bruce johnson

Barb, Those appear to be "metal" marks. Small amounts of metal (iron is the big culprit) will react with vegtan leather when wet and cause those marks. The metal can come from grinding flakes that are so small you can't see them if there is a bench grinder in the vicinity. Storing the leather or dragging it on a metal surface, flakes of metal coming off stamps as you hit them, or other sources of fine metalic flakes can cause the small freckles. Bits of iron from plumbing can freckle leather. I have that issue from a hose at home, but not the tap. Larger smudges usually come from handling something metal, like a bench anvil or head of a hammer, and then going back to the wet leather. That minute amount can transfer to your fingers, then to your leather and cause exactly what you see. Acids tend to neutralize these spots, but can make your leather harder to tool once you do that. Acids commonly used are either oxalic acid (available as wood bleach in hardware and home improvement stores) or citric acid from plain old lemon juice- fresh or concentrate. I use lemon juice, and just dilute it a bit and sponge it on. Use the lemon juice, or you will have so many warnings and different and conflicting pieces of advice it will take you until Christmas to figure out how to use oxalic acid. Bruce Johnson

Johanna, As I am understanding this new set of regulations, there is a slew of retail consumer products that are affected. It is designed to reduce VOC emissions. Personally, I have a business license, so the leatherwork will only be mildly affected. The biggest effect for me will be whether distributers warehouse the stuff in CA or out of state. If it is out of state, then HL fees will apply to shipping it in. AS you said the hobby guy will be mostly affected in the leather side of it. However, the other retail consumer things regulated are going to be the biggie. Things like floor wax, car wax, paints, PVC glue, thinners, wood stains and treatments, have heard nail polish removers, cleaners, etc. are all going to be affected. I think when Grandma can't get her Future floor wax, Joe Carbuff can't get carnauba wax polish, and Do-It-Yourself can't get PVC glue to fix his sprinkler, the backlash will cause some moderating of this set of regulations. This has kind of come in under the radar so far. When it happens, then something hopefully will get done to ease it, if it causes the big problems I see coming. Happened with our DMV fees once. My wish anyway. The biggest problem with a lot of this legislation is that it is fairly well backed by out-of-state or national groups that know once they have CA, the rest of the country is dominoes. It was that way with the horse slaughter issue. The major funding to legislate the ban came from out of state, saving California horses as their premise. It passed by votes of millions of people who have never owned a horse and wouldn't be affected in the least. Once that was done, it is now a US Congress bill to ban all US horse slaughter that has all the earmarks of passing. Yes our rights are being taken away, but it is generally by votes of fellow citizens and neighbors who aren't affected by the proposed legislation. With a lot of ballot propostions, people don't understand what they are really voting on. Whoever has the most appealing ads is the winner, and neither side wants to share the whole story. OK, off my soapbox now. Bruce Johnson

Johanna, et al, Sorry it got a little (Ok a lot) long-winded. I had quite a few offlist emails from people asking me this or that, and my thoughts. I tried to answer them all in one place. Six of the emails were essentially the same. I would really encourage anyone with a question to post to the forum, rather than off list. The question you have is probably not unique. Others can benefit from your questions, and we can help keep this forum more of a "community". Sorry, more philosophy. Bruce (Take those emails as the compliment they were meant as- your opinion is valued in the leather community, and thanks for the suggestion to keep it on the board, where all can benefit from the conversations! Johanna)

