ToddB 68

Regarding my post of the subject title, dated August 29, 2010 05:24 PM, why does it print with margins reversed ? It's not a problem my equipment I know, because it doesn't happen with any other website I print from. Please advise. Thanks, Todd Name: Todd E. Brock (Username 999A) UserName: ToddB68 IP Address: 96.230.246.72 Email Address: toddbrock@verizon.net

Hi Everybody ! I'm working on my first serious leather project.........a sheath of my own design for a digging tool. The design is simple, a Front and Back, as shown in the attached pics. The Front is wider than the Back of course, to enable forming a pocket for the tool. The Back includes a retainer strap for the tool handle and a mating tab for a Zack White line 24 Buffalo Nickel snap set. The leather I'm using is 12 oz.. Veg-tanned. I know this is thicker than necessary for this project and is harder to work with, but it's all I have and can't justify buying more leather. I roughly rounded the edges, using a Midas Edge Beveling Tool # 8076-3 and plan to further round and smooth with fine sand paper by hand. I'll be following the Bob Park's "Finishing Edges" steps as far as sequence of operations goes, and substituting some of the finishing products with the following: #1..Hanover Saddle Soap from my shoe polishing kit. #2..A block of household Paraffin wax I purchased. #3..Bees Wax I purchased. #4..Zack White Gum Tragacanth I purchased. #5..Fiebing's 100% Pure Neatsfoot Oil I purchased ( for the final finish). #6..Vinegaroon dye My first batch of Vinegaroon is on it's third day and still gassing off. I cleaned the factory oil off two pads of XXXX steel wool by soaking with brake fluid and setting on fire . Then tore the steel wool into strips and dropped it into a plastic bottle containing approximately 1-1/2 quarts of Distilled White Vinegar, closed the "pop-off" cap slightly-snug and set the bottle outside in the sun to cook. Each day I give the vinegaroon a few swirls. So far, the mix is just slightly black. I foresee a problem controlling the black dye when applying it to the edges of my project and am seeking ideas. At age 69 and taking medications over the past 17 years for (4) health issues, my hands aren't as steady as I they used to be. After the dye is ready, I plan to practice with some scraps of the 12 oz. leather. Here are some of my own ideas to keep the dye in a straight line, but would appreciate opinions from those of you with experience. (1)..Apply some of that blue-colored painter's tape along the leather edge, or some other non-staining peel-off product. (2)..Use an adjustable groover (Craftool #8074-00) to cut a groove along the edge of the leather, to act as a reservoir to stop the dye from migrating or wicking onto the face of the leather. (3)..Use a hand-made bevel-edged felt tipped pen, instead of a small dauber. (4)..Since dye will flow under the affects of gravity, place the piece of leather face down on the work table and dye one side of the edge, then flip over and do the other side. Thanks in advance for your opinions. Todd

Dear Admins. Is Johanna OK ? She was working on a problem for me and we were communicating through our Message centers. Her last reply was on Feb. 26th. Since then I have sent additional messages, but no replies. I sent her another message today and included a link to my subject post. Here's the link: My link Complete details should be in Johanna's Message box, otherwise, perhaps she passed them to another staff member. Please let me know where this situation stands. Thanks much, Todd Name: Todd E. Brock (ToddB68) UserName: ToddB68 IP Address: 96.230.202.47 Email Address: toddbrock@verizon.net

Fred.........Thanks for the kind words and advice on my scanner problem. I had done what you suggest earlier. That's the first thing I do whenever a computer problem rears it's ugly head.....pull & re-plug cords. Unfortunately, that didn't solve the problem (computer cannot initialize....scanner not found !). Glad to help with the paraffin. Todd

Jasj , jimsaddler, oldtimer.......... Thanks for your replies ! Don't think I'll be trying the globs of raw pine sap straight off the tree anytime soon. Todd

Fred..........I bought a one-pound box of household pariffin wax at the Mount Orab, Ohio KROGER grocery store for under $5.00. The box says "For Canning, Candlemaking and many other uses" and the distributor is Royal Oak Enterprises, LLC, Roswell, GA 30076, Made in U.S.A.. The brand is "Gulf Wax" and the box contains (4) individual blocks, each one is 3/4 " thick x 2-5/16" wide x 4-1/2" minimum long. I would have attached a photo of the box for identification, except my Scanner is not operating at the moment (Computer message says "Sorry, Scanner could not be initialized. (Scanner not found.)". I should have it running again, as soon as I can consult with my son. He is employed as a computer programmer/analyst. All cables are still connected and tight, so the problem is something beyond my knowledge. Hope this helps ! Todd

