Sheilajeanne

Thanks for the advice, Wiz! I appreciate it.

This is a very rural area. I was thinking if I did get another sewing machine, it would be something that could do simple horse tack repairs to bridles etc., which would require sewing something thicker than 1/4 inch. But that's certainly a very good price, and I'm rethinking my decision. I'm retired now, and once I finish doing what needs to be done to my new home, I want to get more seriously into leather crafting.

Okay, got the number from the seller, and it's a Singer 29K 51. I'm going to pass, because it won't sew anything thicker than about 1/4 ", and my current machine will do that. Plus, according to a post I saw on this site, it can be very hard to get parts for if anything breaks. https://leatherworker.net/forum/topic/51788-singer-29k51-info-wanted-keep-it-or-junk-it/?tab=comments#comment-330415 Still available, if anyone wants it....

This is for sale, just down the road from me. Is this what they call a patcher? How heavy a leather would it sew? (And would someone else hurry up and buy it before I'm tempted??) https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/2394687357264536/

That looks exactly like the end of an English bridle rein. That's the part of the rein that attaches to the bit. I imagine the owner recycled a broken rein to make the strap! Reins are one of the bits of tack that most often gets broken if a horse runs away, and steps on them.

Yes, my swivel knife is a Tandy that came with a beginner's kit. I sharpen and strop it every time I sit down to carve, and don't think I've ever found it needed resharpening before I was done with the carving. Most projects just aren't that big, unless you're making saddles or very large items.

Leatherworkers visiting the Stohlman museum sometimes comment on how primitive the tools Al used were. Some were home made, yet he produced gorgeous work that still makes people shake their heads at its artistry and craftmanship. My tools are mostly Tandy, and I've only ever had to return one tool because the stamp had a burr on it. Recently, I bought a large lot of used tools that included many of the older Tandy tools, which are supposed to be superior to the ones they produce today. I found out that due to their age, that wasn't necessarily so. Some of the old tools, due to wear and tear, weren't quite as sharp as the newer ones. The tools I've had the most trouble getting a good impression from are some of the larger figure stamps. They need a much heavier blow than the smaller tools to make an impression on the leather. This flower stamp, for instance, is one that doesn't make a good impression: https://www.tandyleather.com/en/product/w532-craftool-flower-stamp The tools you'll need depend a lot on what sort of work you do. I don't enjoy basket stamping, for instance, so I don't buy those tools. I do mostly floral carving and figure carving, so I need mainly bevelers, shaders, camo tools, seeders, mule foots and figure tools.

My suggestion would be for the gusset to be a lighter weight leather than the rest of the bag, to allow it to bend more easily. That should solve your problems! I really don't understand why the gusset would have to bend in 2 directions. It only needs to bend inwards. You do not fold the edge over for stitching. It is stitched flat to the front and back of the bag.

Hope everyone is okay, and managed to stay safe from the tornados! Ferg, especially thinking of you, because I know you are very close to Dayton!

So, this is something you purchased, rather than making it yourself?

Very true, Mike! I've heard people who've visited the Stohlman Museum remark on how few tools Al had, and how primitive they were. Many of them were home-made.

Making the links clickable so you can see his awesome work: http://www.craftsha.co.jp/event_topix/2017/cai2017/honghaocai.html https://tudoudedian.world.taobao.com/ http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/weekend/2016-11/26/content_27491432.htm

