Rawhide

Amen to that! Marlon

He's definitley up to something, but he's pretty tight lipped about it. I can't wait to see. Marlon

Didn't think about that! I just assumed he was wetting the entire piece. Marlon

I'm not sure what you're doing wrong. You could have dirt and oils on your hands when you shape or bend the leather. You could also be burnishing the leather as you shape it without knowing it and when it dries is looks like a dark spot. You can try a mixture of a pint of warm water and oxilac acid crystals and scrub the leather, or you can try saddle soap and warm water. Marlon

Another fascinating piece from Peter... In case of a power outage...or just to set the mood The candle is white kangaroo...the holder is gold-leafed roo...both are 'pared' paper-thin. A wire runs through all for stability. Peter

Go to Home Depot and get a charcoal filtered mask. This will allow you to work on it without smelling the ill effects. I know this doesn't remove the smoke smell, but it keeps you from gagging! Marlon

Those awls are really too large for fine handstitching. You'll have to either grind them down to size, or buy one from someone who makes them. Some names for you are Peter Main (38.00) including haft, Bob Douglas (65.00 I think) including haft. There are others, and other folks will probably chime in. Also, look here for a wonderful description of awls by Verlane. Click Here (see pdf in post #6) Marlon

soda is right. That Mexican round braid is beautiful, but be prepared because it takes 10 times the perimeter length in lace, and is a pain in the butt to complete. It's simple, but time consuming. Marlon.

you can get a glass slicker from Barry King as well. Marlon

Not sure what you're trying to do, but sounds like you're trying to dye the grain side near the edge of a piece, not the edges. If this is the case I'm not sure if it can be done effectively without using either a dry brush technique, an airbrush, or using a border to separate the grain and keep the dye from running. Try masking the area you don't want dyed with blue or purple painters masking tape. Then when you get your dye on the brush, remove as much excess dye as you can on some absorbent paper til the brush is almost dry. Then dye your edges in several passes to get the darkness you desire. BE SURE TO TRY THIS ON SCRAP FIRST. Marlon

I have Barry's tapered and straight mauls, and wouldn't trade them for the world. Absolutely the best IMO. The wooden mallet that comes with the beginner kits is just that, beginner. It's not nearly heavy enough, and I don't think comfortable enough. If you grab a Barry King maul and use it, I guarantee you'll never want to use anything else. I also have a 2 lb Al Stohlman maul that has the rawhide face and a poly backup and I use it for Basket stamping and strap cutting, etc... Marlon

I think someone mentioned this before in the forum, but can't remember what the results were. I always love a good experiment. Marlon

google "farm woodwork" and there's a google book that has plans for one. page 98 I think.

i don't. But I think there are instructions on how to make one yourself out of a craftool beveler in one of the Al Stohlman books. Marlon

These are fantastic. I think better than Ron's edgers, Osborne, etc... I haven't tried Gomph or some of the oldies, but for what's available, These are top shelf edgers. Marlon

I've got a couple of Henley's and absolutely love them. I've got a couple of the stacked leather Al Stohlman Brand knives and like them, but not as much as the Henley's. I plan to get a Robert Beard knife one of these days, but that's pretty steep. I like mauls, better than mallets too. I have a Barry King tapered 16 oz maul for daily pounding. And a 2 lb Al Stohlman Brand maul for Basketweave, strap end cutters, punches, etc... Marlon

That's a good idea. I don't really need a bandsaw for many things, that's why I can't really justify it. Plus I don't have much room for one. I will still look though. Thanks for the idea. Marlon

I wish you bandsaw owner's lived around me. I want to cuts some new jaws for my stitching horse out of some 1 3/4" thick maple. marlon

I didn't ask. I assume a torch. Marlon

This is true. I spoke with Jim Linnell and he is collecting these tools to re die the masters. Also, FYI, Peter Main burns the chrome off of his tools. Marlon

Here's an example folks. Try and guess which is Barry King's tool and which is Tandy's. I didn't alter the picture (other than sizing for posting) or the impression, I just hit them with the same intesity as I do when basket weaving. Marlon

Tom did you buy it new or used? Peter Main told me that was the best bang for the buck airbrush in his opinion. I'd like to know what you think about it when you get some time on it. Later, Marlon

Tom, here's the catch to that statement. It's true that Peter uses quite a few Tandy tools, however, He modifies EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM! I didn't hear this from a friend or read it on a forum. Peter told me this in person, face to face. He says that NONE of the tools work the way they should when you buy them. So it's not just Peter's skill with a tool from tandy, it's what he does to the tool, as well as what he with the tool that makes his work unique and fantastic. And another thing you can tell your supplier is Peter doesn't use Tandy tools exclusively. He has some real gems, Don King swivel knife, Some Al Stohlman personal tools, his own designed modeling tool, etc... Marlon

Here is Peter's explination of how they were made. ...the arms and hands were first rough formed in shape...with layers of heavy leather (you can see these layers on the arms). They were then carved to shape...then covered with very thin goatskin (this you can see on the arm at left). They were then finally carved again...creating detail, and smoothing them out. Then they were covered with paper-thin cowhide. I don't know what they are for though, or what the other side looks like. Marlon

Posted with permission from Peter Main: