bruce johnson

Too bad they won't see use but look at the bright side - this proves there are still more of these good old tools out there waiting to be found!

I have added eight leather splitters for sale to my website this evening. There are 2 sizes of Osborne #86's - a seven inch blade and nice inch blade. I also added 6 Chase pattern splitters in sizes from 8 inch up to 12 inch. The 12 inch is one I have used for about 5 years. I have stopped making saddles and don't need a big one for leveling anymore, and my 10 inch does all I need for now. Here is a link to my website for the landing page of the tools - http://brucejohnsonleather.com/content/index.php/leather_tools_for_sale/ . Thank you, Bruce

Mostly used to crimp or pleat fabric or paper. There are a ton of variations in these fluters/crimpers/pleaters and a whole set of collectors for them.

Interesting stamp, I got a similar one from Bob Beard. As far as duplicating it exactly, a few makers could do it.

I have a few Chases apart and will have pictures tomorrow. Batteries died in the camera half way through a shoot tonight. One spare in the drawer, stole one from the wireless mouse, and paired them with two of the dead ones. You'd think that'd work. It did for one more picture.

Thanks for letting me know - the link should be fixed now. Yeah, I believe several leather tools could fall into the category of self-defense aids. Always thought a draw gauge might handy in close combat too.

Twice in a week for fresh tools may be a personal best, but nursing a bad tooth/teeth has kept me from working in the shop much. It has allowed me to catch up on tools we have had ready to go for while – just hadn’t got to them yet for pictures and descriptions. Today there is another big run of 150 or more tools scattered throughout the site. Slickers – Best glass slicker I have ever held – CS Osborne Newark marked with beautiful wood. Also two Dixon edge irons – the ones you heat and run down a lightly waxed edge to give that finally pizazz of Old World craftsmanship. The European masters on Facebook leather groups talk them up highly. Hammers – A couple of the best saddler’s hammers I have had a hand on – CS Osborne and Blanchard, along with a really nice Marples tack hammer. Pliers – A few more here, including a cute tack pulling pliers with channels in the jaws to grab the heads without deforming them much like what you may be using now – recycle those tacks and reuse them. Channelers and Stitch Groovers got filled out a bit more Creasers – Double lines, single lines, and large round/layer creasers too. Highlight here is a Gomph #6 large round creaser with a super handle. Showpiece quality. Miscellaneous – One the “Rein Rounder, Miscellaneous “ page there are some really cool and eclectic additions! A huge scalloping wheel carriage that is CS Osborne Newark marked, dividers, old set of spot setters, collar palms, and conversation pieces/weaponry/Using tools such as collar/drawing awls, washer cutters and a straining fork. Here is the link for the landing page for tools - Leather Tools For Sale

It has been a little while since I added tools to my website, but I have some nice ones today! I have added a couple nice gouges, several Frenche edgers, and some round bottom French edgers. There are three beautiful Blanchard pricking wheel carriages with good wheels along with several overstitchers in good using sizes. The other section that got filled out was edge bevelers. There are a couple of Ron’s edge bevelers, several nice “fine” edgers, some bisonettes, and lot of Gomph round bottom edgers in using sizes as well as hard to find half-sizes. Here is the link for the landing page of the tools - Leather Tools For Sale . Thanks! - Bruce

not consistantly of any width. I can do straps of pretty firm latigo up to 3-1/2" easily enough. I haven't tried wider. Even some straps of other chrome tans do OK. Chap leather and softer chrome tans of any width over 1-1/2" - too much stretch and even with a dead-on sharp blade on a Chase or Krebs they just don't a decent enough job consistantly for me. I have been pursueing this for a couple months and nobody has given me much optimism. I'd sure like to hear the setup from anyobdy who is having good luck pulling larger widths through.

Fred, The bottom roller is adjustable for height. There are two screws on the frame about half way in on either side. Adjusting machine screws in them will drop or raise the roller. I usually set mine between a full 1/16" to scant 1/8" of space between the blade and the bottom roller. The thought is you just want enough pressure between the rollers to make sure the leather feeds squarely into the blade edge. If you are doing thinner leather and taking off a little then you'd want the bottom roller higher. Conversely if you are splitting skirting down to 4 oz in one pass you need some room so drop that roller.

Looking good there Bret. Color is staying good on mine!

