hidepounder

Thanks Nevada! That border is just a large seeder between two bead borders. Take care.... Bobby Thanks for all the great comments, everybody! You are too kind......... Bobby

I don't want to say how many hours I have in this because it's embarrassing, LOL! I can tell you however that making the interiors on these items is very slow because I skive and turn every single edge by hand and line every piece. The finger cutting holds up very well and will collect a little dust as all carving does. Thanks for your comments. Bobby

I just returned from Elko Nevada and the "Gathering of the Masters" carving class and I am so excited about the outcome of this event that I wanted to give a report. First I need to tell you that Andy Stevens did and incredible job in organizing this event! It was truly impressive and far exceeded my wildest expectations. We started out with a barbeque dinner hosted by Andy and Heidi and what a feed it was. After dinner a round table discussion ensued regarding carving leather that was absolutely amazing! I learned so much that evening that I had to go back to my room and make notes to ensure I wouldn't forget something. Believe me....an open discussion among artists like Don Butler, Doug Krouse, Steve Mecum, Gaylerd Thissle and Andy Stevens is an amazing event! It alone was worth the twelve hour drive and I could have listened for hours! We showed up and hour early the first morning for a magazine interview and at 9 AM the class began. There were 28 students in all which included a couple of beginners, mostly intermediate level toolers, a few very accomplished toolers and several professional saddle makers including a well known TCAA saddle maker as well! Both students and instructors alike were so pumped that no one wanted to stop for breaks or lunch and so the class roared straight through until 5 PM. Each instructor had prepared an 8-1/2" x 11" panel which was displayed at the beginning of the class representing their tooling style. The student' s packets included a photo copy and tooling pattern of each of those panels and they each selected one of them to tool. I knew this was going to be a fun and informative class and that I was likely to learn as much as our students, however I was in no way prepared for the incredible amount of spontaneous information that flowed. I was truly in awe of the ability of those instructors and their willingness to share what they spent a lifetime learning. And there were some learning curves for the instructors too. For example, I suggested to a student that he change the order in which he beveled in order to produce a better result only to find out that another instructor had just finished telling him to do what I was advising him against! We all had a good laugh which led to an open discussion about the sequence of tools used. We discovered that out of five instructors there were three entirely different approaches to beveling alone. I think we all found this amazing and it served to prove that the first rule is that there are no rules when it comes to tooling and that there is more than one way to skin a cat! And so it went and the students were exposed to many different techniques with which they could experiment and discover what worked best for them. The second day was more of the same. Most of the students completed their panel by the end of the second day. A few even started a second one. Don Butler, having instructed in the last "Masters" class held years ago at the Autry Museum, commented that the value of the photos and patterns alone was worth the cost of tuition. For my part, the abilities, knowledge and willingness to share by my fellow instructors was truly humbling and I don't believe a single question went unanswered. I really admire each of those instructors and will have to do a lot to step up my game if I want to play in their sand box, LOL! In addition to the Carving Class held in conjunction with the Cowboy Poetry Gathering, there was also the Great Basin Gear Show and Sale which is a juried gear show held at the museum. I'm proud to report that all of the categories involving tooled leather were won by instructors from the carving class. For those of you who wanted to attend but were unable to, there has already been some discussion of possibly repeating the event again next year, so you might get your chance. What an incredible class! And for all of those who were able to attend I want to thank you for helping to make it such memorable event. I am confident I can speak for the instructors when I say we truly enjoyed participating and learned as much as the students. And thank you Andy and Heidi Stevens for all of your hard work in making this event possible! It was simply amazing! Bob Park

Clever idea, impeccably executed! Beautiful job Bobcat! Bobby

Thanks everybody for all the great compliments. It's heartwarming to know your friends appreciate your efforts and it inspires me to do a better job! Bobby

Remove it from both sides. The idea is to remove enough material so that when the leaf is folded over, there is less compression of the leather and it won't bind. When you gouge you will want to go 1/2 way through the leather. Hope this helps..... Bobby

Hi Ron, I have to agree with azrider....I would use the pieces as stiffeners and not just try to wrap the notebook with leather. Depending on your budget, wmt sells plastic binders that are not vinyl covered and the leaves make good stiffeners. I am not a fan of using the cardboard found inside the vinyl covers. However, if that is not in the cards, then glue each leaf to the exterior leather of the binders and then line the inside with a lightweight leather. The spine needs to be stiffened also, so you can utilize all of the binder. Whether you elect to remove the vinyl covering or leave it in place, Barge will bond to either and hold it tightly in place. I think I would remove it. Remember to gouge the fold lines into the exterior piece before gluing in the lining. Ounce the gouge is cut, use a french edger to remove the shoulder on either side of the gouge. And you will definitely want to cut your stiffeners down so that you can bring the two leather edges together to sew. If you sew the outside perimeter, it shouldn't be necessary to sew down the fold line, Hope this helps... Bobby

Hi Ron, Sorry I missed this post. Anyway, for myself, trying to incorporate this flower into a traditional western design would be very difficult. I draw all my own patterns, but I am not artist enough to pull this one off. So much of what we do in western floral tooling is traditional and our flowers really do not look very much like the flowers they represent. Peter Main and Tony Laier are good at making real flowers into tooling patterns and could probably come up with a pretty neat pattern. For me, It would take a lot of searching in an effort to see what other artists have done, hoping to see similar flowers they have done in the past.......then I might try to do something similar. This just isn't not a very "toolable" flower for me. It doesn't fit in the traditional mold that other flowers do. In my opinion, this flower should be approached as one would when doing figure carving. Very little cutting and a lot of modeling work. I wouldn't be able to make it look very "Sheridan" or "Western Floral" . I know that's not much help....... Bobby

Here is a project recently finished for the gear show in Elko. Made of 5/6 oz Hermann Oak and lined with 2/3 oz. Panels and bottom of gusset all have 4 mil styrene stiffeners.Shoulder strap lining, gusset exterior and interior lining all are finger carved. Sewn with 69 nylon thread. Sterling silver is from Silver King in CA . All critiques welcomed as always.

