ghstrydr164

The reason I am selling these stamps is that I make all of my own stamps now. Some may recall the topic I posted in the Fabrication section on stamp making last year, lost with the old forum. I now have many different under cuts of my making, and I don’t do any Tri or Basket Weave stamps. I purchased these two stamps back in the early 90s’ at a Leather Crafter show from Robert and never put them to any use. They have just been sitting in a box for close 15 years. I do not know how the undercut compares to the King undercuts as I have not seen or tried one of his.

Can't find an Edit button. I am adding pictures of the stamps.

As new – two fine handmade Stamps by Robert Beard New Mexico 1 - U Under cutter, Smooth (List Price $50.00) – U3 1 - Tri-Weave (List Price $130.00) – TW5 Asking $125.00 shipped in USA included for both. Cyrus Respond to: cyrus@cyruskemp.com Money Order Cashiers Check

I haven’t tried to make any bar grounders because I hate to run them and I don’t really much care for the way the make a background look. I will take a run at making some and you know how they come out.

I found this in a box of leather tools I purchased at a garage sale sometime back and ran across it today in the shop and thought I would ask if anyone knows the specific purpose this tool. It is 6 2/3"L x 1"W with 1/16" marks to 2" either side of the blade slot. The tool has no markings, looks hand made but not a one of a kind judging from the quality and detail. It has a slot to accept a blade for cutting. Seems to be a strap splitter, but for what purpose? The strap would have to be already cut the same width is entire length for it to ride properly in the tool so why?

Robert I polish my tools with a 3 /10†sewn rag buffs stacked together. Green rouge works best on stainless steel. You have to be carful not to round corners off on rag buff. After I checker I use a small soft stainless wire brush to clean any filings out of the lines and smooth them up and then I do a light stropping on a piece of leather charged with Green rouge, clean with 409 and a tooth brush. Not the one I use on my teeth. I don’t care for knurling, the 36 grit is a great griping surface and is much kinder to the fingers over a long stamping session and it looks great also, better than the pictures show. I took a couple of the one week long carving classes at the Gene Autry Museum taught by Chuck Smith and other guest carvers and tool makers, great learning experience. One old timer who taught at the class could free file a cam like it was child’s play and made his differently and nicer than any others I have seen. The lines in the center were cut deeper and wider and they got progressively closer and shallower toward the ends. Makes for a great and more natural look when running the tool.

Some time back when I was doing a long straight border on a piece and I wanted the border to be checkered and have some depth so I decided to make a special stamp for other similar tasks to speed up the process and give good depth without much effort. I call it "El Coyote", 7/8" face made from a 5/8" Stainless Steel Bolt Having Fun

Robert Judging from your carving, your stamps are doing a fantastic job for you. Very Nice!

The Cams were done as an experiment with casting. I have a friend who owns a Dental Lab and we took impressions of some very high end stamps and cast them with a dental alloy that is harder than the 304 stainless and soldered them to shanks. We silver soldered straight to the shank and some had pegs cast to the bottom of the head and counter sunk into the shank before silver soldering. We tested for strength and found both to be impossible to break off the shanks. The process seemed to much trouble to be bothered with and I am now trying to come up with a better way to make them easily and well. I did get som nice stamps from the experment though.

candyleather Very nice stamps and impressions, you have already given me some new ideas. How about sharing the techniques you use to fabricate some of the non cast stamps.

Brownells Gunsmithing Supplies Metal Checkering Files, not inexpensive but you don't need them all at once and compared to custom stamps very affordable. Maybe start with a 50 LPI for smaller fine stamps and maybe a 30 LPI for larger stamps. You can also make smooth tools to try your skills and checker them later if you like making them. Using the checkering file takes some practice so don’t expect to get it right the first time but you will get it with some practice. You can always sand off the mistakes and try again. Once you get the lines started you just ride in the groves and deepen with each stroke until you get them where you want them. Keep a scrap of cased leather close through all of the stamp making process to test the impressions.

I have started making my own Stamps and would like to share and have others that make their own Stamps share "How and What" they have made and are making. I started out altering my Craftools after taking some leather carving seminars and getting to see and use quality stamps and experience the difference they made in my tooling. Not all of the hand tools I use are necessary to make stamps and none of the power tools are needed to make most of the stamps. So even on a limited budget you can make or alter stamps for better tooling results. I make my stamps 4¼" long because I have large hands and I find them more comfortable to hold for long periods of time. At first I did not finish the stems but I am starting to do that now. I texture the middle section with 36 grit abrasive belts, spin the stamp in the drill press and cut the groves with a hacksaw blade and polish both ends. The texturing is easier on my fingers over long periods and grips as well as checkering. I keep the striking surface square for better strikes. Some of the stamps look lope sided in the picture but they are not, it's just my poor pictures. For my blanks I use Stainless Steel Bolts (304 stainless) diameter ¼" 5/16" 3/8" Head sizes 7/16", ½", 9/16" with long unthreaded shanks and Stainless Steel 1/4 " rod. Some of the hand tools I use are small jewelers files, checkering files 20, 30, 40, 50 and 75 lines per inch, mill and smooth bastard files, jewelers saw, hack saw, vise and sand paper. Power tools include a drill press, belt sander (Burr King 870 with knife makers attachments), Dremal tool, Dental hand-piece and a buffer (3/4 hp. Baldor). Latter I will post some special stamps that I made to assist me in tooling. I would like to here what you are making and any tips you have for making them.

