Rawhide

doesn't seem to burnish. But tools well.

I have some of Ron's and I still like the Gomph 100 times better. I can't compare the dixon's because I've never use one.

Could be, but I don't think so. I've seen some oil tanned and that seems more rustic looking. The leather I have looks exactly like veg tan.

I purchased a piece of leather from the Wichita Falls Boot and Saddle Maker's Show. It looks, feels, smells and tools like veg tan leather, but it does NOT absorb water! I can tool it without water or any moisture aid. What kind of leather is this? Thanks, Marlon

The old Gomph bevelers are the best, but you have to find them, since they aren't made anymore, but for the best price to performance, I'd have to go with Barry King's edge bevelers.

I use rubber cement to glue the leather to old x-ray film, or cresent illustration board.(depends on what I'm tooling), but after I'm done tooling, I remove the substrate and use a piece of crepe rubber to remove the excess tack left by the rubber cement. works like a charm. try the crepe rubber (found at hobby lobby or michael's, etc...) to try and remove the tack from your current projects, and see if it works.

I use neither flesh or grain side. I use the method Sylvia mentioned. You can use the leather, but I would be sure it's really thin. I use manilla folders and rub a green micro polish into it. The reason for the oil is that the jeweler's rouge that Tandy has is as hard as a brick, the oil breaks it down and makes it easier to apply to the leather. The green compound I use is already waxy and easy to rub into anything. I even use it on my cardboard sharpening wheels.

"the journal" is short for Leather Crafter's and Saddler's Journal. The pattern is in the latest issue.

Clay, I was sure nice to see you. Your description of Jim's place is spot on. He seemed to have thought of everything. Even the storage closet to keep the leather out of the light was brilliant. I sure hope to make it to some of Jim's classes. And as always, George was quite the entertainer! He's got more stories than a skyscraper!

I would use a leather cement to glue the pocket in place on the bag. Just imagine that the gusset will be stitched the same as if it were lined up with an edge, except that it will be placed in the center of the bag. I would use the gusset to layout the holes, since this will be the exterior of the bag. I would finish the edge of the pocket, before gluing it to the bag, then sew it on.

Seth, Do you have any pictures of what you have? It may be just as simple as stitching it to the front of the bag, before you assemble the main parts of the bag. But pictures would give us some more insight. Marlon

I've never had any issues with it forming. I usually glue up to about 1/4 to 3/8 of an inch from the edge. I sew closer than that but that's the distance I use.

I Like dirtclod, I too use binder clips. I glue with leather weld about 4 to 5 inches at a time. I let it dry under clamp, then move to another 4 to 5 inch section. It's easy enough to do it this way without too much trouble. Marlon

Very good, I will be aquiring some steel wool soon! Thanks guys and gals.

What should I polish the channels with? And oil with? Thanks for your suggestions.

Here's a picture

For you guys and gals that restore old tools, how do you do it? I have a rein rounder that I'd like to clean up. It's not in bad shape, but it could use a good cleaning. Thanks, Marlon

Mike, Gorgeous belt. Very neat handstitching. (a favorite of mine). Can I ask what leather skirting you used? Brand and color? Thanks.

a lot of sharpening is by feel. There is something to watch for when sharpening tho. The burr. this will develop on the very edge of the blade as you sharpen. A burr occurs when the metal at the edge of a blade rolls backward. You can feel it with a finger if you lightly pull your finger toward the edge of the blade. Take notice as to how long it takes you to develop that burr on one side. Use the same approximate time to sharpen the other side. When this burr occurs, you can use a strop to get rid of it, leaving a sharp edge. I use a tormek to sharpen my blades and it has a 1000 grit wheel on it. I've used the three stone set up as well and it works fine. Change stones once you've developed the burr on both sides.

I've tried almost all of them. Wooden, plastic mallet, rawhide mallet, Al Stohlman brand rawhide maul, ASB polyhead maul, Barry King straight maul, Barry King tapered maul. My latest maul ( i prefer mauls over mallets), is one from Ed "the bearman" LaBarre. I gotta say that this is the maul for me. It's very well balanced, never slips, and never flakes, and it's flipping pretty to boot! I love it. A maul, mallet, whatever is a very personal thing. You'll have to experiment to see what's for you. Marlon

I stopped using barge a while ago. it's too much of a hassle and very messy. I now use weldwood contact cement. I get it at home depot, it's cheaper and works perfectly.

Seemed to me that glue pots were always better suited for rubber cement. for my contact cement, I use an old plastic coke bottle with a tiny hole in the cap. I squeeze out what and where I want, and cover the hole with a small scrap of sheeps wool. works great and lasts forever.

Have you tried Ohio Travel bag? I think you will need a tax id to order from them tho...

Jeremy, I place the cord on a hook that's screwed into my bench, and then rub my wax back and forth over it. I rub fast enough to generate a little heat so as to sort of melt the wax into the fibers. I've never dyed my cord, but if I did, I would rub it with a white cloth until no more dye bled off, then wax it well.

Add a couple of LIGHT coats of neatsfoot oil between your dying, and finishing. Dying leeches out the natural fat oils and those infused during the tanning process. Take caution and apply this sparingly in increments. Neatsfoot is VERY easy to over apply and saturates the fibers. You can ruin a many of projects with oversaturating with oil.