bruce johnson

Regis, I use Barge for permanent bonds. I have tried the OTC contact adhesives like Weldwood and just didn't get the same bond. About the only thing that Barge won't bond tightly is some latigo or oily leathers. It makes a bond more like rubber cement for me, enough to hold for sewing. My neighbor uses Masters AP and says that it does bond latigo. Masters also has a faster tacking up time, but a shorter "golden period" it remains tacky according to a couple users. I did repair some loose (actually fell off) ropecan cover tops that were put on with Masters by someone else. The Barge held them on. They were put on in the winter in a cold climate, and that may be a factor with Masters?? They have since switched to Barge for the lids. Barge is also heat activated. Can be recharged to tack up or loosen with a heat gun. Barge will etch or dissolve some plastics that Craftsman contact cement won't also. Bruce Johnson

Ed, Just masking tape the wet/dry sandpaper down to anything firm, a table top will do. I used my stamping granite for a long time. Just wipe with a damp cloth when done to pick up any stray metal dust. Peel the masking tape off, and store the different grits in file folders. The leather I use is Siegel's commercial oak. It is pretty firm. As far as oiling the strop, I have never done it. I lightly rough up the grain side with a plain old $1.50 wire brush (old bronc saddle trick to get rosin to stick with out over doing it). I just rub my white rouge or red rouge right on and it sticks for me. I keep one strop of each. Anyone who hads ever seen Al Gould strop a round knife will know why I have a big strop. You can do one whole side of the blade tip to tip without ever lifting it off the surface. Bruce Johnson

Regarding the emery paper. I go it through it so much, and so many grits, I would spend half my time gluing a new piece to the board. I tape a full sheet down to a chunk of marble with masking tape. Gives me a nice wide flat surface. The marble weighs enough it ain't going anywhere, safety factor. I used to only go to 800 and then to the strop - an 8X24" strop, with 3/4 commercial oak leather - the firm stuff, Barged to hardwood, grain side up. Now I go to finer paper before going to the strop. Once you find the kind of stroke you can make on a big strop, you won't go back to a small one. More time on the strop and less time in the air going back to start like on a short stoke strop. As far as glueing down a piece of lace or thin leather to sharpen tools with round edges. If my tool is ground on a radius, I want to keep THAT radius. I find something firm with that radius like a dowel, smooth nail, screwdriver blade, whatever, and wrap the wet/dry around it to hone with. Then strop with crocus wrapped around it. I think that sharpening tools is probably one of the bigger evolutions we go through with leatherwork as we progress. Bruce Johnson

Another use for the piece of safety glass we should all have laying around in our shop. Some of the boot guys who do a lot more skiving than I ever thought of passed this little tip on. Apply rubber cement to a piece of safety glass. Let tack up a bit and put the leather to be skived grain side down on the glass. Skive away (using a second piece of glass as a guide like Art suggested or what ever technique/tool you prefer). It prevents stretch and the piece moving around. The rubber cement will roll or rub right off the the grain side of most leathers. These boot guys can do this adding pieces for build-up inlays and overlays, and turn the glass over, look through it, and make sure everything is lined up. Bruce Johnson

Ed, Maybe I'm not reading enough into this, but I remove the lid off my Barge cans with either a pipe wrench or pair of channel lock pliers, whichever is closer. I put my glue into 16 oz plastic squeeze bottles and can squeeze out a bead size that varies depending on how hard I squeeze and how fast I move it. Bruce Johnson

