YinTx

I'd carve, then wet, but only enough to get where you need to go. Or even better form it while it is still cased. Also follow the advice given, put some water on that bend there so the internal stress is relieved. Then get some oil on it after the water dries out. Then go about stitching on a cover layer. YinTx

It may have something to do with the thickness of the materials. Try adjusting your measurements for that and see what happens. YinTx

Here are the photos. It came with a lot of tools that I had purchased, and I had thought originally to sell it since I have so many awls, but after I used it I decided to keep it! You can see the profile of the hole it leaves-different than most. Not great for fat thread, but awesome for the tiny stuff. YinTx

That is really nice. Very well put together, great tooling. Excellent bar grounding too! YinTx

@MikeRock, it is flat. The end is squared off. The profile is not diamond shaped, but flat, think KS Blade Punch flat, but flatter and slimmer. If I get a chance today, I'll post a photo of it. YinTx

Snap! That is some fantastic tooling! YinTx

I can only speak to the one Palosanto tool that I have which is an awl. I have a lot of awls. The Palosanto is one of my favorites - for small leather goods, it is exceptionally high quality. The profile is unique and very well adapted to the more contemporary slanted style stitching. The handle is very comfortable, and made from Argentine Lignum Vitae. I am surprised I do not hear more about this brand on this forum. I'll be curious to see if others chime in on the comparisons. YinTx

Nice! and tiny basketweave too. I find that is more difficult to do than it might seem. YinTx

Am lost. How does this relate to the OP's topic?

I am sorry, this one is sold. YinTx

have a photo? is it dye or years of ... stuff coming off? Can't say if I can't see... YinTx

I have just tooled some W&C black bridle leather, worked just fine. And I must say their dye work is almost always more even than mine. It is not sealed in, though, and will get on you, your tools, your bench...until it is dry and you have sealed it yourself. YinTx

Nice burnish! Clean looking design. YinTx

Check out @RockyAussie's posts on bell skivers. Seems the best solution is a vacuum attachment to the discharge section that keeps the leather cleared and from being picked back up by the feed wheel. YinTx

Also, I think many start with Tandy, and then gravitate towards what works best for them. Me, I have a few dozen awls and a few dozen pricking irons, including the Tandy I started with. I tend to migrate towards my favorite. I will probably sell the edge beveler I have and find another, since I haven't found one I like after doing this for years. Many of the tools I have begun to prefer are really old ones. Also, I haven't done saddle work, and haven't done much with holsters. So I suppose I'd use different tools if I was working on those, so yea, what everyone is saying about no answer until you know what you are making is true. YinTx

Kinda doesn't look like leather. But perhaps you could contact cement some fabric on the inside to bind the split? YinTx

At about the 3:12 mark, he is inserting the raised section. YinTx

Looks like it may be layered with a raised section. Wet form the top layer over the raised forms. I'm sure many other ways to get there as well. YinTx

I've seen some pretty simple light boxes made with PVC pipe and cloth. They come apart very easily for storage. Low cost and effective, something I'll probably be making myself soon. Look forward to seeing what you end up with! YinTx

Slow draw McGraw here. I couldn't tool that in 8 hours if I had practiced it 6 times. It would take me a month of Sundays. In all seriousness, it would take me at least 8 to 10 hours, and wouldn't be nearly as good. There is production tooling, then there is art. One is fast, the other is just going to take as long as it takes. And then some probably. YinTx

Not sure. Texas penal code 46.02 prohibits the carrying of prohibited weapons unless in your own premises or en-route to your own vehicle or watercraft. You can own them, make them, sell them apparently, but can't carry em. 46.01(6) defines an illegal knife as a blade over 5 1/2 inches, something designed to cut or stab by being thrown, a dagger, a bowie knife, a sword, and a spear amongst other things. It seems to be called out by name specifically, no idea why. May have something to do with being pointy, or having two edges sharp? A switchblade knife however, that does not meet definitions of other prohibited weapons, is a-ok it seems. YinTx

Those oak leaves look outstanding! Fantastic work. YinTx

But why are you putting the oil on the backside? In order for it to show up on the front like that would seem to be a lot of oil! Try a lighter coat on the frontside before any tankote/antique? YinTx