Thought this was well work sharing! For those of you who aren't on FB, and can't see the link, I am going to copy and paste Mr. Cai's acceptance speech. It is very much worth reading. The leather craft business needs more people like him! https://www.facebook.com/honghao.cai.1/posts/2422539634632070 I am Cai Honghao from Beijing, China. On the evening of May 19, 2019, in the atrium of Sheridan College's Whitney Academic Center, the world's Leathercraft shrine, I became the winner of the Al Stohlman Award for Achievement in Leathercraft in 2019. When Tony Laier awarded me the medal representing the highest honor of leather craftsmanship, I relived the sight of Ben Moody, Tony Tony Laier's mentor, placing the medal around Tony's neck 20 years ago. All along, the baton of Leathercraft has been passed from the older generation to the younger generation. Today, 20 years later, this inheritance has finally passed on to my hands. When I look back on my career in leather craftsmanship, from an enthusiast to a full-time leather artist, I am glad to find that every bit of my progress has always been inseparable from the help and support of my family. My decision to leave my 20-year advertising career, resign a well-paid job as creative director and devote myself full-time to the leather art which would brought an unstable income was encouraged and supported by my family, which enabled me to get rid of my worries and devote myself wholeheartedly to the creation of leather art. The advertising creative work I did 20 years ago brought a lot of inspiration and help to my later leather art creation. In many ways, the creative inertia thinking and creative methodology needed in advertising creativity are also applicable to Leathercraft creation art. This has enabled me to quickly become familiar with Leathercraft creation and gradually determine my own creative direction and personality style. As for how to improve the level of artistic creation, I have sorted out the systematic methodology and shared it publicly with students and leather carving enthusiasts. Ten years ago, when I was just beginning to learn leather craftsmanship, I spent a whole afternoon making a leather carving belt on a small table in my own home. That was my first work of leather carving; all of the methods used by me to make it came from information I had found on the Internet. Back then, the art of leather carving was seldom known in Beijing; those few fans could learn from each other only by sharing their own experiences. At that time, by reading a large number of foreign books and online information, I began to learn and practice leather carving by myself. While beginning to customize leather carving, I also shared my experience with beginners so that they did not have to waste time in choosing tools, leather, etc. In the next few years, I summarized my understanding of leather carving creation and the skills I mastered as a systematic course, and began the teaching of leather carving. In addition to regular face-to-face courses, I also shared various cases of Leathercraft at home abroad with the students online and give them detailed analysis. At the same time, I also shared with them my own constantly improved art innovation craftsmanship. In 2016, it was the first time that I took my work to the World Leather Debut in Sheridan. My work "Spring Deer" won the hearts of the judges who gave it the first place in the picture category because of its ingenious integration of Oriental elements and traditional Western leather carving techniques. From that moment on, I realized that if we want to inherit and develop traditional crafts and ensure them a sustainable development, we must use an international perspective to integrate the elements of crafts and culture and the elements of the West and the East, which will create infinite new possibilities, making itself an exciting job. I also encourage my students to try more possible combinations based on traditional leather crafts, such as materials, culture, forms and other possibilities, and constantly create exciting new works. I encourage and help my students to participate in international communication, so that their excellent works can be shown in exhibitions in Japan and the United States, hoping by so doing to add a different Oriental light to traditional leather craftsmanship. I am deeply aware that since the moment I was awarded the Al Stohlman Award for Achievement in Leathercraft, I have begun to assume the responsibility of following Al Stohlman's aspirations - selflessly devoting to leather technology, possessing superb level of leather technology, willing to share and selflessly giving, and maintaining the spirit of continuous innovation in Leathercraft. I hope that my lifelong efforts can change the development process of Leathercraft, so that it can be loved and spread by more people.

Alex, pet stores aren't much better than Tandy! I was in TSC today, and 10 inch pieces of deer antler were being sold for $27.00 each!

I think they're beautiful! Where did you get the deer antler pins from? I've only ever been able to find them at Tandy, and they don't always have them in stock. When they do, they charge an arm and a leg for them!

Yes, I definitely think it's worth a shot. It looks like a well-made all purpose saddle, the type that can be used for pleasure riding, jumping or beginner dressage, so it should be quite marketable once it's fixed up.

For those of you not familiar with the equestrian world, yes, folks, Hermes makes saddles as well as high-end handbags! And like their handbags, the saddles are VERY high-end! Though how much of that is due to the Hermes name, I'm not sure. A $10,000 saddle is not going to make you a better rider than a $2,000 saddle if you don't put the work into it! As the old adage goes, wet saddle blankets make good horses and horsemen/women!

I have a German made English style riding saddle from the 1970's. I suspect this one is even older. A saddler told me the older saddles are far superior to the modern ones, as you can add stuffing to them to help them fit the horse's back better. With modern ones, these alterations aren't possible. Edit: Selle Francais is a breed of horse from France. It literally means "French saddle horse". I'm only aware of the one meaning for "selle". Sale, however, means 'dirty' and I think that's where the poop reference comes in.... Bing translator only gives the one translation for 'selle', and that is 'saddle'.

I think they are the end clasps for English riding reins. The end of the rein goes around the bit, then this clasp hooks into a slot in the rein. Maybe a more experienced tack making person can confirm this? Or maybe I can find just where I put my bridle, which I haven't used in about 20 years, and check to be sure... Edit: I found a picture of the bridle part I was thinking of, and it's not the same: https://www.google.com/search?q=hook+stud+ends+for+reins&tbm=isch&source=univ&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjE7oXlmLzhAhXFmq0KHXe-AtcQsAR6BAgJEAE&biw=1236&bih=606#imgrc=oT7TiDAZ94u0JM: (Just FYI, it's called a hook stud.) Oh well....