I have had enough offlist emails (10) regarding the stamping tools, it is probably easier to just start a new topic on upgrading all tools. I may use some personal examples I have found to work for me. I am not excluding or ignoring any makers. If I do, it is because I have not used their tools and have no experience with them. The problem with any blanket recommendations for leather tools is that nearly everyone who is on this forum has different needs and expectations. There are some full time professional makers here, some who use their leather business as a second income (leaning towards more full time as time and business increases like me), serious hobbyists making things for gifts and personal use, and beginning crafters trying to see if leatherwork is for them. Personal philosophy only for the time being. Leather tools can be a basic set costing under $40 or a complete set of high end tools and machines costing $40,000. I trout fish with my Johnson Century closed face reel, bait casting pole, and salmon eggs for under $50 and you may use a tuned flyrod and highdollar reel with a wallet full of flies for $1000. We still will both catch fish. Same with woodworking, my needs as a guy making a feed bunk for cattle are not what a professional carpenter would use. Same with leatherworking tools. I sell my leatherwork. Most all of it for now is repairs or custom ordered and "sold" before it is made. I have priced it for income and profit. It wasn't always this way, but is now. That profit is reinvested in the business, as tools to improve quality and/or productivity. The income is used as income. I started out with Tandy classes and Tandy tools. They were the most affordable, available, and fit the niche. There was a local Tandy store and classes. I still use a lot of them. After Tandy closed, a lot of toolsets started showing up in the classifieds and at yard sales. The casual crafter didn't want to mail order leather and supplies and lost interest. I bought a lot of these sets, and kept the best tools. I got some tools made by the custom or higher end makers in these sets. I got some Osborne edgers, a horn trimmer, string bleeder, other tools along the way. I will use the edgers as an example. I had used the Craftool edgers ($8) before. The Osbornes in similar design ($25-30 new) held a better edge, and came a little sharper. The cutting edge is down in a slot. They both can be sharpened (I have the book), but by design, are harder to sharpen down in the slot and only have a little bit of bevel, that is fairly steep. I got some Ron's Tools edgers in a set. They would have cost about $85 new. They really cut well and the exposed blade made them easy to sharpen. A friend came along and offered me $120 or so each (WHY?!!). They weren't worth that to me and that paid for all the other tools in that set, went back to the Osbornes. I got one round bottom edger from Horseshoe Brand later. Same design as the Ron's Tools edgers, easy to keep sharp, long bevel and cutting edge for tool longeivity, and cost $45 new. So, for less than twice the cost of the Osborne, I have an edger that should last me at least 3 times as long, less effort and time to keep sharp, I am money ahead with the Horseshoe Brand in time and longeivity savings. I could justify buying the whole set then, because I use edgers a lot. A guy making one belt a week couldn't. I cut with a Clyde round knife - a lot. Not a particularly expensive knife when it was made, but works for me and easy to sharpen. I can't justify a $100-200 round knife until I wear these out. They do the job. As far as stamping tools, I pretty well covered my thoughts on the other topic, but a few points here to answer some questions that have come up. Hidecrafters and TLF stamps can be OK, really. They fit the bill for a lot of people. They can cost $5-10. HideCrafter procrafter stamps can cost $10-15. Little better. Hidecrafters stainless steel tools cost from $20-50. I don't know who makes them, but I have some and they are good. I can buy stamps from Barry King for $20-50 also. The impressions from these stamps I know. I use them a lot and don't have all of them by any means. When I am charging $15 per floral element with one flower, these tools pay for themselves. Yeah I could buy stamps from other makers for the same or more, but I just started with him and been happy with the value received. Paying 2-3 times more for a Barry King stamp than an entry level stamp works for what I expect from those particular tools. I have a large block stamp from Wayne Jueschke that cost me about $100 and is pretty different from the mainstream block stamps. Used on a $2500plus saddle it will pay for itself. A niche tool, not a necessity for most people. I know people who say that is too much money. No debate there. But some people have 50 Craftools in a drawer that they rarely use, costing $5 each, that is $250 sitting idle too. I usually buy new stamping tools to change up and freshen my work a little. When I used the same basket stamp or flower and the same border on everything, it got stale after a while. I look for stamps and effects that don't always look like Circle Y, Dale Martin, or other makers. On repairs I sometimes have to match though, and that is why my needs for more stamps may be different. Final thoughts - poersonal philosophy. There are some great tool makers making great tools today. Ebay and old tool sets are fine, but if it is something made today, for the time spent searching, just ordering a tool from TLF, HideCrafters, Bob Beard, Barry King, Wayne Jueschke, Gomph-Hackbarth, Horsheshoe Brand, and other makers may be more productive. And unlike used tires, you are using the top of the tread. Bruce Johnson

