howardb

Well, I think I know what it is, and have fuddled my way on how to use it. Other than 3D stamps & letter stamps, what can I use it for? I had great fun stamping scout emblems on wet leather last night, but there has to be MORE... Where can I get tools to fit on this thing? I got a set of small adapters, and I'm not sure what to do with those. The big adapter fit in the bore of the ram and the 4 finger stamp presser thingy pressed onto the flange of the big adapter. They are now one with each other. So I may need another big adapter. There's a belt tip cutter. Not sure how to use that other than line it up and yank the handle. So any tips, tricks, etc on this beast? I almost let Carol put it up for sale and then I used it once. I liked it and went out for bolts... Brent

My 2 cents from my very limited experience... I agree with packing tape. A saddlemaker who lives here only uses 3M Packing Tape. He says don't use anything else... It's thin, clear, and stiff, and I think that's part of the magic (no pun intended). I have used shelf paper on two projects, and won't use it again. It left sticky residue on the leather. That may also be a brand thing, but I don't know. It controlled stretch OK, but left goo. I tried rubber cement onto heavy plastic sheeting (quilter's templates) and never had any luck with it sticking to anything, and again I get goo on the leather. I'm probably doing it wrong. So right now, for me, I'm using the tape. The stuff I have isn't 3M brand, but it's the same type of tape and it works great. No goo, no stretch, and it stays stuck until I peel it. Brent PS: The saddlemaker says he will often glue the tape down to prevent the curl. I haven't tried that yet, but it sounds like the best of both worlds...

My father in law used 1/4" slabs of rubber as his cutting/punching surface. Would that work? I'm not sure where he got his, but here's a quick link I googled... http://www.aerorubber.com/sheet.htm Brent

There was a wicked cool thing on DIY low $$ light boxes posted here. I could probably scratch one together from what I remember, but the newbies won't be able to. If anyone can find the link or more info on this, it was a worthy thread. Brent

Emeral the Leatherworker... Brent

Dude. PLEASE tell me you are in a guild so you can bring that and enter it next October at the IFOLG show. I have seen some awesome stuff at the show and to me, this ranks right up there (personally, WAY up there). OK, so I'm looking at the plain one and agreeing "yah, just protect it..." I'm not sure, but I think I like the colored one better. Wow. Make me one and just frame it. My initials are BH... :D Brent

Very cool! Can't wait for the finished product. Brent

Marcel, Nice work. I was going to ask about the stitching as it looks perfect! This post answered that question. Very nicely done! Brent

Thanks for the comments guys. I will hang it out in the sunroom and let the heat and sun at it for a while. I promise, my next one will be better! (and include a belt :-) ) Brent

Drac, It's a Ruger single six. Dual cylinders, one for .22LR, and one for .22Mag. I think the Bearcat's much smaller and lighter than the single six. They sure are the same shape! Brent

Really nice tooling. I don't know much about lacing, but it looks good to me. Brent

"It's just absolutely black. I mean, how much more black can it be?" (This Is Spinal Tap) And it looks like it goes to 11. Nice work! Brent

Oh no, now I gotta make a belt?? I want to re-make it, line it, do it up proper with a belt, and hopefully enter it in next fall's IFOLG show. Cartridge loops... Hmmm. .22 LR is a mighty small loop. I better do one for my big N frame S&W. .45's would probably look better in the loops. Thanks, I will try that. Will the color fade/lighten again or is it forever dark?Brent

No, it's a hand tracing from the eagle badge. photos of the template and original image (from BSA website) attached. It's carved & tooled. The stamp (scout trefoil) is on the top flap. That stamp came from my local scout shop. They have all the cub ranks, an eagle, the trefoil, and a couple others available. Brent

