Tugadude

I don't know that they've eliminated 99% of carving tools. They did seem to go away from their Craftool Pro Stamps, likely due to lack of sales. But I think they still have all of the "basic" tools they've always offered. I just looked through page after page of them. https://tandyleather.com/collections/tools/stamping-&-carving?page=7

That's an awesome ride. The components on it are top-shelf. That rear derailer and the crankset with the drillium rings are pure class. Nice score!

Timely subject, regarding durability of products. One of my "other" pursuits is fixing older bicycles. Last night I had to replace a set of cantilever brakes on a bike I'm fixing for one of my kids. All of the plastic bushings had cracked, rendering the brakes worthless. All of the metal components were in tip-top shape. Many plastics get extremely brittle with age, and exposure to UV isn't necessarily the problem, BTW.

If I were them, that's what I'd do. Form strategic partnerships to help local people get stuff fast and not have to pay so much extra for freight/delivery. The website can cater more to businesses and larger purchasers. Thanks for the input.

You might be right, but the same can be said of most any specialty shops. Brick and mortar stores are in jeopardy everywhere. What will be lost is the ability to run in and grab some glue, dye or a piece of hardware or two. In my city we have a large craft store that has some shelf space devoted to leather working products. Perhaps Tandy will close their stores and look to locate more of their products in existing stores like Michael's, etc.?

I have to imagine with the sheer number of stores they still operate this situation is taking a toll on them. Add to that the difficulty if acquiring product from overseas with the current delays, etc. and it has to be a nightmare.

It is work like this, both leather and metal, that keeps me excited about making things with my hands.

I think they are doing a decent job of communicating. I received email notification when my local store reopened, I was surprised by that! On their website your store is on the list of temporarily closed. There is also a list showing which locations are soon to open. TEMPORARILY CLOSED: New Orleans #20 Tempe #115 Winter Park #125 Houston #133 San Bruno #142 Amarillo #143 Jacksonville #146 San Antonio #147 Lubbock #149 Houston Southeast #156 West Palm Beach #159 Corpus Christi #175 Miami #180 McAllen #185 OPENING SOON: Watauga #107 Allen #184 Austin South #186

Is this not what you are looking for? https://www.springfieldleather.com/Set-Chisel-Buckstitch-5-32-4p

I see you are using a round chisel. That's OK, but not preferred. Most have success with the diamond-shaped or slit-shaped chisels. There's a "sticky" note on the options in the Sewing Leather part of the forum. Check it out. In addition to spacing, make certain to keep the chisel square to the reference line. I see you have wobbled a bit. I wonder if that is because of the size of the round punches deforming the leather as they go through? How many round punches are on the tool you are using? That makes a difference in how to proceed. What I generally do is begin in a corner and work from there. That might not work as well with your iron. If there are going to be irregularities in the stitch spacing I always try to make sure it happens in an inconspicuous location on the project. Sometimes that isn't possible. You should, however, not have two "bad" spacings in the stitching line along the bottom, only one. Try lightly pressing the chisel into the leather to gauge where the holes will end up and then you can make adjustments. Call it a "dry run". If it isn't working out to your satisfaction, at least you haven't created any holes.

Agreed! They run sales at times also. The Craftool Pro Chisels are nice, but their cheaper diamond chisels, the black ones work well too.

Please check out this thread that is in the Sewing Leather forum... Mr. Armitage demonstrates a host of irons on his YouTube channel. He offers written reviews on his website. For starters you can get by with two chisels. Your choice, but a 2-prong for curved areas is a given, then I'd go with either a 4 or 6 prong. eBay and Amazon have tons of cheap stitching chisels. Weaver Leather stocks various t.p.i. Irons, you might check them out too. After you get used to them and know more about what you like or don't like about them, you can upgrade.

Looks great! The stitching is very consistent. Nice slant to the stitches.

Suggest you take a piece of paper in the suggested size and work it out yourself. Pattern-making isn't really that difficult. And you learn by doing it and get better at it. Some people don't have the imagination required I guess, while others can simply look at something and recreate it. But like any skill, no matter whether you start, you can get better. Also, do you have pictures of the interior? Does it have pockets? Are there flaps on the long edges that fold over? Those details matter.

Email them and ask. They are reopening a lot of stores so I'm sure they have their hands full.

I read through this thread and saw a lot of good points. One thing that can get lost in the shuffle is that the awl blade need only be sharp at the tip. The rest of the length is polished smooth. You want to pierce the leather then let the width of the blade stretch or expand the slit temporarily. If it is sharpened too far down the length of the metal then it slices too big of a hole. The idea is to pierce, then expand the slit so the needle and thread can go through easily. Afterwards, the leather naturally begins to contract and upon finishing the stitching, a few taps with a smooth hammer helps close up the holes further and flatten the thread, further filling the holes. Having too big of a hole is a detriment both aesthetically and functionally. It can lead to weakening of the leather and is undesirable.

If you click on the "learn more" button you can find out which stores are open for walk-in traffic.

