TraditionalTools

How does it burn?

Very nice, I like it.Never gave much thought to a leather pick guard, but I instantly thought about making one when I saw this...nice! Cheers, TT

Brent, I haven't been around here in a while so haven't followed it, but I really like it. I like things that are different. Looks good. Would look good with the mexican loop that Rayban shows. I'd like to see a little dye on the mexi-loop pic'd. I'm typically not crazy with black on leather, unless it's all in that tone, but in this case with the wolf it works well, IMO. I think it's very nice, but since it's for you, what do YOU think about it now that you've had some time to think about it? Cheers, TT

Bill,Yes, actually that helps a lot. In the 4th pic on the top row, you show the loop being pulled small, this is my problem, I left the loop big and that must be why it was pulling off. I suspect this is my problem, most certainly. Thank you very much for posting these pics, it helps quite a bit actually.

Bruce offered good advice, depending on your type of leather of course. Lexol is the reccomended cleaner and conditioner for both Rolls Royce and Land Rover. I have an older Land Rover, an '88, and the leather I'm told is most likely chrome tanned, it is a very shiny and non-pourous finish to the leather. I've been told that Lexol works well on that type of leather, but not stuff like veg tanned hides. I also have an older '84 Porsche, and the leather in it was all cut and stitched by hand, as I understand, but the leather itself is a more natural type of cowhide finish, not the smooth/slick finish as found on the Land Rover and/or Rolls Royce interiors. Lexol will most likely work very well, even if it's not chrome tanned, since holding the wheel usually makes it smooth/slick. Not sure if that helps, hope it doesn't confuse.

Not fortunate enough to have a knife shop next door, but am fortunate to have the ambition to try things... -_- Again, great looking knife, I need to try making one myself. I think that means a matter of waiting for the ambition to kick in...

BillB,I have been doing similar, and that seems how Stohlman depicts it in his stitching book. I found if I didn't have enough thread, it would pull off, but even with more thread, I tend to somehow pull it off eventually. I haven't had too much time to examine what I've been doing, just that I was re-threading the needle more than should be expected, IMO. Any pics would be appreciated.

BillB,Funny you mention intentionally going through the thread to try and "lock" the stitch in place. I have been thinking about the backstitch, and when you backstitch you can do this, as long as you punch through the thread and the needles go through, it will essentially lock it in. What you mention is exactly what I had been thinking about, but you need to lock it in with no slack I guess, in order for it to work. IOW, if you puncture through a thread with a needle, no matter which one, it would most likely cause a big tangled mess if one did try to pull it through. This reminds me of a Q you might be able to answer, or someone else. I seem to pull the needles off the thread often, and haven't figured exactly why, not an outrageous amount of the time, but some. Maybe every 10 or so stitches I pull a needle off, but that seems like a lot to me as I am constantly re-threading the needles. Actually have never fully pulled the needle off, but in pulling the thread through I seem to pull the end off the thread loop, if that makes sense. I used Fiebings white saddle soap when I thread the needles, it seems to work ok, but I do have beeswax also, would that be better to use? When I start to get into rhythm, I can most along ok with the 2 needle approach, although it still feels ackward in holding the needles between my first/second fingers while moving the awl around, punching, and such...and I will admit that I have tended to drop the needles more times than I would like to admit. The Stohlman approach just seems to be worked out over time and hard to improve on, for effeciency, unless one was using a machine. NOT!

To be honest, that was a mistake on my part. I ripped the rivets out as I didn't want to damage the teeth of the blade. The rivets were actually to cover up the hole that I mistakenly punched, so I punched a second one trying to cover it up...some things are best left fubar before making them more fubar would apply I suspect...:-/I'm learning...but have a ways to go...