A LOT of folks helped me with suggestions on this in the Critique thread. I appreciated and learned from every one. So why finish the thing? Well, it wasn't looking too awful bad as I fixed things and tried suggestions. Put on some saddle tan stain. Hey, it's looking decent! Maybe I should oil it... Then disaster struck. Oh I wasn't smart enough to just rub a lil' on the surface. NOOOO, I had to darn near soak it. Inside and out. I watched the oil bloom and wanted to hurl. So it went from a "oh it's not too bad / beginner piece" to an exercize in "what not to do with leather". Anyway, here's a few pics of the resulting holster. Brent

No pattern on this one. I sort of made it up as I went along. A friend has his Eagle COH this weekend. I only had a week to make this, so it got made out of scraps & sample bits I had. I found out from his dad that he's getting a new Case folding lockback, and this should fit it fairly well. It might be a bit wide for it, but it's the right length. I did the carve pattern from BSA clip art of the eagle badge. I used the smallest tools I have! I also have a BSA logo stamp that my wife picked up when mine started in cubs, so that got stamped on the top flap for the fun of it. Leather - sample wallet back & Live Oak sample squares Saddle tan all over front & back. Super sheen over that on the grain sides. Fiebings mahogany antique goo (probably 30 years old...), final coat of super sheen. Brent

I think rubber cement is going to be the toughest thing to replace with water based product. Would hot melt glue work for what you want to do? I've used the eco flo dyes and they work nicely. I got a sampler kit at the IFOLG show (also available from Tandy) & Tony Lanier taught a class on painting an oak leaf using them. Sort of like painting with watercolors on leather. I enjoy them. I've also used one of the stains (saddle tan) with good results. I would by others, but those are what I have so far. Brent

At least it doesn't look like a moose! Seriously, nicely done. Some finish should make it pop. Brent

WHOA! Gorgeous! but quick, someone move them to the adult section!! Brent PS: My collar is TOTALLY unworthy compared to these! I love the snake collar.

Thank you Johanna & moderators for all the work! I felt naked while the board was down! I will try to squeeze out some funding too. This place is worth the effort and worthy of support. Brent

Hilly, I use it. I think the purpose of it is you don't have to let the leather dry down as far as plain water before carving. The "soap" in it helps the knife glide. I like it for cutting while slightly on the damp side (not wet). Tooling still works best at the "right" casing. The soap also helps the water draw in faster. I know the pro's don't like to re-wet during carving, but it works well for me with my limited contiguous carving times. It seems to work better for me than plain water, and I'd bet that comparison would vary with how hard the plain water is. My tuppence, Brent

Honestly, its nice. I can't find anything wrong with it. The stitcing looks smooth and even, the basketweave looks straight, and the floral tooling appears nice and deep, smooth lines, no jagged edges, nice finish work. Personally, I would aspire to this level of quality. Preferrably before I expire. I agree with the others. Very sellable. Go forth and prosper. Brent

(Repeating this here, not sure where to post it) Help! Carol Higgins is looking for raffle items for the Midwest leather show in April (see the calendar). If you are in "the biz" of leathercraft and would like to donate something, please contact me here via PM or e-mail. Carol is living with us so I will quicklyl get these to her. OR you can contact her directly. Her e-mail address is listed at the IFOLG website, contacts page (http://www.ifolg.org/members.htm). She is IFOLG secretary. She's going through the Saddlers Journal and past show lists now and has quite a few companies to contact. If you advertise there and can save us some postage, contact me or her as soon as you can. If you are interested in other aspects of this show (entering competition, vendor space, demonstrations, etc.) let me know and I will put you in touch with the right folks. Thank you, Brent Howard

The tooling is VERY nice indeed. I'd say something mean, but it would just be out of jealousy. I won't mention the lacing because I can't do it! I'm still trying to figure out the mallets... Nice work! Brent

Quick update on the backing issue - I was digging through a box of my father in law's stuff and ran into a partially finished purse he was doing. He had backed the whole side with what looks like clear "shelf paper". I also found a wallet that he had started with the same backing, and it has to be at least 6 years old. I peeled the wallet (it looked complete to me, and the person it was carved for has also passed away) with only a minimum of fuzzing of the leather and no visible residue, none of that sticky glue feel either. I'm going out for shelf paper... Brent