papaleather

I have finally gotten around to working with leather, bought a couple of half shoulders, acquired some tools and stamps. Setup an area at my home were I can actually start doing some work and, most important of all, practice, practice, practice. My first foray was doing some 2D/3D stamps which has raised some issues and problems which I hope to get some advice on and learn from. Setting up a grid Measured off a large area and then measured off the stamp layout, I used about seven stamps for this practice run. Not a problem except that I used a pencil to do the layout of where I wanted the stamps. This left a squared depression around the stamped image. What is the best way to setup a grid on leather so the grid itself will not show afterwards? Casing the leather I used a sponge to wet the leather to what I thought was sufficient moisture level for a piece of , 7 to 8oz leather about 18x12 in size. Waiting until the leather started to return to its natural color before stamping. As I stamped and leather started to further dry and I found that the leather started to stiffen and curl. Am I doing something wrong with casing the leather, too much water, not enough? Thanks in advance for any comments or assistance. I am not afraid to try and learn.

Is there a catalog of older Tandy 2D/3D stamps showing what stamps came with a particular 'line', e.g. Southwestern, Indian, etc.? I have gotten some stamps off of Ebay, for example that are part of the 'Southwestern' motif line but there isn't a way for me to know what all was produced for that line and what I maybe missing. This would play into other motif lines as well. I hope that I explained that well. I have searched online for such a listing of all Tandy 2D/3D stamps but I have not found any there or within the leatherworks forum. Thanks in advance.

Newbie to swivel knives and of course I have a question. I see that there are generally two sizes for 3/8 and 1/2. What are the differences, outside of size, are there for using one vs.another? If it is just for how it fits in your hand or are there functional differences?

Thanks everyone for the greetings. I am sure that I will learn a lot from everyone here and the resources available. I do have a question and perhaps this is answered in the forum but is there any local leatherworkers groups that meet on a regular basis? Or maybe local shows?

Hello everyone. I am a new member and new to leatherworking. I live in the metro Atlanta area and I am fortunate to have access to the local Tandy shop which has allowed me quick access to tools ( I am beginning to see that you can never have enough tools) and hands-on leather buying. The more I read here and on the web the more I want to do but I will start out with a holster or two for myself and learn from there. I am looking forward to meeting fellow leatherworkers, and gaining a lot of knowledge (and help) here on the forums. I hope to post some of my work here soon but till then, Happy Leatherworking!

Yep, I accidentally left my IWB holster clipped on my jean shorts while doing laundry and found it in the washer when I was putting clothes into the dryer. I let it air dry and it seems fine except the 'finish' now seems a little dull. Mind you, it isn't an expensive holster so I am not worried that I made the mistake but I would like to know what I need to do to protect/refinish the leather to help it maintain its integrity for future reference in case I have a more expensive holster that may get wet or submerged. Thanks for any advice or recommendations.

Not a bad looking holster. I am getting ready to dive into making my own soon and I plan to take it slow as well and I have no delusions of it looking 'professional'. Reminds me of the joke; Guy is in New York and stops someone on the street and asks, 'How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Person replies, 'Practice, practice, practice.' Let us know how it looks after you finish it. One question, What weight leather did you use?

I received the small stamp today in the mail. I appreciate the leather test swatch that shows how it looks when used. Great deal and thank you for the opportunity to show where my goods are made.

I just order the small stamp. I agree that we should advertise where our goods/projects are made. Thank you for the opportunity to accomplish this.