Here is the latest from Tandy about store re-openings... To Our Community, We’re carving out a new normal at Tandy! I am excited to share that we are beginning a phased approach to safely reopen stores to the public in addition to offering contact-free curbside pickup. This will be just a few stores to start, but we expect to continue reopening locations as it becomes safe to do so. The health and safety of our employees, customers, their families, and our communities are our highest priority. This is what we’re doing to safely welcome you back into our stores: We’ve asked that any employee with fever or symptoms of illness stay home. We hope you will too—and that you get better soon! Our associates will be wearing face coverings, and we’re asking our customers to wear them too. We are practicing social distancing and ask all customers to do the same by maintaining a distance of at least six feet from others while in the store. We are following CDC and local guidelines to sanitize high touch surfaces frequently. All in-store classes and Open Tables remain closed, but we continue to #leathertogether in online classes and other digital resources via our Instagram and Facebook. Depending on the store and the number of customers visiting at one time, we may need to limit the number of shoppers in the store. As we move forward with reopening our retail locations, we will continue to assess and implement protocols as needed to keep your shopping experience safe and enjoyable. For our customers who are not comfortable shopping in store, we are offering contact-free curbside pickup at all reopened locations and other select locations. Just call your local store to place and pay for your order in advance. Our associates will work with you to set up a pickup time and bring your order right out to your car. We’re open all day, every day online. For our customers that do not have an open store nearby, continue to visit us at tandyleather.com and we will deliver your order right to your home. If you need additional assistance placing an order, call us at 877-LEATHER. In the face of uncertainty over the duration and ongoing economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, we had to take a closer look at the profitability of our store locations. After which we made the difficult decision to permanently close 8 of our store locations. These are very tough decisions that have an impact on our employees, our customers, and our communities, which we do not take lightly. We are taking every precaution to ensure that Tandy Leather survives the pandemic and we continue the legacy that has been built over the last 100 years. On behalf of the entire Tandy team, we thank you for your continued support, loyalty and patience as we all get through this challenge. Whether it is online or in-store, we are all looking forward to seeing you again soon! Janet Carr CEO, Tandy Leather Visit our website to find information about a store opening near you! LEARN MORE

I assume you mean to purchase leather and other supplies from? I don't know that there is a "best" as all shops are different and meet different needs. My "best" has always been Springfield Leather Co. They have tons of product, both leather and tools and hardware as well as knowledgeable staff. Plus, they help support this site. You didn't say where you are from. That always helps to know because if you are in the UK, for instance, the answer would be quite different.

I think Fred is correct. Look at the leading edge and you can tell there is a split, right where the "left side piece" meets the "center piece". A thin metal shim could easily be glued in-between the leather to stiffen up the raised portion. I think I would do it as it doesn't add any extra work really and will keep thee leather from getting floppy. This maker is relying on glue to hold the leather together longterm, and in this case I'm sure it will be fine as there is really no stress on it. Depending upon who buys the case, the black portion might never even be removed. You'd only need to in order to clean the inside of the case from lint I suppose.

I think there's two issues going on. One is the strength and the relative comparison of machine versus hand and the other is durability. They are somewhat the same, but there is a nuance to it I think. In my opinion, even if the hand stitching is equal in strength to machine stitching it still wins out because of the fact that there is no lock stitch. So unless both threads break, the leather will still be held together. Any break in a machine stitch will ultimately result in the leather coming apart. It may take a while, but it will fail. I am unaware of any machine capable of producing a saddle stitch in the same fashion as that done by hand.

This is from their website regarding the issue. They CAN process the gift card, but it happens in the invoicing stage and doesn't show up in the cart. Gift CardsTandy Leather Gift Cards have no expiration date or fees. They can be redeemed online (see below), in any Tandy Leather store or by phone. Please treat Tandy Leather Gift Cards like cash, as they cannot be replaced if lost, damaged or stolen.When redeeming a Tandy Leather Gift Card at tandyleather.com, a credit card number must be supplied.To use Tandy Leather Gift Cards at tandyleather.com, please fill your shopping cart. Proceed to the Review and Complete Your Order page.In the Special Order Instructions, type “Please apply gift card [gift card number] to this order.”Note: At this time, our website will not apply the gift card amount to your purchase in your shopping cart total. However, it will be applied to your invoice prior to processing your credit card.If you wish to pay by a different method, please call the Tandy Leather store nearest you to place an order or to inquire about alternate payment methods.

I am in the St. Louis area but used to travel to Springfield on business or to see my two oldest daughters who attended Missouri State University. I'd stop in SLC frequently. I met so many helpful people there. One of my favorite things was to dig through the huge box of remnants. Since I do a lot of small items I could get some nice pieces dirt cheap. Glad you're back into leather and will rejoin us in the Show Me State!

One man's failure is another man's treasure. You are a very generous artisan, unafraid to educate folks on how things are put together. You truly go the extra mile in order to help and it is much appreciated!

Gorgeous, simply gorgeous.