Mike........Thanks for the information. Do you know if the "cobblers heel ball" is made using the natural raw rosin right off the tree, or is it processed rosin ? Todd

Johanna......I went to the "Directory" again tonight to spend more time browsing and getting a better understanding of how the site works. As I said before, the Directory is awesome, but the suppliers listed are only ones who have registered in the Directory (obviously to advertise). In my original post, I was really purposing a program that would list all suppliers of Leather, Tools, Supplies, and other products pertaining to Leatherworking, within each state in the USA. However, after giving this more thought, I now realize why the existing Leatherworker.net Directory was setup the way it was and what a huge task it would be to develope the program I purposed, building the list, keeping it up-to-date as new suppliers enter the marketplace and others go out of business. I know it could be done, but would probably require hiring more staff and probably a dedicated search engine for that program alone (mucho $). Incidentally, none of the suppliers currently advertising in the Ohio listings offer a selection of production hand tools like Tandy, Zack White, etc.. Of the (4) suppliers, TUFFCASE tools, listed under "Custom Maker Stamps", are made of plastic (not for me !), are expensive custom-made and I saw nothing I would personally be interested in. I tried all states surrounding Ohio, i.e. Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia, but the Directory returned "No Results" on my searches for Leather Crafting Tools, Supplies, etc. and Leatherworking Hand Tools. I realize that Leatherworker.net sponsors have their own websites, but is there some reason why Springfield Leather Company isn't advertising in the Directory, since they offer a fine line of leatherworking hand tools for example ? I guess there is some rationale for this, but at the moment it escapes me (it's late and my brain is just about gone beddy bye on me !). Thanks for all your help to the members Johanna. You are doing a Great job ! Todd

Hi Johanna ! The "Directory" is awesome ! Sorry I missed it before. Thanks for the feedback ! Todd

With the high cost of Shipping, Handling and Gasoline, we could save money on leather work tools and supplies by making purchases in our home state, or contiguous states. A Supplier list arranged by state in alpha order, would include basic information such as website address, phone number and whether a dealer sells wholesale or retail. The alphabet "A through Z" could be displayed, allowing members to click-on the first letter of their home state or a contiguous state, which would bring up a display page of suppliers in that state, along with the aforementioned information for each supplier. In addition to saving Leatherworker.net members money on Shipping, Handling or Gasoline by dealing closer to home, this resource would reduce the time we spend locating and deciding on suppliers based on criterion such as Availability of Item, Price of Item, Merchandise Quality, Dealer Warranty / Terms and Dealer Reputation for good customer service before and after the sale. A voting scale could be set-up to give a certain amount of points for "I would use:" Frequently, Occasionally, Not Much, or some other type of scale more appropriate. ToddB68

Hi Darcy ! Well, I decided to postpone a call to Bob Douglas at this early stage in my leather newbie career lol , as I'm sure the price of his high-quality materials and workmanship are outside of my intended budget for the moment. Probably by the end of this coming Summer, with a few projects under my belt, I'll know if I want to stay with leatherwork as a hobby and whether I want to invest in better tools. At this stage, I'm economizing until I see how it goes. Even with that approach, I've already spent $81.24 on a few tools and supplies, of which 33% ($27.12) was for Shipping, Handling and taxes alone ! I've had a few hobbies in the past that were very exciting at the start, but didn't work out in the long-run after spending extra money for top-quality tools, supplies and equipment. So I'm trying to be more cautious with expenditures on this new Leatherwork hobby. Now, I fully realize that starting out with economy tools might somewhat affect the results of the work, but since my first project is just a utility sheath for a digging tool, nothing real fancy, I think the tools I've chosen will serve. Since this topic thread is focusing on Hand Sewing and Matching Awl size to Needle size, I decided to attach a photo of the awl, needle and thread that I'm going to use. If you really think I'm heading for big trouble using any of these items, I would be interested in your opinions and anyone else's that might be reading this post. Again, I really appreciate your reply and of course the first paragraph was especially helpful to me at this time. Best Regards, Todd

Dear Admins. I did a Reply Post (See route to it below.) and after Saving it to the forum thread, it looks awful ! I tried to fix it using the Edit feature, but it was not responding correctly. So, I would like to delete the whole thing and start over, but when I'm viewing the post, I don't see a DELETE button. Guess I could erase it all, using the "Backspace" button on my computer keyboard, however, would that clear all the references to it in various other places on the Leatherworker website ? Route: Leatherworker Board > How Do I Do That ? forum > Finishing Edges (bottom of page 3). Todd Name: Todd Brock UserName: ToddB68 IP Address: 71.171.147.237 Email Address: toddbrock@verizon.net

