bruce johnson

MIke, so the finest it will stitch is 7 SPI?

I've never seen anything original. Pilgrim Shoe used to sell parts and I believe their catalog had a parts list. I don't recall a diagram. Bad News - Harris retired and Pilgrim Shoe is no more. I've refurbished and restored several. I don't have any pictures of the 3-in-1s handy. I do have pictures handy of a Landis crank skiver I did and this version of the crank skiver attachment is the same as the American. These might help some. The bottom end of the three in one is pretty basic. The gears pin to the shafts. The threaded end for the wheels are threaded right and left handed.

If I miss anyone, it is not intentional New stamping tools - major players are Barry King, Wayne Jueschke, Horse Shoe Brand Tools (Jeremiah Watt), Clay Miller, Gomph-Hackbarth, David Mabe, Sergey Neskromony, or Tandy New Hand Tools - Barry King, Ron's Tools, Horse Shoe Brand Tools, Tandy. There are a few top end knife makers but they are pretty much limited to knives so really don't fit your deal.

Where at in California? I'm in Oakdale

Does it l have the heater? - plug it in no heater - paint stripping gun to melt the wax. Torches can be a little harder to control the heat and gets kind of exciting when they flame it.

Yes I have. A little over a year ago I bought the remains of a belt and small leather goods shop. The previous owner sold and the new owner didn't want some of the tools as part of the purchase. Previous owner sold things on the hand made, no powered machine and single craftsman start-to-finish each piece premise. Each worker had a full set of tools and the original owner liked to try new things. New owners went powered strap cutters, splitters, and edgers. In the deal I got 5 or 6 of the $60-70 splitters that use the snap-off utility blades. Also some of the $120 handled skivers and a few import $175 splitters with a sort of locking mechanism. All were new in the box. I had the other styles before but these were the first for the bottom priced ones. On the snap-off blade versions, they were surprisingly good. The rollers were pretty true and fairly solid little units. I'm sure there are some duds but the ones I had were OK. I would not go into battle with them for production, but for the occasional skive off a belt end they do it or to split some lace they are fine. Strop the blade before using and they are going to do the job cleaner and easier. I took these splitters all to the Sheridan leather show and sold them out pretty fast off the bargain table. Don't get too hung up on blade width. First off, most people can only pull about a 3" wide strap through any splitter. Realistically it gets harder after about 1-3/4 inches and 3" maxes out most people. That is strap, you will not split many if any wallet backs or thinner leather without stretch and deforming it. The wider blades only mean you have more blade edge to work across before you need to strop or resharpen the blade. I deal in a lot of splitters and realistically these fit a niche.

I am going to politely disagree with a few posts here. There is no stamping on this piece. It was not made from nails made into stamps. It was drawn on with a blunt tip tool. Blow up the picture sizes and that is pretty obvious. This piece you referred to has been antiqued or had HiLiter used to get the darkened effects in the tickled lines. In the older era, it could have been drawn on with a lightly heated tool to burnish the design (not hot enough to scorch) or just drawn on damp leather and over time the lines filled with dirt and grime to pop the design. I would really like to get some background on the term "nail carving". I am wondering how historic that term is and am reaching out to some reproduction customers for info. I would bet the previous couple inquiries I have had regarding "nail carving" may have all come from this one page or whoever makes these holsters. I just don't have a lot of holster references to backtrack through. There is a book called "Packing Iron" that shows a lot of holsters but mine is out on loan. My mind is trying to draw a parallel with the accepted term of "finger carving" - free handed designs using just a swivel knife and no stamps.

I have heard the term a couple times recently, and have never really found an original historical source for "nail carved". If anyone has the history lesson on it I'd sure appreciate it. The couple examples I've been sent are just like this holster. Basically a simple outline only free-flowing design with no middle detailing. Could have been traced on with a nail. I don't see a stamp used in this one. A nail, tickler, stylus, anything blunt could potentially make this design.

