HarryB

Continue stamping until you have filled your area. Carefully stamp your border (two different ones shown) and don't forget to sign your work! The last photo is a set of templates for all your different stamps. Be sure to number/name each one to correspond to the stamp used to make it.

Its going to work this time, I hope. Somewhere along the line I lost a couple of my first photos so there is a lot of info related to this first one. If you get confused let me know and I'll take some additional shots and post them. In the first picture, get a piece of good, firm leather about 3" x 5", draw a base line close to edge leaving enough room to stamp one row between the edge and the line. Stamp a good base line along this line. Then stamp about 6 rows up, creating a slanted line by stamping one less impression on each next row. I'm left handed so most of yours' will be the opposite direction. Now cut a straight line along your baseline. Lay your straight edge along the edge of the diagonal impressions and cut that line. I then cut the third side of the triangle at 90 degrees to my base line This is what you should end up with. (Angle on the left side for all you righties). Carefully glue this triangle to a piece of firm plastic. I use a piece of laminate countertop material. Any cabinet shop should be happy to give you some "scraps" that are plenty large enough. I have inked these lines for visibility. The bottom horizontal line is your outside border. The top horizontal line is where you stop stamping the basket weave pattern. The angle came from laying your new triangle template on your base line. From here, place the stamp on this angle with the lowest tip just touching your base line (for righties get this starting point as close to the right side as possible so that you are stamping right to left). Keep stamping until you have a completed horizontal base line and an angled base line CONTINUED ON BASKET WEAVE POST #2

I love Weaver's and I get a lot of hardware from them but you have to be careful what you order. The last double capped rivets I ordered, I expected to come from Ohio Travel Bag as previous ones had. The last ones were made in China and were shipped in Tandy's packaging! I am also pulling my hair out trying to get a refund from Scovill for an order I had not requested but received 6 weeks after talking to a sales person about some snaps. Not real happy with them at this time. Check Fasnap Corp. for the SS snaps.

TINA, have you not been reading the post about rotary punches for the last couple of weeks?!

OK, as soon as I get this computer thing worked out, I'll post some pichers! Shouldn't take more than a couple of months!

I have a belt in the shop that has holes marked every inch from about 20" up to 50". The measurement is from the hole to where it hits the buckle tougue. I put that belt around the customer and, whatever it says, that's the size I make the belt, allowing for the difference in length of my buckle and the customer's (usually very little). Works every time.

PLEASE don't use steel hammers on any of your stamps! They will not last and, once they are mushroomed, you stand the chance of chipping the tool and eating a piece of the steel or whatever your stamp is made of (watch out; you can put an eye out with that thing!) Use a weighted rawhide mallet or heavy rawhide maul. The weight will keep the bounce down and as far as the tool goes: HOLD ON TO THAT PUPPY. Its amazing that even the rawhide will start to mushroom your tools but not nearly as quickly.

I think at this point in time. WE'RE SCREWED! I make enough to survive on so I make to much to qualify for any "programs" from the government. I agree; handing money to individuals only help a little but makes you feel good. BUT, giving billions to the big companies for "bailouts" doesn't help us at all unless we happen to be one of the big wigs with one of the companies. Then we get to spend millions on re-decorating our office, retreats and bonuses! DON'T GET ME STARTED!!! PS, I'm posting my basketweave stamping tutorial right after I calm down a little (just kidding). Hopefully I can figure out how to download a pictures.

Good for Peabody! Way too much history is lost because our "leaders" don't want to spend the money or they don't see the relevence of a particular subject to future generations. But, I thought Betamax had come and gone before we had any tanneries in this country. Maybe I just have some of my history wrong! ( )

Once upon a time, if I needed a pistol to make holsters by, I bought it. THEN I GOT HITCHED! That brought an end to that! I started using Duncan dummy guns years ago and have had no problems with them at all. If you will go to pistolsmith.com, you will find a good debate on dummies (guns). I have found that you run the risk of making your holsters the wrong size if you do not use the actual pistol or a dummy that you KNOW is within specs. A good dummy gun is cheaper than wasting your leather and time.

