Mike Craw

Hey Jim! The short answer is yes you can. I would highly recommend skiving the edges, but if you can get an awl through it, you can sew it. Mike

Thanks so much for the quick response, Bob. Mike

Hey Bob! As usual, another superb job! Do you sew the edges after the belt is tooled and finished, and if so, do you have a problem with presser-foot marks? Again, I've been tooling for a lot of years, but am in no danger of reaching your level. Great work. Mike

Hey Joe! I agree with you about Kevin's ads in LCSJ. I just think it's a sign of the times that you have to add the disclaimer. That was a funny post and it's too bad that you had to label it for the few who are sitting around waiting for something to be offended about. I keep looking at Kevin's ads to see if he is running a special on dog hide... Now we'll hear from the dog lovers Mike

Hey Doug! It may just be a lack of talent on my part, but I have found that a push beveler is more for long, fairly straight swivel cut lines than the tight curves of most Sheridan style layouts. For those, you need a beveler to get around the curves. Mike

Hey papajoe! You didn't say where in Southeast Georgia, but I happen to know of a little saddle shop in Kingsland that can probably help you out! Carlos and I may not be all that good, but we'll try just about anything... Welcome to leatherworker.net. Mike

Hey Guys! If all else fails, you could use a trick Dale Harwood showed in his Saddle Making DVD. He took an old piece of scrap leather and backed the leather he wanted to punch through. That way the cutter never actually got through to the anvil. His cutters stayed sharp and he didn't have to worry about replacing the anvil. Hope this helps. Mike

In a class in Asheville, NC that I took with ArtS a couple of weeks ago, Pete Gorrell taught us how to modify some Craftools. He just used a fine milled file and some 600 and 1000 or 1200 emory cloth that you can get from auto body shops. If Art and I can do it, you know it ain't brain surgery!! Mike P.S. Sorry Art, I mean if I can do it...

Hey Tom! I assume you're talking about a single thickness, unlined holster? Yes, I bevel both sides and a REALLY sharp edger is a great help. If you slightly dampen the edge with a damp (not dripping) sponge and then rub a little bee's wax on the edge and rub with an old piece of denim from blue jeans or a hunk of canvas until you can feel the heat with the fingers you're holding the rag with, I think you'll be happy with the results. A wooden slicker, deer antler, or something really smooth will also burnish the edge further. Hope this helps. Mike

Jim, The way Pete did it was to case with whatever solution you normally use (we had water with a little Pro Carve in it) bag it, and let the leather case as normal. Just as it gets ready to carve, spray evenly with a light coat of Lexol Conditioner (not Cleaner) and rub it into the leather with your hand. After there is no more Lexol on the surface put a drop of Johnson's Baby Shampoo in the center of the carving area and rub in until the shampoo foam is gone. Then go ahead and carve. That's the way we did it. Mike Edit: This would go a lot quicker if my fingers would spell the words I'm typing!

Hey Jim! I just got back from Asheville, NC where I took a class at the Extreme Leather Workshop from Pete Gorrell, an Al Stohlman Award Winner and the Academy of Western Artists Saddle Maker of the Year in 2000. ArtS from this forum and I finally met face to face in this class, and both of us learned a ton. I'm self taught and have been abusing leather since 1981, and I learned more in those three days than I have managed to teach myself the rest of the time. One thing Pete mentioned is that most folks tend to carve (or actually tool) too wet. The leather should actually dry back to almost its original color. It will feel cooler than room temp when you touch it with the back of your hand which means it still has moisture in it. Some folks swear by putting a carving solution in their casing water. Some use a tiny amount of dish soap. Pete showed us a trick using a little spray of Lexol leather conditioner rubbed in with our hands and then just a drop of baby shampoo rubbed in until the foam disappeared. My knife never flowed through the leather as smoothly. Of course, my carving didn't get any better looking, but is sure was smooth!! Hope this helps. Mike

Ohoh, Mike, do you think that's what the problem is? Johanna, When I click "Reply" and start to type, the print if very small. When I click "Sizes" and click on one of the larger numbers, all it does is put a code notation in the line. The print doesn't change size. Mike

Thanks Art, but unfortunately it doesn't get BIGGER when I'm trying to type it!! Mike

Holy Crap! I have trouble lining up three consecutive geometric stamp impressions... Great job. Mike

