slipangle

Hello ELlel, I do have a couple here. I will send you a personal message and try to attach some pics of the ones I have. Thank you, Scott Thank you for posting that great review, LeatherToolz. I appreciate it. Very much. Scott

Round and head knives are beautiful tools. I have a few. And the craftsman-made ones I've seen are outstanding. But I suspect they have fallen out of usage by many folks because they were designed and used, mainly, back in the days before leather workers had access to our modern knives with replaceable blades, Olfa style snap blades, and such. A saddle maker in the early days could do about anything with a good round knife. He had little else to work with. I don't use my old Osborne round knives very much. I'm not that experienced or good enough with them. And they kind of spook me, to tell the truth. I use Olfa style snap blade knives and scalpels. But I believe there will always be a market for nicely made round and head knives, as there is with most finely crafted, hand made tools.

Thank you, Feraud. Scott Thanks JohnOK, Personal message sent. I do have a few of these that are in progress. And will post them as I finish them. Thanks also to LeatherToolz, for posting his review of my awl on his channel! Much appreciated, Jun. Scott

That's a nifty setup, Nuttish. Any way you can slow down a standard grinder or buffer motor will help. It really doesn't require high RPMs like 3450 to burnish edges and I think that is a little too much. I mount my home made burnisher, with steel shank, like the OP's, in my metal lathe head stock chuck. Or a drill press works too. But I try to save my drill press for drilling. The bearings in a drill press were not designed for lateral loads, even though burnishing puts very little sideways pressure on the quill. Slip

Really nice looking, and uniqueness is always good. Can you do Ernst Ludwig Kirchner?

Beautiful.

This is very interesting. It looks as though this fellow is a very talented tool maker. His workmanship looks top notch. I believe he faces quite a challenge however, in overcoming the stigma, which still exists, concerning the "made in China" label. Especially with regard to the prices he is asking. Don't get me wrong. I know there are many talented craftsman in China. I know several of them. I lived in China for a time. My wife is Chinese. I have friends there. I love the place. So this critique is in no way a bash against China. While I certainly hope he can succeed in this endevour, and wish him the best, I think he has a real challenge on his hands. The tools look beautiful. I do have one concern on the materials, however. And I could be off base. But the wood used for the handles of his tools make me wince a bit. I have a particular interest in exotic hardwoods and have studied their use in China quite a bit. I would like to think that his wood is coming from a sustainable source but, knowing what I do about it, I seriously doubt it. China is one of the, if not the biggest users and exploiters of rare, threatened and unsustainable exotic hardwoods in the world. The remaining old growth forests of Asia and Southeast Asia are be decimated by the insatiable demand in China. On my soap box here, and I truely hope I'm wrong about his sources. I think I'll write to him and ask him. But as it stands, I would personally be very reluctant to buy any tool, or any other product from China, made from exotic hardwoods. My two cents.

Hello, Sorry for the tardy reply. I just got back in last night from 8 days in Belize. Thanks for the note, and interest. I may yet try some very small burnishers out of lignum vitae but, to tell the truth, I may try it with other woods. The main problem I've found with this wood is attaching the shank to the wood. I haven't tried it yet with this wood, and 1/8 shanks, but gluing this wood is nearly impossible, given its extremely high oil content. I may try some experimenting soon, to see if I can get a good, tight press fit, and avoid the burnisher spinning on the shank. But for now, I'm still concentrating on awl hafts. If I come up with something that works well enough to sell them , though, I'll let you know. Thanks, Scott

Hi JGB, Sorry for the late reply. I just got in last night from 8 days in Belize. Thank you for the note, and interest. However, I doubt I'll be making any more burnishers out of this wood. I may, but it is doubtful. The reason is I used the last small blank of it to make two awl hafts. I did find one more small piece of the wood in my wood stash but I probably won't make burnishers out of it. It is just too rare these days and I think other woods will work as well, or better, as burnishers. For now, I'm concentrating on awl hafts though. If I come up with something else though, I'll keep you posted. Thanks again. By the way, the shank on those two I made was 1/4 inch. Thanks, Scott

I use a small pair of smooth-jawed pliers too. When I have to. But I wrap my thumb, index and middle finger tips in this stuff. It's tacky, stretches and sticks to itself, and helps me grab the needle. Also protects the fingers. It is similar to the medical stuff in the pharmacy, but some is better than others. Look for the thick, very crinkly stuff. The thinner stuff doesn't work as well. http://www.flexx-rap.com

Those are very nice. Beautiful.

Thank you, Boriqua.