Wow! And LOL, Plinkercases! You sure would have saved on shipping - I might even have been able to meet up with you somewhere and save you the charge! You're close to Toronto, right?

About a month ago, I acquired a large number of stamps. Am selling off the duplicates, or the ones I know I will never use. The stamp numbers match up with Tandy stamp numbers, even if the stamp is not a Tandy product, so if you want to know what a stamp will look like, look up its Tandy number on Google. All stamps have been tested, and I have not noticed much of a difference between the Taiwan stamps and the Craftool stamps. All stamps produce a good enough impression to satisfy the average hobbyist. Tandy Stamps with no letter are the oldest, followed by Craftool Co. with a letter and number, then Craftool Co. U.S.A. The most recent stamps are Craftool U.S.A. A 710400 Craftool USA small backgrounder B793600 Craftool USA beveler 197, Craftool Co. beveler smooth B198, Craftool USA, medium beveler, cross-hatched B203 Craftool smooth beveler C433 Craftool camo 431 Craftool Co. camo Z-C431 Craftool camo C425 Craftool small camo D 435 Taiwan sunburst D 438 Ivan Taiwan sunburst (two the same) D 439 Ivan Taiwan sunburst D 606 Taiwan sunburst F 976 Craftool USA, triangular figure tool P206 Taiwan medium smooth pear shader P207 Craftool lined pear shader P212 Craftool USA largish pear shader, cross hatched P217 Craftool pear shader, crosshatched U851 Craftool small mule foot stamp Z-V407 veiner, no maker's stamp, however, I'm sure it's Craftool V 707 Craftool USA veiner (2) Border tool, twisted wire, medium handle, no number Craftool Border tool, twisted wire, corner, medium handle, no number, Craftool Border tool, barbed wire, med. handle, Craftool, Rose stamp, X964, Taiwan Basket weave, X498, Taiwan Pear shader, no maker's stamp, looks to be home made. Both ends of the shader are the same width. Going to charge $4.00 U.S. for the Craftool Co. stamps and $3.00 for the others. I am in Canada, but will ship to the States. $80 will get you the whole lot, but due to the weight, I will need to ship the stamps in two batches for safety.

The Stohlman books are still very much worth having. I highly recommend his books on Pictorial Carving and Figure Carving. His book on Leathercraft Tools is also a very valuable resource when it comes to learning how to properly sharpen and maintain your tools as well as tips on using them. The big book on How to Carve Leather is also a gorgeous book to look at and contains many useful hints. And if you are going to want to learn how to emboss leather, there is no better book than his book on embossing! https://www.amazon.com/art-embossing-leather-Al-Stohlman/dp/B0006EOA8S Just ask ABHandmade, who has used this book extensively to make his beautiful embossed leather carvings!

Yup, that was my first thought, too. "That guy obviously does NOT live somewhere where they get serious snowfalls!" I used to live in a house that didn't have enough slope to the roof. I spent a LOT of money fixing it up when I moved in to make it waterproof. The roofers installed a special membrane to resist leakage, as well as the regular roofing tarpaper that goes under the shingles. The third winter I was there, we had an ice storm that deposited about 4 inches of ice on the roof. When that started to melt in the spring, the water leaked right through my living room ceiling! I loaned a friend a pickaxe, crossed my fingers that she wouldn't get carried away with it, and together we spent over an hour removing the ice. Less than an hour later the leak stopped.

Most of the work I've seen that's signed has his full name printed out in block capitals. Here's the best example I could find. On his larger carvings, it's often almost impossible to see the signature: https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/vtg-original-al-stohlman-crafted-1853215267

I live half an hour away from the nearest Tandy store, and much prefer to shop in person. The few times it hasn't been in person, I've phoned the store directly. I'm well enough known to them that they recognize my voice on the phone. I have ordered a few books from the leathercraft library and paid for those by credit card or paypal, though. As for my identity being stolen, I have a good friend who's an IT specialist. She tried to find me online, and in spite of knowing my real name as well as some of my online aliases, came up with zip. So, guess I'm not doing too badly in the security department, though she's not a specialist in that area. This is a small town, and people know each other. A good friend of mine lives just across the road, and my next door neighbour and I used to work together. I also have two large dogs. The crime rate in the area is extremely low. If anything unusual happens in town, it's on the neighbourhood facebook page within half an hour. I feel pretty safe here.