JHLeatherwood

@loganreal where in Florida? I'm in northeast corner but would consider traveling

@bruce johnson Contact Bruce Johnson Leather Tools - he knows more about vintage tools than anyone I've ever met. I'm not 100% certain I tagged the right person here, but you can google for his website.

@nstarleather if you still have this I'm interested in 1 each of the black with blush, cognac, and burgundy. Pm sent.

I'm no expert, but... The motor, and it's controller, are absolutely not stock to that head. If you like the head, buy a servo and speed reducer and put it to work. It's not going to change the head's value.

@AtlantisLeather this is a screaming deal - 18 hours drive, though. :( Good luck with the sale.

I'll take it @jdwhitak sending pm

Got my unicorn side - it's exactly at described, very supple and nice. Well worth the price.

Pm and email sent.

Great leather, but not t all cheap. Tandy has some good-quality leather, but their prices for the good stuff are right up there with Wicket & Crain and Hermann Oak. I was over a year into my leather journey when I bought my first HO, and I discovered that carving and tooling doesn't have to be such hard work. Folding HO didn't crack it, edges burnished more easily and to a better final shine, dyes went in more easily, cutting out patterns didn't dull my knife as fast. It's not a perfect analogy, but think of it like playing golf: Tiger Woods will beat me every time, even with the worst quality clubs possible (good craftsmen can get great results with almost any leather). But I'm going to play better, and enjoy it more, if I have quality clubs that fit me (if I buy higher quality leather). You should buy a 1 square foot panel of W&C and HO and compare it side by side with whatever you're using. Smell it, feel it, cut it, carve it, stamp it, dye it, and burnish it. Only you can decide whether the difference is worth premium price.

Check with Policy Customs - I've purchased several dies from them (significantly less complex, but still) and I'm very happy with them. https://policycustoms.com/ Quite reasonable priced, as well. They're on Facebook too if you use that.

I hadn't thought of staples. Definitely going to practice on the scraps after I get the pieces cut out. Thanks

I'm about to attempt my first teddy bear made out of shearling. The pattern is from Springfield Leather, if that matters, and allows for 1/4" seam allowance on the pattern. I'll be sewing on a Cobra class 26, most liekly with 92 thread. I haven't found any videos that show tips on working with shearling, so that's my first question. Other questions: How far back from the edge should I trim the hair/wool, and how close should I cut it to the skin so the seam doesn't show as "bare" skin? Any tips on managing the fur "squeezing out" of the seam as I sew? Since it's going to be inside the final product, does ti matter? Any tips on managing the edges as I sew? I mostly glue edges before sewing to keep the pieces lined up, but that's not going to work with fur. Any other tips or gotchas I can avoid? I have previously used shearling on a couple of pistol caddies, but it was glued to the vegtan shell and I trimmed the edges pretty closely to avoid any fur sticking out of the finished edge.

Very similar concept, but I don't think you'll get the down force you need with that one. I have this one, with a "foot" by the Arbor Press Guy on etsy and I can cut out holsters from 10oz or wallets from 4-6 Oz with a breaker bar. https://www.harborfreight.com/1-ton-arbor-press-3552.html

If you're making 20 of these every other month (120 a year?) and selling them, I'd suggest investing in a cutting die and arbor press from the cheap tools store. I'll also recommend Sinabroks punches. They make various sizes up to 2.0mm. https://sinabroks.com/products/sinabroks-single-hole-stitching-punch-for-leathercraft-leather-stitching-stitching-chisel-leatherwork-strap-punch-holes-punch?variant=40151345496261 I'm a hobbyist that makes from patterns (like Tony See/Dieselpunkro) that I print on my laser, tape to the leather, and punch out. Every hole has tape, paper, and leather, and some of the patterns have more than 1,000 holes. Sinabroks are the first punches I've found that never, ever jam. And they stay sharp (it's some kind of magic, I'm sure). I'd bet Policy Customs or Texas Dies could make you a steel rule die that would cut the end and punch all the holes at once for about $100.

I have bought a couple of their keychain dies, their zippo pattern and mold, and some of their little earring-looking things to hold punched leather together while I stitch the seam. The dies have cut 6-8 ounce veg tan, ostrich legs, 4 oz oil tan, and everything I've thrown at them (including, once, the side of my thumb). I use them with my harbor freight arbor press, and have also hammered them out with my old rawhide hammer and a wooden mallet. The zippo mold works great with 3-4oz veg tan. The acrylic patterns are way too thin, and many of the stitching holes aren't really round or all the same size - their laser isn't perfectly calibrated. But they work for the patterns and I can mark and punch my own stitch lines. Overall, for a cheap "will I like something like this" they're not a bad option. And they do seem to offer doodads that seem to fill specific niche needs. And having seen that I can use the arbor press as a "clicker" I've bought some high-quality dies for wallets that work about the same, but appear to be MUCH more durable (and able to be sharpened if necessary). The Likolly ones will be done for if they get dull or bent.