NeatLac is still available under the name of Wyo-Shene from Sheridan Outfitters and Clear Lac from Panhandle Leather in Amarillo. Both will ship. You might also check with Kevin at Springfield Leather.....he might be carrying Clear Lac also. Hope this helps.... Bobby

Nice job Ricky!

I think a swivel knife blade should be as sharp as one can get it. For me the optimum angle is about 30 degrees. That angle lays the cut open nicely and doesn't cut through the leather too quickly. For me, a slight amount of resistance is desirable for controlling my knife. Bobby

John, There are a couple of possibities. It may have to do with how you are burnishing or what you are burnishing with. For instance, if you are burnishing with a mechanical burnisher, you may be spending more time on one area than another without realizing it. Or it is possible that you have applied more gum trag or saddle soap (depending on what you use) on one area than another which could be affecting the finish. Most likely, however, it is probably just due to variations in the leather. No hide is consistent throughout and some parts will burnish more easily than others. Flanky leather will not burnish well, where leather taken closer to the back in the hide is more dense and burnishes nicely. It is easier for me to get a more even color on a mechanical system...I think because less elbow grease is required and I am willing to put more effort into making the edge consistant. For me, color is desireable. However if the edge is going to be dyed it may not be worth the effort to try to get a consistent color. Hope this helps.... Bobby

Thanks, Brian, that's really kind of you! I am starting to do some of that. On January 25-26, I'll be doing a class with Don Butler, Steve Mecum, Doug Krause and Gaylerd Thissle in Elko, NV during the Cowboy Poetry event there. I am also doing a class on basic floral design and another on finishing edges in Wickenburg, AZ during the LC&SJ show in February. There has been some discussion of doing some classes at Sheridan in June this year and at the IFOLG show in Albuquerque as well. So thanks for giving me a chance to tell everybody, LOL! Happy New Year! Bobby

Thanks everybody for all the nice comments! They are truly appreciated. And Mike, I'll focus on cleaning up that stitching, LOL! Bobby

I do it both ways.It really depends on the project. I would normally burnish and dye before applying my final finish to the project, however sometimes necessity dictates that you finish and then work the edges. Do what is most beneficial. If you are using gum tragacanth it is important to keep in mind that the gum tragacanth can prevent your finish from penetratng the leather. For instance if you are going to dye the edge you must do so before using the gum trag. I don't use it for that very reason. I prefer to burnish and then apply dye to my edge becasue I can get a cleaner dye line. Hope this helps..... Bobby

tntsl, Keith is absolutely right about "Sheridan Style Carving" not being a beginner book. I should have picked up on that myself. I haven't read Chan's book and I'm sure it is very good, however I still go back and look at many of the Stohlman articles. I recently saw one of his tech tips that reminded of a tooling element that I want to add to my next project. Much of his work is timeless! Keith's advice about studying other craftsmen's work is spot on also! I get a lot of inspiration studying the work of some of the pros right here on LW. Here's a link to a couple of them: Click here and here and here too. Happy New Year! Bobby

Of course Bob I don't mind Bob and Happy New Year! Bobby

Just wanted to add another vote for "Sheridan Style Carving" by Bob Likewise. I recommend it to all toolers! Bobby

I know you do Bruce but I feel that is different than what stanly is talking about. You aren't applying a conditioner to the leather in order to be able to tool it. If you eliminated the Lexol you could still tool the leather successfully without experiencing moisture problems. In addition to the Lexol, your casing solution also contains a sufactant, which IMHO, is as important as the Lexol. And while there may be benefits to using the Lexol in a casing solution, it isn't essential to the "toolablity" of the leather. I just don't believe that a conditioner will solve any of stanlys problems with beveling and cracking leather. Just my opinion.... Bobby

stelhrse, The center of the back is halfway between the fold and the whole the buckle is worn in. Bobby

Stanly, If you could show us some photos it might help. I'd also like to know more about your sequence starting with how you prepare your leather. I suspect that you are not casing your leather properly. Are you having to re-wet your leather over and over during the tooling process? If that's the case you'll want to tool in sections where you can comfortably finish the tooling area before you have to re-wet constantly. Constant re-wetting destroys your tooling. It is not necessary or advantageous to add conditioners to the leather during the tooling process. I don't know anyone who does that. Bobby

Loren......I think you've done a beautiful job on these purses. There is a heck of a lot of detail work there. Very nice! Bobby

Really nice job Alan! Very clean. Sorry to see you lost your swivel knife though! ( I couldn't resist!) Happy New Year! Bobby

The chrome tanned leather isn't going to burnish very well. It may look decent when you finish but it will not last. I would skive the chrome tanned leather thin and hold it back away from the edge just enough where the two veg tanned pieces can glue together and take a good burnish. Assuming this edge is sewn, the stitching will insure nothing comes apart, although if glued properly you may be able to eliminate the stitching. The other alternative is to wrap the edge with a thin veg tanned binding which would cover the edge completely. Hope this helps.... Happy New Year! Bobby