bruce johnson

Denise, He is bidding up a few bucks at time picking at q***i to see where that bid is. Even if you bid a high amount, Ebay won't let you raise your own bid if nobody is bidding against you. The only exception is if the seller has a reserve and the bidder hasn't hit it yet. You will see some leading bidders bid again later on in an auction. This is to raise their original maximum bid, in case someone bids a little higher later in the auction. Then there is the whole sniper deal that automatically bids on your behalf with seconds to go. You enter a maximum bid into a sniper program, and it places it just as the auction is winding down. Some live bidder thinks they have it locked up, and with a few seconds to go a sniper computer program bids for someone and you have no chance to raise. Ebay is one of those places you need to know what you are bidding on, set a maximum bid, and let it ride. You just have to take the bidding emotion out of it. Traditional auction bidding strategy is all but gone.

Update on the knife. It is listed as an Enchancree pattern knife by Blanchard. Art is right, it is shown a couple places in Salaman's book as a french pattern knife. I am still hunting the logo and maker, but no joy yet. A bonus of a card case to anyone who can tell me who made M (Hammer silhouette) F knives and when. I have sharpened it up. I did not sharpen the top, just the front and belly. It looks maybe handy to have the top sharp if a guy only had one knife, but I have hooks, rounds, a Philly, and a few other knives to use where I would maybe use the top of this one. As a user, it tracks like a laser. You better be on line to start, cause it ain't gonna jump the tracks. Good and bad. Lay it sideways and skive. It tracks like a laser. It stays on line. The amount of trailing blade is just like a big rudder. All you have to deal with is set the angle and push. Pretty cool.

Harvey, I don't think Hansen's do it. Travis has a buddy Jake, who has been working silver with his dad for a couple years. They are putting out some good stuff, and that might be something he'd be up for. I am thinking with a script name, make it one piece connected and not have to deal with 5 or 6 posts on each individual letter. Long sales this week for Travis, but when he gets home I'll have him call Jake.

Harvey, Right off the top of my head, I don't know who has stock script individual letters. Montana Silver has the individual block letters, but they may be pretty close to the Tandy ones. I am sure someone can do the script in silver, but price-wise, it might get up there. Another option might be an engraved name plate?

I had the best luck heating these with a small torch or candle until the leather chars and you can flake it out.

There is also a tool sometimes sold under the name "swivel tip cutter". I think they use them to chase threads in machine shops maybe? During one of my thumb dislocation deals a couple years ago I borrowed one. It has a trailing blade that swivels in handle, and you hold it somewhat like a pen. It worked alright, and saved me when I was splinted up. The problem with it is the cutting edge is at the back of this trailing swiveling blade. It is kind of like pulling a trailer that cheats badly. You really need to make exaggerated wide sweeping movements for the cuts to end up right. I was glad I had it when I did, but happier once I could maneuver the swivel knives again.

I have just seen pictures of one, but it looks more like the Americans or Champions. The Landis feeds from the front. The others all feed from the back. I don't think the Progressive machines are quite as common as the others.

Thanks from me too, Ray! I guess we see enough knockoff and rebranded stuff over here that we get a little skeptical. Glad to hear that report, and makes me look at that stuff with a whole different perspective. How would you like to be the guy who opened that warehouse door?? Hard to believe someone knew it was there and just let it sit. Glad they did.

I have an old Barnsley plough gauge and an old Dixon and can sure appreciate the quality of both. I was under the impression that Barnsley had closed down some time back. I am seeing that Barnsley stuff on ebay also, and Hale & Co are selling it. I really would doubt if there is that much old stock sitting around. I would like to hear some feedback on this apparently newer stuff too. Ebay feedback might be good, but you do that when you unpack it - not a after a year's use.

Holly, Turning the stirrups first. I would dampen them from the backside and the stirrup leathers too(another place I like to use ProCarve) and then turn them and run something through them. I like to use a 4x4 post section and that will overturn them a bit more than the tradtional broomstick. From the post I would add some weight. Something like 40# or so seems to be about right. Let them dry and then condition and work them a little, then set again with the weight. One of those things that takes about 5 minutes to set up when you are making a saddle, or the customer can fight it the rest of its life if you don't. As far as the softening, one thing to consider is what kind of finish is on the saddle right now. A lot of the finishes on new saddles will repel the conditioners. Some are water soluble, and some are hermetic sealing agents. I would be pretty careful at first. I had someone bring in a light oil finish saddle they tried to oil. Ends up the finish was a pigmented something or other and the leather was not oiled much if at all. Some of the production outfits use these finishes because each saddle is the same color and uniformity sells. Hit this particular finish with oil and it selectively mottles and peels. For conditioners I like Skidmores alright too. My number one favorite is Williams, and I use some Black Rock too. I like Hide Rejuvenator for strap work, but it seems to have more clothes ruboff than the others.

I have question about the Dale Martin saddles after Equibrand took over. I have a relative looking at one with the Greenville stamp on the carrier and cantle back. The seat plate says "Martin Saddlery". It is supposed to be 5 years old, and memory is kind of telling me that is right about when Equibrand bought them. Does anybody know how the newer ones are marked? Thanks,

Even where you get the water makes a difference. The closest hose bib outside my shop freckles up my leather. I am sure it is from rust in that pipe and faucet. I have to bucket water from the kitchen to fill my drowning tub. Water from there hasn't freckled.