Alex, We're opening a can of worms here. Rating stamp makers is kind of like discussing religion or politics with your in-laws, everyone has an opinion, (and the first respondant is never right). I have stamps from several makers and quite a few craftools, and hope off the top of my head, I don't forget one. I am not really ignoring other makers, I just have dealt with these guys and been happy. Basket stamps -I prefer ones with slightly thicker legs, less cutting and more burnishing. Also prefer deep centers for more definition. I prefer Barry King's stamps in medium and larger sizes vs. some of the other makers. Some prefer the thinner leg stamps. Flower centers - I have a Hide crafters pro-series that I like in an oval shape. I prefer my Gomph-Hackbarth centers by Ellis Barnes for round centers. Acorn set stamps - Horsehoe Brand (Jeremiah Watt) Geometric/Block stamps - Wayne Jueschke Steep bevelers - Barry King or HideCrafter ProSeries. Make sure the checkering pattern is consistant between sizes. Long Pear Shaders - Barry King Backgrounders - buy a set or one at a time from the same maker. You then will have the pattern matching for all the shapes and sizes. I have a set from Barry King. Veiners - My veiners are all Craftools. I have gone through enough yard sale sets, I have kept the ones with good impressions in the sizes I use. Mule feet are generally Craftool, except for a wider one from Barry King. Stops are all Craftool or a veiner end. Cam tools - Don't use them a lot. I have the scalloped ones from Barry King that I use the most. The craftools are OK too. Border tools - Sky's the limit here depending on my whims. Hidecrafters, Ellis Barnes, Jeremiah Watt, Craftool, etc. I usually have bought a Craftool first and tried it. If I liked the finished border, and will do it a lot, then that stamp may be replaced if a better impression replacement comes up. These are the tools I use them most. No particular reason I use them, other than that is what I have and what I like. I try to buy similar tools from the same makers so there is consistancy. My thoughts are to see what you use the most. Then replace them with the better tools if the better tools have better impressions. Not all of them do. I have a $5 Hamley swirl (crazylegs) from HideCrafter's bottom end line that has a deeper and cleaner impression than the high dollar ones I tried. Not always the case, but sometimes is. Generally the larger the stamp, the more detailing and sharper the impression it can have. I would challenge most people to look from 10 feet at a bridle stamped by my Craftool #500 and a small basket by any other maker and pick out the difference. Not worth it for me to replace my #500. I have kind of replaced my stamps from larger to smaller. I like to see and try them at shows, as each stamp can be a little different than others in the same slot. If I can't and have a preference (as in the case of my baskets), I tell the maker what I want - the thicker legs and deeper centers in that case. My 2 cents. Bruce Johnson

The $1300 price for new, but out of warranty is probably a bit high. New ones sell for $1450 from a lot of dealers, without the stand. Heard that TLF has discounted to $1200 or so on special sale right now. Will get to the stand in a moment. The extra bobbins are nice(they cost about 4-5 dollars from most industrial machine suppliers) and I had 8 or 10. That way I had several wound for different color and sized threads. Personally I never liked the center presser foot. I sewed better with the regular double toe foot or right or left toe foot as needed around spots or raised edges. The bench for me is too high. You are reaching up to pull the handle (fatiguing on your shoulder), and the strap or piece is in your chin, not your lap. I used a basic bench tool stand from Harbor Freight, cost about $20. Had a 1" particle board top on it that you would mount a bench grinder or table top jig saw, etc on. I sat on a low bar or counter stool. My reach was level across to the handle, and I could sew longer and faster, and was looking down on my sew line - not across it like the cobbler's bench. One thing about the boss too. The factory will rebuild them for a very reasonable price. On mine they quoted something like an exchange for $100 or rebuild with new presser bar, cable, and handle assembly for $125 or something like that. They will then warranty it just like a new machine. Mine was sewing fine, so they recommended selling it as is. If it ever needed rebuilding, then the new owner could have it rebuilt or exchanged, just like the original owner for the same price and warranty. Bruce Johnson

Tom is not quite right. I used the heck out of one, but it was no where close to worn out when I sold it. It will sew anything you can cram under the foot. It will do three layers of skirting all day. It will do a checkbook cover and then a back cinch with little or no tension change. There are few parts to wear out. It was my first machine, and I did have one of the old cast iron models. There is no timing to get out of whack and it is easy to maintain. I found once I got the tension right, the tweaking was easy and it sewed a pretty good stitch. It took about a an hour or so of fiddling to get the bobbin tension right. I never adjusted it after that - only the top tension. The parts I did break were upgraded to heavier duty parts in later models, and never charged for. As far as setup, it was no different than the three powered machines I have got since then. Learning on the Boss made it easier for me to use the motored machines later. The threading pattern is pretty similar to my bigger machines too. My son used it, both wives, I found it pretty forgiving. The down side - you power it, and it is boring and tedious for production type work. The plus side - you power it. You have control of every stitch. You can't run off the end unless you fall asleep. It does have a 9" or so throat, so not a huge reach for centered inlays on big projects. Mine was ultimately replaced by a Ferdco Pro 2000. I had a 440 before that, and still have a heavy duty Adler. When I got the Pro 2000, I put the Boss in a storage room for two months. Only to prove to myself I would not regret selling the Boss, since it paid for itself long before. There is now another machine out that is powered for under $2000 (Artisan 3000), has been out for about a year and a half. The Boss proved to be the workhorse for me and I would not hesitate to recommend it. Bruce Johnson

