AndersHeintz

Hola one and all, I got a flyer from Tandy the other day with their 50% off sale. They have quite a bit of stuff on sale including most, if not all, of their leathers at great prices. Here is a link to the flyer that is available online. http://www.tandyleatherfactory.com/Eflyer-806RT.asp

Thanks guys!! Darryl, I have a small piece of marble allready, but I may been a bigger one, especially after looking at some peoples workbenches on these forums! There is a funeral home right down the road and can call them and see if their supplier of head stones is close by. Hivemind, Thanks for the post! Im no sure so sure what German Leather Shearers are? What they do? TwinOaks, Interesting! It sounds like thats the stuff I need! Where can I get some carnuba cream? Do you always just use it on the flesh side? As for the oil based dyes it makes sense that they don't make the leather softer. Coming from a painting background I have used oil colors in the past, and they are cut with white spirit or mineral spirits, neither which is 'soft' and tends to dry out thigns rather then make them more 'oily'. The sound just makes it seem like they would help the leather. How do you determine if the quality of a hide is good? I got a nice side of leather, feels good, looks good, but was not top dollar. It is indeed Veg Tanned as well. Any way to see the quality or some signs to look for? Thanks again guys for all your replies, they have all been of tremendous help in the quest of starting some leatherwork!

Thanks for posting the link Mike, it was a great read!

I think you are right on the money Mike about the Night Latch. I really can't see it very useful at all as a bucking strap, that would probably be the worst thing to grab if your horse starts pitching, kind of like the saddle horn, will get you into more trouble then you had to start off with.

Hola Ed, Thanks for the heads up on the mini anvil. I used to work as a farrier during my college years and have a nice small 50 lbs anvil, may be a bit large though! What are the anvils used for? Luckily, I will have plenty of space for a workshop, our house has a 2 car garage that was converted into a room so I will be able to set up a desk, probably a 4 x 8 home made table, but we will see what it ends up being.

That is really bad, although as always I try to think positive, maybe like Russ says, something may show up! Although I am new here and don't know you, I feel for you, no good deeds go unpunished! PM me your adress and I will send you a little something something from Alpine, Texas..."The Last Frontier" (which is very true!).

Thanks for the replies! TwinOaks, Thanks! The oil based dyes is exactly what I was looking at as well, thinking it would also add a bit more "softness" or just that, oiled, feel to the leather. I didnt realize you had to seal it afterwards though, thanks a ton for pointing that out! Ed, Cool, Thanks! Bruce, Exactly right, I'll be hand stiching, although I did talk to Gary over at Big Bend and they would machine sow anything Id like, as long as the piece was glued together and ready to go, but I feel that would be kind of 'lame' as part of the whole point is to make it yourself and enjoy the process. I was part of a PBS show called Texas Ranch House (lived like cowboys on a 1867 style cattle ranch), which was filmed here in Alpine, and which is how I ended up here, and as part of the prep for the show, we had a session of basic leather work with Gary at Big Bend Saddelry. It was very informative, although very basic and general, and I wish I would have taken more notes! They really produce some nice leather goods at Big Bend, Id buy the stuff from them, but then again, the fun is in making it yourself, and then enjoying to use it more. I thought the keen edge beveler was an edging tool? Am I assuming wrong? The way I thought it worked was to use the tool to round of the edges. If this is wrong, what is it used for? Also, I read elsewhere on this forum that the plastic burnishing wheel was no good, so I will skip that. I remember Gary showing us how he burninshed the sides of a piece of leather with a small piece of wood. Dont remember more then that, maybe he put something on it or wetted it or something like that. The end result was a nice, darker smooth edge. I will get a small vice of some sorts and make leather pads for it, sounds like a great idea! As for the tooling maullet/hammer. Does it make that much difference if you use a larger type maullet rather then a hammer of sorts? Are there any substitues for a plastic or rawhide one that is as good or almost equivilant? Another question (yeah I know...a lot of them!! sorry!) is it best to use glue when sewing two pieces together (like the collar, it will have 2 pieces) before sewing it? If so, what glue should one use? Thanks again everyone for putting up with my newbie questions and youthful ignorance !