Tim, Replied elsewhere too, but I think it is iron spotting to come on that fast. Try oxalic acid or lemon juice and see if that makes them go away. If it is mold, I am biased here, but the listerine in certain casing mix is there to prevent mold. I have also used ProCarve and eliminated a mold problem in my old shop. The ProCarve has an antifungal too.

Richard, I have both stamped and carved lettering into roughout trophy saddles a little bit. The big key for me was to get a good amount of moisture into the leather to get deep pentration. Then do the work when it was more to the dry side than maybe you would would if you were working on the grain side. This was one of those places I think ProCarve really was my friend.

I got my Billy Wootres pattern book and pack from Paul and Rosa at Leather Wranglers. Best pattern pack I have. The patterns are line drawings, with notations on some, sketching flowers and flows, and a boatload of patterns. There are some pictures of the finished work, and it is inspirational. Well worth the money to me and many thanks to everyone involved in making this available. Here's the link - Billy Wootres patterns .

Troy, I have had a Dozier for coming up on two years. It does a have nice thin blade and is a great knife. I bought a 4" Gomph this summer as a general user and 6" Gomph for a skiver. They are all made from D2. The Gomphs have a little meatier blade, but a longer taper than most of the other new knives I see around.

Geoff, From Bob Douglas or Barry King, probably a #2. From Jeremiah Watt, a #0. For straps I like more of a half round edge vs, the corner knocked off and the side being straight through the middle.

Tim, A while back I bid on a Crown Royal bag quilt at a benefit auction and now this. Nice idea, and you can justify making more from the environmental angle. Just think of all those bottles who would languish in some landfill. Good idea, and tip of the hat to your creativity for the project and your taste in raw materials. Cheers, Let 'er buck!!

The listerine has thymol which has antifungal properties and helps prevent mold. I have used it for (forgive the semantics Bob)"quick casing" on little things out of thinner leather and it does alright. I have used Procarve and my feeling is that the Procarve penetrates a little faster. That makes sense, since the Lexol probably slows the absorption a bit over just a surfactant like the Procarve. My other impression is that Procarve will evaporate faster too though.

I am pretty hard to shop for leather wise. I pretty much have what I need to get the job done. The only things that really interest me much now are a unique new stamp, an old tool with history, or creature comforts for the shop. I traded my son back pickups and found my black gold Resistol and harmonica....I guess I'll just ask Santa for some hippo or another pink shirt or two now.

In a word, "no". I have not had problems with any finish or dye after casing with this mix. I had problems with dye on some of the other formulas I have tried - never with this. All of my stuff has had additional NF added to it before I finish anyway, so a little Lexol in the case is no concern. I finish with Tankote, Bagkote, and Leathersheen. Not sure how true it is, but guys have written on some of these forums that one of the "fat liquors" used to treat the leather in the tanning process is the same as Lexol. It already may have some in it to begin with.

Mike, Here's a link that should get you there - Don Kingg/Walt Fay stamps

The Fay tools were made by Walt Fay, Clint's father. My buddy has an enviable set of tools from several makers. The Walt Fay tools are some of the best he has. The Ebay description says that Walt retooled a lot of old Craftools and that may be true. When my friend spent time with him, Walt used bolts for the blanks for the stamps he made him.

I guess I don't know that here is a huge difference only beveleing the edges in one direction. If you edger is sharp enough, it ought to be slicing the fibers off instead of laying them over too. I use bisonette edgers a fair amount. My wife really likes them, and having the front edge serves more for training wheels and a guide than a cutting edge 99% of the time. I used to be a big fan of the round bottom edgers, but they can dang sure scoop or get under some thin lining and make you say words you didn't learn in Sunday school. I still like them a lot, but am using the bisonettes more often. They are a little tricky to sharpen. What I do is wrap a piece of very fine wet/dry sandpaper aroung whatever I have to make the right curvature. Usually I use nails. You have to watch the angles a bit and be careful not to get into the edge on the opposite side. I strop on the edge of a piece of skirting I have rounded over to the right curvature. Not all of the bisonettes are created equal. My favorites are from Bob Douglas and Barry King.

I have seen pictures of theirs and like it. I use a 20 ton shop press similar to their mannual one (both are red). They have the top plate fastened to the crossbeam that the jack sits on. That would be an advantage. With mine I put a piece of scrap cold roll steel big enough to cover the die and the ram presses on that. It is one more step to put the scrap on the die and center it under the ram. Their price is sure fair enough. What I would spend in time and money to make a fixed top plate, The TCD one is less expensive. The $1000-2000 plus difference between a press and a clicker buys more dies. Contrary to first impressions , these shop press setups really are pretty alright unless you are in serious production. About 3-4 cranks on the handle will go through most heavy leather, let off the jack pressure enough to slide out the die and cut piece and slide another in. The only distance you really have to allow for is the thickness of the leather and the allowance to get under the top plate or ram. You don't have to let the jack go all the way up and start over each time. No adjusting for different die heights.