bikermutt07

Woody, you sound waaaay smarter than me on this topic. But I can still cut stuff ok. Lol

The boar infestation is a double edged sword. Hunters can freely exterminate them and process them. People who I have seen trying to engage them on a commercial level run I to problems. No one wants to buy, process or sell (if they even can legally) the meat. So, there isn't much of a market for tanned hides, since finished hides is a byproduct of commercial endeavors. This is only my take on it, anyway. Most trappers have been forced into just releasing them in a different area, from what I have heard.

Welcome to the forum. Great job on the quiver.

Well for fine detailed stamps you could do way worse than Barry King. If you are only needing a few to get going (basketweave and such) it wouldn't be too expensive to go to BK. An inexpensive strap cutter will serve you well for bracelets. The Tandy one would be fine. I always strop my disposable blades. Even those tiny strap cutter blades will reap huge rewards when slicked up on a strop. For your hardware there is a setting tool that is like a crimper that some people swear by, but I have not used it. As far as poking holes (if I had it to do over again) I would cry once and buy the crimson hide pricking irons. There are some good reviews of them by Nigel at Armitage leather on YT.

What Js said. I use sand paper on a piece of quartz or granite. It works great. I watched a gazillion videos trying to figure out how to sharpen my pocket knife. I hated the fact that as a grown man in my forties I still couldn't sharpen a pocket knife. After watching all the videos I could stand I still had a full knife. Then I found a video from a knife shop in Canada. What he said made it all click. The first time you sharpen the knife it will take longer. He said your hands won't do exactly what the factory did to the edge, so you have to train the edge to your hand. After that you get to that point you can maintain that edge in short order. Good luck.

Follow him to the dump. Lol Good luck, hope it sells.

There are a few big ones a year. But there aren't local ones all over the place every weekend. Leather just isn't as popular as knives, guns, motorhomes, and boats.

It has the consistency of Elmer's glue. It's not so gel like as tragacanth. If you are looking for more of a paste you can try fiebings antique in natural color. I did find it a little less forgiving on the face of the leather. A paste tries to ball up when you apply it. That was my experience anyway. But, anything is going to need a little practice and patience to apply. We are talking thin edges.

I like tokonole. I apply it with a small angled paint brush. Let it set for 5 minutes. Burnish. Apply pariffin wax (I know you said you don't want to use it). Burnish again. Then rub with canvas. The pariffin gives a slicker edge then the beeswax. Beeswax is grippy. The tokonole all by itself may be the answer you are looking for. It's pretty fool proof and you can clean up excess with a wet rag, while it's still wet anyway. It also doesn't seem to darken the edge of you keep the heat down while burnishing (aka slow speed).

I'm not familiar with bucks.... But boots are generally chrome tanned and that's a whole different world from veg tan.

Good idea.

Great list, thanks.

What are you wanting to do, leatherwise? Most people start with a small assortment of cheaper tools and build from there. Tandy's tools are for the most part no better than the less expensive choices on Amazon or eBay. Just pricier. If you want to buy quality tools up front, you have to know what you need, and who to get it from. Barry King is well known and makes quality tooling and stamping tools. He has 2 different sets of stamping kits that are ready to go, but you are gonna spend 500.00 at once for a set of them. Are they worth it? I bet they are to someone who loves to tool and wants to become great at it. Knipschield knives makes wonderful things of cutting beauty. He is very reasonable in his pricing, but you have to be willing to wait. He is a one man precision show. I have 2 of his knives and have been waiting 3 months so far for my 3rd. He is worth the wait. There are several others out there I would also be happy to buy from. Wuta leather has some cheap and some expensive tools. If you are just starting, get a cheap set off of Amazon. They have a decent looking set for about 25 bucks that has a good assortment of tools. Then learn how to sharpen them. Only custom makers will send you stuff that is sharp enough to use out of the box. And even then, you may have to strip them some before using. Figure out what you like, dislike, use, and don't use, then buy the better stuff. Another tip, pick a small yield project like a bracelet. And make 20-40 of them all at once. You will learn all the steps, have lots of fun, and only use a small amount of leather. If you booger 8 or 10 of them along the way, no worries. Have fun.

You need to rehydrate the leather after dyeing. The dye really dries it out. I use neatsfoot oil in light coats. Then apply your finish.

That is the best way to buy them. It's like accessories don't really add any value when buying used. I have been watching them for a few months and people that are asking 2000 or more always wind up not selling. The trick I think is to find one with the 510 table. That is a really expensive upgrade from the factory ($1500). They usually bring 800 to 1000 with that upgrade. The mark V's can be had all day long for 3-500.00. Anyone selling the power pro that knows what they have wants 3 or 4000. I did see one that went on eBay for about 1500. Wish I could have bid on that one.

The newer ones are more. They don't make the mark 5 anymore, although all the parts are still available. The 510 ($3500) is the standard now. The 520 ($3800) is an upgrade from that. The power pro 520 ($4200) has a digitally controlled head. I bought a 1981 model with the 510 tables. It has the jointer, the 6" belt sander, the bandsaw. I got it for $700 on Craigslist.

I recently got my hands on a shopsmith. I think it could serve very well in playing with leather. I haven't gotten to get it all lined up yet, though. I bought it for work and it is at the shop. I am slowly making a space for it in our wood work area. But, I can only work towards that when we are really slow. These things can be had for next to nothing if you look for them. If you wanted to try woodworking out I would suggest looking for the 510 or 520 models as they have the bigger better table systems. But I'm confident any model could be useful for leather.

I have only read about tap offs. I believe they are deep line or inverse line drawing of your pattern. They are made out of leather and you tap them onto your cased piece. Just Google them. I'm sure it will lead right back here for information on how to make them. I'm currently in the off again mode. Just haven't been inspired the last few months.

Someone mentioned using a creaser before to prevent wrinkles. Just make a few scores down the center of the fold about an ⅛" apart. Good job.

I have tried tooling. I didn't think I was any good at it and it made my hands hurt. That said.... It takes awhile and of course you will get faster with time, tricks, and tools. An expert will be along shortly. Good luck.

I'm far from an expert, but it looks perfectly executed.

Different glue for different reasons. I would probably use some spray glue for that app. m90 by 3m should work well. Good Luck

I believe there are threads concerning trade shows on the main page.

Keep lots of water on hand. You will be doing a lot of talking. Be ready to pitch the sale and Close the sale. I watched a fella at the last Maker's fare I worked clean up all day long. He was selling steak rubs. Boy he had that pitch down pat. He sold to 70-80% of people that gave him 3 minutes of their time. I know that's not the gun market, but sales is sales. Know your product, give a story\info, make it so the person has a need only you can fulfill, and tell them for the money. Good luck.

I didn't know Ray well. I only came to know him when he had to retire and let go of his leather hobby. He was a very generous man that gave many of us better than a fair shake. Rest in Peace, Mr. Dodge.