silverwingit

I like my 6" Heritage splitter/skiver from Weaver, though there are other similar options. The key in the effectiveness of any splitter/skiver is in getting the blade sharpened to a super keen edge and polished to a mirror finish. I've posted previously on how I do this. Since I don't understand your terminology it is difficult for me to answer your adjustment question. Splitting means dividing an input section of thicker leather down to a specific lesser thickness evenly across the input piece. Skiving essentially means splitting at a slant or uneven thickness. The terms are not interchangeable. Some machines can split as well as skive where others can only split, so terminology is very important in this discussion. Now, I'll interpret your "skive 3.5 ounces" question to ask whether you can you adjust a splitter to split that thicker piece into two thicknesses, one exactly 3.5 ounces and the other whatever is left of the original thickness, based on a scale of thickness settings. The answer is yes, sort of. Hand splitters do have a scale of markings along the arc of metal onto which the handle clamps to achieve a steady, even thickness. But the markings aren't calibrated in thicknesses because that is wholly dependent on the precise position at which the blade is bolted to the rest of the tool's frame. The operator removes and reinstalls the blade each time it is sharpened. Precisely where it is bolted onto the frame is operator-dependent. So the real world result is that it is easiest to test-split sample(s) of the leather, readjusting the locking handle's position until you get the desired thickness. Once that is achieved you can mark the spot on the adjustment arc so that you can return to it in the future. One could calibrate the tic marks on the adjustment arc in this way if you are really meticulous, but it doesn't come pre-calibrated for the reasons I've explained. As to the maximum thickness of leather that can be split in once pass, like many things in the world of leatherwork, that depends. It largely depends on the specific sample of leather. Since the physical properties of leather varies not only upon the tanning method (and hence "hardness/stiffness") but also the location on the hide where the sample to be split comes from, there is no pat answer for you. Also because you manually grab onto the length of leather to pull it through the splitter, the more resistance to the splitting the more deformation of the sample as you pull on it. (Quick tip -- use a wide vise-grip clamp or other several inch wide-jawed pliers to grasp the leather you want to split to ensure that you pull evenly across the leather strip to be split. This will help minimize deforming the leather just because of the way you grasp it.) Splitters basically shave the top thickness off a strip of leather. If you're splitting a 1 1/2" - 2" belt blank made of high-quality veg-tan cut from the back and not the belly, and your blade is razor-sharp, properly polished and set in place, yes you can easily split 6-10 oz. of leather. OTOH, if you want to split a full 6" wide strip, even of relatively stable veg-tan, you've entered a completely different world and the only answer is you'll have to try it with your particular leather. I hope this helps some. Manual leather splitters allow a leatherworker to completer lots of projects that would otherwise be impossible or prohibitively expensive in a small shop. But like many other aspects of leatherwork, because of the very nature of leather itself, they require hands-on experience as there are no fast, easy fixed answers. Michelle

You can also go the low-tech route. It's pretty easy to lay out this pattern using part of a dinner plate for your template. The stitches are actually laid out in overlapping circular arcs. You do have to be careful of the diameter of the plate given the length of your belt. Practice on scrap paper until you get it right. Give it a try. You'll only be out some pencil lead and scrap paper if you don't like the result. And if you do, you will derive a good deal of satisfaction having made your own pattern the old fashioned way. Michelle

Greg528it, all due respect to laser engraving, your sand blasting effects are the coolest thing I've seen in a while! Seems much more "organic" to my eye than laser engraving. Very innovative ~and~ effective, my favorite combination. I must find a place that can do that for me so I can try it. Thanks for showing us! Michelle

I do a fair amount of molding for some of my harmonica cases. I can tell you that it is ~very~ difficult to get that smooth of a result with that deep of a mold, using that heavy weight of leather. Very nicely done!! Michelle

http://www.kingsmerecrafts.com/page100.html

You could make a veg-tan wallet with the part of the gator hide you like best as an inlay over most of the outer layer. Thanks, Michelle

Thanks for your replies, gents. I understand your points and respect your experience. I am just presenting a different perspective without claiming it's the only one. Michelle

Troy, that's one perspective, largely an American one, popularized by Al Stohlman. Nigel charges the equivalent of several hundred dollars for a hand-stitched belt made in the time-honored British style -- with no stitch groove. The only time he uses a stitch groover is when the stitch line is to be hidden, as between two layers. Brits have been doing it that way for a long time, long before Al Stohlman came along (no disrespect to Al; he's one of my heroes). Just a different perspective. Michelle

Sew-speak: French seam, French bound edge, invisible seam, turnover/stitching allowance, etc. It's all Greek to me.

