YinTx

Thanks for the details on what to look for. Next time I pull my blade, I'll take a look. I noted the one time I had it out, that the bottom of it had some lines scored in it. I may try to lap those out, and I may follow your advice and get a new blade for a spare backup. Will any blade that fits a Landis do, or should I be looking for new old stock, new stock, etc? YinTx

What is the function you want to achieve? Looks? Protection? Restoration? Old book? New book? YinTx

This. Do this. You will already have an artistic bent that allows you to understand and be inspired by what you are trying to accomplish, and your work will be yours. It may not start out looking like you intend, but you will quickly progress after a few practice pieces to a place where you are improving on your own work. It will be unique, and I think folks gravitate towards that. Just my thoughts. YinTx

Did you tool the carry strap? If so, it looks deserving of a close up... YinTx

Wow, thanks! And I feel the same way about my craft as you do about yours. YinTx

Do you mind mentioning what I should be looking at to see if mine is currently a "basket case," and what someone might have done to it to cause that? thanks, YinTx

Definitely a piece to be proud of. And to have rescued it from the scrap heap, unbelievable. Have you been able to determine the maker and the age? I don't know anvils, but that looks like a 400# at least! YinTx

I should clarify. I used Tan EcoFlow Waterstain, without thinning. With success I think. I oiled it with pure neetsfoot oil after it dried, then a day after that, applied Aussie, both on the grain side. Oil takes more time to go in. I have oiled it before dye in the past, seemed to work ok as well. Didn't have tight bends, but stitching holes seemed ok. Yes to dampening the leather before applying dye. YMMV it seems. YinTx

Maybe for some. My set is rusting in the drawer. I have one Barry King edger, it does well, but it is really for thin leather since it only takes a tiny bit off the edge. And you have to rest the leather you are edging on a thicker piece of leather to get it to do it's job. Tandy edgers work every time. But I don't like the squared off edge they create. I have some Osborne edgers, they work, but seem to be geared towards thick thick leather. They also need a good sharpening to start working, even new. I have difficulty controlling how much they take off the edge - they can pretty much cut all the way through the leather if I am not careful. Someone mentioned Feng tools for good edgers I think it was. Thus, I am on the prowl for decent edgers as well. With my collection of edgers that don't quite suit me, I'm a bit wary of spending even more $$. YinTx

Lookin good. Beware, those binder clips can leave marks. I've been known to put a layer of thin leather between them and my project to keep it safe and sound! YinTx

I think that is kinda what I did on version 3. It is a bit better I think... Thanks much! The spine is two pieces of leather, the outer cow veg tan and the inner is a veg tan ( I think) pig liner. Soft and stretchy though. These two are sandwiched between the outside tooled layer and the inside smooth layers of veg tan. I did a bit of a skive to help out there, but the results aren't something I was really proud of. I keep wanting to put the spine on the outside of the cover, but I have a mental block about it. I keep thinking the stresses aren't right and the spine has to be on the inside of the covers to keep from pulling on the stitching, and I don't have my mind set on how to make sure the spine sets on the outside of the cover right after I've tooled it. And I don't like the lump on the inside, so I compensated by putting the sandwich in. Still not happy with the results, but it works. YinTx

This happen to you? What brand did that to you? YinTx

Agreed, but it isn't just China making higher quality tools, leather and other equipment. Japan, Korea and others are tapping that market effectively. I think KS Blade Punch is South Korean. YinTx

You would think companies like VB would stand up and take notice of these sort of conversations, but I think not or they wouldn't be shipping out the product they do. If they don't, I hear another bell tolling. Bye Bye Dixon, Bye Bye George Barnsley and Sons, etc. I know this isn't the sole reason for these companies becoming defunct, but it sure is making them non-relevant. YinTx

That might be a better phrase! YinTx

That is some really fine craftsmanship! Even with the close ups, not a single flaw. amazing. YinTx

sweeeet. I bet that rough texture on the anvil really sets of the flake, allowing it to sparkle in all kinds of directions! YinTx

Unique looking design... but what exactly is post commercial waste? As in scrap left over from furniture manufacturing, or some infectious waste infested material removed from the rubbish bin? just kinda curious, because the phrase doesn't seem very marketable to me... YinTx

Nifty! BTW, the wind tends to rip those petals off once in a while... I see you were going for the realism, right? YinTx

The inside of my Prototype notebook cover was done with Tan Eco Flow water based dye, the outside was done with Fiebing's Medium Brown. As Mattsbagger says, it goes on a lot differently. My application technique is similar to the one shown in the video. No streaks, no circles. It seems that way when you start, but you just keep going and going, adding more and more and rubbing it in. When it is wet, you think it is going to be dark. It dries quite a bit lighter though. Don't leave any residue when you are finished, it should all be rubbed in or rubbed off before you let it dry. YinTx

I made a feeble effort. As mentioned, this was pretty dense stiff stuff. Perhaps I should have gotten a bigger spoon from the kitchen. (Get a bigger hammer philosophy) On version 3, I used a less dense leather, and used the large smooth figure beveler as a spoon to smooth. We'll see how it looks when it comes time to take photos. Thats usually when I see all my big mistakes that didn't stand out in standard light and zoom. YinTx

Thank you. Might be the camera, the lighting, or your monitor, but that is actually a bright yellow thread. I have a cream thread that looks good against brown also, and use it a lot as well. Thanks, Mutt. my stitching wasn't up to my normal standards, and my figure beveler work wasn't so good - this was a really stiff dense leather, so I was having a bit of a time getting a smooth look around the cross. You can see the impressions a bit too well there. Ah well, the third version was better! YinTx

Finished this one up today, not my best work, had lots of things I wasn't happy with. This is version 2, Version 3 is slated for an IPad cover for a customer, so I wanted to get some practice in to perfect things a bit. Version 1 never even got to the dye stage. Oye. Heavy Campbell's Satin Laid linen thread. All kinds of different dyes, leathers, antiques and finishes. YinTx

No, I think I left it somewhere laying in a box. Not sure I'll ever see it again. If I ever come across it, I'll be sure to snap a photo for posterity. YinTx

Hehehe. Yeah, my lists seem to have exceeded the capacity of my lifespan to complete them. This, it seems, is genetic. I will have to focus eventually and let some things go by the way side. That is a skill I need to learn! KornelKoback, your drawings are nice, I hope to be able to do that well in the future. YinTx