bruce johnson

Doug, Both of the stamps on my scan came from Barry King. Edit - Clarification - Both of the stamps on the right side came from Barry King. I had him make me up the rope stamp, the waffle stamp is his regular ol' order it and get it.

I think it has been pretty well discussed that low end stamps serve a purpose and fill a niche. For me they have let me try some different patterns with minimal outlay. I could run a $5 triweave and see that I don't like it much in my hands. The walking tools tend to be more forgiving and can be cleaned up easier. For me where the quality crosses the line is on set stamps - baskets, geometrics, borders, etc. You only get one hit and the impression is what it is.

I got in on the tail end of the Tandy X-1, and I think still have part of a quart left. The LF manager who told me about it said it was one of their better products and slower movers. Originally it was put out by Drake's. At some point Tandy or TLF got the rights and I don't know if the formula was the same. Many of these chemicals have changed formulas a few times in the past. Changing formulas is nothing new. X-1 seems to be a colored finish. It gives a mellow finish with medium tan to light brown highlights. I am not sure if it is an acrylic or what kind of base for sure. It works out good for a finish on vegtan liners that you don't want to oil, but want them to color up some. It highlights crease lines. It was kind of an all-in-one product.

Josh, Not JW, but the roughout gives you a little better grip and keeps you from sliding around quite as much as a smooth out saddle. It also shows scratches less. JW, Another one with a great stamp job. What's going to be next, a triweave? Seems like you have mastered all the others so far.

Charlie, I usually quit oiling when I think it "needs one more good coat". I can't claim this is an original idea, a really old guy told me that once and it stuck with me. Old men are generally wise. I would leave it sit for a few days now and then come back and look at it. I like the Williams. Seems like it gives me a better feel without getting sticky. Let it sit a day and it really buffs up to a pretty mellow finish.

Bubba, It isn't stealing or we'd all be in jail. One of my customers was sitting in the shop several years ago and complaining about powder getting on his watch and wallet when he put them in the well of the can. He asked me how come rope cans didn't have a pocket. Ummm, they did after that night. About a month later someone asked for a strap with a hoofpick pocket, and that was easy enough. This was about the same time that the catalog guys were selling the powder holders that hung off the back dee ring. Pretty unhandy to have it flopping around back there and maybe catching your leg on it getting across. I just stuck one down to the strap. Some of the first ones went to Texas and Oklahoma with some guys who were out here for the spring rodeos. That fall, Casey told me the outfit in Vinita OK was trying the powder pockets on straps, and when we went to the NFR a few guys were selling them.

I get them from Jerry Van Amburg at www.vanamburgleathers.com.

I use Oster A5 clippers with #10 blades.

So how does this royalty deal work? Does this make Johanna the Queen Mother?

Doug, Not sure what Weaver's prices are. I have some from Big Sky Tool and Die in Gwinn, Michigan and Texas Custom Dies in Mansfield Texas. The Big Sky were their standard dies, and I got two simple customs from Texas Custom Dies. There have been some previous threads that have mentioned other sources too. There seems to be a lot of die makers who make them up too.

Tim, It is just as frustrating for them not to have it. The last shipment they got had spots on it. I like the DT for rope bag gussets - just the right mix of body to keep them from collapsing and flexibility to reach into the bag. I ran into the same deal on the black before Christmas. I had an order for a black rope bag. I ended up and hunted around and found some black oiltan at TLF that was a distressed type look. I overdyed it with black spirit dye and it really came out well. Hidehouse has some similar leather. I picked some brown up for a friend a couple weeks ago. The invoice calls it "velva oiltan".

George, I use something like 8/9 usually. Sometimes I will use light skirting, but skive the edges down to that thickness.

Luke, I will pass along your sentiments to Dave. We are driving down to Visalia Saturday night to see him. There is a little coffee joint they clear out and set up chairs. Seats about 40 and they get some pretty good entertainers in there between bigger shows. Very tight setting and worth the 3 hour road trip. Kevin, I go back to the Ian and Sylvia days, and the first song I think I heard was Un Canadien Errant. I don't understand a lick of French and probably spelled it wrong, but that one got me. The new Ian Tyson is different. He had a throat deal and ended up with a permanent gravely kind of voice now. It took a guy who always sang smooth as silk and gave him an earthy kind of edge. The writing is good and I am not sure if I like the new one more for the reality of his voice or the music.

Doug, No idea what brand. The only label is the safety deal - wear eye protection, etc. I think it had some stickers in the bag o' parts, but they are long gone. I have had it a couple years at least. It is Chinese, but that is about all I know.

Mary, This is one of the few forums where suppliers are encouraged to join. Discussion about them and from them is allowed, including new products, contact info, and experiences. Feel free to post an intro about your self and your business in the introduction and supplier sections. If you have stuff to sell, there is a "Marketplace" section as well. There is a mix of people here from new beginners to those who have spent a lifetime in the business. We all buy and use stuff. Welcome. Edit: As Jordan pointed out, it is safer to either post your contact info in a hyper-link or spell it out (i.e. joesleather at domain dot com) tp slow the harvesters down.

Doug, I would look it over pretty well. Seems like when I was looking the HF all had the ram welded on crooked. For me I wouldn't go hog wild on one. There has to be some other sources of them in "the cities" too. Check out "industrial supplies". Most farm shops have one, and a local farm supply/hardware supply might be able to get you one too. As far as size, I think the Weaver benchtop hydraulic press is 5 tons. I got the 20 ton because it was not much more, and someone on another list had recommended 20 tons. I think at one time I was told the general recommendation was 200# minimum per inch of rule. The other thing is to make sure the plate you put on top of the die covers the whole die or you could bend it. Mine are 1" thick, but I would bet a guy could get by with 1/2" easy enough.

