BearMan

Hi Everybody, After all the Christmas presents got finished,,, I saw the need for a little "present" for myself. It weighs about 3 pounds, & is made out of some 5-6oz leather from Zack White. It's about 4" x 6". My old one isn't quite that heavy. I put on a good coat of oil, both inside & some Satin Professional Top Coat finish from Zelikovitz, in Canada. I have to say, I'm pretty impressed with the finish. I wouldn't say water "proof",,, but a drop of water sitting on it for about 15 min. just wiped right off, with no water stain. Plus, it seems to help bring out the colors also. Thanks for looking,,, please let me know what You think,,, Ed the"BearMan"

Hi everybody, Thanks for all the wonderful comments! Ben,,, Hmmm,,, well maybe,,, I'm not doing anything between midnite & 4 am,,, hehehe I didn't really keep track of the time, but,,, I probably have about 20-30 hours in it. A lot of back & forth,, grinding the plates,,, test fitting,,, grinding some more, & so on. Thanks for looking,,, Ed the"BearMan"

Hi Everybody, Thanks for all the wonderful comments!! Ben is right, this type of bench mat is more for displaying the finished Gun,, or knife. As far as using it,,, I feel that the true character of most any leather piece, doesn't really shine, until it gets some "patina" from use. I guess that's why I like tooling leather that has lots of range marks, & "fat" marks. Thanks for looking! Ed the"BearMan"

Hi Everybody, First off,,, I want to thank everybody for all the wonderful compliments on the Gunsmith Mat! Here is a guitar strap I made for my Son. It's something a bit outside of the things I usually make. It's made with a Nile Crocodile back strap, that I inlayed into the strap. It's been so long since I worked with one of these, that I forgot how much of a pain they are, to layout, stitch,,, or especially cut. The "Horned" knobs are about a cross between rawhide & bone in hardness to cut. So, laying it out & cutting the pattern, with only about 3/16" border, was a real challenge. I lined the inside with some 3oz leather, & incorporated a section with his stylized initials. Thanks for looking,,, Ed the"BearMan"

Hi Everybody, Here is a Gunsmith Mat, I made for my Son's friend who is learning Gunsmithing. It's 12" x 18", & backed with 1/16" thick heavy brown rubber, to keep it laying flat. This is some leather from a roll, that his wife's grandfather had. It's about 10-12oz side, with lots of the range marks I like. The Grandfather died about a year ago, & he was a Leather person also. From what I'm told, his old shop is still full of leather. Just from the way this leather tooled, & some markings on the back, I think it may be some Herman Oak skirting. Even after a year or more, it still tooled pretty nice, a bit stiff, but the tooled burnishing is quite stunning. Here are a couple pictures of how it turned out. I've made a few of these in the past, but I really like the way this one turned out. Thanks for looking,,, Ed the"BearMan"

Hi, That happens a lot when using "Pro Dye". Pro Dye is basically regular spirit dye, with oil added. So, if you've already oiled things, it's a second oil application. There are some other binders in Pro Dye also. The added oil, & other binders help to keep from getting the blotchiness you get with other dues. I don't use "Pro Dyes" at all, for that very problem, plus I will usually use different strengths of a given color. Most spirit dyes, I will start with a 50/50 mix with denatured alcohol, & then go down from there. Sometimes as much as 100/1 (alcohol to dye) depending on the color I want. I very RARELY use dyes full strength! For me, if I'm doing an all over dye, like on a holster, after the oil has dried, I will take a 50/50 mix of the color I want, in a bowl, & apply it with a wool piece. Of course you need to wear gloves. Then when the dye dries, if it's the right color,,, great,,, if it needs to be darker, maybe a second application, or maybe a light coat of oil. But by cutting the dye first, there's less chance of it being too dark. Btw,,, when I worked at the saddle shop, all of out dye's were 55 gal. barrels, & everything was dipped, after the oil had dried. We only used regular "spirit dyes. I don't know if this will help, but it may help some future problems. Ed the"BearMan"

Good Going Elton, It's good to see you getting out there more. Good looking tools. Ed the"BearMan"

Good Morning Bob, This is such a tremendous opportunity! Where else could anybody be exposed to so many Masters?? I would highly recommend this gathering to anybody that is interested in drastically improving their skills! If anybody are is within driving, or flying distant, the price is cheap for what can be learned. The way I see it,,, it's like getting Harvard or Yale Professors, at a High School teacher price! Take Care,,, Ed the"BearMan"

Hi Richard,,, Thanks! It's good to hear from you again. There's no difference,,, just the color. I don't use the dark brown much any more, as the supplier just wasn't able to keep up with the quality. So far I haven't had to send any of the Black, or Russet brown color back. My new supplier has been doing a great job for me. Take Care,,, Ed the"BearMan"

Hi Everybody, Here's the one I just finished for SeventhSon. Ed the"BearMan"

Hi Everybody, Thanks for all the wonderful compliments!! Tinneal,,, I first apply a coat of "NeatLac" style finish, then a coat of TanKote, then, some clear shoe polish. They won't be water proof, but they will be fairly resistant. Take Care,,, thanks for lookin',,, Ed

Hi Everybody, I hope everybody had a Great Thanksgiving! Here is a Coaster Set, I finished a few days ago. They are about 4" square. As you can see there are 4 different patterns, with different colors. They are lined on the back with some oxblood colored upholstery leather. The broken/injured knuckle is starting to get a bit better, but still had an Oops with the background dye on the holder. Thanks for looking,,, Ed the"BearMan"

He wasn't nervous at all,,, un-like his ol'man,,, hehehe The price for that type of wood is all over the place, but looking at the quality, I'm sure it was quite costly.. Thanks for the trust!

