steveb

well welcome to leathercraft - hope you like tools..buying them, maintaining them- because this is how you will learn (learn to invest is more like it..lol)... I will preface all of this with In My So Humble Opinion, I only know what I know- I dont know what will work for you, I dont know the right way to do things, i can simply share my opinion, based on my experieinces floundering around this craft The best tool for cutting shapes, hands down FOR ME, is without a doubt - the headknife - the traditional and special tool of the leathercrafter - only surpassed by the swivel knife, in difficulty of mastery. Utility kinves, scalpels, trimming knives and their ilk plain old suck at doing anything but cuttting a straight line , again- for me- because you pull the blade through the leather an it is hard to control when it comes to curves, etc. you cant pull through a curve, you can only push - accurately you push and steer a head/round knife- it is much much easier to use a headkinfe to cut comlex curves and corners - than say scissors - i find scissors very tricky to use, you need to be able to anticipate with scissors, and corners are a bitch - with a headkinfe you simply steer the blade around the shape. granted, it takes a while to learn to use the knife effectively, but it really is the right tool as far as I am concerned....their are many techniques for using and maintainig them and you need to find what works for you...through practice and informed quesitons to a group like this. FYI - i think that older knives rock- i found both of my on ebay about 3 or so years ago and I havent tried anything as good for 2x the price. you dont have to spend alot of money - unless you want to ;-) steveb

hilo - checked your site and love your metal engraving - I would give my left, ah, errr...ventricle...to be able to engrave metal, I've got so many ideas! Can you point me in a direction to gain some knowledge.....please! steveb

i have 2 older head knives - both came with cocked edges - so i used a stone to rough the blade out and then used 1000 then used 1500 grit wet dry paper - to finesse the blade, followed by a session with an arkansas/japansese super fine stone to finish up. a few strops and they cut like crazy - havent had to do anything but strop them in the past year. ive used the same technique with my swivel blades too...the trick with swivel blades is keeping the angle right when using anything more aggressive than stropping....i use the cheep tandy fixture when i use a stone....or wet/dry paper my .02 YMMV steveb

cool eagle, some serious 3D going on there....my only concern would be - dirt. bikes collect dirt, expecially if they are touring bikes that are ridden in all weather conditions - so i could see the eagle getting a bit dingy and the surfaces collecting dirt - which from what i have seen is leathers enemy. I dont know what your riding style is, but this would be one dirty eagle after some time on one of my bikes...lol your work is really well done - clean and distinctive steveb

love the belt, but I really love the buckle- the lacing around its perimeter is sweet! oh and i charge about 2large for a belt, depending...... steveb

well Matt - that bike is a 1986 FXRS-SP, a lowrider, in common terms. I've owned it since 88 and have modified it just *ahem* a bit (every single part but the paint), besides the obvious it has a stoker engine and other special performance parts, it goes good - but it is not nearly as scary as the sport bikes - that shot is 4yrs old, these days it is darker, blacker and even less shiny....mmmm i caution you in terms of riding with people - you just never know how they are going to react - especially since your new at this - so spend time alone, get used to the hyper-vigilance required for survival, tune your riding skils and traffic reading eye - and you'll be good to go - and safe at that. my .02 steveb

congrats mattd on your decision to embrace the best way to travel - on 2 wheels! ride safe please - take an msf course as it will help extend your life expetancy, so you will have time to master the craft of leather work and be careful who of you ride with, if you decide to ride with a group or another person. pretty cool aint it? fresh new bike! hmmm...nothing like a ride on a bike to make all right with the world steveb

thanks Luke - that looks real close - appreciate the eagle eye. I dont have a Weaver account, so they arent in the list of possibilities steveb

My signature D buckle is no longer in stock at my supplier - and my supply is running out..... so I am looking for a top shelf manufacturer of solid brass and Nickel plate D buckles .. what ya got?? steveb

LOL - i knew that someone would call me on this...simple to understand if you were to watch me, a real PITA to try and explain...but for you cjb, i will try..... I glue both sides - belt and lining - and basically it goes like this: working from the tip (not buckle end) of the belt - i literally, inch by inch curve the billet over my hand and at the same time press/rub the already glued lining to the billet (this is tricky because the glued lining wants to jump to the belt in the worst way...lol) - so I am forcing some curved tension into the shape of the belt - the lining is ever so much smaller than the belt at the end- causing it to pull inward into a curve.....if you lay a belt flat and glue the lining, it will pucker when you put it around your waist make sense? steveb

Thanks Kevin - very instructive. Never having had the opp to take a sewing class I am generally amazed at the tricks to make things like this work - really great of you to share - thanks so much!!! steveb

never bought a belt blank - cant speak to that - i like cutting mine from a side with a strapcutter and cutting my own tapers anyway basically Cecil, I glue a strip of mission grain pigskin to the back of a belt - i roughen the belt surface if it is smooth with a roughner - i use weldwood contact cement from the hardware store to glue the pig onto the back of the belt - i have a special technique of attaching the lining to the strap so it gives the belt a natural curved memory- and when it has been edged, slicked and such, i stitch it - thats my last step. No need to complicate matters, pretty simple. I probably do it all wrong - but that is what happens when you are self taught - lol steveb