Glad you finally made it partner ! I was beginning to worry you might have gotten bucked out of the saddle on the way over ! All kidding aside, thanks for stopping in. This is a follow-up to my above post on Jan. 19, 2010 (Post #35). If you are interested in the background on this project, please see my post "Need Advice on Making Utility Tool Sheath" ( w/pictures ) dated October 19, 2009. As of today, it is at the bottom of page 5 of this "How Do I Do That ?" forum. Just be aware, it might be bumped to a successive page (#6, #7, etc., etc.) by the time anyone reads this. Firstly, I want to thank Bob Park (hidepounder) and Ross Brunk (RWB) for their replies to my above post #35. In reply to them, since I'm just getting started in leatherwork, I think I need to practice edge finishing on a few sample pieces cut from my side of 9 oz. veg. tanned cow hide. I will follow Bobby's "Finishing Edges" process as close as possible, using the tools & supplies I have accumulated to date (as listed below), plus whatever additional supplies I might decide to add if not too costly (Shipping & Handling costs being what they are these days). I'm trying to economize until I find out if I really like leatherwork enough to stay with it, although I believe I will. TOOLS & SUPPLIES ACCUMULATED TO DATE: #1..Side of 9 oz. veg. tanned cowhide........gift from my brother. #2..Quick Stitch Sewing Awl #91812.......................................Qty. (1)............................ $3.99 Local Harbor Frt. #3..Al Stohlman's book The Art of Hand Sewing Leather................................................... 12.99 Amazon.com +3.99 S&H #4..Pure Beeswax #C2014......................................................Qty. (1)............................... $3.25 Zack White #5..Nylon Edge Slicker Wheel #8122.......................................Qty. (1)............................... 2.75 " " #6..Midas Edge Beveling Tool #8076, Size #3.........................Qty. (1)............................... 8.95 " " #7..100% Pure Neatsfoot Oil, 8 oz., #C23408.........................Qty. (1)............................... 5.75 " " #8..Zack's Gum Tragacanth #C25594......................................Qty. (1)............................... 4.95 " " Sub-TL 25.65 +14.12 S&H Total 39.77 #9..Craftool Overstitch Wheel Size 5, on shank w/handle........Qty. (1)............................... $7.50 Tandy 8.00 S&H 1.01 Tax Total 16.51 #10..Paraffin Wax, Household for canning, etc., 1 lb. block.........Qty. (1)............................... 3.99 Local Kroger ________________ * Current Grand Total $81.24 * If I use "ShOE GOO" on hand in house supplies, to glue the leather sheath together, add another $1.99. Note: I made a gun stock checkering bench years ago and am now in the process of making and retro-fitting it with a pair of wooden stitching jaws. I have all materials on hand for the jaws. I will post pictures when completed. If you're still with me I'll wish you GOOD LUCK on all your leather projects ! I'm headin to the bunk house ! Todd

Hi Folks ! Subject: My above post Jan. 19, 2010, with questions. Could you give me on the subject ? Thanks much, Todd

Newbie here Read both pages of this thread........interesting stuff ! Say, I have two large pine trees on my place and notice globs of sap attached to the bark. Also, the pine cones are very sticky with sap. #1..Would these globs of raw rosinous sap melted with beeswax make a good Coad ? #2..What about boiling the pine cones to render out the rosin ? (Assume straining through cheeze cloth would be adviseable before the cold water treatment.). I know this is not as easy as buying the stuff but, if some extra effort will produce a good product, it would be gratifying IMO. If anyone has tried this, I would appreciate knowing the results Pro/Con. Thanks, Todd

Hi Doug ! Thanks for the tip. If I am interpreting correctly, the Barge Cement formula was changed and in your opinion doesn't work as well as Weldwood Contact Cement. Correct ? Todd

UncleGeorge, ClayB made an interesting reply to a topic I started, titled "Can the Craftool #8076 Edge Beveler's be sharpened ?" From the photo It appears your #2 beveler is the flat bottom type, as apposed to a round bottom. So instead of round rod stock over-wrapped with wet/dry sandpaper, you would need a piece of square bar stock. I haven't checked this out, but you might be able to find hardened keyway stock in the size needed at a local hardware store. Failing that, try "keyway stock" on the Internet. Other possibilities might be Hobby & Craft shops. To see the above mentioned topic, follow this route: Forums > Fabrication board > Leather Tools forum > (topic currently at top of page 2 ). Sorry I'm a week late. Just saw your post tonight. Anyway, hope you get some help from this. Todd