There are belt snaps and glove snaps. Be sure to use the right size. It takes practice to know how hard to smack the setter. I've tried a half dozen setters over the years and not real satisfied with any of them. I have tto set a snap two or three times before I get it right. Maybe just me.

Thanks for the input. It'll be Monday before I get back to the shop but I'll work one up.

Hey everyone. I have a little different method of basket stamping than the others posted. Would you like a tutorial or would I just be beating a dead horse? Just let me know.

Never had ANY luck with rotary punches, even Osborne. I use the single size Osborne punches and have never had any problem with any of them. Stay away from the rotary punches.

#1: wear comfortable boots. #2: take lots of money! #3: leave the spouse at home or be prepared to give them lots of money for clothes shopping. Its a great show.

Just my 2 cents worth. Don't use them in a cold climate. While in Colorado and -20 to -30 usual for the winter, the trees became brittle and didn't recover from the cold very well.

Very nice. God bless you, black leather and white buckstitching! I'll do it but you have to hold a gun ( or open billfold) to my head!

I have a 31-15 made in 1934. My mother used it for years as a taylor and I've used it for over 40 years sewing lighter leathers, canvas, etc. Still works great and, the personal value aside, it is still a great machine.

Very sharp!

Try VanDyke's Restorers or Lee Valley Tools (both on the WWW).

Pine will work fine. I used 4 x 4 posts for my legs and 2 x 4 for my apron. If you are going with the 4 x 8 size I would upgrade to 2 x 6 for the apron. The only problem I have had in the past with a full 4 x 8 workbench top: magnatism! Everything in the shop seems to be drawn to it and I end up with about a 2 x 4 foot working area. Then it takes a couple of days to put everything back where it belongs.

Just glancing over the other comments, I didn't see one feature I have that is GREAT: wheels. I bought heavy duty rollers, figured the height that I wanted, figured the height of the rollers, and then cut my 4 X 4 legs that much shorter minus 3/4". I first mounted the rollers on a piece of 3/4" plywood the same size as my bench top and built my bench on this bottom shelf. It gives an enormous amount of storage space. I also have two drawers mounted under my cutting surface that hold all my most commonly used edgers, stitching groovers, etc and patterns. My bench top was cut out of a 4 x 8 sheet of 3/4 plywood. I cut two feet off one end and 18" off the width. I hinged the 18" piece so that it can be raised like a table leaf and I kee the 2 foot piece that can be braced on the end, making a full 4 X 8 top when needed. The rollers make a breeze to move and sweep under plus I can use low shelves mounted on the wall that I can move the bench over to get to the shelves. Just another idea.

No, the pool cue company happened to carry some very exotic woods but they were all 1 1/2" square by 16" long. I need some pieces more like 2" wide and 4" - 6" long that I can cut slab handles out of. I was willing to buy pieces that size if they had them after cutting their other pieces.

Along these same lines, after looking at their website I e-mailed a pool cue company yesterday asking if they carried woods in different sizes than those shown on their site. Everything they offered was 16" long for pool cue handles and I was asking for "odd" size pieces 4 to 6" long for knife handles but too short for their normal use. I got a very curt e-mail stating somethin like they were in business to make money it it seemed that I was looking for scraps that I could get for a little of nothing and was told that I was wasting their time even asking! Guess what? If I order $100 or $10,000 worth of wood, it won't be from them. And I told them so but not as nicely as this! I understand that we don't all give out all of our "trade secrets" but you can say no politely and not be an ass about it. Just ranting.

Trooperchuck, it must be the law enforcement gene in us but I write Ebay sellers also. I try to be very nnice to sellers who state that they are not sure what they are selling. The other ones that are adament about "vintage, antique leather tools" and they are trying to sell something a couple of years old and completely unrelated to leather, I am usually not as nice to. I, too, get some interesting remarks from the sellers. And yes, it is very entertaining.