YinTx

I like that you have started selling the acrylic templates. Also, I like the Carve-rite templates, but with some modernized motifs. Always looking for Made in USA hardware, solid stuff not cast zinc or brass with cheap nickel plate - I've been embarrassed using that on customer's belts, etc already. I also like that you have braved the storm and come on LW.net to resolve customer issues, get feedback, and be present. That is not a product, but it is a service that is hard to find from other vendors and worth a lot in my humble opinion. YinTx

I have managed to acquire a lot of swivel knives over time, including one Robert Beard. Which I've heard is great, but mine needs a sharpening because it won't cut a thing. So it hasn't been used. And I have several cheap ol Tandy swivel knives that get regular use. They have been sharpened properly, and are stropped to a mirror shine. They cut fantastic. I sold one for $25 recently. If you were willing to put in the time to sharpen and strop yourself you can find them easily for $10 or less. They work great. If you don't believe me, see Jim Linnell. He is a master carver, has over 100 swivel knives, and his go to is a Tandy knife. Lengths are adjustable so you see what you like. If you decide to upgrade later, you are only out $10-$25. Some of which you could recoup if you decided to sell it. If you are not carving on a regular basis, it doesn't make sense to me to drop $100's on a knife. I get the desire to have a really nice knife, that is how I ended up with the Beard. If I find a Henley or Chuck Smith I like, I may get it. But then I just carved 43 coasters and ornaments using the $10 knife. I mean if ya have $$ to burn, go for the fancy one, but just something to ponder. YinTx

Yes, pretty cool. A tooled machine no less! YinTx

FYI, when I want very little of the antique to stick, I use Pro Resist. Usually applied deliberately with a fine paint brush to the areas I want to have no color added by the antique. It is a very strong resist. TanKote on the other hand, is not as strong a resist, and it allows a lot of the color of the antique to pass through. In some cases, no resist is the way to go. The best way is to experiment on scrap bits, so you don't ruin the piece you have just spent hours and hours working on. I still tend to do a sample or 4 using the same piece of leather my project is made from, and with different resists and antiques (gel, paste, liquid, whatever I think might do the trick to get the look I am after on the piece I have), since every hide and even different sections of the same hide will react differently each time. And different techniques with the same products will give different results too. IE apply Tankote in 2 coats. Dilute the Tankote, use a paper towel to wipe the antique, use sheepswool to wipe antique, etc. You just have to really play around a lot until you like what you get. YinTx

Fantastic work. If I could get something like that done in a month of Sundays, I'd be happy. I usually spend a year of Sundays just cogitating on it! YinTx

Am confused: OP listed for $1200? YinTx

Appreciate it @JayEhl! Don't know why I was always doing them the difficult way before... YinTx

Looks like you are going to make a lot of folks happy! Cool gift ideas. YinTx

Thank you all! Usually happy with other folks tooling! I always see the flaws in my own. I have done better than this in the past for sure tho. From 5 feet, looks pretty good! Best advice I can give is get after it! Takes a while to get it down, and I've wrecked a lot of leather to get something presentable... Thanks, especially considering it was about 3 oz leather. Two tone I did with red and black dyes, then resist, then my own concoction of antique, followed by top sealers. Had to dig in my thread and found some Amy Roke 632 in about the right color, glad you noticed the match! Thank you. I was happy with the color scheme especially since it was a bit experimental for me. Tooling wasn't my best tho. Thanks kiwi! Now to see if there are any interested buyers in the world... YinTx

@immiketoo had a review of some affordable quality swivel knives available on that side of the pond. Search this site and you'll probably find it. He had good comments for them. I seem to have acquired way too many vintage swivel knives, going to have to part with a few. Even the older simple craftool swivel knives cut very nicely when properly sharpened and stropped to a mirror shine, and swivel well when refined. I use them instead of the craftool pro knives I have on occasion without complaint. YinTx

Those are pretty neat! YinTx

A bit daring with the colors, but I think I like that portion. Not entirely happy with the tooling, but it's done! YinTx

I agree with everything mentioned, but kinda get hung up on the concept of making a "SO EASY" Hermes Birkin. To get the skillset necessary to craft an Hermes quality bag takes years, and is far from easy. I think it is a bit hard to cater to both crowds. All that said, I have seen some making Hermes style bags and making it look easy. They have the tools, patterns and the skills - yet still the final result isn't quite Hermes. And I think if any beginner attacked the project, they would be so frustrated with the end result and the cost of the materials and tools that they might never do any other leather project again. Not sure I have a solution, but I like the direction. YinTx