Thank you both! Scott

Thank you very much, Capsterdog, Scott

Thought I'd add a pic of the one Bob bought here, just for the heck of it. Though I like all of the ones I make, some just seem to turn out a hair better than others. This one really came together just right. Size. Shape. And what turned out to be an amazing piece of wood. I never know exactly what it's going to look like until I get the final shape finished. A shape I hope I can get close to again. :>

Hello Leathertoolz, Thanks for the note. Who am I speaking with? Working on some more right now. All those shown in the thread have been sold. Price is listed in the thread, If you are interested in getting on the list for one, please let me know and I'll start up an email exchange . Thank you, Scott

Thank you very much RMR, It was a distinct pleasure to deal with you. Bob R. is one very talented artisan in his own right. His fly rod cases and fly wallets are stunning. Very happy one of my tools could lend an assist to your fine projects. much obliged Bob, Scott

Hello TigerPal, Thanks very much. I'll keep you posted. Working on a couple more as we speak. Waiting on a shipment of those Starrett pin vises. That's an interesting idea on the spot. I found that if the raised spot is aligned with a flat on the blade…in other words, the spot pointing straight up, 12 oclock, my fingers are nowhere near it when I'm using the handle. But having the spot in a location under the index finger, for instance, but not perfectly aligned with the top flat of the blade, is an interesting concept. I'll have to think about this. Thanks! By the way…. looking at you profile picture, I am intrigued. May I ask about it? Thanks T-pal Scott

Thanks kindly, Thor.

Hi all, I've been working on some more awl hafts and thought I'd post up some pics here. Had a small piece of European boxwood a friend gave to me about 25 years ago and made a couple out of it as a member here requested one in a lighter wood. Only had the one piece of that wood though so these two are it. Nice wood. Turns very well, has an extremely tight grain and takes a polish like crazy. Kind of wish I had more of it. Back to my rosewood for the next batch and the foreseeable future. #9 is a "new" shape for me, based on the old Osborne and Gomph rosewood handle tools I have here. I have also, based on an idea from a member, thank you Tim, tried a new approach to the little nickel silver spot for aligning the blade angle, leaving it slightly proud of the wood so that you can feel it, rather than flush where it only provides a visual clue. So far, my jury is still out on that approach as I've found that neither my thumb nor fingers are in the vicinity of the raised spot when I'm holding one of these at the proper angle of attack. Feedback from users will prove the worth. These have all been sold, thanks very much to all who have purchased one. But I am currently working on some more. Please see the Leatherworking Tools section in the Marketplace if you have any interest and for pricing. And please send me a personal message if you have any questions. Thank you, Scott #s 7 & 8 #9 #10

Thought I'd better get in here and update this thread. My sincere thanks to you all for the support of my little tool making operation. Here are some pics of the most recent ones I've made. All have been sold but I want to let anyone interested know that I am currently making some more. I'm afraid I had only one small piece of that light-colored boxwood. So I am now back using my rosewood as I have more of it. I'm also trying a new shape as can bee seen in awl haft #9. based on the classic shape of an Osborne or Gomph rosewood handled tool. Also, I have decided to up my price just a bit. Hope that is understandable. Time and materials what they are, I just couldn't justify leaving them at the old price. My thanks to those of you who have purchased at the new price without batting an eye. I appreciate it. I am now asking $85 for these, plus 5 dollars shipping. If you have any inquiries, please send me a personal message. Thanks very much. Scott #'s 7 & 8 #9 #10

Hello Strangman645, Will do, thank you for the interest. I did just finish up a couple of these, and have more planned. Waiting to hear back from a person in line who showed interest. And if they don't want this next one, I will forward you a picture. Thanks very much, Scott

Howdy Manypawz, I just finished these two. Ramrod wanted one in a lighter wood so I used a small piece of European boxwood. The thinner one went to him. But I have the other, fuller one. 1 1/8 inch diameter. About 4 3/16ths long from butt end to end of chuck. Very comfortable in the hand. This one is available , if you like. Let me know if it something you might like. Thanks for the note, Scott

This reminded me…remember when the circular, "donut" shaped hand slickers were made of Lignum Vitae? Before they switched to plastic. I still have a couple of those and while I usually use my Lignum burnisher mounted in my lathe chuck, those old circular hand burnishers can be very handy for some projects. Scott

Thanks BigLew, and Ramrod, Not sure when I can get to more of these. Had shoulder surgery recently, which is slowing down my projects. But will certainly get in touch should I do some more of these. Thanks for the interest. Scott