Hi Everybody, Thanks for the wonderful compliments!! Spinner,,, Beary has your handle finished,,, & yes,,, people are gonna love it! Beary came up with a beautiful design to compliment the beatiful wood. Thanks again for everything,,, Ed the"BearMan"

Hi, I have one of Paul's knifes also,,, it's a great knife, one of the best I've ever used. Pauls' blades are very sharp, & holds an edge for a long long time! I also got a knife from Bryan,, http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=28149&st=0&p=176719&hl=+copper%20+swivel%20+knife&fromsearch=1entry176719 He made me one out of copper,,, with I believe a Henley blade,, it's a great knife. I have a couple blades from Bob Beard, which are fantastic! I use them a lot. I have a knife from Henley,,, great knife & blades,,, well worth the money. I'm a swivel knife junkie,,, I have several kinds of knives & blades, including Rubyat & Ceramic, which to be made usable, must be sharpened & honed a lot. There are lots of good choices. Both Paul Z. & Henley are quick & easy & Great to deal with, & have great products. You will see the difference with the first use,,, well worth the money!! I hope this helps,,, Ed the"BearMan"

Hi Everybody, Is this something like we're looking for? If so, the way I do it is,,, I just mark the lines with a stylus, & then use a double beveler,,, without cutting the line first. After that I place a med. single seed at each of the intersections, & then add the #834, making sure that the lines are going from the corners in. Not to say that it's the best way to do it,,, it's just my way. Hope it helps,,, Ed Opps,,, forgot the picture,,,

Thanks Dave,,, I'll give that a try! Ed

Hi Everybody, I've made a new photo box,,, & just testing it out. The new box measures 20" high, 20" deep, & 24" wide. The backdrop cloth was somewhat of a surprize. It's as white as I could tell, as I was picking it out,,,, But,,, when using the so called "Full spectrum" "Reveal" bulbs,,, all the pictures would have a deep yellow cast over everything. I switched to some 6500K "Daylight" bulbs, & the pictures are a lot better. The pictures have a slight Blue tint,,, but it's slight enough that it can be edited out,,, mostly. I made a bigger size, because the last one I had was just too small. Here are a few pictures using the new box. Thanks for looking,,, Ed the"BearMan" P.S.,,, please don't look at the tooling too close, as I'm dealing with a broken big knuckle, on the middle finger of my right hand. That makes it VERY difficult to use a swivel knife.

Hi Terry, It's the same material, just different colors. I had some problems with the supplier for the dark brown. I would have to send as much back, that had problems, as I was able to keep. If the quality, is not what it should be,,, I won't use it. But,,, the supplier I have now, with the Russet brown color, & the Black, has always been very good quality,,, so that's the only colors I use now. BTW,,, the material I use, is the same material that Bob Beard used to make his out of. It's very costly,,, but with it's properties, it's the best material for tooling mauls. I have a good shipment coming in, so we're ready to roll,,, Thanks,,, Ed

Hi Everybody, We're gearing up, for our Christmas orders. We are going to have some "stock" weights, & woods, to make selection & ordering easier. Probably in Cocobolo, or Rosewood. We will be offering the Christmas Special "stock" mauls for $74.50, for weights between, 14oz up to 21oz. Of course, we'll be doing all the "custom" orders too. So,,, get your orders in early, to get them by Christmas. Priority shipping & Ins, for the US is $10.50 for a single maul, & $13.50 for a pair. We ship internationally too. Thanks,,, Ed the"BearMan" & Beary

Hi Everybody, It's been an extreamly exhausting month of moving, sorting & trying to get set back up. We have the shop somewhat set back up. Funny how some things just disappear when you move! Anyway,,, here are the first two mauls made in the new location. The first one is a 17oz Black head maul, with a Katalox handle & Army medallion insert. The pictures just don't do the Katalox justice. Still getting the photo box set back up too. The second one is a 22oz Black head maul, with an Ebony handle, with a Brass spacer, & brass/gold colored ends & lots of file work. Thanks for looking,,, Ed the"BearMan" P.S. Beary & I are making mauls out of his shop. Now that I've invaded his shop,,, it should be easier for Beary to make more mauls,,, so give him a try! Thanks,,,

Good Morning Vikefan, The Hides to Art basket stamps are full size stamps. They are basically the same size as the PX001 PX002 (Hidecrafters) & the 511 craftool. I don't have any of the Hides to Art basket stamps, but they well made & have some very nice basket designs, & other stamps. They are made out of Stainless. I'm not associatted with them, but Kevin is good to deal with. I hope this helps,,, Ed the"BearMan"

Hi Sam, I hope your move goes better than expected. I'm slowly getting things set back up. Hi Mike,,, I moved away from the Low Country. I'm back in Panama City now,,, I have some family here. Ed the"BearMan"