Leathervan, if you intend to hand-stitch a briefcase, you are in it for the long haul. You will sorely regret it later if you are tempted to take shortcuts at this early stage. As they say, "You're in the Army now." Good luck, Michelle

You can make an integral lining that is fully cemented to the primary leather or you can make a floating lining that is only attached at the zippers and/or seams. Now, I'm not following the discussion so far as I am not fluent in "sew-speak." But I can easily understand Arthur Porter's videos. Here is the first in a series of six highly detailed instructional videos on how to make a fabric lined leather tote:

Well, Dirikah, you've certainly chosen a difficult starting point! That is a custom leather "sculpture" made with pre-dyed chrome-tanned leather that is "bunched" up and laid on a pre-cemented back piece. The cement holds the folds in place. After that the piece of sculpted leather is treated as one panel of the wallet/card holder. IMHO, you'd be far better off starting out with a more standard approach in which case you would learn what you need to know to construct a useable, durable leather project. You can get artistic when you've got the basics down pat. But that's just me. Michelle

I've seen rivet press "pliers" at hobby stores. They are very limited in their application though. The ones I've seen have such short "throats" as to make them useless for making cases or boxes. Also, the longer the throat, the longer the "moment arm" of the lever effect. Simple hinged pliers wouldn't have sufficient clamping force. You'd need some sort of compound mechanism. While you continue your search for the perfect hand tool, I will have set dozens of rivets with my chunk of bar stock. Michelle

I have the same chisels and haven't noticed the problem. My guess is that once you have finished stitching, so long as your technique is solid, you probably won't notice the differences. If you're worried, compare your chisels to ones in stock at Tandy. I hate stitching groovers. I can't count the pieces of leather I've ruined with one. I don't care for the idea of forcing stiches to lie in a groove. I much prefer the British stitching technique which doesn't use a groover at all. (I think the tendency in American stitching to use a groover is due to one man and one book. You know who if you've studied hand stitching leather at all.) I think that using a stitching groover is a "crutch" since it actually covers up inadequate stitching technique! Brits have been making saddles and tack for centuries without using a stiching groover. If you want to learn how to do it properly, you need look no further than Nigel Armitage videos. Here is his definitive stitching lesson: Nige uses Joseph Dixon pricking irons, which are used only to mark stitch holes. The diamond awl is then used to complete the hole, allowing the introduction of the two needles. Your stitching chisels will make diamond-shaped holes so you won't need the awl. You can just use the two needle saddle stitching technique that Nige so ably demonstrates. The important thing is to learn the "dance of the needles" in which you hold the needles ~exactly~ as Nige demonstrates. You should never put the needles down! Also, you need to fully understand how the thread leaves the top of one hole and enters the bottom of the next to yield that beautiful zig-zag appearance. Conversely, if you stitch in the opposite direction, the thread will leave the bottom and enter the top of adjacent holes. You may need to watch Nige several times to get this key aspect. Attention to a few details, like using Harness needles, a nice stitching pony or clam, the right thread and so on are down to personal choice and experience. Hope this helps some. Michelle

+1 on the bar stock. I do this all the time with my harmonica cases. I had the local iron yard cut me an 18" length of 1"x3/4" bar stock (I actually have several lengths of different size bar stock -- I use the biggest I can fit in a given space to increase the mass as much as possible). I use c-clamps to fix a length to my work bench, leaving only the minimum amount of "overhang" to allow me to insert the bar into the given space. Since you are essentially pounding against a spring, anything to minimize the "springiness" is good. You always want as solid anvil as possible. It's worth noting that I keep an 18" length of 1"x3" cold rolled steel bar on my bench at all times. It's a very handy anvil for setting rivets, snaps, etc., marking stitch holes with a pricking iron and so on in spots using hand setters/tools where my hand press won't fit. Use it constantly! Thanks, Michelle

Nyis, as I said, I use sheets of progressively fine wet/dry emery paper, wet. This "clings" to the wet granite surface plate and lays flat. You just draw the blade's sides over it in one direction (towards the sharp edge of the blade, not away from it), similar to the manner in the video, except you now have a sharpening surface that is the width of the blade instead of just a fraction of it. This leaves no "burr." When the blade is as sharp as you like, you do the same operation, except this time using wetted 3M polishing papers, again of increasingly fine "grit" to achieve the mirror finish. Polish both sides of the blade so that the split leather glides smoothly over it. Once you have done this, the blade will cut for a long time. You can repeat the polishing phase to hone the blade to resharpen the edge when it starts to drag a bit. The whole set up will cost about the same as a good quality Arkansas or diamond sharpening stone. Thanks, Michelle

Here's an updated version of Nigel's saddle stitching video:

To my eye, the bird looks like it's mostly carved with a stamped background, then a black antique. The "frame" looks to me like several passes with a block dyeing method. Michelle

I can't imagine doing a good job sharpening a splitter blade with a 3" wide stone. I used my 9"x12" granite surface plate with a series of increasingly fine grit wet-dry emery cloths/papers to sharpen and then a series of 3M polishing papers to hone the blade to a mirror finish. Cuts like butter! Works for me. Michelle http://www.grizzly.com/products/9-x-12-x-2-Granite-Surface-Plate-No-Ledge/G9649 http://www.amazon.com/Polishing-Paper-Assortment-Pack-Micron/dp/B001BHGC7G/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1403543983&sr=8-6&keywords=3m+polishing+paper

Meagain - I have a bit of a different idea for you to consider regarding swivel knives and blades. You are concerned about the diameter of the barrel and the differences between blades. I think that out of inexperience you are over analyzing. Here's something that no one has yet mentioned. A given swivel knife barrel size is chosen according to more than how comfortable it is holding it in your hand. The different barrel sizes have different uses. A large barrel diameter is best for long, more or less straight cuts. This is because larger diameter barrels are less sensitive to small twists between your fingers and hence it is more difficult to make rapid changes in the angle of their path, as one must roll the barrel the circumference of the barrel to execute a 360 degree turn. Smaller barrels require less of a twist between your fingers to undergo the same angular change. In practical terms, this means as I said that larger diameter barrels are best for long, relatively straight cuts, where smaller diameter barrels are best for shorter cuts that undergo quick changes in the angle of their path. As examples, I use my 1/2" barrel for straight cuts, say at the borders of a belt, and my 3/8" barrel for decorative cuts that have that quick 180 degree "fish hook" turn. You can also experiment with the different width blades and see the difference in performance between thin and thick, straight and angled blades. The bottom line: BK swivel knives are inexpensive and so are BK swivel knife blades. You are dropping $400 on carving tools. Why not get several knives and blades? You will experience the effects of barrel size for yourself and be able to make intelligent decisions about which to use for a given cut (cuts). After all, the quality of your carving starts with and is largely dependent on good swivel knife cuts. You will end up having separate barrels for each of the blades you like to use frequently so that you don't have to change blades constantly. One last note. Many experienced leather carvers recommend learning to use a wide blade first, even a 1/2" one. One can pick up bad habits using a narrow straight or especially a narrow, slanted blade. In learning to use a wider, straight blade, you develop good habits that will reap benefits down stream. At least that's the way I see it. Michelle

Lydian8, seeing that no one directly answered the part of your question about setting snaps, etc., I'll offer the following. Many arbor presses come with a 3/8" hole in the ram foot. Mine even came with a magnet in the top of the hole to hold various bits(?) that came with it. I had a machinist drill and tap a hole in the side of the ram to hold a set screw that I can use to hold various leather tools, setters, and punches and the like in place. Many leather tools have 3/8" shafts, while others are smaller. Knowing this I also had my machinist make a slotted steel sleeve of the smaller inner diameter that would fit into the hole in the ram, ala Ian Atkinson. Later I found that the smaller tools are held just fine without the sleeve. Hope that helps, Michelle

Toluene is a nasty carcinogen. Use the thinner recommended by your cement's manufacturer and don't wait until the cement gets too thick and "globby." Some leatherworkers like their cement on the thick side. There is no one size fits all formula for thinning, but you must use the correct thinner. Michelle

+1 for anything Barry King. You might be interested to know that Barry has a recommended size list in which he lists "starter" sets for different sized work. He offers these sets for $400, and they are a $480 value. You would never have to replace these quality stainless steel carving tools. http://barrykingtools.com/sizelist.htm Thanks, Michelle

Rochemsan, another idea. A vector drawing program like Adobe Illustrator could be used to create the outlines of your crest from a scan of your ring. Then you could send the resulting drawing to one of the Makers Mark manufacturers and you would have a magnesium or steel version of the crest which could be used for your brand over and over again. Why not post a scan or your crest? If it's not extraordinarily complicated, I'd be willing to help out for a modest fee. Or, why not contact the Makers Mark guys and ask them if they could create the vector-based drawing for you from your scan. Good Luck, Michelle

From the FWIW department... To make a curved awl blade, you can heat a straight awl blade with an oil lamp or the equivalent to remove the blade's temper and while it is still hot you can press the point against a piece of wood until you get the bend you want. I suppose one could heat a bent blade and then straighten it in a vise or with a few well-placed taps with a hammer. I thought it should at least be mentioned in this thread. Thanks, Michelle