Doug, I bought it at a local industrial supplier, kind of like Harbor Freight without the line of bargain bins down the aisles and brands you have heard of. They are a one or two location outfit. It was about $15 more than HF. Thanks for the compliments on the site and work. It is all in progress.

Buddy Holly, Boston, Louis Armstrong, Bachman Turner Overdrive, REO Speedwagon, Wylie and the Wild West, Dave Stamey, Bob Seger, Richard Elloyan, RW Hampton, Kandace Kalona, Adrian, Ian Tyson (really liking the new one), Juni Fisher, Eli Barsi. I have a few poetry compilations and a couple poetry CDs from Randy Rieman. I listen to those a fair amount too.

My press cost me under $200 at a place similar to Harbor Freight but better quality. It is more stable and the ram is true. The 20 ton was more solid and not much more cost than lesser ones. I put a piece of cold roll steel under a plastic HDPE cutting board. Leather on that, then the die, then another piece of cold roll over the top of the die. The scraps of cold roll were end cuts from a local steel yard. I figured that I'd have about $1000 for dies before I would have paid for a clicker. As it is, I have dies for cinch and latigo carriers, spur straps, and Rundi has two coaster dies. Once you have cut the first piece, you just have to let off enough to slide the piece out and replace the die over the leather. On skirting that is usually 4 strokes at the most. If you let it off all the way, then the ram will go all the way up and it will be like jacking a car up every time. I use mine for embossing plates and cutting plates too. I can also mold leather in press forms that would be difficult in a clicker. I just use the ram over the male part of a two part form. Makes molded cell phone cases and pliers pockets easier.

Doug, One of my friends has one of the Lucris ones and uses it a fair amount. With the cam action and mechanical advantage it is something like a 5 ton press. The bed is decent sized and the head is adjustable. He uses it for small clicking, embossing, and a cool thing is he can set his lettering stamps in place and press them all at once. He has a big clicker too, but this one is pretty handy. They aren't inexpensive though. I priced one a few years ago and they were about 1200 then. One recently sold on Ebay for more than that. For what I need to do, I use a shop press and steel plates over my dies to even the ram pressure across the whole die. Even on heavy skirting 3-4 strokes of the handle will go through it. Back off enough to slide the die and piece out and slide another in. Not as fast as a hydraulic clicker, but cost effective for what I use one for.

This is a border I have used a fair amount recently. I got the stamp pattern off a Porter saddle I restored. The original stamp was one of the McMillen patterns. Barry King made me one up for the saddle. I also had him make me up a couple in smaller sizes. I have done it single and doubled up between bead lines.

Skip, After I bought my first powered machine and it was not what I needed, I told LCSJ it would be nice to have a generic article on sewing machines regarding different feeding systems, flat-bed vs. cylinder arm, capacity, motors, etc. I had a supplier who volunteered to write the article or series of articles. It was ignored. At one of the Sheridan show we went to, I told the Reises that it would be nice to have a class in introduction to sewing machines. "Yeah, that's a good idea" and smiled at. I think that was the year the Artisan 3000 was introduced. When I mentioned it again at another show, I pushed the issue a little further. The explanation was the same as why some topics are omitted or seriously edited by the LCSJ. They don't want to tick off an advertiser. They are afraid that it could turn into an infomercial for or against a particular line of machines I guess. There are now several introductory priced machines that weren't available when I first got one. You only have to look at this forum to see the questions people have. Something that a little hands-on or show and tell could help.

Olaf, I read another forum for boot and shoemakers (www.thehcc.org). These guys are pretty traditional. In their archives there is some info on handwax (coad). It seems like they all make it up themselves. It sounds like the domestic sources for some of the "makings" are gone, and they have to import them.

A couple weeks ago Randy Cornelius asked me to post the purse pattern book I made up a few years ago. A little injury and some forced time out of the shop gave me the time to find my last remaining book and get it scanned in this morning. I think I printed up and mailed about 450 of these a few years back. These are some patterns I have used in the past, and still do. Some things I have changed, mostly the tooling patterns. The techniques have pretty much stayed the same. It is about 35 pages or so, and a big file - 15 MB. If I was more computer literate I could probably make it easier. Bruce_Johnson_Purse_Patterns.pdf Bruce_Johnson_Purse_Patterns.pdf

Sorry about the bad experience. I have had it happen from suppliers too. It looks like a tough business to be in, and deal with sources from all over the world and customers on the other. I am glad these independents are giving us a choice "B". Just to add a bit to my Hide House experience. Last week I took the morning and drove over and visited them in Napa. I had been a casual customer before. Roger had been my rep, and I had always got good service for my orders. I had recently ordered 3 sides, and it was some of the biggest cleanest sides I had got in a while. One reason for the visit was to see if they all were that good, or my order got "cherry picked". They mostly all were that good. The warehouse is pretty big and well laid out. Neatly organized and looked like a fair amount of labor pulling and filling orders. I had a few pieces I needed and Roger pulled them, then turned me loose to wander the aisles. He came back every so often, and the other workers would ask if we wanted anything pulled to look at. Just a very enjoyable experience, and I came away with more appreciation for what they have available. It also gave me a face to face experience. While not everyone has the luxury of living a couple hours drive from someplace like this, I'd recommend a visit to any suppliers you can. I also made a trip down to Buellton and visited Siegels a while back, another enjoyable trip and similar setup. Both of these are located in different "wine country" areas and could be destination get-aways too. ntex, Thanks for the heads up on the debit card deal. Something I hadn't considered before, and I appreciate it.