YinTx

agree, to a point. Elle, ProCarver, Craft Japan, Ivan Taiwan, etc. all fall in the spectrum somewhere between 1969 to present Craftools. The older Craftool (1969 and older) IMO are as good and sometimes better. Being handmade, sometimes worse. For your most used tools, BK are worth it agreed. I even have quite a few Robert Beard tools that I really really like. Could I do it all with the Craftools? Yep. Would you be able to tell the difference in my finished product? Probably not unless you were just really familiar with the tools. But I'm glad there is such a variety of tools and toolmakers out there. Now, the Sergey tools are unique, and I'm bettin you'd know when I used those! YinTx

There are many brands out there. But in my opinion and experience, in order of quality/price ratio, from worst to better, starting with don't consider it: A. cheapo tool sets off of ebay/amazon, don't do it. as they tend to bend easy and leave bad impressions. B. z series craftools C. recent cheap craftools - ok to learn with and decide if you like the craft. D. 90's craftools E. 70-80's craftools (very useable, very nice impressions, reasonable to acquire) F. Pre letter craftools (many hand made, very nice impressions, great value for the $$) G. Craftool Pro (excellent quality for price, discontinued) H. Barry King I. Jueschke, Robert Beard, other custom tool makers: These are all incredible high quality tools, and expensive. At this price point, personal preference rules. Hope this helps. H and I are available from the makers, some have very long wait periods. YinTx

Get some vintage ones. Price is still good, and the quality is much better. A lot of us have extras, and are willing to sell them. In fact, I have some for sale in the for sale section of this site. YinTx

Yep, normal. Draws blood every time. I will say normal stitching needles will poke you just looking at them, these at least take a slight effort. I suppose you could blunt them more if you desired, that would just make it a bit more difficult to lock the needle into the thread when you are first threading the needle. Otherwise, do what works best for you. Most of us modify some bit of our tools at some point in the game to get them to do what we need them to. YinTx

Bin it. If n ya can't do that, wash it good with aforementioned solutions, let er dry, and make some tool kit that goes out in the garage with it. Not suitable for EDC stuff imo. And I'd hate to think customers would wonder if I used said hide in their products. YinTx

Grew up with these making a raucous racket every summer living in the desert southwest. Now I live in the South, and was surprised to hear a flock of them thoroughly encompassing my oak tree outside the front door last spring! They were here and gone, just passing through, but I was glad they stopped to rest for a day here. YinTx

"Tell em a hookah-smokin caterpillar has given you the call!" Nicely done, like the texturing too. YinTx

Hahahah this is awesome, love it. YinTx

Those are nice. Also potential for crossover to the wizarding world of wands! (wait... www...?) YinTx

very compact and clean... I like it! YinTx

That is a piece of art. Colors are awesome, tooling looks great from the photos. A whole lot of work in all that! Congrats on getting it done, and in time for Christmas! YinTx

Very cool YinTx

wow, thats a lot of tooling! Great gift idea! YinTx

Nice! Thats a lot to carry around! YinTx

Well now you're just showing off! Nice dram, nice sticks, and nice work! YinTx

Fantastic! YinTx

Superb! YinTx

If ya can't tell it ain't a pancake.... Anyhow, yeah, I am sure there'd be interest. YinTx

Thank you! YinTx

Thank you! YinTx

Oofah! That's sharp! Did you use anything on the back of the alligator, or just use it unlined? What weight was it? YinTx

I've been itching to make a replacement sheath for mine, but haven't felt the inspiration hit me on the exact design I'd like to do. Yours came out nice! YinTx

Nice work Those thumb breaks are on the opposite side of most holsters, aren't they? Does it work well on the outside? YinTx

Thank you. As I mentioned, it is a Don Gonzales pattern that I modified, I liked it as well, enough to tool it out! YinTx

Not too sure myself. I've wanted to do the same, but the book moves in the cover when you open/close it. I think some of the other method may be better, maybe something more attached to the book instead of the cover. Yep. Actually have some of the same frustrations that a lot of others have, so I mix up my own to get a much more subtle result that I can apply only to the areas I want, instead of the whole piece. Now, what to do with all the jars and tubs of antique I have left over.... Thanks much! Glad you like to see my stuff, I enjoy sharing it. Thanks for the compliment! YinTx