Rawhide

WOW! 7 Beard Swivel knives? I wish I could get just one. Maybe I can catch him at a show with some. Hopefully he'll attend the Boot & Saddlemaker's show in Wichita Falls. Marlon

Hi Kevin how's it going? Coloring a la Peter? Naw. I think that Sheridan style has everything too close to color it correctly (at least for me). I do plan to attend the new embossing class. How about you? The letter came from the cover of Peter's book "The Main Technique..." Marlon

Thanks David. I've just recently started using Leather balm w/atom wax, and I like it very much. I don't know if it's waterproof or not, but I like the mellow finish. Marlon

David, Once again, that's a beautiful seat. What do you finish your seats with, not the stain but topcoats? Do you waterproof them? Thanks, Marlon

I'll just put my .02 in. Talking with Peter Main, it was surprising to know he uses mostly Craftool. He rarely uses a beveler, mostly a modeling tool. He also said that he doesn't have a tool that he hasn't modified. Just a thought. Peter makes fantastic carvings with craftool, so you can too. But as ClayB said it takes practice. Even perfect tools won't make you a good carver without practice. They may make the learning curve lower, but they won't replace practice. For the best bang for the buck I think Barry King would fit the bill. Not that any of the others aren't good, just that for the budget minded hobbiest they meet the criteria. Marlon

You are most welcome

Actually the knife and the blade are most important if you plan to do a lot of carving. However to answer your question, the A.S. you have will fit the bill just fine. It's a ton better than the craftool swivel knife. As for the blade on thin leather, that Peter Main blade is designed for exactly that. If you remember, there was a carving Peter did with the title Happy Everything (it should be floating around here somewhere). He carved that out on 1mm leather! The Hollow Ground blades won't be very good for thin leather. Marlon

Here's the Peter Main Blade. (couldn't get them all in the same post) Marlon

Sure, Let me get out some leather and I'll try and show visually. This will be hard to see on the photos, but each blade cuts very differently, some cut narrow & deep, some wide & deep, some shallow and wide, etc... Basically I have a 3/8" hollow ground straight blade, this is what I do most of my traditional carving with on anything 4/5 oz and above. Next I have a 1/4" hollow ground detail blade that has an angle to it. This is used for finer work, sheridan would be an example. Next is a filigree blade (steep angle) this is used for extreme fine detail that has to be cut with some depth. Lastly I have the Peter Main special. It is a blade that is almost straight, but has a slight angle, and it has a wide bevel to it, this I use for accent cuts, and carving on 3 oz or less leather. It will open a cut better without having to go deep, due to it's wide bevel.

I think I will just cover the top. Thanks for the additional comments. Marlon

Whipit, Before you buy from the states and pay shipping, you might email Peter Main. He's from Australia and may be able to tell you where you might find one locally. Just a thought. Marlon

Thanks for all the wonderful comments guys, I thought it came out pretty good. I think I may Neat lac it and antique it. I don't think color dying is true sheridan. As far as the two AS swivel knives. The first one I got at cost from Tandy, because I fixed a piece of machinery for them. The second one, I bought with the 50% discount on one item sale they had about 2 months ago. The first silver one is also an AS, but the knurled type 3/8 inch barrel. The last silver one on the far right is a Henley with the Peter Main special blade (awsome knife). I don't think you can have too many swivel knives. It beats having to change blades any day. Even though I have my screwdriver and allen wrench attached to some magnets in the lid. (you can't see the allen wrench because it's so dark.) Clay, I really thought about trying to do that, but I digress. That's just too darn tiny for me to try and match. Anyway I have one "small" initial there in the middle. Marlon

Thanks Tina. Again, I can't take credit for the idea. That was Peter Main's. Marlon

I stole this idea from Peter Main and made myself a box to carry my swivel knives in. It's parts are a cigar box from Joann fabric, a few layers of foam (I took a throw-able flotation cushion from wal-mart and cut it open to get the foam out), some rare earth magnets, and some velvet. Here are a couple of pictures. I haven't finished it yet, but I will probably antique it. Marlon

you guys are funny. Thanks for all the great ideas. Marlon

Well David, It's about 1000 miles from Hamilton, adding the bike, might want to tack on a couple hundred bike miles (kinda like wind chill factor, "feels like"). Roughly about 16 hours. I wasn't born in Texas, but I got here as fast as I could! Marlon

I live in Fort Worth, TX and there's Hidecrafter's and several Tandy retail/warehouse stores.The LW community is fair, not huge, but fair. There are good opportunities I would think for holster and sheath makers, as well as saddlemakers. Plus there are no state income taxes. Real estate takes can get expensive if you don't choose carefully though. Marlon

Hilly, I use a number 5 cord for just about everything. The twists\ identifies which way it's twisted together, but that only matters if you are using it in a sewing machine. I think Left twist is for most sewing machines. I've had really good success with this cord. Now if I can just get my stitches to look uniform, I'll be in business. By the way. I bought mine from Campbell too. It comes in a spool of almost 1100 yards. That's probably enough for my lifetime. Marlon

Hilly, I think it's the pre waxed thread. I posted this exact same problem back before the crash of 07. I have since switched to barbour's cord, and have not had a problem since. You can pull as hard as you like, and the cord won't seem dirty. Marlon

My fault Kevin, I read it wrong. Sorry about that? I know I'm not good enough to use a motorized stone. Marlon

Hide, I just want to clarify. I NEVER use a stone wheel on my tools. Just the felt wheel with rouge. I know Kevin mentioned he does, but I'm afraid of damaging the temper, or taking off too much material, so I just don't do it. I used to never use sandpaper either, but after taking a class from Peter Main, I think differently now. I figure if it's good for him it should be good for me. I hit my swivel knife on it for about 2 strokes, then on a rouge loaded card (not leather) and I'm good to go. May be a difference of opinion, but that's ok, that's why were here...to learn. I only use the sandpaper if my tool needs to be sharpened. The second paragraph of my post says if you just need a hone...use the rouge. I do like the idea of the skirting with the beads. Good idea. I may be using that in the future. Marlon

One of two ways for me. I either use a smooth rod the same diameter of the edger and use 800 grit sand paper. Place the sandpaper over the rod, and run the edger back and forth over the rod, moving the sandpaper to clean spots as necessary. Then a light buff on the buffing wheel. Or, if you just need a hone, use a string of round lace, rub in some jeweler's rouge and pull away from the cutting edge. Pull through several times. A light buff on the buffer and you're on your way. Marlon

Thanks everybody. I already have the stone. I just wanted to know if it was worth the trouble of polishing it. I see now that they will stay unpolished. Marlon.

Just a question to pose to all of you. What type of flooring do you have in your shops? What you prefer to have if you don't have it yet? Thanks, Marlon

Thanks guys. I just wanted to be sure there wasn't a reason to polish it. I actually have two stones. Both are 14" wide and about 24" long. I bought them from a monument maker as a screw up for $40. They even beveled the edges for me so it would be sharp. Marlon