BearMan

Hi Everybody, Here is my Picture Site: My Maul Picture site http://tinyurl.com/BearMauls My Name is Ed the"BearMan" I got that name a long time ago. When I was about 4 or 5, My Father worked at Texas A & M, in the Agricultural Dept. A person that he worked with happened to be the coach for the football team,,, his name was Paul "Bear" Bryant. To make a long story short, "Bear" Bryant called me "A little Bear" one time,,, & it kinda stuck. Unfortunately, I don't remember him. Many years later, I had the opportunity to work at Lion Country Safari, in West Palm Beach, Florida. And of course, I ran the Bear Section,,, So,,, I became known as the"BearMan". After working with the animals, I worked at McLelland Saddle Shop in Florida, where I saw the need for better tools, especially stricking tools. The head "tooler" there, helped me to understand what works best as far as Mauls go. Soooo many years later,,, here are some of the mauls I've made over the past 10 years or so. My Mauls are in the hands of some of the finest Leather Artist around. As far as the weights go, the largest I have been making is a 20oz version. The Smallest I make is a 9oz version. I primarily make my mauls for tooling. The larger Driving type mauls, I leave to others. As far as the woods,,, I have about 30 varieties on hand, & have availability to just about anything else. Of course, the more exotic,,, the higher the price. So far, the sets I made using the Amboyna Burl has been the most expensive. That wood added $45.00 to the price of each Maul. >>I use only Solid Stainless Steel bolts & Nuts in my mauls.<< I also assemble all of my mauls using Devcon 2 ton Epoxy, so that they are completly solid, & will never loosen. >> The Polymer I use for the stricking surface is a special type that has shown to resist flaking & denting, like lesser quality materials.<< This type of Polymer is somewhat more costly, But, it's worth it! I have personally tested many types of the polymers that have been used including: HDPE, PTFE, UHMW, LDPE, just to name a few. >>>The base price on the mauls is $45.00 ea.<<< Also, if you like the type without a acorn nut on the end, which makes the maul very smooth looking, that adds $9.50 to the price. Custom File work adds $5.00 to $10.00 to the price of a maul, depending on the extent. The stand that is for the pair of mauls, a bigger one, & a small one is $25.00, which is usually made out of Maple or Mahogany. >>>>Basically the more Figured the wood is, the more it costs.<<<<< ALL wood prices depend on availability,,, & market price. The types of woods that would be included in the base price of ea. is: (some of which I have on hand:) Bubinga, Hububali(kind of like a darker Zebrawood), Leadwood, Purpleheart, Bloodwood, Thin Win (same family as Wenge), American Walnut(2 pc handle), Mahogany, Sapele (2 pc handle) The type that would add $4.00 To the base cost of ea. would be: Argentine Osage Orange, Black Palm, Bolivian Rosewood, Burmese Rosewood, Asian Satinwood, Brazilian Cherry (jatoba) , Goncalo Alves/Tigerwood , Curly Maple, Marblewood, Red Palm, RedHeart, Zebrawood The type of woods that would add $10.00 to the base cost of ea. would be: Claro Walnut, Cocobolo, Kingwood, Madrone Burl, Redwood Lace Burl, Tulipwood, Ziricote There are several types of woods that would add whatever market price is at the time, but probably anywhere from $35.00 to $50.00 added to each maul. Afzelia Burl, Amboyna Burl, Bees Wing Narra, Buckeye Burl , Ebony, Black & White Ebony, Macassar Ebony , Gmelia Burl, White Holly , Lignum Vitea , Maple Big Leaf Burl, Karelian Burl, Olivewood, Pink Ivory, Teak Burl, ALL FALL INTO THAT CATAGORY. I'm sure that I've missed several, So if you have something in mind,,, Please ask. My turn around time is usually pretty good,,, although,,, sometimes I'm just not able to do anything for a few days, because of my Back Problems,,, I hope you understand. Thanks for your interest! Ed the"BearMan" My link polarb1717@aol.com

Pete, Don't feel so bad,,, there are Lots of people that have done the same thing. I've seen the results,,, & it might be interesting to give it a try,,, & see if it's controlable at all. Might be useful for something,,, I just don't what yet,,, But I'm sure somebody can find a good use for the rapid shrinking leather. We all learn in differnt ways,,, & I can Guaranty, that You'll never do that again. Take Care,,, Ed