Thanks for all the replies guys!! I am planning on showing the stuff I make, even though I am not and probably will never be a professional leather worker I would love feed back as to what can be made better, more functional and even nicer looking. The stuff will be made to use, but would be neat to make something that is nice as well. My brand new Nikon D40 got stolen not too long ago (along with my ipod!! ) so it will be a bit before I can get a new one, as soon as I do I will show progress pictures! Thanks for all the tips. I wasnt going to get a rotary punch, I think we have some in the tack room, but I never had good luck with them, although I am sure they were all pretty cheap ones. Duke, Thats a very nice breast collar you got going! Id like to make one with basket stamp just like yours, but a bit different style of collar, I will make a pulling collar, just one piece with no ring in the middle but a small D ring for a tie down which may be useful. I may also add a strap that goes over the neck to hold the collar up in place, we have a lot of mesas and rough up and down country where we pasture steers, which makes it really hard to keep the saddle and tack in place for any length of time. Especially now when it is starting to get a bit hotter (90ºF -100ºF) and we ride 8-10 hours a day, the horses sweat a lot which makes the tack slide around everywhere! Anyways, I can only hope to get half as good a result as you are having and I will be tickled! I have some calipers allready that I use in my sculpting, but I will also get some wing deviders from Tandy as well, need them for some half circle patterns to replace the lower reinforcement leather on my working chaps. Now, what is a stitching wheel? Is that the same as the spacer set from Tandy that marks the stitching holes as well as pressing the stitches or is it something else? That thread sounds just like something I need to read! Do you happen to know what the title of the thread was so I can search for it, or do you have a link? Im trying to read up as much as I can before jumping into it! Now, another question, can I use a dye to make the leather a bit darker (natural veg tanned leather now), to like a dark red-brown, or maybe a warm brown is probably a better description as Id like it to match my saddle. The problem is that I ride a lot of light colored horses, and dont want to stain the horses! Any suggestions, or can I just oil it real good, use it a lot etc and it will naturally darken? Thanks again guys, I will make the order of the tools in the next few days, can't wait to get started!

Beautiful pair of chinks! The depth in the tooled pieces looks awesome. Also really like the small conchos, very nice with the carving!

Thanks for the replies guys! That was pretty much what I was thinking too, get the stuff needed for these projects, and then expand as other projects come up. I have rivets (copper) and a setter allready, also have a strap cutter which is very handy around the barn! I also have various knifes that will work great for cutting leather, as well as some poly board and some marble (from one of Saddam's palaces no less!) to use for stamping. As for a round knife, I know what it is, but really that is about it! What is it used for? Skiving leather? Cutting patterns? The only place where I know to get tools is from Tandy Leather Factory, and I have their latest catalog. Unfortunately the closest location is in El Paso, which is about 3 hours from here, so mail order is the only option at this time. Here is a list of a few things I been thinking about getting, please let me know what is needed and what is not. Waxed Nylon Thread Needles Craftool 4 in 1 Awl Set Craftool Spacer Set Craftool Saddle Makers Groover Craftool Scratch Awl Mini Punch Set Craftool Oblong Punch 1/2" Craftool Keen Edge Beveler or Craftool Edge Beveler Size 2, not sure which? Whats the difference? Craftool Nylon Edge Slicker Swivel Knife, not sure which Poly Medium Mallet Some stamps for Carlos + Basket Weave Basically, I want a groove for the stiching, evenly spaced stitches, maybe a simple line border, slick burnished edges and a nice oily finish! Sounds so simple Im also not quite sure what to use for finishing the leather. I would prefer not to stain or dye them as I ride a lot of light palamino's, and don't want them covered in dye. But I'd like a nice rich oiled finish on the end product. Basically I know how I want it to look, but don't know how to do it! Thanks again guys! Im anxious to get everything ordered and get my feet wet!

Hola one and all! Im new to these forums as well as leatherwork! I have made some bridles etc in the past, but was mainly experiemental. Now I have decided to make a few more leather items, namely a breast collar and a new headstall, an old buckaroo style bridle, and I would like to make them 'right' so to speak, as I will use these items everyday and they need to be functional and safe. I have purchased a decent side of veg. tanned tooling leather but have yet to get the tools of the trade. Working as a cowboy, money is not always plentiful and I need to spend as little as possible for the basic tools. I guess Im not really cheap, just don't want or need to spend a ton of money on all the top of the line tools etc. So basically, my question is what tools do I need to get to get the job done? I really dont need a lot of stamps etc, but I would like to play with some basketweave (to match my saddle) and some Carlos borders. I am a member of other craft type forums as I am a sculptor of historical miniatures as well, and I understand that my question is pretty broad, so if I need to try to narrow it down more please let me know! Thanks in advance!