad to see you think its a good machine. I appreciate the wisdom. Michael