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garypl

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Posts posted by garypl

  7. What's Your Handle? (Origins of your maker marks)

    in Leatherwork Conversation

    Posted

    14 minutes ago, Double Daddy said:

    It's been interesting to read all the responses thus far...I'll throw my two cents worth into the jar, I reckon.  My little brand is EagleWoods Leather. The Eagle portion comes as inspiration from Isaiah 40:31..."But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."  It was a favorite verse of my late father, who was a minister.  Woods is simply my last name.

    I use two maker's marks (brass construction from ). Depending upon the size or style of the item that I'm working on, I'll use one or the other (wallet or small pocket holster would get the EWL...larger holster or belt get the USA stamp)

    Makers Marks.jpg

    Hey Chris - where did you get the brass stamps?

    Gary

  8. Mounting dies on a 1 Ton Arbor Press?

    in How Do I Do That?

    Posted

    1 minute ago, Double Daddy said:

    At some point, I will do what you did to my arbor press ram...drill a nice deep hole with set screws on the side...so that I can use my leather stamps in it...best of everything! The magnetic chuck doesn't leave any room for such work once its in place and I'm not about to start chopping off all of my stamps to fit! That was the beauty of the drill press (lots of vertical room/adjustment AND a chuck to hold everything)...but it ultimately put too much stress on the table mount...at least in my case.

    I agree - there is clearance for all  of my stamps, but some with the thinner shafts I have to put into a sleeve that is 3/8" OD, while some of the larger ones have shafts that are larger than 3/8", so I whack them with my mallet.  I mostly use the press to apply makers stamp and stamp letters.  Also works well for border stamps.  I think there is not much clearance on the smaller arbor presses to keep flexing to a minimum.  My friend has an  old 10 ton press that has about 12" under the ram, but the press is massive!

    Gary

  9. Mounting dies on a 1 Ton Arbor Press?

    in How Do I Do That?

    Posted

    10 minutes ago, Double Daddy said:

    I used a bench top drill press for a long time for lots of pressing and setting functions...as well as spinning my sanding drums and my cocobolo burnisher. It worked well right up until all of the pressing/setting stress finally weakened the knuckle arm where the table connected to the vertical post and it cracked and failed...now I just use the press as a sander and burnisher (no sense in tossing it when the motor still works great). I have a 1-ton arbor press and a keyless chuck adapter with powerful magnet built into it...it just grabs right onto the ram and I can use the short/cheap line20/24 snap setters or take it off and use the ram face to press my brass maker's mark. Here's the link to the keyless chuck that I have:

    https://www.ebay.com/itm/Arbor-Press-Magnetic-Pin-Press-1-2-Chuck-Tool-APMT0-5/252843022376?hash=item3ade9e5828:g:PJoAAOSwc-tY4oNz

    I like the chuck with the magnet, but it costs twice as much as the arbor press!  I just drilled a 3/8" hole in the ram of my press and I slip the different setters and punches in the ram - held with a setscrew on the side of the ram.  I will agree that the chuck is more convenient.

    Gary

  12. Where does Tandy’s leather come from?

    in Leatherwork Conversation

    Posted

    17 hours ago, howlback said:

     

    Tandy knows their leather can be subpar at times. Allegedly, they sometimes buy leftover stock from tannery’s at a discounted rate. At times, I’ve run into leather that, according to them, was not tanned properly/poorly. Once, I had an issue with extremely soft 6/7oz. veg tan and the rubber guards on my clicker press dies leaving artifacts on the leather. That being said, I just returned it no hassle. Their staff has always been amazing to me as a buyer.

    As stated above, my advice for buying with Tandy is only go for what’s on sale. If you need a steady supplier, I’d look for a retailer that gets their leather from the same tannery time and time again. You start to get used to how that leather stamps, dies, etc.

    And yes, their standard prices are astronomical!

    I also buy leather from Tandy when it is on sale - would not buy it without personally picking it myself so I can see what I am getting.  Seems like the veg tan I buy often has more soft spots than I would like to see.  One hide I bought was stamped Brazil.

    Local staff very friendly and store is conveniently located when I need dyes and other hardware.  I try to buy hardware in bulk from Ohio Travel Bag - good prices but you need to put together an order of at least $50 to offset shipping cost expense.

