hidepounder

I had an occassion today to speak to Todd who purchased the steel stamp division from Tim Harper. Todd has been there making stamps for a long very long time. I was unaware that the company had sold and that Todd, not being a Harper, changed the name to Steel Stamps Inc. Now that I know what transpired in the sale of the company and who has purchased it, I am once again confident that they are producing the same great stamps they have become well known for and I will continue to recommend them to anyone who desires a quality steel makers stamp. Personally I prefer a more aggressive knurl on a tool handle as it enables me to maintain a firmer grip. I really like the look of the spiral pattern and was unaware that it has been available for some time. I happened to have a conversation with another maker who requested the spiral knurling on his last two stamps and absolutely loves them. I recognize that on occassion mistakes are made or there are commincation breakdowns that can leave a customer dissatisfied. It happens in every business and it is always unfortunate. Hopefully Steel Stamps Inc. and Ken will be able to work together to resolve the issues Ken has with the knurling on his new stamp. It sounds like an issue of personal preference rather than the quality of the stamp. Bob

The very best method I've found for measuring belts is to make a "measuring belt". It is nothing more than a piece of leather (plain belt) with snaps for a buckle and a series of numbered holes starting at around twenty inches and ending at around fifty or sixty inches with an additional seven or eight inches of tail. The holes should be punched at 3/4" on center because that is the standard spacing for holes on belts. The numbering system should not represent a size in inches...it is just a reference point. The customer will put his buckle on the belt and put it on as he would a normal belt and pull it to where it is comfortable. Make note of the hole number. Now you can use the measuring belt to exactly duplicate the customers size. It is handy to make note of where the customer would like the tip to end by indicating a hole number there also. This method will work for measuring for a gun belt also. One thing to watch out for. It is not a good idea to use a one inch wide measuring belt when measuring for a gun belt. You would want to use a much wider belt so that it will more closely simulate the way a gun belt will fit. Remember to put on the measuring belt exactly like you would wear the gun belt. I keep two measuring belts around. One is 1" wide, the other is 1-1/2" wide. I use the one which most closely matches the width of the belt my customer wants. Hope this helps.... Bobby

Hi Crissy, The first question I would ask is what color dye are you using and where on the leather are you using it? Is it just a highlight or are you dyeing the entire piece? I use the alcohol dyes rather than the oil dyes, mostly because that was what I learned on and am most comfortable with. Also, 90% of my dyeing is in the background of my tooling and I use very dark colors. I haven't found a need to do anything to the leather to accomodate this type of dye. When I am ready to dye my backgrounds I clean the surface of the leather with oxalic acid. This removes any soiling picked up off the bench as well as oils from my hands that are left on the leather. I feel strongly that the this cleaning makes a difference when I begin applying my finishes such as antiques. So it holds for me that it will be beneficial when dyeing the leather with medium or light colored dyes as well. By cleaning the leather you are removing anything which may inhibit the penetration of the dye or affect the color. For the dark colors, I doubt you would notice any difference whether you are using oil dyes (which aren't really oil at all) or alcohol dyes. Using oxalic acid is just a good habit to get into to help keep everything as clean as possible. I can see where applying a coat of thinner may help increase the penetration of the oil dye. I have just never seen the point in using it on what I do because the alcohol dyes work so well. The alcohol dyes dry much faster than the oil dyes do, which I think is a positive side benefit. I hope this answers you questions... Bobby Hi Mholzer, For me the answer to your question is yes, that's the best sequence. There are, however, times when I will edge and dye before I apply any antiques only becasue the sequence of assembly requires it. I was taught to edge and dye right after tooling, but I like to get some of the finishes out of the way first. It helps me create neat straight lines when dyeing the edges and also helps in keeping everything clean along the way. It's not critical, it just works a little to my advantage to do it this way. Hope this helps.... Bobby

That's a beautiful press Ray! I've never seen one like that....

Nice job Storm!

