MADMAX22

Thanks, I read about that and was considering it. The original ones are bronze I think, could be brass also. Not sure what I will go with, need to do something it tracks very well and is a nice size for cutting patterns and what not.

Nicely done. What materials are you trying out for the heads? By the way is that an old Atlas bandsaw ya got there? I have one of the smaller 10" or 12" (cant remember) that I replaced bearings on, just need to mount my motor and replace the blade guide inserts.

That looks great, looks like just the key for doing the job. Did you have it made local or have a contact for someone that can make them. Thanks.

Dont have no info on it but did see this on CL kind of in my area. http://nanaimo.craigslist.ca/atq/5690728062.html

Looks great. Also finishing the top of the bag IMHO is so much better then the ones you see that are just the thin raw edge. Just looks so flimsy and unfinished.

I have not tried any of those horse fronts yet, what is the overall temper on them, they look like a nice weight but wasn't sure of the temper and mold ability.

springfield use to have them but have not scene them on there lately. Mavericks is about the same price. I didnt care for the chromexal butts as they tended to split very easily when trying to get it to bend. The standard vegtan ones are pretty nice, still require care in molding but you can actually do it with the straight vegtan. The straight veg ones I like because they show nice "character" with use, edges polish up easily, and its a dense tough leather. It is a pain to evenly dye and the thickness can vary quiet a bit. The chromexel is nowhere near cordovan just in case anyone has any misconception as far as the "butts" go although you will see people list them as upper cordovan. Ive got a wallet prototype that I made for myself out of the veg horse. Looks good just gonna take a long time to break in and will last my lifetime.

Now that is a real nice setup you made.

Do you have a double stack your going to use to mold it to or are you just using a pattern for a general size and calling it good? If you can make a single stack then "learn" the process for making your double stack. Its the exact same principle just make it deeper.

What is the setup for the feed dog and presser feet that you use for those. Looks good.

I dont do edge paint myself but if you burn the dauber some it will get rid of the fuzz and make it more controllable. I use those 1" foam brushes that you can get at hardware stores. Harbor freight has them very cheap and Ill grab a 100 or so when I am down that direction. They do pretty good for dying as well.

Usually the antique is part of the last step after oiling and sealing but before stitching otherwise your stitches will get full of it. May be doable with black thread and a horse hide brush or similar to clean it out.

What kind of knife are you using? Straight cuts are achievable or atleast pretty darn close. Sand paper wont give you a straight edge unless you have a good sanding block and you still run into the same issue of keeping it straight to the edge. With my round knife I can get a good straight edge, with one of those box cutters I personally cant control it worth nothing unless its very thin leather.

About the best place to learn IMHO. Welcome to the site. I am from the wet side of WA.

What thickness leather is it? I have rewetted leather for tooling during the process because some of the projects you just cant finish in time, its usually not a big deal. I dont notice any problems with it. Just dont over wet it, damp sponge usually works well for this. It could not be cased properly but it also looks like the typical tandy leather that has that rough hard skin side that just doesnt take tooling very well. I remember the first time I switched over to some good leather and the ability for it to hold impressions was like night and day. Not saying that hide isnt good to practice on. I would start trying to do simple patterns at first though.

I am not the best at critiquing tooling and I know it just takes alot of practice. That piece looks fine, the leather looks pretty rough and I am sure is contributing to not taking the stamped image as well for things like the pear shaders. I would keep practicing on that stuff for now trying to finish the pieces so you get the kinks worked out of the whole process then try and get a nice shoulder or side of leather like wickett and craig, hermann oak, RJF leather. Something that will tool so much nicer.

Look up Bearman on the forums here, think his son is making the mauls now. Think they start somewhere around $70 or so. Remember alot of people here have been doing leather work for years and years, some using very nice leather, and very nice tools which arent the answer to good tooling but it helps. Most of it is just experience and lots of good practice and nice leather.

You can get a bear man maul for the price of those tandy things. Much nicer and will last ya a good long while. Up to you though how you spend your money. Ya think thats bad wait till you start getting nice stamps instead of that craft tool stuff.

The mallets you got are probably pretty bouncy I would think. Personally I really like mauls. They take a bit of getting use to at first but for tooling I dont use anything else anymore. Either one maul or mallet needs to be the right material and it will make a world of difference.

Those portabands are used by alot of knife makers, even ones that have a nice big band saw. As far as the knife great job. The steel in the very old circular blades use to be high carbon and great for blades, the new ones because as stated have inserts for the cutting edges are not always the best steel. If your lucky its 80CRV2 or similar which heat treats similar to 5160 and is a great knife steel. The issue is you dont know so its always hard to get a good heat treat on them. If you want to get a good cheap steel try for some 1084, you can order some from NJ steel baron. The 1084 you can bring to non magnetic, soak for a minute then quench and then draw it back at like 350f for a couple of hours then work your way up to get the proper hardness. Pretty sure if I remember right alot of the old head knives were similar to 1084 or somewhere in that range carbon steel. One other thing on the handle if you can use the long setting epoxy, generally the longer it takes to set the stronger it is.

Look up Chuck Burrows post on this forum and on some other forums. He was very good with this stuff. I have a bucket that I put the vinegar in with some steel wool and some old pieces of steel. I think adding a little vinegar once in a while will help if you still have the steel in it. Another thing that helps is giving the leather a quick soak in something with alot of tannings like a walnut shell solution or coffee type solution. Then go to the vinee solution. Remember also some leathers dont do it as well. All my HO leather did really well, WC mostly did really well, tandy leather was a crap shoot if it would take or not and how dark it would get.

I usually get the skirting myself since I tried it. I personally think it tools and molds a little better but honestly both are top notch. I like the skirting in the russet color which is about the same color as a nice sun tanned vegtan. Not alot of steady sunlight up here in the northwest except a couple months in summer. Compared to most leathers you get retail even the lowest grade WC that you get is still pretty nice.

You can buy single hides from WC,

Why does everything have to be on pinterest? Dont feel like giving access to all of my phone and email accounts to them.

I like mine angled, coming out either the awl or the machine. Both sides.