Hi,,, Thanks for the info,,, But,,, will they stand up to use on 304 Stainless?? P.S. How many lines per inch did you get?? Ed the"BearMan"

Thanks King X & Everybody, I was really fortunate to have won that honor. It's going to be fun having something else I've done on display at that show. I have another entry I sent up,,, I'll just have to wait & see how it fairs there. Thanks Again,,,, Ed the"BearMan"

Hi Everybody, I saw this post a few days ago, & thought I'd add a little something that I've been doing for quite some time. I do the double packing tape method, but the main difference is, that I rubber cement it to a solid plastic place mat. I get these at Wally World, for about $1.00 each. They can be cut to size,,, but they come in an aprox. 12"X18" size. You'll know that you have the correct ones, if they are a 1 piece solid plastic. They will be stiff, without any soft backing. They are about 1/16" thick. I have yet to have any streching using these. Do Not use contact cement!! Contact Cement destroys the plastic. One thing I really like about using these is, that when you want to remove the backing, you can lay the leather face down, & then peel the backing off, without bending the leather at all. Of course then you peel the tape off the same way. The residue that is left on the plastic backing can be removed by rubbing it with the heal of your hand,,, or you can get an "abrasive belt cleaner" at the hardware store. It looks like a giant gum eraser. I hope this will be of some help. Ed the"BearMan"

Very nice Storm! I like the layout & design! Ed the"BearMan"

Hi, That's very similar to the one I use almost everyday! It's Very handy,,, You can use it kinda like a round knife,,, or like a regular knife. Here is a picture of the one I made for myself about a year ago. Ed the"BearMan"

Hi Sam, I'm glad you like them. That was an especially nice piece of Satinwood. I hope they fit as good as i hoped they would. Thanks Again,,, Ed the"BearMan"

Hi Crissy, Tina, MadMax & Adam, Thank You all for all the Very Much Appreciated compliments! I really love knowing that people like using something I've made to create thier own beautiful things. Crissy, the wood I used on your's is Asian Satinwood. Once again,,, Thank You all soooo much!! Ed

Hi Everybody, I'm gonna throw in my 2 cents worth. I case my leather almost exactly like Bob (Hidepounder) does. About the only difference is that after slicking the wetted leather, I lay it out on my cutting mat, it's kinda like the old plastic sole material, & then I cover it with a piece of smooth glass. I've actually had a situation where I had left a piece under the glass for almost 3 days, & it was still moist. Most of the time it's just over night. One thing I'd like to add is about just how wet to get the leather for casing. I've "soaked" untill there was no bubbles coming out,,, & I've also tried just running it under a faucet, & wipping with a sponge. I've never had good luck doing any of those. What I do is, if the piece is small enough, I put it in the casing solution, untill half of the bubbles come out of it. How do I know what half is?? Practise I guess. I try to wet it good,,, but not saturate it. If that makes any sense. You'll know when you get it right. Casing correctly makes all the difference. What Bob says about wiping the wet leather with Ivory Soap, is a great tip!! It helps a Lot!! I hope this helps,,, Ed

Hi Bob, As always your talent constantly amazes, & inspires me! Ed

Hi Tina, Absolutely Stunning,,, as always!! I am Very proud to have an Artist like you, using something I've made to create such beautiful pieces of usable Art!! I hope you have a wonderful time in Sweden, & continue to create as only You can. Ed the"BearMan"

Well, I think we've all been there!! Just about Anything that will stain leather, will make you wear that color for about 3 days. Sometimes rubbing alcohol helps, some. Good luck,,, Ed Why does vinagroon turn my fingers black too? I have just started using my first batch of vinagroon and because it is not a "dye" I didn't use gloves thinking my fingers wouldn't be affected. BUT they were, what is the reason for this or am I the only one with black fingers?