Recently there have been some posts by people on how NOT to use neatsfoot oil by those who admittedly do not use neatsfoot oil on products they themselves do not make. Suspect advice when you give out information on things you don't on products you yourself don't make. They have made claim that Al Stohlman himself said it migrates, then gave their own definition of migration, and talk about some bad experience thay had overusing it sometime in the past. Go so far as to give specific instructions that they would not use it on any part of the saddle that would come in contact with the rider's clothing. Safe advice, since they don't make saddles. First off Al Stohlman is A saddlemaker, not THE saddle maker. A lot can be learned from him but there are others too. We all take things from everyone, some things we learn to do, and some don't work for us and our leather. But he mentions in all three of his books on saddlemaking that he uses NF oil (and also a lot of NF oil compound) on all parts of the saddle. He includes the fenders and seat. On all four saddles he shows how to build he specifically mentions and shows oiling these parts. Bear in mind that these were the last books Al Stohlman wrote. Written when he had the most experience, and many of the more recent products were available. Probably the most read of any of the saddlemaking books published. The next two most widely read would probably be Dave Jones book and Harry Adams, Jr's Books. Both of them specifically mention using NF oil (or olive oil). The Harry Adams book mentions having a gallon on hand, I probably don't use quite that quantity on two. These are respected sources and not some anecdotal second hand reply. The instructions given by Al Stohlman specifically tell you how to apply NF oil, how not to overapply NF oil and the benefits. Al felt like NF oil pentrated all layers of the leather the best. Which according to my impression of migration would mean it "migrated" the best. He felt like Lexol was more of a surface conditioner. This information is available in Volume I. I am not disagreeing with him on Lexol, but I think that is a factor of application method. Apply enough Lexol with a sheepskin swatch and it will go all the way through. Apply NF oil or Lexol with a flannel and it won't be as obvious. The question was asked, why use NF oil? Good question. One is that it is proven to give consistant results. Another is that is gives good "color" to leather and conditions it. It does migrate, and so lubricates all layers of the leather. It has (anecdotally) been one of the longer lasting lubricants for the leather fibers. It has stood the test of time. Can NF oil be over used? of course!!! That can be done with any leather conditioner. Put Hide Rejuvenator (one of my favorites too ) on a saddle on a hot day, and it will take all you put on - and be overconditioned. Just because you didn't know better and overoiled or over conditioned your leather with whatever conditioner you choose, DO NOT blame the conditioner. You put it on, you messed it up. You can always add more if you need it later. If you put too much of anything on, live and learn. The darkening factor of oils has been brought up. If anyone knows of any product or leather that will not darken when used or exposed to sunlight, let me know. That is the nature of using leather. I would much rather see one of my projects dark and thin and worn out from use in ten years, than new looking and light in 50 years. I am not talking about a figure carving picture, I am talking about using leather - belts, purses, checkbooks, planners, saddles - that distinction has not been made with past advice. Leather is dead - it doesn't last forever. You condition it to last longer. Most astute buyers realize their belt or saddle will end up darker than when it is new. If they don't, educate them now. A lot of my customers would probably prefer it darker to start with. Some makers purposely solar age their new products to give them that patina of age. Many of you know I make several different type of tooled and carved projects. Pocket business card holders to saddles. Almost everything I do has been oiled (with a paint roller!) - for color and/or conditioning if for no other reason. I try not to overoil, and use a good finish to keep it in the leather. Have had zero bleed off complaints from the oil. How many customers will ever oil their checkbook cover again? I use NF straight or with varying levels of ProDye in it to color it for the project I am doing. I buy several gallons annually, and use them. I am interested to see how others use NF oil, and expereinces plus and minus from the users. Respectfully, Bruce Johnson

