slipangle

One of my true loves is making tools. I have a full woodworking and metalworking shop in my house. All vintage machines and tools I've collected over the years. I love old tools. And though I have a few old Osborne awl hafts, I find them too long for my relatively small hands. So, I decided to make a few awl hafts. Handles are rosewood. On two of these I used Starrett size B pin vises for the collets. Decided if I was going to go to all this work I might as well use a good quality collet. The size B pin vise seems about right to hold these Vergez Blanchard awl blades. The decorative ferrules I turn on my metal lathe of nickel silver. On this first one I decided to turn a place for the thumb and middle finger to rest, and push, to supplement pushing with the palm of the hand. I rest my index finger on the collet. Seems to work very well. This is a more standard shape. And this one turned out a bit odd. I decided to try one without the pin vise insert. It's a little front heavy, but seems to work OK. Thanks for looking. I may place one or two of these over in the for sale section, if anyone is interested.

Not certain how to add pics from a hosting site. I'll see if this works.

Here's one more. The first one I did. With custom logo cut outs. This was sized to a particular length, to fold a folded up tubular tire, as well as tool kit, lunch, etc. But it came out ungainly looking. Sort of like an old Rollei camera case. more pics….

Hello, New to the forum, though I check in now and again and learn a great deal from you folks. Leather work is not my specialty. I dabble in leather, as well as many other things. I really love to make tools and will post some awl hafts I've been working on too. Most of what I'm been doing has been for the guys over on a Classic & Vintage bicycle forum I participate in. Here's a couple of pics of some saddle bags I've made. These seams are beveled at 45 degrees and then saddle stitched. But I'm still learning. Particularly how to finish the edges of this black chrome tanned leather. Thanks for looking, Scott

Ah yes...Thanks, I have made cutters out of Steel tubing before. I was wondering if maybe there was a miniature, toothed tool I hadn't discovered yet.

Thanks. Very nice work. As a toolmaker myself, I am curious about the tool you used to drill the ivory disc. I'm trying to envision a "hollow round straight punch". Is this something you made yourself? I'm not sure I've ever seen such an animal. Thanks Scott

Old thread but, very nice work indeed. Inspired by your post, I'm working a a couple myself. Out of some old growth rosewood and Starrett pin vises. Would be interested in how you made the ivory disc.

I use an older Iwata brush. Good quality but some can be very expensive. I would check out the Aztek air brushes offered by Testors. Reasonable price and you can get extra tips for them, to adjust your pattern. Then you will need a small compressor and a water trap with pressure gauge attached. These can be found for little money. You need a pressure dial and regulator on the water trap, or inline, so can tweak your input pressure way down to operating pressures. I run my Iwata with as little as 10 to 14 psi sometimes.

Waterhouse leather in Hyannis, MA. Peter is a great guy and has very nice quality hides.

Got it. Figured it out right after I wrote that, Camano Ridge. Thank you.

Well, KalL, free shipping is pretty good. Probably cost her about 16 bucks to sent it to you, if not 20. But, I still hate to see someone spend that much, even though that motor looks pretty new. Tell you what. Think you can find an old motor locally? Like msdelucca says, the motors can usually be found cheap. At flea markets or an appliance repair place. I can't imagine an old, surplus but running motor should cost you more than 20 bucks, max. If that. Do you have the skills to add a wire with inline switch to it? I've got some of those arbor adapters around here. I've got tons of stuff like that. If you want, I'll make you up a burnishing head and you'll just have to find a motor. I can put either 8/9 ounce veg tanned discs on it and turn it on my lathe, make some grooves for you. Or, I have some pure wool felt here in 1/2 inch thickness and could try to cut 3 or 4 discs of that and shape it. Not sure how I'd do that but I'm often not sure how to do stuff and manage to pull it off. Would prefer to make it out of leather, I guess. I don't know, maybe 25 bucks for a made up burnisher head. Shipped. Off the top of my head. I'm kind of new to this forum so not sure how to send private messages but, you can send me one if you like…if you're interested. Scott

What Bill says, Kail. The larger the diameter the wheel, the higher the SFM, or surface feet per minute. With a 1725 rpm motor, a one or two inch diameter burnisher is spinning plenty fast.

I would just start by asking the old gent what he would like to get out of it. He'll tell you and you can go from there. He might surprise you.

You can get set up for way less, if you're willing to make your own heads using arbor adapters. Woodworking catalogs usually have a good selection. And a surplus dryer motor for cheap. But I wouldn't go anywhere near 4 or eight inches if it were me. You can make some useful one to two inch diameter burnishers using those adapters and the wool felt discs mentioned above and even some laminated discs of veg tanned if you like, which can be spun on your motor and shaped with round files and sandpaper. Or even wood. I made my burnishers out of lignum vitae on my lathe. Very nice dense and waxy wood for the application.

My two cents Doug. I think Elmers would work fine for attaching the pads, on bare wood, though if you oiled and waxed the wood where the jaws meet it may not adhere well. If so, I'd clean the wood as well as you can with mineral spirits and use contact cement. I used some of that Tandy leather bond to replace the pads on my little pony, but on bare, sanded wood. It's a form of white glue. For the crack, I would go with wood bonding super glue if it were me. Seeps into the gap if the crack is tight via capillary action much better than wood glue. If the gap is wide, wood glue or Gorilla glue on dampened wood.

Thanks Macca, Great pics, And I guess I missed them on his site. A rather goofy postulation and somewhat inauspicious first post on my part. I suspected in my heart that I was dead wrong and that I was indeed looking at the work of a magician. Really beautiful work. Care to elaborate on how you think he accomplishes this sort of edge? It's hard to fathom. Phenomenal. But then, work of masters often is. I'd be remiss if I didn't add that this thread has been very interesting and a big help. Another satisfied and grateful reader, Hidepounder. And others. It's really helped my progress on my edges. Thank you. Slip

I stand corrected , Macca. Thanks. I knew someone who come in and correct me if I posted this. :> Amazing work

Hello all, I'm new here but I lurk a bit, and learn a lot from you folks. I have a theory on that fine looking multi-colored edge on that Niwa Leather piece. Again, I am a mere dabbler in leatherwork and no expert by any means, but I do know a little bit about materials. I'm an amateur and could no more make my edges look like Billy's fine work than ….OK, disclaimer issued. :> In short, I don't think that is leather. At least, not all of it. I looked through all the offerings on the Niwa site and could not find a full pic of the article featuring that multi-colored edge, but I suspect it is a portfolio or notebook. If you look at the fine purses and other things on the site you'll notice all the conventionally, and very nicely done, edges. None of them show this color stripe edge that I could see. Aside from the one photo. I think the material is plastic. At least the black, red, green, red, black center portion. Probably very thin sheets of polypropylene or some other, sewable, colored sheets, sandwiched between either two or four, pieces of leather and acting as stiffeners as well as for the color. I don't see how it would be possible to make laminated layers of 1 to 2 ounce garment or upholstery leather turn out like that, with that super glossy finish and fine definition between the colors. Even if struck through with dye. I could be wrong. Just a theory and my 2 cents. Thanks. I learn a lot here. Scott