Well, that is interesting, and now we know the replacement for the eliminated Pro line of tooling tools. But, I think I'd just as soon order directly from Barry King and save 10%. Plus, better selection. I'm curious how it'll work out in the long run. YinTx

Still not passing the sniff test. It was ok when they bought the kit, and were perhaps just "dating" but now since it comes to light they are married, it is somehow different? Same number of people, only difference is marital status. Not right at all. YinTx

Wait wat??!?!? So, if you're married, they won't sell to you? Something not passing the sniff test here. YinTx

Probably not necessary. Sometimes putting dye on a rough edge doesn't give great results anyhow, so fairly smooth is ok. If it doesn't take, then use some 320 or finer to lightly buff the edge. YinTx

Agree about the links. Usually YouTube videos link fine here though, not sure why yours did not? I did search for it on YouTube and found it. Nice work, those bags are apparently quite collectible and expensive. Interesting work! Did you nourish the leather with anything? Or leave it as is? YinTx

Yes, Tan Kote is like a light resist, Resolene and Pro Resist is a stronger resist for antique. Also, I tend to wait overnight for the resist to really cure, because the antique can act as a solvent and remove the resist if it isn't fully cured. The 4 hours between your two posts would hardly be enough time around here for it to cure. With Tan Kote, I'd even use two coats depending on the look I wanted. I don't like edge kote, even after a few months, I found a wet towel will lift it right off the edge of the leather. Also don't like the results with it. I've had much better luck with just using dye on the edge and burnishing it. Look forward to seeing your results! YinTx

Yes. That is why I have so many different types now. Paste, highlighter, gel, etc. It really does just depend on the look you want for the project you are on, and how comfortable you are using each type. As far as oil, a little bit goes a long long way. I've seen folks literally douse things in it, but I prefer a very light coat to keep it from getting to soft and soggy. You can't take it out. But it will distribute evenly over time, so if the leather is thick, then the color will lighten up as it permeates further into the piece. You'll have a better idea in the morning! YinTx

NP. I have a lot of antique, and I have migrated towards highlighter or gel antique. Alcohol can remove impurities that may cause uneven dye, yes. I've oiled before dye before as well with good results. Not very often that I would consider not adding oil to veg tan leather. Look forward to seeing your results, and consider experimenting on sample bits before you go after your project. YinTx

You will discover that there is still some antique on the elevated sections that you want to remove, even after you have wiped it off. Don even shows some videos where he uses the Tan Kote to clean this up, and you can see his pieces clean up nicely when he does this, and you can see the antique come off onto his sheepskin. Plenty of antique stays on the valleys and crevices not to mention it will stain the leather in these places so even if you do pull it out (which kinda you do want to, so you don't have antique caked in there, it would crumble out when it dries if you leave that much - presuming you are using paste antique) these places will remain darker. If you watched the referenced video, he clearly describes the intent at the 26 minute mark or so. Not sure why you are worried about removing any oil on the leather. Old timers used the acronym "ONAT" for the process: Add Oil, then Neatlac, then Antique, then Tan Kote. If you add alcohol to the leather, you will dry it out. If you've dyed it, that will dry it out. You will probably want to add Neatsfoot oil to it to help restore the oil content and nourish the leather. (a little goes a long way). If you let this set overnight, then add the resist, it will be just fine. Don also demonstrates this, he uses olive oil. In fact the first nearly 12 minutes of that video discuss this. You didn't mention what kind of antique you have. Are you using paste like Don shows, or do you have the gel antique? YinTx

Generally speaking you would use one or the other, although it is reasonable that one might use both products depending on the result you wanted to get. They are usually used when you have tooled or stamped leather, and you want to apply antique. They would be used as a "resist" to keep the antique from darkening certain areas of the leather, and to allow the antique to highlight the tooling and carving. If you don't have tooling, usually you wouldn't use antique but dye only. Again, this is an art, so you can get different effects by using different techniques in different orders on your project. You would use Tan Kote to lift the remaining antique off the leather after you have buffed it off using sheepskin (or towel, etc). Some would stop there, others like to put a final seal coat with Resolene, although you could use Pro Resist as a seal coat (it is a more shiny finish). Hopefully this helps a little. YinTx

Just my thoughts, get in touch with Jim Linnell at Elk Tracks Studio. He has several historical and collectible examples of tooled leather, and is probably aware of how the tooled leather pieces in the Tandy Museum (including Al Stohlman and others) have been mounted, displayed, and preserved. YinTx

Yeah, that's a beast! Definitely came out well tho! YinTx