Jors

Thanks for sharing. I purchased an bigger awl blade than my smallest, about twenty years ago and I only used it for marking as it did not penetrate leather easily. After watching the video, I sharpened mine on two Stanley Arkansas stones an finished it on a leather strop with green rouge. It now goes through thick layers of leather very smoothly.

I found the same problem. I had to modify my basket weave stamps to get a better accuracy. The two sides of basket weave stamps of Tandy are normally different. The better quality stamps are almost unaffordable around here in SA, so I am thinking of making my own. I am going to try out of brass, but with the aid of a small milling machine.

I am very fond of my toys. I have several knife sharpening systems. I also bought the lansky hard ans soft 6 inch bench stones. Together with a green and white soap on a strop, I can sharpen any tool to shaving sharp.

I am requested to do a leather holster with a crocodile skin texture on. Any Idea how to properly doing it? He not only wants the skin, byt also the points standing out on the back. The section in the centre of the attached image.

I have bought a few scraps of sheep skin and used it in moderate sizes as is to dye. Works like a charm.

Glockanator, Make a screen-grab of the picture of the slicker and post it in Microsoft Office (or other word processor) and re-size the picture so that it is 6 inches (150mm) long and 1 inch (25 mm) wide. Use the ruler of the program to check for size. Then print it real size. You will then see the sizes of the grooves.If your homemade one's grooves is slightly different in size, it will not matter. The slicker will still work. I have made mine on a metal lathe as I do not have a wood turning lathe. I have set my angle on 5 degrees off-set when I turned the taper. Worked like a charm.

HellfireJack: You have me thinking (in overdrive) TwinOaks: I am thinking on buying an airbrush set in the future.

I agree with you, but I would like to use them. The problem is they are not available at all in my country. To import is too expensive. For R200-00 ($30-00) I rather make five tools myself than buying one.

I am hereby humbly ask for assistance on daubers to colour leather (I think daubers are also a kind of a tool, although expendable). I am living in Cape Town South Africa and daubers are not sold in our leather supply shops, but I would like to make my own. I just need a close-up photograph of the wool tip of the dauber. I will then attempt to make my own. If I succeed or get acceptable results I will make a tutorial on how to twist the wire around sheep skin. I have searched on Internet for tutorials but could not found anything. Currently I am using Al Stohlman's method by pinching a piece of foam in a clothes peg or by holding cotton wool in my hand (covered by a plastic bag or a glove). I see Al recommended a piece of thick felt, but that is not readily available or way-out too expensive. Other suggestions will also be welcome. I have thought about twisting wire / or tying wool (without skin) the same way than fly tying, bit I don't know what a dauber's tip look like.

I am new to this forum so please forgive me for replying too late. Consider it as my opinion. I would advise a person to buy a nylon sheet of about an inch thick and the size you want. I will be expensive but if the surface get too ugly and full of cuts and grooves, and engineer can skim / mill it flat again, several times. I am not sure about the right terminology. The hydraulic cutting press that stamp out leather with pre-made knives: The refurbished cutting board of it that is getting too thin (half an inch now) - I am using it at the moment. In more than a decade it was not yet needed to refurbish it yet. Butcher supplies will also sell nylon meat cutting boards - the same ting. Regards, Johan

Jake, Please post pics when done. I thought about the same idea and therefore I have a bone folder and two different plastic ones. I have seen some wooden ones as well somewhere on the WWW. Regards, Johan