hidepounder

Welcome bwelch47! Always glad to see another AZ leather worker. There is a wealth of information here and a few Porter enthusiasts as well. Here's a link to a "Porters" discussion from a couple of years ago.....Porters Bobby

Nice job Max!

There are no real rules when doing floral patterns. I prefer to refer to the size of the layout circle ("primary circle") rather than the flower itself. My personal feeling is that one should try to keep the size of "primary circles" to 3" or 3-1/2" inchesin diameter max. IMHO anything larger on a notebook will appear clunky and lack "flow". In order to demonstrate "flow" in the pattern, it is necessary to keep the "primary circles" relatively small. Six flowers is a nice size for an 8-1/2"x11" notebook, but four might be easier for you to tool. If you are truly trying to do Sheridan style carving you will need to utilize Sheridan style tools. Here are some basic layout tips: - Arrange your "primary circles" before you draw anything in. - Determine the direction of flow between the "primary circles" (draw an arrow defining flow). - Orient your flowers realtive to the "crossovers" between the circles. - Insure the stemwork on each "primary circle" remains round. - Your "primary circle" represents the center line of your stemwork. Never let an element cross it! - Insure every element you draw conforms to the shape of a "C" or an "S". - Make sure your background areas are consistent in size. Hope this helps........ Bobby

Beautiful as always Tina!

Thanks for the link Darcy, I was on it earlier in the week and then had trouble getting back on. Nothing like the annual TCAA catalog to put a guy in his place and set new standards to reach for. WOW!!

Sierraleather, I prefer steel over ceramic blades for a variety of reasons. First of all, ceramics are very fragile. It's way too easy to chip the edge or break the entire blade. To sharpen a ceramic blade properly requires some expensive equipment. It can be done by hand but not easily. To sharpen one to it's potential requires a power hone with multiple plates. Steel blades are easy to sharpen and nearly impossible to ruin. Finally, the last reason I prefer steel is because I can get it in a number of different configurations, few of which are available in ceramic. There is absolutely no question that a sharp ceramic blade is a real pleasure to use. It stays sharp for a long time and cuts like butter. However an equally sharp, quality steel blade cuts just as well. If I happen to drop it or ding it, it is easily repaired and I'm back in business. That means a lot to me. And IMHO, the biggest problem that people have with steel blades is learning to sharpen them. I agree with Bruce's list of blade makers but need to add Bob Beard's name. I love my Henley blades and I think Chuck Smith's new cobalt blade cuts like a dream and so does my Leather Wrangler blade. I haven't used Barry's blades but many of my friends won't use anything else. But the blades I use the most are Bob Beard's. There are two reasons for my prejudice. The first is each blade is made to order. He'll make them however you'd like them. The other reason is that they are made out of O1 tool steel. They are tough and hold an edge for a long time. I have literally chiped both my tooling rock and my concrete floor from dropping them and I was able to re-sharpen them quickly and get right back to work. Anyway, for my money I still prefer steel...... Bobby

Your secret about the NeatLac adhereing the glass to the table top is safe with me!!! BTW, I missed the photo of your finger carving the first time I looked....I think it looks great! Bobby

Beautiful work Casey! There's a lot of hours of work shown there! Bobby

Really nice Casey!!!

Yes you can simply leave it out to dry a little. I wouldn't put it in a bag until the color begins to return to it. If it were me I'd leave it in the bag to case over night. Hope this helps.... Bobby

Hi Eddie and thanks! I use Hermann Oak. It just works for me. The belt is 7/8 oz with 2/3 oz lining.

Ken I didn't mean to be un-responsive....I just missed your question. The answer is no, I don't change the shims. Vernon says that's pretty unusual, that I shouldn't be able to use 69 thread...especially without having skipping problems. When I bought this machine I was told it was the very last model which was imported from where ever the hell they were manufacturing them (Czechoslovakia? ), before they began making them wherever the hell they're making them now Anyway according to Vernon I should change the shims because his are metal and much more accurate than what I have. I'm a little concerned about messing with them. My philosophy is usually "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". I will confess, however, that I am limited to certain stitch lengths. In other words I can't use 69 thread and sew at 6 spi. I have to sew at 9 -12spi, which is fine fore me because I prefer a harness looking stitch to the more common "western" stitch anyway. Conversely I cannot sew with 207 at 12spi....I must increase the length to about 6-8spi. So however my machine was made, it allows to do things I shouldn't be able to and yet I am not able to do some things which others can. Heck I didn't even know my machine had shims until I spoke with Vernon at Sheridan this summer, LOL! The first photo is of a belt sewn with 92 thread @ 12spi. The second is of a purse sewn with 69 thread @ 10-12 spi (I don't remember which). Both were sewn on 205/370 Adler.

I put a servo on my 205/370 Adler and I really like it. It's not perfect.....it bolted right into the old mount.....but the controls are all facing away from me and that's a real pain. But having the ability to slow it to a crawl is nice. The motor must be on to adjust it, but it doesn't have to be in motion. I'd do it again in a flash! Bobby

Thanks Beans! On occasion I will spray NeatLac, but 99% of the time I apply it with a trimmed piece of wool skin. I like to work it in a little which reduces some of the gloss.

When I oil I use EVOO and I use Fiebings antique paste. Seal the leather with Neatlac (Clear Lac) first, apply the antique, seal with NeatLac again. Hope this helps...... Bobby

Beautiful knives Terry! Wish I was going! By the way.....I sure enjoy using the knife I picked up n Sheridan!! Bobby

Thanks Jimbbo! I'd put skulls or flames either one if my customers would have it!Thanks, Bobby

I don't use that kind of leather but I would try wetting the edge and applying Fiebings Glycerine Bar Saddle Soap or Fiebings paste saddle soap and then burnish with a heavy piece of canvas......

If you will PM me with your email address I will send you the full size photo. Then you can zoom in on it in windows.Bobby

Beautiful mauls Ed! I have to admit, however, since I've started using your mauls my production time is WAY down. I hope this is something you can help with! Everytime I reach for my maul I find myself picking up first one and then the other and turning them over in my hands while I try to make up my mind which one to use!!!!!! This obe....no the other one....well maybe not....yep, the first one.....no...I don't know!!!! It's very time consuming!!!! Bobby

"Casing" is the process of obtaining even moisture throughout the entire piece of leather. It is possible, however, to wet the leather from the flesh side to help maintain a certain moisture level without effecting the tooling on the grain side. Bobby

Beautiful work Ed!!! And the edges looks terrific!!! Bobby

No I'm sorry to say I'm not going to make that show. Wish I could!!!

I typically use 7/8 oz leather with a 4/5 oz lining. The more ornate the tooling pattern, the thinner the top leather will be and therefore the lining will become thicker to achieve 12 oz total. Occassionally I'll get a call for thicker belts, but 12 oz is the most common. Hope this helps... Bobby

Mike is right, the examples that you are looking at have been antiqued or Hi-Lited or at a minimum finished with NeatLac (at least the examples of my work are). That is why they look dark. With regard to the depth of cut there are a couple of things to look at. First, the leather needs to properly cased to aid in keeping the cuts open. Secondly you swivel knife must be sharp. That is the biggest problem that I see over and over again. The leather worker thinks their knife is sharp when it isn't. Lastly the thickness of the swivel knife blade makes a difference as does the angle at which the blade is ground. A thin blade or a blade sharpened at a steep angle will not lay the cut open like a thick blade or a blade sharpened at a flat angle. Hope this helps.... Bobby