Cecil - I line my belts - all my belts and most everything I make, beause in my eye, that is what seperates a professionally made good (read: expensive) from a craft/hobby piece - its in the details...in the parts that no none but the owner sees. I ususally use pig for belt linings - its cheap, easy to work with and in general and works well in that app. My earliest work was unlined and I used atom wax and a burnisher to knock the flesh side back down - but it doenst have the same "hand"...lining is the way to go - a PITA, but worth it. steveb

Marlon - do you bevel inwards towards the cented of the meander design or outwards? I could see both effects being useful depending on the layout and design steveb

The outside is sweet- but it is the interior I am most impressed with as well was the edge binding - can you share your tech for the edging an building of the interior - really came out nice, I have trouble getting that nice a taliored look to my work...youve got it nailed steveb

Well after getting guidance on the finer points of meandering from both Kate and Wayne Christensen - I have decided to share my not quite ready for prime time first attempt at using the tool, time to get humble in public!!. To add insult to injury i am working out a map case pattern (which in my case ususally look like hell till Ive done it about 3x and have worked the kinks out of my pattern and sewing efforts) - yeah so anyway I am making excuses, enough of that. I was going to use a scrap, as my cross piece and said, what the hell, let me really make it scrap and well, this is what I came up with. Ok for a first attempt, but I learned a shite load using the tool and negotiating curves - this is a slow moving and carefully aimed tool, this meander, if your effort is going to satisfy you and your customer..gotta take your time and breathe - lots of looking over the tool anyway, i also figured, really go for it and throw the lame beader blade effect (I love it but dont reach for it regularly - obvioulsy) in the mix and take the sloppy way and out and dimple the poorly cut corners with a seeder - ha!! If you look not too closely - you'll see i used a piece with a scar and worked that in- seems all of the work i have of mine is made from scraps....anyway - thanks Kate, I am going to apply myself a bit more till I can say I have a handle on this meander beasty b/r steveb

I like tools, I really like good tools that work well. I am not a coveter/collector - I am simply a user. I have been upgrading (jueschke, beard, hackbarth) the tools that i use most frequently and my goal in upgrading is to simply have the best tools for a given job. My goal is also to own only tools that see frequent use. So everytime i get a new tool, i look to take at least one tool from my rack for the ebay/give-it-away pile. So the consequence for me is a small rack of high quality tools that see regular use -perfect for me. As an aside - I have noticed that "boutique" stamps tend to stamp more clearly, feel better to the hand and have a special something that makes a good design sing..they will not make up for poor technique or a lousy design..at least for me...lol steveb

nice job - the leaves came out great as did the numerals - very clean and the beveling is super tight - you didnt smush any of the serifs of the numbers -nice!! A little antiquing and youve got a sweet piece steveb

that is one beefy strap! i like the color - and antiqued look - hmmm that big buckle never better come near the body of the guitar when its on a stand - that could get ugly no straplocks? I usually ask the musician I make a strap for to use straplocks - even if they dont normally its a good idea, we've all dropped our pride and joy if we didnt use 'em and it makes for a much better guitar to strap to person connection when they are installed steveb

that was great kate, very clear - only one quesiton till i begin turning scraps into trash is = how did you some up with the 15/32" gap number - is that a "what looks good" number or something conjured off some measurement? and is there some trick to rounding corners? thanks again! steveb

Howdy all: I am looking for a clue on how to correctly use both the meander an hourglass border stamps. What say ye - alignment, layout, relatiosnhips etc... thanks in advance steveb

hmmm - lots of NY'ers here, as opposed to the wealth of saddle makers and horse/farm western types that usualy inhabit the leather crafter world- FYI- I am a NY'er (born and bred) who bailed and moved to Stamford CT in 90...a move for the better for me... steveb

Dave - yeah the grenade was a desk accessory at my "yob" but i got the sesne it was stressing people out - especially when i would play with it when i was on the phone...ha!! have all of my handtools in a craftsman tool box (6 drawers ) to the right on the bench and a host of other crap that sits behind me - 2 Bosses, a Singer 29-4, an Econosew, a drill press, compressor for my airbrush rig, belt sanders, two motorcycles, motorcycle lifts, rollaways tool boxes, etc.. if my wife would stop using her bay in the garage (not likely) I could spread out a wee bit and have a real shop - but for now - I "keep to my side"....well, for the most part anyway. who thought using (wasting) a garage space for a car was a good idea? steveb

good to have a dedicated set up and a solid stone to tool on - this is my bench and monster granite on top! gotta have the iPod and soundock also

hey - if you order too much - I'll buy some from you!