Tom, Good reply. I know we beat this topic up on another list. Not much to add other than selling at wholesale/retail. I was doing both heavily for quite a while. My prices were not exactly half. I figured my materials cost and markups first. That is NON-Negotiable!! I then figure my time. I have little formulas based on square footage or linear measurements how fast I can do each step. I also do time studies frequently to make sure my rate is still accurate. Then I figure my wholesale rate at materials plus so much per hour wholesale. I figure retail at some much per hour at the retail rate. My wholesale rate currently is $30/hour and retail is $40. This includes my overhead expenses. A project with 35 dollars materials and 4 hours would be $155 wholesale and $190 retail. I am going up to $45 retail. My goal is to make at least as much as the UPS driver who brings my stuff. My wholesale accounts have mostly moved away or found cheaper suppliers. I have one I still do, and he is not a problem customer - pays well, understands lead times, and is honest. My whole sale customers always knew what my selling price was. If they wanted to be higher, that was their business. My stuff was mostly not doubled ("keystoned") because they didn't pay for it until they got it, and often had already been paid by their customer. They had little overhead and no inventory expenses in my custom orders. Some non-custom things were sold on consignment, and others they paid half when they got it and the other half once it sold. This was mainly for things like the trade shows at the National Finals Rodeo, where everything was sold in a short period. One other factor. Don't sell directly to customers of your wholesale accounts if they contact you. Tempting as it is, just don't. The people you wholesale to are out there working to sell, paying booth space, staying in a motel or paying shop rent space and employees and shop overhead, They have to earn a living too. If you really need their markup that badly, don't wholesale in the first place. Bruce Johnson

I am still trying to see the issue with Neatsfoot oil moving around. Yes it migrates (I am glad it does), So does Lexol, so do the one step products, so does water, so does any liquid or paste that warms enough to become liquid. It migrates to lubricate all the layers of leather from top to bottom. The grain layer is denser, the flesh layer is looser (more spongier). That is why these things are used, to move around and lubricate the spaces between the fibers. If they didn't move around or migrate, that means they just stay in one spot. There is no migration, it must not soak in, because that would be migrating. Lexol sure has heck migrates, it is not the heavier feel of NF oil. Olive oil feels even lighter yet. We are just picking what liquid provides the best lubrication depending on the needs of our leather and what it will be exposed to. The needs of a saddle or boots, or anything used are different than a 50 year old picture hanging on a wall. Yep they will get dark, If that is an issue, buy a fake leather saddle, because oak tanned leather will eventually darken exposed to light - oiled or not. Just lay two sides out grain side up overlapping and watch the light change the color of the underneath piece over time. Ever get a mottled side from a distributor? It was shadowed by the piece on top of it in the stack. Lexoled leather will darken also. So will olive oil. I have not used silicon oil but it is reported to be the least darkening but will darken somewhat . There was a fad in the show horse world several years ago for very light (almost white) saddles. Silicon was the only thing recommended for them to prevent darkening, and they were used in their class and then immediately covered to prevent light-induced darkening. I was out of that loop. If you have a problem with oils coming off on your clothes or skin, it means the leather has been saturated by top to bottom and it is coming back out. Leather is like a tight celled cellulose sponge - it really wants to hold moisture. Add moisture in some form and it becomes flexible. If you use more moisture than it needs for flexibility, it seeps back out. You have used too much. You can do this with Lexol too. Leave the saddle making lessons, and lessons on the use of neatsfoot oil and where to apply it on a saddle to the people who actually use it - saddlemakers. If it was a problem, we wouldn't be doing it. Good point about dipping a feather in NF oil and it still being wet to the touch 6 months later. Personally I would be glad to see it wet at ten years. (BTW - it isn't. Eventually it just gets thicker and more greaselike, unitl it becomes a waxy paste). That is why it (and other oils) is used as a lubricant. It stays wet and reduces friction over time. I use Lexol too and found that the spills from it dry slowly too, and end up with a waxy type of greasy paste, but in less time than the NF oil. Water will make leather more flexible too (casing belt leather before making the buckle end fold for a common example), unfortunately it dries, and then the lubrication properties are gone. You can also use alcohol to lubricate leather. Lasts even less than water, used by shoe makers as shoe stretch. Also gone after water or alcohol are some of the fat liquors that was put into the leather at the tannery to give it some measure of flexibility before you bought it. Which is what Lexol, and other conditioners are purported to be - fat liquors. Which one you choose depends on your needs. Regarding your boots, I think you over-oiled them. However a little detergent will take that oil right out of your socks. I think we use Cheer. Respectfully, Bruce Johnson

Blue Penguin, I suspect the issue is how you are securing the leather, the probable hardness of your leather, and the awl blade itself. I can't really handsew very well in anything other than a stitching horse. By keeping the stitch line close to the jaws of the horse everything stays in place, the lines come out even, and I am happy. Hard leather especially if dry leather to start with, then dyed, which further hardens it if not oiled, is a little tougher to do. Notice I said little, because I think the next factor is the biggie. Not impossible just harder. You have to have a sharp awl blade. No getting around it. There is only one maker of awl blades I have found that have anything close to useable out of the box. Most need more than just a stropping new. The Tandy, Osbornes, and most others require some shaping, then finer stones, then fine wet/dry sand paper, and then stropping. Awl blades absolutely have to be sharp and smooth. I don't know it TLF still sells the awl with the blade stuck into the end, I used them for a while, but don't care for them. I much prefer the style of awl that has a chuck in the handle and replaceable blades. I have a couple of the red handles Tandy ones. I cut the knob off the butt end and flatten it a bit. The I can push with my palm - much less effort. Same with some styles of the Osbornes. If the blades (and some smaller sizes do) tend to be a bit loose, break off a toothpick and stick it in the chuck too. I have awls from TLF, Osborne, and Bob Douglas. The blades from Bob Douglas are weapons, they are great and ready to use out of the box. I bought the shortest awl handle he makes, and still cut it off. I like them palmable. If you get one from him, remember how sharp the blade is to start, and sharpen all your oither blades to that degree. Once sharp, if you drop one and the blade tip hits the floor - you will be upset. It takes time to get them right. Unless you have a physical reason not to, the Stohlman instructions are right on for handsewing. Keep everything in your hands. Setting down an awl and watching it knocked on the floor by the 4 foot thread you are pulling through will wreck your day. It isn't a race, but doing a good job doesn't have to take all day either. Bruce Johnson

Hoyden, If you are just going to do strap work with the heavier leather, probably the Artisan 3000 for less than $2000 is the choice. It has a narrower throat than some machines, but not as narrow as a Tippmann Boss for $1500 which is hand powered. If you want a machine with a wider throat, then you are looking at a Ferdco 2000, Artisan 4000, or Adler 205. Getting up to $4000 - 6000. I have an Adler 205-64 that is a tank and a Ferdco 2000. I prefer the Ferdco with the edge guide to sew straps now. The Ferdco has a lower needle guide, so I can't see exactly where the needle is entering the leather on a particular stitch. The Adler doesn't have the lower needle guide, and I can. The Adler skips more than the Ferdco, although not very much. Bruce Johnson

Johanna, I do a fair amount of alphabet stamping on my award orders. A few considerations to prevent the halo marks from the edge of the stamps. I letter stamp the leather pretty dry. I have cased it normally, and really let the color return to almost or looking dry. I do the same with my basket and geometric stamps. This is where knowing your leather is a plus. Gives me good tool burnishing color. It also helps to prevent the tool from sinking in too far and leaving the halo. The impressions are a ton better. They are more "rounded" looking, they have a nice round look instead of a square pressed in look. Of course I do my lettering first, so often I may need to go back and rewet my leather a bit to finish tooling or stamping. Another factor is stamp size and even which letter you are using. The bigger stamps can take more force. Smaller letters within a size can take less force. I try to hit my "i" with less force, and sometimes still bottom out and leave a halo. Bruce Johnson

Alex, Not to be a smart-mouth, but swivel knife blades almost always require more sharpening. With a few exceptions, they never come sharp enough to use straight off. As far as stropping, a business card on the marble is an emergency technique, similar to duct tape to fix something. The business card is too small to get a meaningful stroke length. If you use cardstock or firm paper like that - use a manila file folder or tablet back. Then you can get a good length of stroke. With a card you go 1-1/2 or 2 inches, lift and go back. you spend all your time in the air going back to start. Keep the blade in contact with the longer piece, and you will be done in a lot less time. Bruce Johnson

