Chavez

Every time you case or dye your leather, you dry it out, so you need ot add some oils back to it to soften it up. Otherwise it's going to be stiff and grain side might crack, etc. At least that's what I read on this forum in one of the posts =)

Thanks Andrew, A $100/hr seems to be quite a lot for a pattern, especially considering that I'm not trading and not going to be trading for a while. Well, its nice to know the prices anyway. Looks like it's scissors and chinese plastic files for me ))

Thanks for all your advice. The craftaid-ish idea sounds interesting=) Has anyone had any experience cutting thin (1-2mm) plexi? Or should I go for softer plastics? My idea was to print the pattern out on a laser printer and then transfer it to a plastic sheet by ironing. But then I still have to accurately cut it out, so the plastic choice is quite important here =( I'm also wondering how much it would cost to order a dozen templates from a laser-cutting firm and send them some .svg files with designs... Has anyone had any experience with them?

Hi and thanks in advance for your advice! I've recently started designing cutting patterns in inkscape and I am wondering what do people usually cut their patterns from? I can print the test ones on regular A4, but then once the pattern has been tested and I'm happy with it, I would prefer to cut it out of something a bit harder. Do you use thick paper? Sheets of plastic? Anything else? Thanks!

Thank you. That's now on my "next order" list =)

Thanks for the tip. Is it Fiebing's leather balm with atom wax that you're referring to or is atom wax a separate product?

I use extra virgn olive oil as advised on this forum. Just a light coat, let dry for 30-60 min, then another light coat. The reason I use EVOO rather than neatsfoot is because its easier to get EVOO and there's always some in the kitchen =)

Oh great=) Well, I'll just have to wait until my next leather order and try some tan kote, leatherbalm with atom wax or institutional finish =( Thanks!

To be honest, I only have a few months of leatherwork experience so I'm probably not the best person to ask=) I just rubbed in a lot of parafin into my edges on my cover - want to see if that can stand the wear. If the edges get destroyed, I can reapply the wax, but that's obviously just avoiding the problem rather than trying to solve it. The cover is experimental anyway - I've finished it with carnauba wax as I want to see how it holds the finish. I already have a carnauba-finished round knife sheath and I managed to stain it a week after its been finished (don't know how though) =( Lets hope some pros answer our questions=)

Hi again! I'd also like to know how to stop edge kote ruboff. I've used brown edge kote a couple of times and it seems to rub off easily. I've covered one of my coaster's edge-kote with resolene, but it just chips off, so its no help. PS I just switched to Bob Park's method of finishing edges - I hope i got it right =) I'll see how well my moleskine cover's edges will hold.

Thanks Chuck! From what I've read about the wax-oil mix it seems like a good flesh side sealer. I guess I'll just have to experiment and try the mix out=)

Hi! I am sure that the pros here will give you a more detailed advice, but I currently use the following steps: 1) Slick 2) Tool 3) Oil 4) Dye 5) Oil (if the colour allows it) 6) Finish (Resolene or carnauba) 7) Polish with kiwi neutral. I would also be very happy to see if I'm missing any steps.

Thanks, Art! What would oxidisation do to the mix? I can use Fiebing's Mink oil instead, but I believe its got Lanolin, silicone and neatsfoot oil mixed into it...

Well, I've got some mink oil too, but would prefer to use evoo as it doesn't go through my leatherwork budget but just gets pinched from the kitchen I'll stick to carnauba+kiwi for now, but I always get excited about home-brewed stuff =) One of the older posts suggested applying this paste to leather, then using a hair dryer to heat it up and then giving it a buff. By the way, are there any suggestions on the amount of pine pitch that goes into the mix?

Hi! I've read a few posts here about using a 50-50 mix of beeswax and neetsfoot oil to finish leathergoods. Some people would also add other components (e.g. parafin). I only have olive oil, so my first question is whether olive oil will work as well as neetsfoot? Secondly, can somebody please explain the purposes of additives and what to add to the mix? Thank you!

I believe that it is easier to cut cased leather, so it is easier to groove it when its cased too. But there is nothing wrong with grooving it when its dry...

Thanks for the idea! My work is still too crappy to honour it with a makers stamp, but at least I can start experimenting with the design=))

No problem, Cheryl, It only took 30 seconds in gimp. Just really liked the artwork =)

Hi! Can somebody please tell me what's the best way to apply carnauba creme onto a tooled piece of leather? How much carnauba do you apply and how do you prevent it from building up in tooling cuts? I had the same problem with resolene but it doesn't leave any trace in the cuts once it dries up, while carnauba leave a thick waxy path. Thank you!

Hi Jim! Do you just wet the edge with resolene instead of water&saddle soap and then burnish it? Just interested in your resolene method. Thanks

Hi! I voted for the girl, just because I think the sketch is amazing and it will make an easily recognisable logo. It's got character and it would be a shame not to use it for your website. I must say, however that I don't see how you can build a whole website around it. Building a website from a template will save you time and make your website look professional - something that's very hard to achieve unless you're a pro in web design. Having used a template as a base for the website does not stop you from using the sketch for a logo. Open up your photoshop (or if you don't have it, use Gimp (http://www.gimp.org/)), play a bit with contrast of the sketch to make it look more "finished", scale it to a logo size and stick it onto the background of your choice. A couple of examples attached - apologies for screwing with your partner's artwork but I thought my post would make more sense with them. If you spend more than 30 seconds playing with contrast I'm sure you'll get the desired balance of sketched/finished image. Good luck with your website! Original size Scaled down for logo

Thank you, Art. How does SK-3 compare to Barry King's knife? Would I, as a beginner, feel the $100 difference between them? Or is it a better idea to try and save the money for other tools (i only have a quality round knife, skiver and a v-race so far. The rest is basic-necessities craftool stuff)?

Thanks, but, unfortunately, that's a bit to far away from me

Hi! I'm also looking to invest in a good swivel knife. SK-3 looks great and I guess if I cut my food & drink expenses for a couple of months I'll forgive myself for spending so much on my hobby=) What size of knife/blade would you recommend? I have above average hands and I'm planning on learning sheridan style and general carving. Thanks!

Thanks! Did not realise the answer was right there =)