I just got back from the Wickenburg AZ trade show. It was very well attended by vendors and buyers. For a regional show out this way, it was far and away the best they have had. The class lineup was good, and pretty well attended. I was in two saddlemaker's classes taught by Jesse Smith that had 6 or 7 in each - one was layout of pieces, and the other was covering horns and swells. I also took a five styles of carving (Sheridan, Porters, California, Northwest, and Texas) class. Although there are cross-overs, Jesse kind of lined out the differences and similarities. He then had a 3 flower pattern for each style, and we picked one and carved it. Good fun, and about 16 people in that. The classes were scattered at different locations, so hard to get a real feel for attendance, but heard that classes were the about the same or slightly less overall compared to similar classes at Sheridan in the past. Much better than any previous regional shows. The trade show opened on Thursday. I was curious how that would work. IT DID. Vendors were busy about all day. The initial morning rush, then then a slight lull late morning, busy in the afternoon again. A couple vendors told me that they did as well as they normally do on the opening day of Sheridan, and more than some 3 days shows they do. Friday morning was good early, and we left for home. There seemed to be a lot of newer leatherworkers - some filling out tool sets at the Hidecrafters/TLF booths. Others trading up in quality with Wayne Jueschke, Barry King, Bob Beard, and Rons Tools. Made for a good mix. There was something like 40 booth spaces for vendors, vs about twice that at Sheridan. The major players were mostly all there. They used booth spaces about half what they normally would buy in Sheridan so everyone could fit in. To compare to Sheridan, about 90% of the vendors in the big room and half the vendors in the lobby/open area at Sheridan were there. Missing ones were Ferdco, Big Sky Dies, Dick Anderson, Bee Natural, and the smaller specialty leather sellers. I would really encourage anyone interested in leatherwork to attend these shows. Seeing the vendors face to face, and being able to look at the tools and try out machines is great. The classes and the social aspects of getting together with folks with similar interests makes it worthwhile. Bruce Johnson

Blake, The show at Wickenburg was good. Got more than my money's worth out of the classes. I will post a little report elsewhere. I like the ProCarve better than Carv-Eze. The Carv'Eze I got was in a set of used tools, so can't attest to its freshness if that matters. I think the surfactant action is probably similar with most of these casing agents like CarvEze, ProCarv, and others. I know a guy who uses a surfactant Amway makes, there are the range of dishsoaps, etc. I like the ProCarv for the antifungal now, and the ease of use. Bruce Johnson

Blake, I am an experimenter also. I have used ProCarv, left over Carv-Eze, glycerine, tanning oil, Dawn dishsoap, Palmolive, Lexol, and plain water. To keep it simple, I like the ProCarv the best. Basically the action is a surfactant, breaks down the water's surface tension and allows faster penetration and casing. The ratio is 1:10. It also has an antifungal in it. I used to have a molding problem with overnight casing in my old shop, none since I started the ProCarv. I had a couple guys from Louisiana tell me that they have not had a finished product mold later on, even when just cased with ProCarv. Good enough testimony for me. On draggy kind of leather I use white Fiebing's saddle soap lathered and rubbed in like you describe with the Ivory. Seems to help hold the casing longer too. Bruce Johnson

ED, Another source is Ferdco. website and contact info - www.ferdco.com and phone number is (800) 645-0197. Quicker shipping to the west coast too, since they are in Idaho. Bruce Johnson

Shawn, Other than Bruce Johnson originals, the only liners I have used are C-F. I haven't seen any others that stack up. They announced a while back in something I get that Hitching Post Supply was going to be the sole US distributor for the small orders or hobbyist orders for C-F. The warehouse in AZ wasstill going to supply the large wholesale orders, with something like a $250 minimum order. I have not ordered C-F things from HPS, but have ordered other stuff. I have not emailed Vickie, but have always received great service on phone orders. Phone number is (800) 689-9971. I would not go by just what is listed on her website. She has enough irons in the fire, that web updates are possibly behind. I don't have the contact info for the AZ warehouse handy. I am sure she can let you know that if you have a big order. Bruce Johnson

Stephanie, Oakdale here, you got snowed on last night. I would be glad to look at it after I get back from Wickenburg. Bruce Johnson

