YinTx

Huh. Yeah. I think I'll not buy any - any time soon. and hope no one asks for it! YinTx

Now I'm baffled. I had heard time and again not to use Leather Balm with atom wax on tooled items, because the tooling will fill up with white chalky wax that is hard to get out. I like leather balm, but haven't used it on tooling because of these comments. How are you doing it without the issue? Thanks! YinTx

No doubt! Those are cool! and look like a lot of work to put together. YinTx

I'm a bit baffled by the Saffiano leather craze as well. I've seen it in high end stuff, and I've seen the leather for sale, if you can call it that. Perhaps there is some inherent quality that I am unaware of.... YinTx

??Huh? You put the liner in after you are done stitching the bag? How do you attach it? New row of stitches? Hope you photo document this one also, it has been enjoyable watching this bag come together.. YinTx

Thats what I was thinking! A lot of stitching for a single layer belt if it isn't! But I do like it. Black leather really allows you to show off a lot of different colors of thread if your customers are willing. YinTx

All I can say is practice on a piece of scrap before attempting the real deal. Springfield sells it I believe, works great as a resist and a seal. Some folks don't seem to like the lacquer finishes, claim they are plasticy, but I must say, I use mine thinned, and it soaks into the leather, and afterwards you wouldn't even know I put it on.... thought occurs to me, maybe just the thinner would do the trick for you, and you might already have something like that laying around to try out? YinTx

Not an expert opinion here, just a bit of experience. I was putting some clear lac on a piece of leather that had some black acrylic paint, and the clear lac stripped it right off. Everyone here said, yah, don't do that. Not sure if it would work in your case. YinTx

Indeed, beautiful work. Just curious: has the oil dissipated yet? YinTx

Goldshot Ron, I first saw that water bottle trick last month, but he used a small soda bottle instead. He drilled a small hole in the lid, and used the shearling to seal the hole when done. Just squeezed out what he needed onto the shearling (trimmed super short, btw), spread it where he needed it, and put the shearling back on top of the bottle. Brilliant. My next investment in leather working tools is a bottle of soda. Also, use gloves. HF has boxes of 50 for like $8. I can get several uses out of each pair easily. YinTx

Two knives from two different makers with the same problem might indicate it isn't the steel. Just curious: what kind of leather are you using it on? I've heard that some veg tans have clay in them, which is murder on knife edges. Chrome tans are also hard on edges from what I've experienced. YinTx

What an amazing selection of materials! And well put together. Thanks for sharing it with us! YinTx

LOL, yeah it was a pretty long winded explanation of the knife. But, I think at the 3:02 mark, that might be a piece of leather making a brief appearance... YinTx

Awesome! Will be interesting to see the patina after a few years use.. YinTx

Nobuyoshi is supposed to be a very high quality blade. I don't believe that is a blued appearance from getting hot, I believe it has to do with the types of metal used in the construction of the knife, and the polish done by the craftsman on different sections. The metal is very hard, can be brittle, and difficult to sharpen. It will however be capable of sharpening to an extremely thin edge that will hold for a long time. San-Mai are layered, and can give the appearance you see, as the Jigane and Hagane may take on different hues that shows up in the Shinogi. These knives are a different world from most knives you see in the leather world, and as such have their own learning curve. I have yet to master mine - it is the Nobuyoshi , when it is sharp look out. When it dulls, a challenge for me to get it back to rights again. Nobuyoshi is super blue paper steel, which is the Aogami steel, which is a very high grade of paper steel. It is difficult to work with and temper correctly, so it is possible you have one that didn't come out right. But supposedly this company has been doing it for many years, so they should have the process down pat. Again, extremely hard metal, difficult to sharpen. Don't give up on your knife just yet! Possible you've seen these, but good review on this knife here: And a tutorial on sharpening this type of knife here: YinTx

Thank you for sharing your pattern! Here is my go at it: YinTx

Very cool. Looks like veg tan, it can crack after you dye it with alcohol based dyes and then try to bend it. You can help prevent that by applying neatsfoot oil, and also by wet molding the leather to relieve the internal stresses and create some flexibility. Keep up the nice work! YinTx

Yes, I get that, but also a part of it is finding the one you are willing to spend the $ on. I have seen several for sale, but not one I have been willing to shell out the asking amount for. When I find that one, I'll consider myself lucky as well. Do you use your bell skiver for strap ends, belt buckle ends and to thin down wider strips of leather for wallet interiors? I've been wanting the splitter for that, ...and I wasn't sure a bell skiver would do it... YinTx

Super clean work. YinTx

Wow, sweet! YinTx

Pretty cool, I like the contrasting colors. Any pics of the inside you can share? YinTx

Count yourself lucky, I've been on the hunt for a nice Randall type splitter for some time. Nice collection you have going! YinTx

That is sweet! Great story to go with it. Thanks for sharing, look forward to seeing it cleaned up and in service! YinTx

Is... is that.. a scratch? Oh, my heart aches for thee! Such a beautiful bag... What is the wizardry you are sketching to lay out a zipper? I've not seen that before... and I've not been too successful with zippers going around corners, either! Do explain... I like where your bag is going, and I suspect I will suffer some degree of envy here when you have finished... YinTx

Wondering if it started life out as something entirely different, like a large nail/spike? Blunted the tip, and filed/carved the head end into the shape it is now? Folks have been making stamps from nails, bolts, and other odd items like valve stems for a long time.... YinTx