Helsing

Thanks for your ideas! I will postpone my decision for the time being as I seem to "need" an exponentially increasing amount of tools...

Thank you very much! I was looking to buy leather on ebay.de but all they had was "rindleder" which i mistook for being this half tan. It turns out that "rind" means beef!

The type of leather that is not tanned completely through but has a thin layer of rawhide in the center. It is stiffer and often used for knife sheaths. What is it called in English and German and is it as good for carving as completely tanned leather? /Helsing

The uncanny valley - thank you! This is what causes children, grownups and even animals to peck on anyone who is different, like a dissabled person. We spot the difference and feel discomfort. Try to see through it.

Very interesting! A very OT trail of thought that comes to mind. There is a phenomenon that has a name that eludes me, "the ... gap" och perhaps "valley". When something is rather different from a human, for example a monkey, you tend to see the similarities but if something is rather like a human, like a doll, you notice the differences. You are skillfully using this in making the correct differences which creates the "scary" impression. Does anyone know the word I am looking for?

I was the one who asked the original question. Shtoink, I don't know which link you are referring to that started your search but the book you found is great! Thanks!

I do not have a permanent workspace (actually I do but it is unheated and I live close to the arctic circle) so I take out all my tools and kit, do some carving or other leatherwork and then put the stuff away in a closet. I have a granite slab, punches, awl, edge beveler - the basics. I have yet to come up with a good idea of how to store my tools. I have tried the standard plastic toolboxes but everything rattles around and feels unprotected. I am thinking about sewing some type of canvas roll up type thing but there must be better ideas? Does anyone have a tip about what to get/make? Thanks /Helsing

Thank you for your tips! I guess I will try something old just to see for myself how poor it is. Perhaps Mr Stohlman bought new, but plain saddles?

So far everywhere I have read tells me that for good carving and tooling I need undyed, veg tanned leather. I watched an interview with Al Stohlman on youtube and apparently he made a fully carved leather jacket during his army days in the pacific and later made some money buying saddles at an auction, tooling them and selling them for a profit. My question is, can I carve and tool old things like knife sheaths etc. that have already been dyed and used and possibly oiled and if so, are there any tricks to use? Buying an old saddle and carving it would be a great project when I am good enough. Also, is there a way to tell if you are holding a piece of veg tanned leather och chrome tanned? Cheers /Helsing

Nice! In what order do you do the shell loops? Stitch first, then wet, push in shells and let dry?

Thank you! Yes I have googled but I can't find anything that actually looks like the sheridan pattern with veiners and swirls. They actually look more like ferns to me...

Hello all! I am a complete beginner in leatherwork and want to learn carving the sheridan style. To get it looking right I need a mental picture of what it is I am trying to make a stylized image of but I can't seem to find any pictures of acanthus flowers that look like they are the origin of the sheridan style pattern. Can someone please point me to some pictures of "the real thing" and possibly even name the species often used? Cheers /Helsing