Wow, that Ctrl-wheel thing worked great. Thanks Johanna!! When I click on the "Sizes" tab at the top of this page, it just inserts a code, but it doesn't make the font in this block any bigger or easier to see. Mike

I went to the Extreme Leather Workshop in Asheville with ArtS and a bunch of other fine folks, and I took my laptop to do some quickie photo copying for the participants and also check my email. Well, the Doubletree Hotel was wireless, and in working with Tech Support trying to hook up to the wireless net (never was successful) they had me make a "few" changes to my settings. You guys know me well enough by now to know that I don't have a clue what-all got changed, but when I got home, I couldn't hook up to the net with my Ethernet cable either. Over 7 hours of telephone games with AT&T Tech support with "Jeff" in Bombay later, my son-in-law (an IT guy for Quest Diagnostics) FINALLY got me back up and running. The problem now is that the print on the Leatherworker.net screen is so small I can hardly see it. Either something else got re-set, or I went blind in North Carolina. Is there an idiot-proof solution to this, or do I have to call "Jeff" again?? Mike

Congrats Tom! I'm kind of glad that "Hide" is a better translation for the name of the publication. I don't know about over there, but I'd hate to have to tell my friends and family that I had an article written about me in "Skin" magazine... Maybe it's a translation thing... Mike

Hey Paula! I don't know of any other classes of this caliber in the Southeast. That's one of the reasons I made an effort to attend the workshop, and why I'll try just as hard to be there next year! Hope to see you there. Mike

Hey Paula! Outstanding job on your projects. I was across the hall in Pete Gorrell's saddle lay-out class. It also was first rate and I got the same feed-back from some of the folks in Bob Beard's class. I think that Kevin and the Hides to Art bunch deserve a lot of credit for the job they did putting this whole thing together. They are already planning the classes for next year, and I plan to be there. I really can't recommend this event highly enough. Mike

Hey Tom! If I read your original post correctly, it sounds like you are sewing an already formed holster. Is that correct? I do all my sewing by hand, but I sew first and then wet mold the holster. If you sew first, you shouldn't have any problem getting on your line. I hope this helps, unless I mis-read your question, and in that case it will be absolutely useless... Mike

Carlos and I are going. It was supposed to be "wives" but his is being sent on a trip at work, so my wife will be helping the economy of North Carolina all by herself. Mike

I think you did an outstanding job on the sheath, especially since you are not generally a sheath maker! I would make one suggestion based on the probable use of this particular item, considering where its owner is going. I know that the issue sheath for this knife has the "wrap-around" retaining strap, but on the issue sheath it is farther away from the hilt and cutting edge, high up on a belt loop. I am concerned that if the owner needs the knife in a hurry, the strap on the edge side might not clear far enough to keep from getting sliced off. If he's like the guys I served with in the Marines, you could probably shave with that thing. You might want to consider making a retaining strap to wrap the hilt (rather than the grip) on the side away from the sharpened edge. You could make it a "thumb-break" function where the strap goes from the sheath itself, around the hilt and snaps underneath the hilt on his thumb side, just like on a holster. That way, when he functions the snap release and pulls the knife, the hilt will push the strap out of the way and the blade will not get anywhere near it. It would also be a faster release for him. Just my $ .02. Tell him thanks for his service, and to keep his head down. Mike

Hey Bob! I don't consider this my thread and your thoughts on rust worries are right on target. Ellis Barnes and I talked about this a little bit during a phone conversation. That brings up another thought. If you want to talkt to a master metalsmith who has probably forgotten more about tool making than any of us are likely to learn, give Ellis a call at his shop. He will expound at length, give his unvarnished opinion (occasionally profane) and I always wind up with a grin for having called him. And I should mention, I'm a big fan of your tooling Bob! Mike

Really nice, Holly! Mike

The only suggestion I would make is to have the edge of the leather that forms the top of the belt slot make the turn up toward the rear sight after it has crossed the line of the trigger guard. This will allow more space for the shooter's middle finger to get a shooting grip before the draw starts without running onto the top edge of the holster. That little bit of the trigger guard where it curves into the grip should be exposed so that the hand isn't starting the draw, and then trying to change position as it's coming on target. I hope that's clear. If not, let me know and I'll try to clarify it. Mike