Ed, I have one supplier that wraps their leather up in black heavy plastic to ship. I open theirs immediately and let it have air. For the leather that comes in boxes, I sometimes leave the chrome tans in the box, if all the same color. I have found that some mixed colors will rub off onto each other over long periods. If it is one or 2 veg tans, I leave them in the box. On quantities like you are talking I get them out. Seems like on the big orders, they roll and pack them as tight as they can to get as many in one box as they can. I roll them back up looser to store. I am a fan of rolling grain side in. Some distributors roll grain out, and some users think that rolling grain in compresses the grain and makes it raggy when unrolled. I roll mine loose enough it has not been an issue, plus I am protecting a bit from light damage on the grain side. I usually try for minimum inventory on hand for things like leather that I can usually get within a few days, so mine usually is not sitting for months to a year. I do know guys who buy a large quantity like you are talking about. They store it rolled and standing on end in dark closets, and get by OK. Bruce Johnson

Stephanie, My first recommendation is ... I will give you the $150 you have in it and not even ask for the barrel it is in. Second recommendation is that this saddle is 80 years old from one of the most respected saddleries of the time, be careful. Is Antone Soares the original buyer from Hamley's? Antone is a fairly common Portugese first name, and Soares is a real common Portugese last name. Lots of Portugese in this area. The Livermore valley is the next valley over from me, and it was a real cowtown at one time. Still a lot of cattle wintered on the hill pastures over there. The Rowell saddlery in Hayward was over there too. I just got in a "grandpa's Rowell" to restore. I would really suggest you try to find someone to work on restoring this saddle with. It just has too much age and experience on it to be a learner. There are other ones to learn on out there. Bruce Johnson

Ed, In my experience EdgeCoat works better on edges that aren't real slick. It is basically a paint, and sticks to a slightly rough surface better than a slicked one. A friend used to do a lot of craftshows, and he never did anything to the edges but apply edge coat. Never rubbed the first one. He applied it with a sponge brush and wiped it the spill over off the top and bottom with a clean damp sponge. When the edge was almost dry, he took a damp sponge down the edge the "slick" it down. He used it on chrome tanned edges and latigo dog collars as well. He was the one who used an acrylic finish (Future floor wax) mixed with dye pigments. Not sure where he was getting his pigments. Bruce Johnson

Stephanie, Can you see me writhing in agony at the thought of an old Hamley (with provenance, no less) sitting in pieces in a barrel?? Please take good care of it. One thing to consider with fixing up these old relics. Most of the trees they were built on are not sized or shaped to fit modern horses. General recommendation is to fix them up as a restoration, not necessarily to be a "user". Be careful how you restore these. Just like on Antiques Roadshow, some well-intentioned restorations can seriously lessen the value of some of these old treasures. How old is the Hamley? Bruce Johnson

Ed, Yes and no. Sometimes I use spit, but run out on a big project. I kind of like gum trag but always had issues applying it to big pieces. If I use a sponge I can get a good 3-6", and then have to reapply to the sponge. That old "apply with your finger to the edge" advice - even less coverage. I finally hit on using another item I had sitting. I had one of the Heritage II dye boxes from Weaver that I got a deal on. There are some design issues with it for dyeing, but it makes a dandy application system for the gum trag. Constant flow of the proper amount of gum trag, no cleanup, I just cap it and leave it full. I know the finish you are referring to. It is an acrylic based edge finish. Similar to the edge coat the Fiebings makes. I have heard of mixing dye pigments into neutral acrylic finishes and using that. Haven't tried it though, I am either a basic black or no dye edge guy. Bruce Johnson

Stephanie, Please do post some pictures. I really like this sort of thing. I have several references, and have access to some other guys who have forgotten more about old gear than I will ever hope to know. I have one of those who-made-this-saddle puzzles sitting in my living room. Bruce Johnson

Standard warning for any power tools also. Once the punch tube begins to fill with punchings, it will eject them with some force in random directions as the punch spins. 1.Wear eye protection and keep bystanders away. 2.Watch loose clothing. Let's be safe out there. Injuries should be reserved for something cool like being bit by a shark while scuba diving, slipping on a wet rock while flyfishing, or getting bucked off after a great ride. The story just doesn't have the same ring when you have to explain you got hurt punching a hole in some leather or you tripped on a sidewalk. Bruce Johnson