Thanks Adam, Bob, King's X, Kenny & Kevin. Thanks for all the compliments. The head was actually a wheel for a cart in a factory where steam & heat was used. It does look like the old roller skate wheels. Hmmm... I may have to look into that. I know that the old skate wheel came in different hardnesses. I'll let you know in a few months how it stands up to use & abuse. Adam & Kevin,,, I'm really glad you are enjoying yours. Thanks again,,,, Ed

Hi Everybody, Here is my latest Maul. I wanted to make something completely different. How'd I do?? It's 18oz with a Bubinga & Green Diamondwood handle, capped with a piece of Zebrawood. The head is 2 1/4" X 2 1/4" in a polymer that is not quite as hard as the Nylon ones. I'll have to let you know how it preforms in the long run, but, so far, it feels very good while stamping. A little bit less shock on the hand, feels a little bit more like rawhide. As you can see, I have a Temporary nut on the end, which will be replaced with an Acorn nut, as soon as I can pick one up. Please let me know what You think. Ed the"BearMan"

Hi Everybody, Here is my latest project. Have you ever noticed that some types of projects seem to come in groups?? Well here's my latest checkbook. It's a little larger that normal, but that's what she wanted. It's: 6 1/2" X 7 3/4". It's colored with spirit dye, in a somewhat muted depth, & finished in my own finish. The picture detail doesn't show the stitching very well, but it's getting better, thank goodness. I've been working hard on improving my stitching. Any comments are welcome,,, both good & bad. Thanks for looking, Ed the"BearMan"

Usually the first maul I reach for is a 17oz. I also have another 17oz, that I used for quite some time, even though it was an experimental head design. It's rounded on one side, like a maul, & it's flat on the other, like a mallet. For the lighter weight stuff I use a 10oz. Ed

Tina,,,, Outstanding,,,, Again!! You know how much I love the more natural designs,,, well, all I have to say is: "You Done GOOD"!! Ed

Hi Everybody, After getting a good awl blade, the correct needles, & making a good stitching pony, I was able to produce some desent stitching. After looking back at some of my earlier projects, my stitching needed some work. Here's what it looks like now: Ed the"BearMan"

Hi Everybody,,,, & thanks for all the nice compliments!! Tina: Thank You soooo much! It's not a machine. But that's the kind of consistancy I was trying to get.

Hi everybody, I received sooooo many nice compliments on the checkbook,,, even before it was finished,,, I just had to send some pictures of it completed. I've been making & getting better equipment to do the stitching with. My stitching needed some work. Sooo I replaced my Awl, & got some good needles. Studied & figured out some things,,, & now I have some hand stitching that I feel pretty good about. I've also been paying attention to a few ,,,, very few people,,,, Ok,,, just 1 Person when it comes to improving my edges,,, Thanks Bob,,, ) How'd I do?? As I said before, this is an adaptation of an ol' Stohlman design. If anybody wants a copy, I'd be more than happy to share. Thanks for looking!! Ed the"BearMan"

Thanks Tina, Bob , & Max,,, I know this may open a Big Can of worms,,,, But, when I ran accross this Al Stohlmans original Billfold design, I just had to tool it, to see how it would look in person, & not just from a picture. The reason I say that is,,, the design is really crude, it that, it really had very little flow to it. Especially in the center where the 4 stems run into the main stem. What's up with that??? I firmly believe that Al Stohlman did more for the leathercraft, than any other one person. But,,, some of his floral & western designs,,,, Hmmmm how should I say this,,, to me could use some work. Now,,, his picture scenes,,, that's another story,,,, Those are Great!! Am I the first person to ever say this out loud?? I'm interested to see how everybody else feels. Please don't get me wrong,,,, I'm not trying to compare myself to him,,,, or trying to say that I'm better in any way. It's just something I've noticed. Ed

Here is a checkbook cover I finished tooling & coloring. It's My adaptation/ interpretation, of one of his billfold designs. I tried to stay as true to the original design, while making it work as a checkbook cover. I followed a picture of the original, as a guide to the coloring. The original has somewhat muted colors,,, or maybe it's just the picture I have. Anyway, I colored mine, as I thought He may have originally. Please let me know what You think. This is my first project, after trying to kill myself, by rebuilding my shop, so that I stand at least half a chance of my air conditioner, keeping it cool enough to work in there. Take Care,,, & Thanks for looking,,, Ed the"BearMan"

Tina, That is FANTASTIC!! I love it,,, But You always do such nice stuff anyway!! Ed

Thanks Kevin, I really apprecite all the compliments!! It's nice to make things,,, anything,, for people that really appreciate all the time & quality materials that go into them. Thanks again,,, Ed I picked these up the other day from the post office. They are exceptional - much better than some of the other mauls currently available in the marketplace. I got to use the larger one yesterday for a bit, and it was a welcome relief (in weight) from what I had previously been using. Thanks again, Ed. You did yourself good here.