Dustin, Fabuluster is very dry. I would try to get some more material on the blank spots if you can and then use it to strop with. I will work, I think. Bobby

Looks very nice John.....has a nice "Scottsdale" feel to it. Good job. Bob

Hilly, I'm sorry Hilly, I missed this thread! You've probably fiinished the project already, LOL! I must be doing something wrong because I don't really have a problem with hair-on inlays. I use a pen to mark the edges of the overlay, then I shave the hair off with a pair of clippers. It doesn't have to be pretty, just enough to expose the leather to glue to and I stay away from the edge I marked. I use Barge to glue the overlay onto the hair-on piece and I plug the inlay with the cut out like Bruce is talking about also. I line everything I do so the hair-on will be sandwiched between two pieces of veg tanned leather. Of course it all has to sewn to make it permanent, so you need to design the overlay with a margin or edge to sew along the edge of the overlap. I don't let the hair-on extend out to the outside edges of the piece. I like to skive the back side of the hair-on down pretty thin so that I can cut is short of the outside edge. I do this because the chrome tanned leather does not edge very well and this way I can let the overlay and the lining come together and I get a better finished edge. One thing that makes a big difference.....I only buy hair-on hides with "summer" hair. It is very short and much easier to deal with. Hope this helps... Bobby

This won't help in removing dye from your hands, but it is pretty handy to help prevent or contain spills. Hope it helps.... Bob

Pretty cool Storm!

You can do it by making a line, David. It's just a tool you need to practice with. You have to establish the angle that you like and the amount of overlap you like and practice maintaining that same angle. If you establish two lines...one on each side of the tool...that will help you maintain the same angle and overlap. Hope this makes sense..... Bob

Doughnuts? Nobody told me there would be doughnuts!!!

I like the cell phone holder the best....very clever!

Amen Brutha!!!!!!

I use a knife, Tim. If you score it deep it breaks cleanly.

The styrene comes in thicknesses as thin as 2 or 3 mils. I use 4 mil and 6 mil. You need to look for a plastic supplier in your area. I found mine in the yellow pages under 'Plastic Suppliers". Bob

Yan, Are you talking about transfering a tooling pattern to your leather?

I use high impact styrene for my patterns. I was using it for stiffeners in rope bags and organizers and I starting using the remnants to make patterns with. I'ts pretty rigid, waterproof, color is white and easy to write on. Now I can throw these pattern templates on a piece of leather, trace around it and cut it out. I like to write instructions for myself on each of the patterns for reminders. It's available in 4x8 sheets (which will roll up) and is available in several thicknesses from plastics suppliers. Hope this helps... Bobby

....I love that! Bobby

Here's an article on edges....hope it helps. Bobby Finishing Edges

I think most toolers and makers have switched from rawhide to the nylon and composite mauls. Besides Barry and Wayne our own Ed the Bearman makes beautiful mauls! Bobby

Thanks Tim...on projects like these I draw the pattern and then trace it on Thanks David....I don't remember exactly, but I think I have about 12-14 hours tooling that pattern, which does not include dyeing. I don't rush thru them anymore...I try to take the time I need to do the best job. Thanks Max...the black tools are from Bob Beard. The others are Hackbarth and King. The swivel knife is a Henley with a Bob Beard blade. Thanks for all the nice comments everybody....but I didn't mean to hijack the thread.....I was just trying to help answer Butchkittys question. He is right....being able to see up close and personal what something is supposed to look like is a tremendous help. I took these photos with the idea in mind to create a tutorial, however I didn't achieve the closeness that I wanted to. I am going to photoshop some of the shots to try to salvage the idea. Hope this has been helpful... Bobby

Butchkitty, Here are some progress photos I took during a recently completed project. Thery are not as close as what you are looking for, but maybe you can save them to your computer and then zoom in on them there. I hope this helps you..... Bobby

Thanks Steve, I appreciate knowing that! Somewhere I had it in my mind that Barry's blade shafts were flat. Maybe they were before he got his milling machines. SORRY BARRY! I stand corrected! Bobby

Brad, I don't know how much time you have in this strap, but it is very clean and crisp. The barbed wire border is well done, the custom tooled letters are well done. Your stitching looks very good. You said it was lined. If I were you I wouldn't accept a penny less than $300 for that strap. It's important to remember....you cannot compete with production products. What you have created is a CUSTOM made product made out of superior materials and to the exact requirements of the customer (even if he didn't have any, LOL!). Good job....demand more! Hope this helps, Bobby