Thanks for the replies TexasJack and pancho47 ! Jack......I already have a side of veg. tanned. Knowing I was planning to get into leatherwork, my brother bought it for me when he was at the Friendship Flea Market, Friendship, Indiana last year and dropped it off at my house on a subsequent visit. I used a micrometer to measure every 12" or so around the perimeter and got between .140" and .210". Possibly the edge had swelled to .210" thick in certain areas. I attached a photo of the top paragraph on the back of the GOO package. The claims look pretty good to me. Maybe I'll get a few more responses from the members to help me decide whether to use this product or not. Thanks again for your remarks. pancho47 ......Please read my above paragraph to Jack for additional information, also the product claims shown in the attached photo. Maybe the manufacturer has changed the formula since you used it. Thanks again for your input. Todd

Dear Admins., I sent you a message, using the iContact Form, on Jan 14, 2010 10:48 PM, regarding a printing problem I have whenever printing a post from one of the forums on Leatherworker.net. To date, I haven't received your reply and am wondering if my message was received. The problem is that the text is being reversed from left to right on my hard copies. As I recall, I attached a sample to my original message. This only happens at Leatherworker.net, not any other websites I print from. Any idea what could be causing this problem ? Thanks ! Todd Brock E-mail (for I.D. purposes): toddbrock@verizon.net Name: Todd Brock UserName: ToddB68 IP Address: 71.171.147.237 Email Address: toddbrock@verizon.net

Hi ! Subject: Newbie with questions re using vinegaroon to dye edges. To begin with, I assume you must have a steady hand to apply black dye to edges, not allowing it to get on the face of the leather. #1...If the dye accidentally smears on the face, can it be removed ? If so, what are the best ways to remove it ? #2...Does the face of the leather right next to the edges try to wick the dye ? Thanks in advance everybody for your help with these questions. Todd

Hi everyone ! I'm just getting started in leather work and trying to economize on my first project by using materials & supplies on hand. My first project will be a utility sheath, made from 13 oz. (.210" thk.) veg. tanned cow hide, hand stitched 5 spi, using poly thread. Just wondering if I could substitute clear original formula SHOE GOO in place of Tandy's' Tanner's Bond Craftsman Contact Cement #2525-00. Has anyone had experience using the GOO on leather projects ? A photo is attached. Thanks, Todd

Hi dscott ! Nice sturdy horse you got there. Looks like it will last forever ! WTG I made a gun stock checkering bench several years ago and equipped it with a Craftsman 4-1/2" swivel vice to hold a standard Brownell's checkering cradle. This year I caught the "leatherbug" and my first project will be a 12" long sheath for a digging tool. My plan is to make a set of wooden jaws that will adapt to the vice for leatherworking and voilà I'll have a stitching pony too ! The Al Stohlman Stitching Pony, shown in the back of his book The Art of Hand Stitching Leather, has a jaw assembly that appears to be perpendicular to the seat. I Googled "farm woodwork" , then copied, pasted & hyperlinked the address below where you can see the plans for another stitching pony that has the jaw assembly tilted to the left (when operator is seated). After arriving at the hyperlinked address, just scroll down to page 99. I notice you made yours the same way and was just wondering if a tilted jaw assembly has any great advantage over jaws that are perpendicular-to-the-seat. Anyone else that wants to add their comments is welcome too ! http://books.google....ontcover&dq=far Thanks much. Todd

Hi Thalaskaru and ClayB ! Sorry I'm just getting back to say THANKS !!! Normally I'm not this disorganized, but I didn't make a note and forgot I had already posted the questions. Tonight, those questions came to mind and looking for the appropriate forum to post in I found my thread ! Eureka ! Both replies are excellent and definite keeper's ! Best Regards......Happy New Year ! *%^# Todd

Hi 8thsinner ! , You really gave me the works !!!! Thanks for all the great info......that helps a lot. Todd

Hi Pete ! Thanks for your help ! The 12" digging tool (See attached photo) I hand-made from a Craftsman breaker-bar, then applied "Plasti-Dip" to the handle. I use it to recover metal items from the ground, that I find using a metal detector. In case you aren't familiar with this hobby, it's about searching for gold & silver jewelry, relics, or prospecting for gold nuggetts. My digger is a replica of the original made by David C. Brown, who goes by "Tabdog" on various metal detecting website forums. I requested and he kindly sent me full instructions. Not an easy tool to make; it took a lot of work shaping the spoon end especially and then rounding the end of the handle, all done on a bench grinder. But it was a satisfying project. At the present time, I'm in the middle of buying a few leatherworking tools & supplies, so I don't think I'll be posting after- shots anytime soon, but will when done. Happy Holidays ! Todd