jhinaz

I use masking/strapping tape but I know some people that use contact paper (shelf liner). Also, rubber cement and X-ray film works well (if you can find X-ray film anymore, most small medical offices have gone to CDs). - John

Thanks for that explanation Aaron, I think I'll wait to see your pictures before I attempt the modification. - John

Take a bolt and cut a slot in it the exact width as the top of the blade. electrathon, I haven't removed the casing from my V-gouge yet so I'm unable to visualize your solution...... Does the slotted-bolt then replace the existing screw/knob? How do you take the casing apart, Is it just a press-fit? Thanks, John

The Pro Stitching Groover Set (88081-00) comes with two attachments: a 'groover' and a 'spoon'. The spoon comes unsharpened from the factory because its intended use is 'creasing', not cutting. You could sharpen it and cut with it if you want to (I made a 'cutting' blade from a 8-32 stainless steel screw so I could have both the spoon and a cutting-blade). The Pro Stitching Groover provides two-tools-in-one (and if you make a cutting-blade for it it becomes a 3-in-1) and it's adjustable from 1/16" to 1 1/4". I think it's a useful, versital tool but I would not like it to have the problems that yours has. I would ask for a replacement and I would ask them to inspect it before sending it to me. - John

Perhaps what I write is old information and you are already familiar with it.....if so please accept my apology for re-hashing old information. If you have a grinder or a Dremel you can make an adjustable border/bead tool using a Tandy Pro Stitching Groover (88081-00). It's a pretty simple DIY project; just cut the head off a 10-32 stainless steel machine-screw and grind a sharp edge on it with the grinder/Dremel. You may have to grind the screw diameter slightly to make it fit, but I found some 8-32 screws whose diameter was small enough that I could force-thread them into the open-end of the stitching groover (you still want to use the original 'set-screw' to keep it tight). If the diameter of your 8-32 is suitable for force-threading, don't remove the screw-head until after the threads have been cut into the stitching groover opening. With this adjustable tool you can make cuts anywhere from 1/16" to 1 1/4" from the edge of your leather. I haven't used it to make border-beads but I have used it to cut a 'center-bead' down the entire length of a 1 1/2" wide belt. It can be operated by either 'pushing' or 'pulling' ....I think it works easier when it's 'pulled'. - John

I just received a Tandy 'Members Only Specials' mailer that contains a coupon for one free stamping tool.....expires 1/15/13. - John

It's good to find out those stamps can still be used....I always heard that unfinished steel would leave black marks on 'cased' leather. Thanks for asking the question and for those that have answered. - John

Thanks for replying to my question concerning uniformity, TwinOaks. Those yada, yada, yada's can present a LOT of problems can't they? I'll probably never know what the problem was with this piece of leather, which is OK with me now that the original problem has been corrected. It just seems strange to me that different 'portions' of three border areas (out of 4.....and not the entire length of any border area) were affected while none of the basket stamping was affected. I'll just store this experience away in the yada-yada-yada locker for future reference. - John

I did a vinegaroon do-over of JUST the 'problem area' and it appears to be okay now. I used a wool applicator to apply a deglazer, then strong-tea followed by vinegaroon to just the border depressions (allowing it to lay in the 'channel'). There was no visable change after the vinegaroon layed in the depression for 3 minutes so I reapplied it for another 3 minutes (6 minutes total) before it turned the brown area to black. I dipped the entire piece in a baking soda wash for 30 seconds and then a fresh water rinse....I hope the additional BS wash didn't upset the ph too much, but it is what it is. - John

I've been out of town (away from a computer) since I posted the above question and have just had the opportunity to read your reply.....thanks for your suggestion mlapaglia. It's been four days since I applied the vinegaroon and the 'problem area' still shows some brown around the border stamping. I'm hoping there's a solution to my problem which doesn't involve using dye, but as last resort I can cover that area with black dye. The only thing that I did different between 'preping' the belt blank and 'preping' the wallet-piece was I rubbed the grain side of the wallet-piece with a glass burnisher. I wonder if the burnisher AND the Border stamp compressed the surface grain too much to accept the vinegaroon???? - John

My previous experience with vinegaroon is quite limited but I have many pages of information that I got from searching the subject on this forum. I used that information to vinegaroon a belt about 2 years ago and it turned out very well. Using that same information today I vinegarooned a 7-8 oz belt blank (which was stamped and burnished prior to vinegarooning) as a test case before I did a 'wallet-size' piece of 7-8 oz leather (which also was burnished and stamped before vinegarooning....albeit a different pattern from that on the belt blank). The veg-tanned leathers were from different cows but the vinegaroon process started out being the same for both pieces, with the wallet-piece being started right after I completed the 'final rinse' on the belt. Both were soaked thoroughly in a strong black tea and then soaked in vinegaroon; rinsed in baking soda and then a clean water rinse. When I removed the wallet-size piece from the vinegaroon the basketweave stamping was a uniform, dark, deep, black but I could still see 'brown' around the border stamping, so I re-soaked the wallet-piece in the black tea and then again into the vinegaroon. The trouble area MAY have gotten a little blacker but I could still see 'brown' around the border stamping. I let it rest for 30 minutes and the trouble area MAY have gotten a little blacker but I still could see 'brown' around the border stamping. I decided to proceed with the baking soda wash, rinsed it in fresh water, and when the leather was drier (but still damp) I oiled it with Neats Foot oil. When it had dried I applied a 2nd coat of NF oil. Again, the trouble area MAY have gotten a little blacker but I can STILL see 'brown' around the border stamping. Could it be that the D435 border stamp that I used burnished or 'sealed' the leather around it so it does not accept the vinegaroon readily? Does anyone have any suggestions as to what I should do now that the piece has been oiled but not sealed? Thank you for your comments and suggestions. - John

Tandy has an Archery pattern pack that contains several different styles of hip quivers.http://www.tandyleat...ns/6027-00.aspx You can also get some (target/field/pocket/sling) hip-quiver ideas here: http://www.hidehandl...ide_quivers.htm - John

If you'd like to see the process involved, here's a couple videos showing how Horween makes their cordovan leather. - John http://horween.wordpress.com/ http://vimeo.com/4814754

That handmade Dremel burnisher (a thread from a couple days ago that BradB referred to) can be seen on 'Leatherwork Conversation' / 'Custom Tools'. - John http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=3556