hidepounder

Hey Elton....great halters! I love that you lost the letter stamps! Good to see you back! Bobby

Vector, Use oxalic acid after you've finished tooling but before you dye. Hope this helps... Bobby

Great job, Tim! Really glad to see the hand tooled letters...they look so much more custom then the stamps do! Edges look good too. Nice awards! Bobby

Hello everybody... I have put together the steps I take to case my leather for tooling due to a number of requests regarding my method. I hope this will clarify what I perceive are some misconceptions about what casing leather really is. It is in PDF format and Johanna has graciously added the article to the "Tips and Tricks" section where anyone can find it. Thank you Johanna!!! Or it can be accessed through the link below. I hope those who need this find it helpful.... Bobby Casing Leather.pdf

Peter.....superb workmanship as always. Yor construction methods are simply the best. The only problem I would have with sporting one of those new belts would be trying to figure out which side I wanted to wear on the outside, LOL!!!!! Beautiful Peter! Bobby

Ed.....what a beautiful collection of mauls! Who wouldn't be proud to own one of these? It's just fantastic that such an important tool we all use can now be custom made to fit the individual. My hat's off to you....beautiful work! Bobby

Dave, I've always loved your inlay work. Really classy looking! Bobby

Johanna, Everything is working pretty well for me....I'm really glad you solved the "view new content", it works well now. You probably already know about this....but whenever I try to edit a post bad things begin to happen. It won't let me edit....can't get back out, etc. Didn't know if anyone had eported this or not so I thought I would mention it....... BTW sent you an email.... Bobby

Both look very nice. I like your tooling on the rope bag the best......cleaner and smoother. Good job. Bobby

Schno, I get a lot a material and ideas by Googling for "line art". Bobby

Jim, You're doing it right....establish your border then draw your pattern inside of it. Also, there is no rule that says your barbed wire has to be inside your border....it is frequently used outside the border. With paste antique, it is unusual to let it dry. It is typically rubbed in and then wiped off and polished. Other than that your process is correct. I'm not sure you need to add oil and a conditioner. If it were me, I would probably just use the oil. When it comes to edges here is an article that may help. It is posted on the main page under "More Tips & Tricks" Hope this helps...... Bobby Finishing Edges.pdf Finishing Edges.pdf

Great work Steve and beautiful tooling....as always! Bobby

Really nice sheath....good job! Bobby

A good source for images that can be adapted to swivel knife work can be found by Googleling for "line art" and then search for what ever images you'd like to see. Bobby

The straps look good, Mark....fancy concho! I think your stitching looks good except that I noticed your tension is a little tight resulting in the bottom stitch pulling up where it can be seen from the top. Bobby

Part of what I was trying to say wasn't at all clear and for some reason I couldn't edit.....this is what I was trying to say..... I think the trouble you're having is that you are not casing overnight BEFORE attempting to glue to the backing. The purpose of casing is to allow the leather to evenly absorb the maximum amount of moisture at a saturation level suitable for tooling ( BTW, I just wrote an article about this earlier today, LOL!). The process of achieving that saturation level is often too wet to keep a backing glued onto the leather during the process. The bond is likely to fail due to the amount of moisture which is introduced. If you case first and then glue, less moisture is trapped against the backing and the bond is more likely to hold (I think, LOL!).

