Rawhide

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:

Thanks Randy. When I run out I will go with a better brand, and remember to shake well. Marlon

There is a BIG difference in the B/W tools from Tandy and other makers. The Tandy's can make a decent impression, but take considerably more effort to do so. Are you using a 2 lb mallet or maul? That can make a difference too. I seem to do better with my heavy maul for B/W tools. I have a couple of Hidecrafter Basketweave tools and I think they give a far better impression than tandy's. That being said, I have a Barry King Crazy legs tool (which is a type of B/W) and the tandy version. The difference is astonishing. I can hit Barry's and give a clean impression with little effort, but the Tandy, takes everything I got, without risk of the tool slipping. Marlon

Hilly, Tandy carries a cement thinner that's used to thin it down. Twin, Thanks for the idea. I may give it a shot. It's only about a 1/4 of a quart left in the pot, but I don't know if that's the problem since the remainder in the can still has good viscosity. HMMM????

I keep my rubber cememt in a teflon pot, just as I do my contact cement. I know every so often the contact cement needs thinner to maintain consistency, but the rubber cement seems to be thinning on its own. Is this common? Is there a way to combat this? Thanks, Marlon

Rob this is great. Thanks for posting. I do have one follow up question/request. Dimensions? Not that I want to completely duplicate your design, The pictures just don't have much in relative size to judge with. Thanks so much for sharing this info. You're a gentleman and a scholar. Marlon

Thanks for bringing that up, because I forgot to mention that. I agree wholeheartedly. Marlon

Thanks for the explination. And glad to here you're coming to the B/SM show. (I love your tools). Marlon

Barry, Do you rub the liner from the center out, randomly? I'm not sure I understand how that works. Also, are you going to the Boot & Saddlemaker trade show in Oct.? Marlon

Ok here's what you do. Get about 5 or 6 cotton balls, an old T-shirt, a rubberband, a medicine dropper and some dye. Thin your dye to a lighter color than your after. (it's better to add more than to go too dark up front). Cut out a piece of the T-shirt into a 5" or 6" square. Place the cotton balls on top and collect them in the t-shirt and gather the t-shirt like you do a garbage bag. Gather it tight and then use the rubber band to hold this together. Now you should have a "pad". Use the medicine dropper to add dye to the pad, blot it to get the excess dye off then, starting in one corner, rub the pad on your leather in circular motion until you cover the entire piece, adding dye as you go. You'll know when you need to add dye. Do this in several coats to achieve the desired color. This method is called burnish dying. I've had fantastic results using this method. Good luck, Marlon

Yeah, thinner leather will stretch more, but dependent on the tannage, thick leather can stretch as well. Marlon

What you should do is rubber cement it to the xray film. I use cresent Illustration board, but I'm sure xray film is just as good if not better. How I do it is apply a coat of rubber cement to the illustration board only and spread it using a hotel credit card. Then when it's tacky I place my leather, center first on it, and smooth it out from the center to ensure good adhesion. I sometimes take a rubber roller and roll over the leather to be sure. Then I use a piece of crepe rubber to remove the excess rubber cement from around the piece (this way, my hands don't get sticky and put rubber cement on the project - it will prevent dye from absorbing.) then I case my leather. When I'm done, the illustration board peels away from the leather easily and leaves no residue on the leather since I only placed the cement on the board. Marlon