Joe, Have you found the Simple Green makes the leather harder after casing with it? I haven't tried that yet. We are still using the water/Lexol/baby shampoo, and Listerine casing mix but have a lot of Simple green sitting here. Thanks! - Bruce

Weighing in with strictly my own experience. I never was a volume business. Other than coasters my wife still does we never had need for 100s of pieces at a time, but had dies to make what I needed uniform. There was a 12 inch round platen hand press with about a three foot handle. Had one for about 6 months. Worked good but as I remember close to 200 pounds and not portable. That handle stuck out and was a head knocker working in the old 8x16 shop. Lot of leverage and worked easily. One more vote for the Lucris MA III as far as a precision and durable tool. They seem to be the first of this smaller style I recall. I've had one and they do work well. For smaller dies I don't know of anyone that hasn't liked them. The retail on them was around $1100 at one time. I'd take another if it came my way. Weaver 4 ton - nice, durable, and good as well. I haven't had one but have played with them. I'd would take one in a good deal if I could too. The Lucris or Weaver - pull the handle one time, you're done. What do I use? started with a 20 ton floor version shop press with a steel plate/LDPE cutting board set on the cross bars and a steel plates to cover the die. hand cranked and realistically all I needed. The press was a couple hundred at an industrial supplier and the steel plates were scrap cutoffs traded at the steel yard for a case of Bud Light. Go in about 4:45 for best luck on those deals. Three pumps cut through most skirting. Realistically was pretty fast to use and a cheap set up. Texas Custom Dies sells one ready to go with plates. I got a Weaver hydraulic bench press with the attachable plates in a tool deal. It had been converted to an air over hydraulic jack. Handy handy handy. Hook it up to the compressor and go. No pumping and while not quite as fast, very efficient and works well. I'm not sure what the Weaver price is now (used to be around $450 but we know what steel and manufacturing costs have done). Those bench presses are pretty common from other suppliers and plates can made fairly inexpensively. My wife liked the bench one better and my son auctioned the 20 ton for what I paid for it. She clicks out coasters and 1 click out 4" rounds I glue up and turn for tool edge sharpeners.

Ferrule crimper, common as an honest politician. I seriously stopped taking a waiting list for them when the list hit 20. I get one every other year on average. There was at least one somewhat volume maker because I had or have seen several of the same design. There are shop made versions made from machinist vices. The jaws are channeled and drilled and with rounded receivers so when you crank it closed the ends crimp. I have had a few made with a pair of pipe flaring holders that are on guide that slide together. The holes have been machined with a tapering design to crimp the ends as they are slid together. I've seen pliers modified to crimp by hand too. I suspect that the major shops all had one but only needed one, they didn't need one at each work station. There just aren't that many showing up for sale. A few of us have approached different machinists but either they weren't interested or the price quotes were over the top. Greg Gomersall has a good one and I don't think he's had any takers on duplicating his. That's about the best version I've seen. I've attached some pictures of the pipe flaring tool version. Last quote I got to make to make a run of 20 was about $400 each with good pipe flaring clamps or $600 for machinist made clamps and tighter tolerances. There just isn't the market at those prices that I see.

Another factor is your stamp. They should taper up on the ends and not be squared off. That way you can float them in the cutline as Hags described and slide them along without the ends digging in or leaving chatter marks.

I never used anything but isopropyl rubbing alcohol for thinning dyes. It is dirt cheap and available at every corner drug store. When I was doing leather a bunch, I'd buy it by the gallon. I never saw a difference between the rubbing alcohol and higher percentages with my dye formulas.

Thank you Mike. I have tried to explain this to my wife and the handscribbled post-its were a nice thought. I am framing this and posting it over the sewing machines!

The crank splitter $500-750 as is with a decent blade and no breaks. The 3-in-1 trades hands for $250-400 as is with good blades and no breaks. Add a few hundred refurbished to each.

Probably not a fake - the handle and everything looks correct. Yes they made leather knives and I’ve had a few. They are usually nice knives!

You will have trouble pulling wallet parts through a pull splitter without stretching and deforming out of shape. Most people can pull a three inch stirrup leather to level it but that’s about is. The wider blades just get more places to work before stropping or resharpening

I am now restocked with these three piece rivet sets in #9 and #12 sizes for copper rivets. Each size has a burr setter, peener, and crowner for the head. They really finish off copper rivets smoothly and professionally. They are made by Richard Brooks in Canada. Price for each three piece set is $54.00 plus shipping. For more information on the rivet setters please check my website at https://brucejohnsonleather.com/leather-tools-sale/rivet-setters/ thank you! - Bruce

Yes sir, that is correct also. The origin of the “belt” punches goes back to flat drive belts on machinery powered by line shafts. They were intended as a price point tool used by mechanics and users to punch holes for splicing belts. Easy to make on a lathe from round stock. The tapered clearance punches are forged and have more involved in production. It kind of gets me when people grind a inside tapered punch to make a half round scalloper. They tend to undercut because of the taper. A cheaper belt punch makes a much better scalloper.