Tim, I think the trouble you're having is that you are not casing overnight BEFORE attempting to glue to the backing. The purpose of casing is to allow the leather to evenly absorb the maximum amount of moisture at a saturation level suitable for tooling ( BTW, I just wrote an article about this earlier today, LOL!). I slick after I initially wet the leather, case it overnight (or longer), and then slick again just before gluing to the acrylic. Before I bag my leather, I allow it to dry a little...I want to see some color return but I want it wetter than would be suitable for tooling...that's when I seal it up. If I'm using an ice chest to case in it is not necessary to allow the same amount of evaporation because there is so much air in the ice chest. Either way, when it comes out of the bag/ice chest, the flesh side is usually dry enough to hold the glue...if it's a little too wet, turn the leather grain side down on your stone and allow a little evaporation from the back...just enough to allow the glue to stick. Adding large amounts of water to the leather after it is glued down will cause the glue to release. A lot of people mistake the term "casing" for wetting the leather. There is nothing wrong with wetting the leather and then tooling when the leather returns back to a suitable color....that's what production toolers do....but that is not casing! Production toolers often don't have the luxury of being able to case everything properly and they are still able to tool, however the leather will not cut as nicely nor will beveling and shading produce the same color as leather which has been properly cased. There is a difference in the amount of moisture held in the leather when it has had an opportunity to sit overnight (24 hours is often even better). When the leather has had the opportunity to be in a wet environment for several hours the moisture is more completely absorbed. Properly cased leather will stay moist longer and will have a little different feel to it. It will cut better and burnish darker! I could go on, but I've strayed enough.....I hope this helps solve the problem...... Bobby Bobby

Cord, In my opinion there is no advantage in using a mallet. Most of the toolers I know who have switched to mauls haven't gone back. A maul is a little more comfortable to use and a little more versatile. Also mauls these days are made form new products that don't flake all over the leather as the wood and rawhide mallets do. When using a maul with a rocking motion of the wrist, it doesn't matter if the maul turns in your palm. With a mallet, a slight rotation of the mallet in the hand can cause a deflection against the tool. Mauls are typically shorter and more head heavy. That can be a pro or a con depending on your personal preference. The bottom line is that their is no right or wrong striking instrament to use....it's all a matter of which is more comfortable to use or which aids the user in producing better work. For whatever it is worth.....most pros use mauls and have several different weights on hand. Hope this helps.... Bobby

If it was me I would use Barge (old formula) or Masters contact cements. Either will hold. From what I've been hearing about WeldWood it sounds like it's as good or better than Barge or Masters. Bobby

Cord, I have been referred to this company by several people. I haven't purchased from them but everyone I know who has used them has been pleased. Hope this helps.... Bobby http://www.ostrichmarket.com

Nice job on the belts! Clean lines, good flow, clean work on the filigree! Bobby

anester05, If I understand you correctly....you are not going to line and are concerned about leather stretch. There are a couple of methods where you back your leather and not have to deal with cement residue on the flesh side. You can glue to acrylic using Barge cement on the acrylic only....apply the leather to it while the glue is still a little wet. I have done this successfully on several occassions but really don't like doing it because I get such a messy glue build-up on the acrylic. Also, If I don't apply the leather to the glue at just the right degree of wetness, the leather can release during tooling. Another method which I have never tried but have heard toolers talk about is to apply packing tape on the back of the leather and then glue the piece down to a backer using rubber cement. The tape protects the flesh side of the leather. Packing tape can leave a slight reisdue but not enough to be of any concern. I think this sounds like a good method and I'm going to try it but I haven't so far. To answer you question more directly....8/9oz will still stretch. I would design my pattern to allow for some stretching where you can adjust for it along the margins. In other words, make you margins a little oversize with the thought in mind that you will be trimming them back to get to the desired size. If your piece warps horribly you can always re-wet the piece and place it under weights (books, etc.) to hold it flat until it dries. Try not to re-wet too much as it will affect the tooling. I hope this helps.... Bobby

Somawas, I strongly disagree with what they told you at Tandy. In my opinion you don't want any bounce from anything when tooling. When beveling, you are trying to learn to walk your tool along the cut. This is something that takes a little practice and it is accomplished by applying pressure in the direction you wish to travel. You want to advance about a half a tool width with each strike of the mallet. Experiment with leaning your tool slightly to help accomplish the walking effect. Once you begin to "feel" it, it will all come together. It is best to work on cased leather. If the leather is too dry your impressions will be faint and too wet and you'll drive through the leather. I agree with the others....you may need a maul, however I suspect that the stone your using to tool on isn't heavy enough to absorb the strike. Bouncing is very undesirable, both from the mallet or the stamping block. Hope this helps.... Bobby

Tim, The case looks good. You did a good job of lining up your borders and the basket stamping. Good job. Bobby