First, beautiful sheath and I don't think anyone can argue with great results, you got them with that sheath pictured, IMO.I did try to drill mine out some, I was using 16oz leather for the saw sheath/case I was making recently, but found the way Stohlman explains it to work very well with a sharp awl. For me, there was a huge difference in using an Osborne vs. Craftool 4-in-1 awl, which had come in the kit I got with the stitching book, awl, overstitch wheel, groover, etc...the tip on the Osborne works much better for me. Ultimately for me it seemed that if the leather is lined up, it is quicker and less steps to just punch them with an awl, since the awl actually only opens the hole slightly, it seemed to me that opening it as little as possible was advantageous. Again, your results speak for themself, IMO, and drilling obviously works fine also. The other thing is that I tested by drilling with a larger bit, and maybe using a smaller one would certainly matter. Just seems the awl is more versitile in the sense that you can reposition as you move through the leather so if you don't get the hole in the back lined up, one can move/wiggle/reposition the tip so that it will go through the mark. The ergonomics of having the needles in each hand between the 1st/2nd fingers and the awl in my right hand just works best for overall duration, exactly like Stohlman outlines. I don't have a stitching horse yet, but use a pattern maker's vise that I installed to a new bench recentely. It works and allows me to kinda straddle the work in front, but I want to make a stitching/shaving horse of my own...see attached pic...

OMG, that's a beauty!How did you make the blade? Ferret, I like the idea of using the circular blade, and had a simialr thought in why I mentioned the plow disc I have, but it seems a bit big, at least it has an arc to start. The circular saw blade could be the quickest route to getting one completed, not that I take the quick route, I'm usually stubborn and prefer to waste more cycles on something nicer...:-/ Sharpshooter, that is really sharp...

To be honest, I haven't looked through them too much, I think you're talking about the Stohlman books voumes 2 and 3, right? I will try to get back up to Tandy and look through them.I bought volume 1 thinking it would be helpful for the saw sheath/case I was wanting to make, and as it turned out, I just winged it by looking at another example of a readily available case from a Lie-Nielsen Toolworks. Some of the stuff is kinda funny in the Stohlman book, like the camera flash cube holder, or the instamatic cartridge case...there was reference in the volume 1 that implied larger cases were covered in volume 2. The other Stohlman book on stitching was very helpful, "The Art of Hand Stitching Leather", I did my first piece exactly how he suggests, needles between the first and second fingers, awl in the right hand, punch from the right, and feed the first side the opposite, pull both threads an arm length at a time...that really worked well for me. I had first got the book in a kit, which came with a craftool 4-in-1 awl, but on suggestion of a person who worked leather, I got an Osborne, and it works much better. It just seems to pierce the leather better. Maybe I need to sharpen the craftool, I'm not sure, but would have thought they would have come sharp new out of the box. I found that after I put the first needle through, and pull it past the loop, it was helpful for me to pull the needle and opposite site on that thread to the side, to leave the most room for the second needle, if that makes sense. Kinda like pulling the first thread to the side of the hole, so the 2nd needle could get through without piercing the first thread. I don't think I pierced any threads, so it kinda worked or seemed to...I only have a small handsaw case under my belt (hey, a leather pun there...;-), so trying to figure some of this stuff out still.

I was thinking that it might be cool to forge a tool that I could use for working leather. I don't have a head/rounding knife and was thinking that might be something I could make. I have an old plow disc that a friend gave me, and I was thinking that might assist in creating such a knife. I have to tell you, I had an odd experience when I acquired some leather to line some vises a month or two ago. I was wanting to cut a small piece off a section of 16oz veg-tan. I grabed a small handsaw that was laying on the bench, and took a couple cuts when I realized I didn't want any dead animal skin dust to breath...got the heebee-jeebees, and decided I must always use a straight edge to cut the leather, no serrated edges of any type. The head/rounding knife seems like a nice one would allow you to apply pressure and roll it through your cut. I'm currently using a small rotary cutter that belongs to my daughter she uses to cut fleece for hats, it works well, but a hand forged tool would be way kewler, IMO... Anyone made any of their own cutters, and if so, please post them.

I'm thinking about making a toolbag, that would be the size of a toolbox. In fact, what I have in mind is more like a leather toolbox for the most part. A couple small hand planes, a couple handsaws for cutting joinery, some chisels, marking/measuring tools, a couple rasps, a spokeshave, etc...you get the idea, a small set of tools for working wood.. Well, come to think of it, I have another need for a leather case for my leather tools also, which are aquiring. This is all an endless pit I 'spose...:-/ There was a funky tool case in first volume of the Stohlman book on cases/sheaths/etc...but I didn't care for it that well. Suggestions and esepcially pics of bags that any of you have made would be very much appreciated. I know there's a lot of talented people here, not sure what I'm doing here quite yet... <_<

Pip, I hear 'ya...I was standing at the edge of the slope unsuspectingly, and whoa... Got the first piece done, and next one should be easier...but I'm sure I'll make it more complicated so it will be harder...lol