I don't know for usre if the foot press dies would fit the Heritage hand press. Maybe check with Weaver's and see if they'd work dorectly or if there's an adapter.

Do you mean to put them into the driver for a foot press? If so, I haven't found anything better.

At least one stamp maker is using CNC already, and there are still some grerat stamps being turned out one at time on a mill by others.

It looks like one that Tandy sold several years ago - I have had a couple and they are nice knives with a good heavy feel and comfortable yoke.

I use a few knives. I do use a roller knife to straighten an edge next to a 6" measuring stick. I use a point knife a friend made for some inside corner cuts or tight trimming. The other 98% cuts are done with a round knife or head knife.

Good sharp blade and leather with some body I can usually get about 1-2" less than the blade width without a lot of trouble. On some I am doing the one side and then the other to get through. Depeneds on my leather some and what flavor of splitter I am using too.

Edge of the valley here in Oakdale.

Thanks Frank, very well done and clear!

Both were well worth viewing for me.

I buy a regular 3 ring binder and take the covers off. I drill out the rivets holding the clip on. I use the cover stiffeners for a pattern and groove the cover piece for the folds. I line all of them and basically sandwich the stiffeners and edge sew. I reattach the clip with Chicago screws or post back conchos that go all the through.

Everything comes back around I guess. I didn't know they were making them again. Maybe 15 years ago before the meltdown, Tandy had a program called the "College of Leather Arts". I had a broken pelvis at the time and it was a good way to pass the winter. You did modules in a particular area - braiding, case making, figure carving, etc. and climbed the ladder as you completed each one. The more modules you did the better the perks. - token discounts at the first level up to Wholesale-For-Life once you reached the top. It was a pretty good program becuase you had the incentive to do things you might not otherwise. There were levels like journeyman, master, etc. with the traditional certificates suitable for framing. Our local manager added a perk of a Tandy maker's stamp made once you reached a certain level as well. It goes on a Hefty handle. I got one and have to say it was pretty good then and damn if I'm not still using it. There are a bunch more options now for sure, and I wouldn't give up my smaller delrins for the little projects.

Ray, The best overall is the Don King Museum in Sheridan, WY. Don was a saddle maker, tool maker, and tool seller. He has a lot of saddles in there from about every maker of note historically, plus tools he had collected over the years. Upstairs is the Al and Ann Stohlmann display and the whole thing is very worthwhile. A couple other museums have more or less permanent displays of a recreation of a saddle shop. The Buffalo Bill Museum in Cody, WY has a good one. There is also a display at the High Plains museum in Spearfish, SD. There's one in the panhandle or west TX and somebody will have to help me out there with which one. We have a saddlemaking and carving tool display at our local cowboy museum I helped put together. It was a set to be a 5 month temporary display, and was extended another 5 months bedcause of the reviews. We are taking it down this next weekend to make way for another display coming in. I don't know what kind of feedback is at other museums, but this one has received good comments from the unititiated and professional saddlemakers alike.

I like the steel ones better also. If you can get one bought right, it has all the shims, a blade, and the screrws turn, good enough. Pretty much whether they are cast steel, brass frame with rosewood inlay, applied wood scale handles, or other variations they all work the same. There are some differences in handle size and shape but that's about it. The early ones didn't have a trigger too. Here's another factor and I have to share this. I sold some tools to a guy about a year ago. Every couple months he'd email and order a few more by number. He finally called a couple weeks back and we talked. He asked me to pick this time, he said he wanted me to pick the prettiest. His wife took down his pinups because of the grandkids, and he figured he might as well have pretty tools to look at now.

And a little more. HF and CS were brothers. HF Osborne was with CS for some period of time, maybe from the time or soon after CS bought the business from Wm Dodd. He left and started his own when some of the sons of CS Osborne were taken into the business in the 1870s. HF was sold out to the CS Osborne company in 1905 or so. Many of their tool patterns were the same throughout the run, but HF had some before CS did. As far as the tools themselves, there is probably not a lot of differences between many of them. Some HF tools are maybe finished a little better. The knife handles on the HFs are generally a little fuller than the CS knives. Some think the wood handles on the HF tools are prettier than the CS, but I have had pretty and "average" in both. There's just fewer of the HF tools around and that makes them a little more collectible. Back in that era though all the makers were competing against each other selling good tools to the men making a living with them. There were a few tools that had some choices on quality level, but by and large it was just one choice.