  16. No idea what I'm doing, but happy to be here!

    in Member Gallery

    Posted

    20 hours ago, garypl said:

    You have me thinking now about mixing media.  I was checking a dye color tonight by using a wool dauber to apply some light brown dye to some scrap.  I then used the same dauber to apply some Tan Kote to see if it would darken it further and I was surprised to see pleasant brown streaks in the finish.  I will try to find time tomorrow to mix a little dye with some Tan Kote and see how the concoction turns out.  I’ll post results when I finish.

    Gary

    I will also try mixing some acrylic paint with Tan Kote.

     

    Well, I didn’t have time to play with the dye today, but I took some green acrylic paint an$ started diluting it with Tan Kote.  In the photo, the patch on the far right is straigh5 paint.  Moving left, I added Tan Kote to the paint, starting with about 20% TK to 80% paint, then added another 20% TK, etc until the far left patch which was @60% TK plus I added a small amount of water.  The conclusion I reached is that Tan Kote does not play well with paint - too streaky.

    66A3F0A9-C6B3-493B-ACB6-FBBBC558DBEA.jpeg.9da15cff2f4dc8ecafca9c49f89c33fe.jpeg

  20. Cordless Impact/Drill Case

    in Leather Tools

    Posted

    1 hour ago, Tim Schroeder said:

    My old case was worn out. I used the metal bars and the zipper and made myself a new case. 

    IMG_0836.JPG

     

     

    Tim - that is a beautiful case - you have some real artistic talent!  I don’t know that I would want to use that for my tools - it’s too nice!

    Gary

  21. No idea what I'm doing, but happy to be here!

    in Member Gallery

    Posted

    1 hour ago, JiffyJones said:

    I would love to experiment with paint consistencies! Has anyone had any luck with something to thin leather paint or help it's transparency without just watering it down? I have some beautiful thin cova color, but I would also like to play with the opacity! Like with pouring medium, or maybe gouache? Do you have a particular antique finish you like or recommend?

    You have me thinking now about mixing media.  I was checking a dye color tonight by using a wool dauber to apply some light brown dye to some scrap.  I then used the same dauber to apply some Tan Kote to see if it would darken it further and I was surprised to see pleasant brown streaks in the finish.  I will try to find time tomorrow to mix a little dye with some Tan Kote and see how the concoction turns out.  I’ll post results when I finish.

    Gary

    Just now, garypl said:

    You have me thinking now about mixing media.  I was checking a dye color tonight by using a wool dauber to apply some light brown dye to some scrap.  I then used the same dauber to apply some Tan Kote to see if it would darken it further and I was surprised to see pleasant brown streaks in the finish.  I will try to find time tomorrow to mix a little dye with some Tan Kote and see how the concoction turns out.  I’ll post results when I finish.

    Gary

    I will also try mixing some acrylic paint with Tan Kote.

     

  22. Set of Beer Growlers

    in Purses, Wallets, Belts and Miscellaneous Pocket Items

    Posted

    Just now, Seagrove59 said:

    Excellent job, something to strive for as I get better. What portions do you use in your leather balm, if it is a family secret I understand. 

    Thanks Seagrove!  I mix it up by eye - should weigh the ingredients, but I dont.  I start with a chunk of beeswax (about 2x2x2”) that I cut off a slab.  Put it in a jar and add @1/3 cup of carnuba wax granules, @1/4 cup of lanolin, and 1/2 cup NFO.  I melt everything in a pot of water (put the jar in the water like a double boiler) using a hot plate.  Once it is completely melted, I stir it up with a stick and then put some of the melted mixture on a piece of scrap leather and let it harden.  If it feels too hard, I add more NFO to the mixture and check it again - repeat until I am happy with the softness of the hardened mixture.  Then just let it cool and it’s ready to apply.  I usually rub it into the leather and then heat with a heat gun so it soaks right in.  Repeat and then buff.  Makes a nice dull finish.  If I want a glossier finish I follow it up with one or two coats of Atom Wax.

    Gary

     

     

  23. Saving Patterns

    in How Do I Do That?

    Posted

    I don't have that many patterns to worry about, but you should be able to scan the patterns at 100% to get them in digital format - put some index marks on them to check the scale (If you make two marks a couple of inches apart and mark the distance between them, when you print them back out you can measure the printout to ensure the scale has not changed.  If they are too large for your scanner, take them to a print shop - they should have a large scanner that will work.  Then you can store the digital files online and on your computer.

    Gary

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