The difference in use is that the #147 punches have a flattened handle and the #245 punches have a round handle. Most people find the flattened handle easier to twist out of a hole than the round handle. The clearance holes seem overall smoother on the 149s as well. It is no doubt easier to manufacture the 245s and that likely accounts for the 3x price difference between the two styles. Also note that the number sizing are not the same between the 147 and 245 punches once you get larger than the #6.

I send out 6 inch rulers with my logo and contact info with my new customer orders and every so often with repeat buyers. I also give them away at shows. There are now over 9000 rulers out there. Several years ago someone asked me why I don’t have stickers. I didn’t know and at that time didn’t realize the extent of “sticker culture”. I ordered them in small for cups and large for toolboxes and shop refrigerators. 5000 of each in circulation now. My suppliers and other leather friends send me stickers with orders and the refrigerator and shop door are pretty well adorned, as are my two Yeti cups.

Nicely done, I had a short visit with Rocky yesterday. I’ll be seeing him more over the next few days. Interesting guy and a world of experience

Here’s a link to a tutorial I did for the forum about 15 years ago. I have done a ton of rope borders. Eventually the Craftool stamps will bend up on the ends. I would go through 5-6 of them a year. Beveling really makes it pop. If you decide you like the rope border, I sell three sizes of rope stamps that have a lot of dimension and a bevel built in.

I would not rule out that these are tinsmithing tools. The one on the right looks like a beader to me.

The big thing to jump from hobby to business is to figure out what is your target market and how will you reach them? Your town or local area will likely not support a business but might support a decent hobby income stream. That just depends on what you make or want to make. The kind of things that sell off a good website or at a boutique or specialty shop wont sell at most craft fairs. Making custom or personalized items, stock items, or both? Pricing? You have to know your costs, and all of your costs. The leather is generally the cheapest thing in a product. Bob Brenner sells a book on pricing leather goods. You mentioned a sewing machine. Yes, yes and yes if you are looking to make money.. I started out handsewing and got pretty proficient and decently productive. Marked with a $5 Tandy overstitcher, two needles, awl, and most days - 6 SPI at an inch a minute. Pretty soon after they came out I bought a Tippmann Boss hand crank machine, later upgraded to an Adler 205 and eventually now we have two Ferdcos and a Singer cylinder arm. If you are competing with most products and looking for income, then you need to either put them out faster or accept you are working for pennies against their dollars, been there. The new guy starting out generally will not have the reputation and be able to command the price that pays for the time of handsewing. The customers that will seek that out and pay for it are not the new guy's customers generally. I just finished writing a series of articles in ShopTalk magazine about upgrading tools from the basics - what type of tools to upgrade and where to get them, my order of importance, and how to get them paid for. It is way too lengthy to write here and I'm not sure I'd even have the rights to do it since they have published it. I've received a LOT of positive feedback on it. Take classes and read. The internet is full of great information now along with a bit of real crap. There are two major magazines for leather crafting - Leather Crafters and Saddlers Journal and ShopTalk!. Both I think are a real plus to subscribe to. Both of these magazines also sponsor leather trade shows. There are leather classes at shows and some classes in private shops. I used to take a lot of classes at shows when that was about the only source of information besides print. The hands-on and visual aspects help a lot in person vs on a screen. My wife took men's wallet and women's wallet classes at the Sheridan WY show a few years ago from Jerry Van Amburg. She walked out with two wallets and the skills to make them. She's made a bunch since then with exotic leathers or stamped patterns. If they are not gifts, they are $150-200 word of mouth. Same with a tote bag class last year that Aron Heizer taught. she came home with a workable pattern and skills and a bunch of tote bags have gone out the door too. She's having fun! These classes flatten the learning curve and get you to making things that sell.