Not Awl Together

I inadvertently did that also one time, I completely soaked it in lacquer thinner for a couple of hrs and wiped it down well with no ill results. It took the majority of it out but, not completely. Still a slight staining deep in the bone but nothing that has transferred out to leather thus far. Regards, N.A.T.

PM Sent, Regards, N.A.T.

Hi Macca, I went with #'s 7,8,9,10. Frankly speaking, I'm extremely pleased with them. fit and finish is excellent and look forward to using them for a very long time. Since I use irons in the same manner as you have pointed out numerous times in other threads and store tools well, I don't anticipate ever having any issues with them unless I do something very dumb. The tip about Booth & Co in this thread is much appreciated also, great experience and no long waits or customs delays getting Dixon tools on this side of the pond. I want to thank you again for your efforts and time posting the very informative information in the other thread, it closed the deal and I couldn't be any happier. Best, N.A.T.

I thought I might add a footnote, I received this week 4 Dixon pricking irons from Ken at Booth & Co. I have to say that the customer service is excellent, the irons are in perfect condition, level, even teeth, and all of them quite sharp. Overall polish and finish is very good and the cost was very reasonable. Received my irons within 3 days of placing the order from the east coast out to here to the west coast! That's pretty quick and I'm extremely pleased with the service and the irons. N.A.T.

Thanks Tex Shooter, yes it is an older Scrade 130T Trailblazer. I believe the pattern was only offered for a couple of years and discontinued in 1981.

Thank you very much, I would to add that my inept attempt at trying to tool leather certainly reinforced my profound respect and admiration for the many talented individuals on this forum that have developed such immense skill at it.Kind Regards, N.A.T.

Made this a few months ago, its 9 oz. veg with a welt. The knife handle is wide in one area with a deeper finger groove and since I don't particularly care for straps, I opted for a snap to lock the knife into the sheath at the groove. It's very secure, the knife locks in snugly and won't slide out. I haven't any tooling experience but thought I'd at least give it a go. I think its adds a little to the overall appearance. It is a found knife that was in rough condition before I cleaned it up and honed it to shaving sharp condition. I screwed up using too large an awl as the 1mm saddle stitching looks small comparatively, it wasn't made for a customer so I'll live with it until I do something else with it. Opinions and critiques always welcome, thanks for looking. Regards, N.A.T.

I just got off the phone placing another order with Stephen and he asked me if I wouldn't mind putting up a quick post for those still interested in obtaining Tiger thread. His shipment has arrived and several of the sizes/colors he ran out of stock in are here. He is also stocking it in .6mm in Black, White, and Havana Cigar! Hope this helps, N.A.T.

Lovely workmanship and clean design! I also really like that you included the sliding shoulder strap pad, it seems lately that I'm seeing fewer of them on bags intended to carry heavier items. IMHO, it elevates and complete's your bags overall appearance as well as providing additional comfort. Congrats on the fine work. N.A.T.

Macca, Thank you for your generosity in taking the time and effort to put together such a very detailed and informative response to my post. Your post and pictures confirmed my hunch about my current set of irons and removed any uncertainty about going forward with some additional acquisitions. Having said that, I don't wish to give anyone the impression there is anything wrong with the Osborne's, rather, I will use them on larger leather projects where I'll be using a heavier thread size. Thank's again. Best Regards, N.A.T.

Sterling piece ! I would be chuffed as well : >)

I think its a great project and not foolish at all. To possibly assist you, I thought I might add a few insights and some alternative suggestions that may be of some use for your consideration. Keeping wood rounds from cracking or splitting can be very difficult or nigh on impossible. The reason is moisture enters and leaves the end grain much faster than the face grain, radial/ tangential grain pressure is out of balance and the fibers of wood separate, subsequently cracking and splitting. Also, since wood is a "live" material, it shrinks and swells through out the year depending on where you live and your climate. For example, I'm sure many folks are familiar with doors or windows that swell and stick. Depending on species and intended final use, green or fresh sawn woods that will not be kiln dryed that are going into storage to air dry for any length of time to stabilize, generally have both end grains sealed or painted promptly to slow down the rapid transference of moisture through the end grain to reduce the degree of cracking/splitting until the moisture content of the wood stabilizes to the environment. Even though care has been taken, small end checking or splits can and are likely to happen. I would also add that cutting off or sealing the end grain from this transference does not mean that moisture will stop from entering or leaving the material, it only slows it down. In addition, sealing only one end of the material in some instances can actually make cracking worse. If I was to offer a couple of suggestions to end seal your round, you might consider getting a can of quality shellac, a can of lacquer thinner and a package of disposable brushes. In the cabinet / furniture trades, shellac is used as a sanding sealer prior to top coating with other finishes and provides a uniform base to work from. Besides it lower cost, it penetrates deeply into most woods other than dense hardwoods, dries very quickly and seals the base wood pores reasonably well. Depending on the "cut" of your can of shellac, you can thin it by adding two to as many as five equal parts of thinner. Thinning the shellac provides a couple of benefits, longer working time, deeper penetration. Another option would be to use a dedicated sealant. Though more expensive, they are excellent products and seal extremely well. The downside to some of these sealers other than cost is that when used on end grain, the length of time it can take them to fully dry before top coating. It can take a while because of how they cure and how deep they penetrate. I've seen some that have taken well over a week given temps and conditions to fully dry and if you top coat too soon, the off gassing from curing can bugger up your top finishes. If you opt for shellac, I would suggest you sand the face of the round well prior to shellac, blow any dust out of the pores and intermittently sand between coats as needed until the ends are well sealed. You should be able to seal it reasonably well within a day. Regarding dedicated sealers, since many have different properties follow the directions and drying times given on the can. As an alternative top coat to some urethanes type finishes, you might also consider using a quality spar varnish for a couple of reasons. Marine grade spar varnishes tend to penetrate and seal wood extraordinarily well from moisture, they can be thinned for longer working time, are less prone to cracking, are easy to apply and also freshen up after much use. Installing a "Dutchman" to stop a small split from becoming larger is a different topic that I won't go into............ My apologies for being long winded, I have tried to be as concise as possible while hopefully offering some insight and help realizing that this is a leather working and not a wood working forum. I hope that some of it may be of benefit to you and those considering this type of project. Regards, N.A.T.