Alex, I use the rotary knives a lot. The yellow plastic handled ones with a 45 mm rotary cutting blade. I cut up to 16 oz skirting with them, using a 48" stright edge as a guide for long straight cuts. I can cut larger radius curves on thinner leather also. Blades come pretty sharp, and are disposable. I like them. I have a hook blade knife, similar to a linoleum knife I use a fair amount too. I have more control with a pulling motion, than pushing. This is my first choice for tighter inside curves. I ust the round knife the most. Yes, they can be dangerous for the novice. So is a chainsaw, but once I learned to use one, I wouldn't trim trees without one. If you learn good techniques, and there are some good instructions in the Stohlman tool book, you will be comfortable with it and like it. Quality and sharpness are key here. I am going to border on heresy here. It has been pounded into our heads that we need to make all our cuts in one pass. Would be nice in a perfect world. I have been known to make a cut half way through with the rotary cutter and go back and finish with the round knife. I have done tight inside curves in 2-4 passes. Those tight curves are hard on your knife to bury the tip and then turn it. Bruce Johnson

$$ Hobby' Thanks for the reply. It may have been Eugene now that you mention it. Have ridden quite a few saddles since that one, but always remember it was one of my favorites. I have only seen one other of his saddles down here, but that owner was pretty darn happy with his too. He puts just a little rise in the seat front, just enough for a little security, but low enough to cut, stand up and reach out to rope one, or just go on down the road. I always remembered how that one sat, and try to get mine to have that same feel. Have sat in some wet leather to get the job done at times. Now that I have a town for him, I am going to try information to see what I can come up with. If nothing else to just say, "Thanks". As an aside, you may need to change your name if you stick with this leather deal very long, probably have to had another "$" or two to your name. Bruce Johnson

$$ Hobby, OK, something from your area. About 20 years ago I bought a used saddle maker stamped by Dean Turner - Portland Ore. Other than my own, the best saddle I have ever ridden. I had to sell the saddle to make a horse deal work several years ago. I have yet to come across anyone who knows or knows of Dean Turner. I would just like to know something about him. Ever heard of him? Bruce Johnson

$$, I would check out Artisan's 3000. I have heard good reports on it. Same basic mechanics as their 4000 (built on the Juki 440 frame or a knockoff) with a shorter throat depth. Only costs about $2000. If you are doing tack, two layers of good skirting plus a woolskin is 3/4". Buy all the capacity you can. I own a used Adler 205-64 and a Ferdco Pro 2000. If I was starting out, my first powered machine would be the 3000. Bruce Johnson

Joel, I have not had the good luck with the plastic slickers that Greg has had. They and the wooden counterpart they sell are only available in one size. I have melted a few or had them deform. might be a difference in the plastic from different time periods. One thing you will find when someone refer you to Tandy for tools. The tools sold today often bear little to no resemblance in materials or design to other eras. I am not saying they are bad, just different. Some are better and some aren't. Your Black and Decker drill is nothing like your Dad's from the 60s. Same with some leather tools. No offense intended to anyone. I have used wood spindle slickers from Weaver and Norm Lynds. The Weaver one has a thin spindle tip and three slots. The spindle is good for slicking inside slots. It has a wooden spindle at the top to chuck into a drill press. Eventually it wears from the jaws of the chuck and gets out of true or breaks. I have another I got from Norm Lynds in WA. Norm made it with 8 or 9 slots in it to my specs. It has a metal spindle and will not wear out. I can do everything from 3 layers of skirting to 2 oz leather. I prefer Norms obviously. I am not sure if he is a member of this forum or not. Easier for me and a more efficient use of my time to buy tools rather than make them. I do everything from shirtpocket business card holders to saddles, so I have different slicking needs for different projects. That is why I use so many different things on my edges to set them up for slicking or burnishing. Bruce Johnson