Oscar, I really like the figure carving, you have the basics to get the floral just as good. Things to work on. 1. Bevel all around major elements like flowers and leaves. They need to stand alone, and the best way is to use steep bevelers all around them to set them off, especially where the stickers run under a flower. 2. Bring the sticker cuts further down the vines. 3. I prefer floral center stamps, and bevel around the centers. 4. I like to make a "break" at the joint of a leaf and stem. I usually use a seeder. 5. I use a small mulefoot to end some cuts where the stickers end on a vine. I use a larger and wider mulefoot to tie some elements and stemwork together. These are the things that jump out at me, but like I said at the start, with your figure carving ability, these will come come quickly. Hope this helps. Bruce Johnson

Ed, I looked into the Scharfix paring machine a while back. I want to say the price was about $400 (?) at one place. I talked to the seller who just used it for bookbinding, and she thought that the capacity was only about 6 oz, and indicated that it sometimes bunched up with 4 oz leather for her. Artisan and Ferdco both have a motorized skiver that is going for about $1200. I am kind of leaning that way, but am not in any hurry. Will look at them at the tradeshows, and play with one first. Bruce Johnson

Ed, I got this tip off another group I am on a couple years ago. I bought a few sets of the mini and maxi punches, and keep the handles set up with the common sizes I use. I just chuck them into drill press, turn it on, and punch away. I use a small piece of cutting board to back up the punch on the work table. The rotation of the punch makes it go through easier, they also don't stick or deforrm the holes in wet leather. I hit very very few punches now. Bruce Johnson

Bruce, I have gotten elephant from a couple places, never tried shark but I am sure they have it. First off is Jerry VanAmburg at Van Amburg Leather. He advertises in LCSJ and ShopTalk too I think. Website is www.vanamburgleathers.com. He's cool to deal with. Just looked at his site and he does have shark. The other source is GH Leather in Houston. I don't have a website or contact info, but they come up with a business listing on a google search. I bought a panel of elephant from them last year at Sheridan. Seems like a lot of boot and handbag people make up most of their trade. My wife fell in love with some shrunken grain water buffalo calf they had. Made a very cool purse leather. Sheridan Leather Outfitters also carry a lot of exotics. They are easy to deal with too. Bruce Johnson

Mike, My best piece of granite is a broken headstone. I am using the bottom surface. It is not polished like the top. They gave me the piece, and told me if I wanted it polished, they could do it for something like $15. Decided to see how it was as is. I like it better than my other rocks, pieces don't slide around as easily on it from little incidental movements or hitting stamps when tipped for partial impressions. If the pits aren't too bad, I would try it first. I have stamped on chipped marble slabs that were provided at a couple classes, they will give erratic results if you are not having full contact under the stamp. One thing for sure, you will like bigger slab, especially if it is a least 2-1/2" or better. Bruce Johnson

Ed, I would avoid the magnetic base lube pots. They don't stay in place, tip over, and are a pain. I think Art said on another list that he has the same experience. I get a color called "peasant" from Ferdco that sure could pass for deer/tan/waxed linen color. I can usually get 1-2 day shipping from them to me. Your price is typical I think. Thread lube is all over the scale. Ferdco told me that any good leather conditioner like Lexol will work. That's what I have used for a few years with no problems, and if I run low - the feed store has it! Weavers have a couple brands I think, Campbells have theirs too. Bruce Johnson

Stphanie, Another source for this video is www.gibsonprorodeo.com. The business is run by Bruce Gibson, a frequent and good contributor to this forum. It is a pretty good video, showing my age sorry, it is on DVD now. Comes with a set of patterns. I think Bruce has all the Pleasant Valley videos, and can fit you for a pretty good bullrope if you decide to make rodeo chaps and take a walk on the wild side. From the other Bruce, Bruce Johnson