billybopp

https://tandyleather.com/collections/tools/products/replacement-blades-5-pack Injector razor blades should work as well.

Welcome aboard! - Bill

Volume III has some scabbards and zippered cases. They are available from Tandy Leather at $14.99 US each. https://tandyleather.com/collections/supplies/products/the-art-of-making-leather-cases?variant=31977098838147 They should be available on Amazon as well, but probably more expensive. - Bill

Agreed! There are three books, and they are excellent. The projects are mostly outdated (unless you're still using an instamatic camera), but the principles in it are still as valid as ever. - Bill

Welcome aboard! You'll be surprised how woodworking skills can be helpful with leather! - Bill

I've seen a couple of those shells in the Smithsonian. They're really cool! - Bill

It might be interesting, but probably not very do-able! The Stohlmans have both been gone for many years, as is (I think) George Hurst, who would have been a good author and knew them well. At least in later years, the Stohlmans were VERY private according to Hurst, to the point of even rejecting business meetings with Tandy for months on end! But I have no doubt that there would have been some fantastic stories is such a book! - Bill

Several years ago, Serge Volken did a video on incision knife carving on YouTube that was fairly interesting. - Bill

You're probably right. Some leather shops "back in the day" may have had dedicated tools for tooling, but I have no doubt that folks decorated their leather - maybe around a campfire at night when on the trail or whatever. I remember reading that Al Stohlman did some of that sort of thing. He served in WWII and did some leatherwork then - and when he returned home didn't have access, or couldn't afford, proper tools so he made his own from nails, screws, bolts - whatever could be found. - Bill

LOL! It's probably like anything else - when you do a thing occasionally and for your own gratification it can be relaxing and satisfying. When you do it for a job, not so much! I have friends that liked to make home-brewed beer, and got very good at it. They decided to go into business brewing, and took all of the joy out of it. To quote one of them "The best way to ruin a perfectly good hobby is to make a business out of it." - Bill

Cellulose kitchen sponges don't seem to work well with dye. They get hard quickly and can crumble after awhile too. When I can, I dip dye. Spraying is a good option if you have the equipment. I also sometimes use sheepskin, a brush, or a foam brush. - Bill

Welcome aboard! - Bill

YIKES! I had no idea they'd be that expensive!! LOL Got a pig farm nearby? :D - Bill

Sone shoe makers still use boar whiskers for some sewing. You may be able to get some of 'em. What could be a better whisker than an actual whisker!? - Bill

I'm with you. It mostly come from the idea that anything that has no wording - and just the noise of the activity is ASMR. It's not, but folks seem to like that "buzzword". - Bill

When I worked in an electronics lab, we had non-static labcoats with a bit of metal fiber woven in. Possibly that thread would be used to sew that sort of thing? - Bill

Try 90%+ isopropyl alcohol, found at drug stores. - Bill

"Just wondering, maybe someone can explain to me how it is that my best work to date comes on the most trivial project? " ... That's ALWAYS the way it works out - whether it be leather, wood, metal, paint, or whatever. LOL!! - Bill

I agree 100%. Having managed customer service teams for various companies, they have ALL had some form of recognition for this kind of praise. Sometimes just a note on their record or similar, but more often than not there's also some sort of financial reward too! It's usually not a LOT of $$, but a little something. It also looks very good for that person if they intend to stay with and move up in the company! - Bill

It's a needle that won't do what you ask it to! DUH. But seriously - I don't have a picture handy but have a couple of them around here that came as part of a package deal, but never put them to use. It's kind of like an awl that has an open hook near the pointy end. You poke it through the leather, put your thread in the hook and pull it back through the leather. You then put another thread through and start all over again. In other words, it makes an interlocking loop stitch - much like a sewing machine - and unlike a saddle-stitch. - Bill

I've heard folks say that astrolube is essentially the same as the old Wyoslick ... so who knows!! - Bill

I bought a Tandy press years ago when it was on a very good sale, and love it! I was also able to get dies for most of what I do on sale by being patient. Keep the cost and availability of dies in mind if you decide to buy a press. The Tandy press comes in at $169 right now, but their dies are around $70 and up. Buckleguy's press is more expensive at $206, but their dies are far more affordable. - Bill

Only problem with that stamp is that it's upside down! - Bill

It looks like a proportional divider leg. Probably part of a set, or an add-on to a divider set or drafting tool set. - Bill