Joel, This is a technique I have not seen in print before. I was originally taught it by a holster maker about 15 years ago. Since then I have had two old-time saddle makers share it with me too. Have shared this with quite a few people, and only one had ever heard about it before. Basically once the edges are even, dampen slightly and when the moisture is correct, burnish with a fairly coarse cloth until the edge is pretty smooth. You don't necessarily want it to be glassy at this stage. Then take thinned down white glue. I have used Elmers, last night I used Leather Weld. The glue is thinned to three parts glue - one part water (by guess). I usually use a damp cellulose sponge and lightly smear some on the edge. Let it get pretty tacky, not quite dry. Then start burnishing with a clean dry cloth. Rub hard and fast. It will get hard, dark, and glassy - very hard. You can hardly dent it or scratch it. I usually only do this on saddles, especially horns or sewn edges on stirrups - things that take a lot of abuse. It does act as a resist, so this is one of the last steps I do on a saddle. Bruce Johnson

Johanna, Ohio Travel Bag has some hardware nobody else seems to want to carry. They don't have very high minimums - something like an initial order of $75 to establish yourself as a customer, then $35 or so after that. They do only sell wholesale. Biggest issue I have with them is poor customer service. Never try email or wait for a call back. You will be dead first, of old age - Ann Stohlman award winners will be dead of old age. I ordered some hardware and threw in some of those plastic credit card holders for checkbooks to fill the order. You know, they cost about 35 cents. Ordered something like 25 of them. I was shorted 4 of them - backordered - out of stock, so what. Three weeks later I got them, along with a less than minimum order fee plus $7.50 in shipping for less than $2 worth of crap they were out of initially. Never was resolved or credited back. I am pretty darn careful now when I order and specify NO Backorders!!! Bruce Johnson

Johanna, Ron's Edge Dressing comes from Ron of Ron's Tools fame. (www.ronstools.com) . It is a thin liquid to dampen edges and then burnish. It obviously has some beeswax or similar wax, because when it dries in the dish, it is wax. Don't know what the carrier is. It slicks down easily, and darkens up with more friction heat. I like it for edges I won't be dying later, as it resists the dye somewhat. It is nice on saddle part edges, but for horns and sewn stirrup edges, I still like my diluted white glue. Makes a darn hard glassy edge that really resists scuffing. Bruce Johnson

Joel, Ok where do I start? The first thing is to have the edges squared up. There should be no stairstep between the lining and the the outer piece. I use a stationary bench top belt sander with different grades of grit, depending on type of leather and how much stairstep there is. The belt sander is much less prone to heat up and scorch leather like a Dremel or sanding drum will. I then use an edger. Which one? I have used Tandy edgers, Osbornes in a couple styles, Ron's edgers, and most recently got a set of Jeremiah Watt's round bottom edgers. For the price, quality of cut, blade's ability to hold an edge, the ones from Jeremiah Watt are the best hands down. The others are in a drawer. Then what do you use to set your edge with? I use plain water, water with Procarve, gum tragacanth, spirit dye, bees wax, saddle soap, Ron's edge dressing, and diluted white glue. Sounds like a lot, but I DO use all of these throughout the course of a month. Depends on what I am edging, how thick it is, what is the piece used for, whether I am going to slick with a wood slicker or rubrag, is it going to be dyed, and am I going to put a finish coat on it.. I either rub in both directions with a rub rag or use a wooden slicker. The rubrags are canvas, denim, or other coarse cloth. Some are rubbed in bees wax and others are dampened, rubbed well in white saddle soap, and then left in the can to stay moist or left out and allowed to dry. The wood slickers are either used by hand or most commonly chucked into a drill press on moderate speed. So, I guess to summarize I use a lot of different techniques depending on what I need the final product to do. Try each and see what works for you. Bruce Johnson

Teri, You might try a dilute vinegar (white vinegar) solution. I used to have a similar problem in my old shop. I would get spotting in as little as overnight sometimes. I must have had some nasty spores in there. I have also heard of using dilute lysol, lemon juice, and oxalic acid solution. To prevent this, case with BeeNatural Procarve. This solution has a fungicide in it. I have not had a mold problem since using it. Most of the suppliers carry it, or you can order direct. Throw out your casing bags, too. I would also not let leather sit cased in the fridge for a week. It might work for some, but I won't go much longer than 24-48 hrs. I dry it if going to be very long, and then rewet, although I sure don't like too! Bruce Johnson

Steph, David Morris was in Sheridan for Saddle Week this year. I really enjoyed the 4 days spent with him as a fellow student. He is very willing to share what he knows, and that is a LOT!! He can talk about trees, mechanics of fitting trees, and mechanics of putting a saddle together. You will learn a lot. He is a great guy. Bruce Johnson