hidepounder

I may be very mistaken, but I don't believe any of Barry's edgers or French edgers have any chrome on them at all. To the est of my knowledge they are constructed of O1 tool steel and are finished with a very high polish. If someone knows differently, I would like to hear about it.

I prefer to use the diamond plates. I've tried a lot of the other stones and I always end up going back to the diamond plates. I've also discovered that stropping mechanically with Brownell 555 black rouge (thanks to Terry Knippsheild) saves me a lot of time an effort in keeping my head knives and straight knives sharp and usable. I'm not against the use of india stones or water stones and the like, but I've discovered that they are not as time efficient or practical for me when using a knife everyday.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with just wetting the leather, but casing really does help. The discoloration is puzzling to me. Please report back on what happens. Thanks! Bobby

Grumpyold, The discoloring sounds similar to the "sun burning" which occurs when parts of the leather are exposed to lighting. If that's not what it is, then I would be suspicious of the leather. The process you're using isn't casing, however, you're just wetting the leather. If you don't contain the leather in a plastic box or plastic bag, you're not allowing the leather to "cook" or "cure" (for lack of better terms). If they leather is exposed to light while you're waiting for it to dry, I'm wondering if you're getting a little "sun burning" which isn't evenly spread across the leather because of the difference drying rates across the leather. Just reaching for straws here for an explanation.., Grumpyold,

FoamerAce, I haven't kept up with all the posts here, but when you refer to "casing with a sponge" I'm confused (and that's not uncommon, LOL!). I wet my leather with a sponge when using a spray bottle isn't practical. Casing is the process of getting uniform moisture throughout the leather when it's in a toolable state. It usually requires time for the process to complete (a few hours) and there are many variations. It's not essential that a piece of leather be cased in order to tool it, but the end results are worth the effot.

Todd, There are lot of ways to skin this cat! Mine is just one of them. That said, I believe it is one of the oldest and most common, tried and true methods. Personally, I challenge the notion that adding saddle soap to the edge of a piece of leather is detrimental. Especially if the edge is sealed after burnishing. Quik Slick an be substituted for saddle soap as a burnishing agent. It's a good product! It can also be dyed through. It is not, however, a sealer. If you want your edges sealed, you must apply a sealer just as you would when using saddle soap. I also agree, that sanding your edged with fine sandpaper increases the luster of the finished edge. I only sand that way on show pieces because the difference between my two edges is almost negligible when considering the additional time required. I use cocobolo burnishers to melt paraffin into the edge when I'm finished burnishing and that provides a beautiful luster. Other craftsmen get great results using other techniques. Mechanical burnishers speedup the process. Hope this helps.... Bobby

Hi ToddB68 It's easy to see that the dye is penetrating the leather. Proof comes with age as the edges get bumped and nicked and you can see that the dye is still there. Edge paint will imply peel of with use leaving the raw leather exposed. Oil based dyes wok just as well as spirit based dyes, however, they take longer to dry and I have a tendency to get unwanted transfers from my hands s I stick to the spirit dyes. Neat Lac is still readily available from the original manufacturer under their own label which is Clear Lac. Most leather suppliers like Springfield Leather and Panhandle Leather carry it. Sheridan Leather Outfitters also carries it under their own label which is Wyo Sheen. Hope this helps! Bobby

Thanks for the kind words! I'm glad you found the process helpful. It's gratifying to be able to pay it forward. Best! Bobby

I just taped the cnavas onto my cocobolo wheel that came with my weaver machine. If you're using small dremel wheels I don't think you can do that. It takes a while to get the canvas to conform with the grooves on the wheel, but eventually it will stretch and fit the wheel nicely. Hope this helps...... Bobby

Hi, firelarry28! Just found your question. I can take your order over the phone. If you want to call me, my number 602-999-3099 or you can email me at hidepounder@gmail.com

23" and $3000.00

Thank you!!

El Hermano, I use 7/8 oz leather and I add a stiffener (high impact styrene) to give it more rigidity. I sew everything it all with an Adler 205-370 with 138 weight thread.

I prefer to burnish my edges BEFORE I dye them. I do this because I get a much cleaner, straighter dye line. There is nothing wrong with dying first, but if you are using an spirit based dye, the dye wants to spread and it's harder to get a clean line. I've been using Fiebings and Lincoln spirit dyes since the '60's and don't have any problem with the dye absorbing into the leather. I finish the edge by applying paraffin to the edge after my dye has dried and I polish the edge to a high luster. There is always excess or residual dye which is removed during that process. Problems getting the dye to absorb into the leather are usually related to the use of gum tragacanth or bees wax being used to burnish the edge. Those products seal the leather and dye will not penetrate them. If you like using those products you must dye the edge before burnishing. I avoid the use of edge kotes because they peel off, are dull in finish and don't look as good as a dyed edge. I don't know any professionals who use them. To me, an edge kote would only be used by a production shop in an effort to reduce costs. That suits me just fine because in comparison, my edges just look that much better, LOL!

For anyone who might be interested, here are some details on my upcoming class in Denver. There will be lots of great work on display as well as a large number of vendors and tools suppliers. It will be a fun weekend! Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about the class. See you there! Bobby 602-999-3099

I'm not aware of any schools which teach casework. I think most makers probably learned their trade through a saddlemakers and opted to do casework iLO od saddles. It's a hard way to make a living, that's for sure.!!!

The soap is a surfactant and allows the water molecules to be more completely absorbed. As far as Sheridan style carving is concerned, where do I start, LOL! There are some good books out there and of course the best place to learn is from another tooler or in some of the many classes offered at the shows.

Dave, Try this one: http://leathercraftersjournal.com/WA13.html

I'm really hoping not, Bruce, as that is now the city jail, LOL!! Glad to hear you're going to make Sheridan this year! I'll be teching the same classes. I'm usually in the Best Western, down town, where there is a bar right next to the classroom and we're within crawling distance of the Mint!

For anyone who might be interested here's a flyer on my classes for the Wickenburg show. I'll gladly answer any questions, just send me a PM, or you can contact the Leather Crafters and Saddlers Journal directly. Happy New Year everybody!

For me, tooling and carving are different names for the same thing....

My process doesn't change at all. I antique everything. I try not to get a lot of saddle soap build-up on the face of the leather, but when I do I just wipe it off with a damp cloth. An abundance of soap build-up will effect your antique, but otherwise I haven't had a problem. I use Fiebings paste antique but I can't comment on the other antiques. Possibly the saddle soap will affect them more, I don't know. Hope this helps! Bobby

....LOL! Glad I could help!! Sorry, Drew, I missed your post! I'm sure you've finished your project by now, but I'll try to answer your question. I'm terrible when it comes to sewing, but what I do is skive the leather very thin, wet it, and when I turn it, I gather it in little pleats and use a modeling tool to rub them out smooth. The leather will compress and dry very neat. Peter Main published an article in the LC&SJ a few years ago which was excellent in explaining this method. It's the Jan/Feb 2001 edition. I think it's called "Turning Edges" or something similar. You need that article! Hope this helps! Bobby

I sure agree with Chief and Chris and jbarv Bulls!!! I generally use a larger burnisher than what would seem to fit. It's too easy to actually damage the edge of the leather by trying to use a burnisher which just fits the leather. Trox, I suspect the speed you are using is too slow. I use a much higher speed with my dremel. I like to apply parafin as my final step and I crank the speed up so that there is enough heat build up to actually melt the parafin which then is absorbed into the leather. When I'm finished the burnisher is essentialy clean.