TonyRV2

They're worth exactly what someone would be willing to give you for them, no more, no less. Personally I'd never pay that much for a stamp. I'd learn to be a better carver first. My advice is to put it on ebay at an attractive starting bid and use the minimum winning bid option to protect yourself for what you'd like to get for it, and see what happens.

This is an excellent idea. Thanks for sharing!

Nice work...simple but eloquent! I like this a lot.

I wonder if it isn't missing something that may have clamped into that slot ahead of the roller? Otherwise, I can't make sense of that roller being perpendicular to the slot, unless the tool served two distinct but related purposes.

Thanks! I appreciate it!

I'm not quite as dumb as you think. I just bought the place in FL last year in May, so I'm really just unlearning to be a Gators' fan as we speak.

I'm with you Cap'n. I love old world tools, just seems when you run across one, folks want an arm, leg and first born for the dog-gone thing. Billybops find was great...I wonder if he'd like to make a quick $5 profit?

I've never made a guitar strap. On the adjustable end, does the top flap curl around on a snap to keep it in place? If not, how does it get secured? Thanks

I'm thinking of ordering one of those tapered applicators as well, although one for about half the price that I'd found on Amazon compared to what tandy wants. Looks like the same thing to me. I'm curious though to hear from folks that have used one of these as well.

The cool factor on this is through the roof. Well done!!

One of the most important things about a saddle is which way faces front. If you make it backwards, you'll never see where you're going. Sorry...couldn't help myself....I'm sure someone more knowledgeable on the subject will show up soon. ;-)

Ok...so the two mauls that I'd ordered from wrising.com arrived yesterday. A two pounder and a 3 pounder. They both have stacked leather handles and nylon heads. The 2lb maul cost $50 and they had a sale on the 3lb maul for $30. So about $80 all told and shipping was included. Looking at them, they are indistinguishable from my 24oz Barry King maul which is made of the same materials. Of course, time will tell how well they hold up. But hey....they're mallets...I can't imagine anything that could go wrong that couldn't easily be fixed.

There are a lot of great videos on youtube that show how to do saddle stitching and also how to build a sheath if it interests you. Another most excellent source of instruction is a series of 3 videos put out by master sheath builder Paul Long Do a google search for 'paul long sheaths' and check out some of his work. They're absolute works of art. The videos are a bit pricey but they probably knocked about 5 years off the learning curve for me, had I just decided to have at it.

Stitched properly, with a welt inserted, there's no chance that a knife blade would ever contact the stitching. I think there may be tradeoffs with each method however. Over a long period of time stitches may fail, but they can be easily fixed. Also over a long period, rivets will eventually rust, especially if they're not stainless steel, which would also oxidize over a longer period of time. Of course a rivet can always be drilled out and replaced, but I don't see them as being necessarily a superior fastener. I do like the look of rivets on some items though, and they're certainly much easier to master as opposed to proper stitching.

I'm curious about the sheaths, since thats primarily what I make. I've never used rivets, preferring to sew instead. Did you put a liner in the sheath to protect the knife edge from contacting the rivets, or did you glue a welt to the inside of the rivets? One other thing I've learned along the way from a few master sheath makers is to always make a pattern. Many claim its the most important step in the process and I think I'm inclined to agree.

If you don't have a press, but own a drill press, this can also be used to set snaps. Just chuck up the tool, put the anvil on the table and have at it.

I've used SL a few times this year without any issues. Maybe I'm just lucky, I don't know. If there's a better supplier out there with reasonable prices I'd sure be happy to hear about them.

I know this is an older thread, but I just found this company online as well. You can buy from their website or they also sell on Ebay. I think I'm going to purchase a 2 and a 3 pound maul from them. Poly heads with leather handles. They look nice in the pictures I thought. I'll post on this thread again once I get them. ...Tony

Seriously Greg? A "newbie" that has bought too much to use himself? Looks like you bought out a school or a store that closed up. Its ok to be a professional reseller as evidenced by the wide assortment of stuff you have on ebay and the fact that as a 'newbie' you've only ever posted in the 'for sale' area. But whats not ok is to try to bullshit folks that may be too naive to realize. Oh...and your prices are too high, especially for quantity purchases. You may be a reseller, but you're not Tandy Leather.

Thanks for the input, but I think I've decided to pass on this stuff. My interest is primarily knife sheaths. I'm not sure that I'd get any use from these things.

Aside from the skiver and the press, I'm not sure what I'm looking at here, but I have a chance to purchase all of it for under $200. Can anyone shed some light on these things?

I make knives and knife sheaths and own two belt grinders. The first one is a 2" by 72" which cost something north of $2500. I use that one mostly for knife grinding. I also own, and just recently purchased a Sears Craftsman 2" by 42" combination belt sander and 6" disc. Many beginner knife makers started out on just this grinder and its quite affordable. I purchased mine on sale just a few weeks ago for just over $100. I'm quite happy with it for grinding/sanding wood and leather. You're going to also want a good source for grinding belts, aside from Sears, as they don't have a very good selection. I would recommend TruGrit. You'll find them online and they have fast shipping and good prices. I buy all of my grinding belts from them.

This stuff is definitely twisted.... http://www.ebay.com/itm/Wax-Polyester-Twisted-Cord-Beige-Leather-Sewing-String-Round-Thread-Line-0-55mm-/121812190082?hash=item1c5c928382:g:-N0AAOSwdzVXlEyk

There are only two types of steel that matter. The steel that you like, and the steel that your customer likes. Of course the marketing hype would have you think otherwise.

Its hard to tell from the photo how big the piece is, but can it be put in a large ziploc bag and stored in the refrigerator in between tooling sessions? This would go a long way in preventing mold formation.