Indeed, Thank you!

I would like to know as well so, I just sent an email to Chris this evening referencing his post here. Hopefully Chris is still with Dixon and will favor us with an update and let us know if they may or not have any further intention of a U.S. based agent / distributor / retail venue.

That is really fine work and stunning to look at. You certainly have a keen eye for design and detail. Congrats on such a fine project. I'm glad to have caught up with this thread Regards, N.A.T.

Much appreciated Macca, and thanks for posting the link to the picture of your iron(s). On an aside, I originally noticed on my Osbornes that as the spi's got higher, the pitch/angle of the dents become more vertical at each size while the dent height remains the same. Roughly a 1/8 inch or 3.5 mm give or take. Since I've never had a Dixon or Blanchard in hand, It's led me to question whether the stitch dents becoming more vertical is unique to just the Osbornes and whether the Dixon/Blanchards are ground and filed such that the angle of the dents remains constant throughout the line as one goes up higher in spi count? I appreciate your insight and comments and look forward to hearing what you have found once you have returned. Kind Regards, N.A.T.

Just curious, What is the height of the dents the Dixons or Blanchards make in the 8, 9, or 10 spi ? You are correct about the Osbornes not going into higher spi's..... 8 spi is it to the best of my knowledge. I'm interested in possibly going to Dixons at some point down the road in the higher spi's Thanks, N.A.T

I've been using the C.S. Osbornes in 6, 7, 8 spi. and pricking wheels with a sharp diamond awl for finer work. IIRC, the Osbornes are priced around $50-$60 U.S. apiece.

My Optivisor has a 3x lens, seems to be about right when I need it. I wear tri-focal glasses to correct for being farsighted so your needs may differ.

As was mentioned earlier about a charge back to a credit card, I would still contact your card company anyways. Many card carriers have purchaser protection, will help you resolve the issue and hold off/ freeze the charges and interest until it's resolved. Just a thought and good luck, let us know how it works out.

Since everyone's situation is unique I only offered the suggestion as a possible option. I can only speak from my personal experience, therefore, my perspective and subsequent response............ Workbenches or work platforms/stations for specific tasks of substance though initially expensive are a long term investment in your craft. Historically speaking, In my craft, apprentices were required to build their own which they later did journeyman work on for the remainder of their careers and were tailored to their body size and task specific needs. This may be a poor analogy but, I couldn't imagine rebuilding a auto engine on something akin to a dining room table.... Others mileage may vary...... Regards, N.A.T

David, As an option to possibly consider, have you considered a heavy substrate to work on and/or under your Poundo board ? IME, a heavy working base tends deaden and not vibrate or transmit noise through it as much as a lighter one whilst working on it...... much like a blacksmiths anvil doesn't hop about while hammering out metalwork. The steadiness of a heavy, solid work platform tends to also make other tasks easier as well......... Hope this may help, BTW.....there are U.S. Made pricking wheels that do have slanted /////// stitch marks out there if you do your leg work, I happen to own a few made by Osborne myself........ Regards, N.A.T

Sorry, I'm coming at this from a little behind in the conversation and am a bit confused about the need or desire to use a press to drive a pricking iron to mark your leather for stitch locations through a couple of layers 3/4 oz. Veg. Would you care to elaborate on your need? This may be a dumb question and may have been brought up in an earlier conversation, that said, have you viewed Nigel Armitage's video demonstrating making stitch holes through 4 layers of 8/9 oz. Veg. ?

Thanks everyone! I'm considering a few options to attach a ball/ swivel mount so that it can swivel and be adjusted for height if necessary without risk of catching the thread as well. For the moment it's actually not that bad being sandwiched between my legs until I sort out the other details. Thanks again, N.A.T.

I hope I'm posting this in the correct forum thread, sincere apologies to the mods if not. I had some bits of maple and walnut lying about and collecting dust in the shop for quite a few years and thought I might repurpose them. I put this together pretty quickly in my spare time over the last 3 weeks after looking at quite a few clam patterns on the Internet. I especially liked Fred Moreau's clams and borrowed heavily from his designs since it was briefly mentioned on here that he was no longer making them and it would be unlikely to obtain one. Unfortunately, I don't have access to steam bending equipment so I opted for laminating maple arms and cross pinned the short grain glue joint near the clams mouth with oak through dowels providing a mechanical joint. I also used through and blind dowels to reinforce the other parts. The walnut tension knob is recessed into the block so that thread won't get in behind it and hang up and after a quick test drive, I didn't have any troubles with thread hanging up anywhere on the clam. It opens and closes a dream with little effort turning the knob to tighten and the compression spring pushing the mouth open upon loosening Thanks for looking, Best Regards, N.A.T