L’Bum I never oil my leather tools and I have never had them rust. I do live in the Los Angeles area where humidity is not a huge concern but I also keep my tools put away. Most of the rust problems come from wanting to display tools by hanging them around the bench and shop or leaving them on work benches for extended periods. Wipe with a clean dry cloth and store in a drawer or tool box. Using a desiccant in your tool box and other storage containers in areas of high humidity will also help. Oil can and will cause problems IMO.

I don't sew for speed. If I wanted speed I have a new Tippman Boss purchased over ten years ago and still in the box. I don't sell my leather work; I do it for myself and for gifts so I don't need speed. You're the one who extolled Al Stolhman not me and you are the one who claimed anything but the use of an awl in hand sewing looked amateurish and was inferior and only done for lack of skill and a willingness to learn. Proper hand sewing does not need to be done with an awl. Traditional hand sewing needs to be done with an awl. Cyrus

Darc Very nice hand stitching no matter how it was accomplished. I drill my holes small enough to require pulling the needles with pliers and that is very tight. Making a hole with an awl cuts or tears fiber and drilling a hole removes fiber. At best it seems that one over the other is a matter of choice and not a matter of one being superior to the other if both are done correctly. Al Stohlman extolled many beliefs that served him and Tandy and many see him as a mentor. I don't think to depart from his ways is wrong as I do not think tradition is a bad thing as long it is kept in prospective to the times we now operate in. I have no intention of doing leather work by an oil lamp unless I am forced to, traditional or not. Cyrus

Staples, that’s what we use in upholstery class, quick and easy. Buy one that has a handle that squeezes like a pair of shears it will handle suede with ease. Cyrus

greg If you drill your hole the proper size you will have a better lock than with an awl punched hole. If you set up the seam correctly before you drill your holes your stitches will look much better than awl work by most people and as good as the best awl work. There are times to use an awl but only when a drill will not work. As far as the test goes lets look at some facts; if you slit a piece of leather through in the center and pull on it it will continue to tare along the cut, that's why we are taught to punch a hole at the ends of slits to lessen the tendency of the slit from tearing. The second item that I ever sewed by hand and it will stand up to any awl work I have seen. Cyrus

The Leather Crafters & Saddlers Journal ran the results of a test (late 90s’?) on seam strength done with drilling as opposed to awl holes for hand stitching and the seams that were drilled were much stronger than seams formed with an awl.

Use burrs instead of drill bits; they will not grab the leather and twist it. If you need very small holes ask your Dentist for some used burrs, they will work fine for your purpose. A Dremal tool works well with the burrs also. Cyrus

Thanks Kate that thread helped. I sometimes have trouble seeing the raised lines and was wondering about making a mold of the Tap-Off to reverse the lines for easier viewing but after reading the thread I don’t believe it’s worth the effort for me. Cyrus

Anyone here use Tap-Offs for repeat patterns and production carving? Cyrus

Tool rolls are the only way to go with large pockets that hold groups of tools. All of the seminars I took with top carvers that's what they all use even at their shops. It's better to have only a couple of dozen high quality stamps rather a few hundred mass produced and plated stamps that will not leave good sharp impressions and the angles on many are all wrong for good results. The quality of tooling will be limited by the quality of the impressions left by the stamps. The best carver in the world will have his work suffer with the use of poor quality stamps. Some of the very old un-marked and un-plated craftools can leave good sharp impressions but they are hard to find. Most of the old timers I studied with made many or all of their own stamps. Cyrus

I started with a mallet but picked up this Berry King 16oz. maul 15 years ago and it makes things easier and faster for me. No matter what you use it helps to keep the heads of stamps square. I make all of my heads square for a larger striking surface. If your stamp heads are domed I would recommend squaring them off and you will notice a vast difference. Cyrus

Look for a pair of shears that are serated on one side and have a very steep bevel on the other. Wiss at one time made a belt shear of this type that would cut 10/12 oz. leather like it was sheer silk. A good quality pair of shears can be altered to do the same. They may still make good Polyester shears that could be altered to work well. Cyrus