hidepounder

This is what works for me... I use the plastic glue bottles with the brush (replaceable) mounted in the lid, that Tandy sells. One for Barge and one for Rubber cement. I can screw the tops down tight and put them away. Because they're plastic, I don't worry about them breaking. I do have to refill them fairly frequently, which is okay with me because it helps to insure I have fairly fresh glue. I also use the squeeze bottlles, but I have been using smaller ones, because the glue was dying up too fast in the large ones....I guess I just don't use it up as fast as shops do. When gluing a very large area, I pour right out of the gallon can and spread with a piece of sheepskin, or a 2" wide disposable brush which I trim short to keep stiff. I always thought the glue pots seemed like a good idea, but they're a little expensive and they dry up too fast for me, because I'm not gluing everyday. Also, they aren't as convenient to put away as the plastic bottles are. I keep the appropriate thinners on hand for all my glues, and monitor each glue bottle to keep it appropriately fresh. When gluing large areas it is sometimes handy to pour glue into a plastic coffee can to thin it slightly....then use the disposable brush. When finished I take what is left over and top off my glue bottles, or return it to the can if it wasn't thinned too much. The plastic coffee can doubles as a good place to store my glue brush once it's cleaned with thinner. Just some of my thoughts on gluing....won't work for everybody. Bob

Wow Ian....I'm really impressed! Something I've wanted to try for years and will probably never get around to. That is beautiful! Bob

I think Weaver sells it......

Josh, Here's a good source: K & G finishing supplies. www.knifeandgun.com 928/537-8066 They have a lot of good stuff...get their catalog. Bob

Ed, The problem with grinding the screws or the posts is always an issue of holding them. I use a pair of small needle nose vice grips. The other day I took a dremel and cut a small slot in each jaw near the tip of the jaws, just to get a better purchase and reducing the pressure necessary to hold the screw or post. Then just take it to a belt sander. The stainless is going to be much harder and is going to want to get hot, so I would use a more aggressive belt, and dip it in cold water a couple of times to cool it down. I can't image that temper is an issue with Chicago Screws. Bob

Thanks Bruce, It sounds like an application problem but I was just curious. On another note, I keep hearing about Barge (old formula) not being available....is that just California? The last time I checked it was still available here....is that just old stock? Do I need to be buying it all up like I did with the NeatLac? Bob

I would think Barge (old formula) or Masters would work well. Bob

Wow Ed, that's nice! Looks really good, can't wait to hear the final verdict on performance. Will this material flake as it become worn like nylon does? Also, what is that fancy decorative piece under the cap. Nice touch recessing the cap, by the way! Bob

Is that all you've gotten done? Been goofing off! It all looks really good! Knife is sweet and wears pretty cool too! Nice job! Bob

Thanks Mike, I'd never seen any of their advertising before and I see a blade I need to try! Bob

I'm really curious about the Masters Cement. I was getting to like it. Do you attribute the separation from improper gluing methods or is there and issue with using Masters on metal and fiberglass? I, like you, am a Barge fan and can still get it here in Phoenix. I have used it to glue everything imaginable together, including metal and have never had a failure yet. I do put some emphasis on the prep, however. Bob

Nice job Tim, those memo books are really handy! Bob

Kate, Thanks for the contact info....I had lost it and was trying to find it the just the other day. What I didn't know at all was that Henley would custom make swivel knives....I think that is really good news! I had never seen anything other than what was called the the Extreme Alloy Knife, which has the coarse checkering. Another note on checkering: I learned form Beard when he made my knives, that what makes a huge difference in checkering, is how much the points of the checkering pattern are polished off. A fine pattern can be very "grabby" or "sticky" if the points of the checkering are not polished off, which is what I like. Of course, this is what makes fingers sore, also. Bob

manfommuc, Nice job! I especially like your choice of tooling patterns which you did a very nice job on! Constructon and sewing looks good too. I used to make a lot of those small memo pad binders...they are soooo handy to have! I like yours a lot! Bob

Fabulous stuff! That type of art reminds of a piece at Sheridan this year...Wofgang Fey, from Germany, submitted a saddle entry which featured a cowboy on a bucking horse that was similarly done. His floral tooling created an outline of a cowboy on a bucking horse. The figure was not tooled, but was just the open background created by the tooling. It's interesting to see this concept applied to western floral tooling. Here's a couple photo's from his wesite. Bob

This is a great topic and I had to think about it for a while. I decided that my answer is that you have to be both. What probably sets the Masters apart from the rest of us is that they have a whole lot of both! Bob

Charlie, There are no rules. I usually dye and antique the top, install the liner and seal it, then finish the edges. There are times however, where I must line the project before proceeding with finishes. Bob Edit: I failed to say that I do my tooling first.

Vikti, I have several different blades that I use for decorative cuts. What I use is determined by the thickness of the leather and the degree of detail in the pattern. I can't use the same blade that I use for saddle patterns, on a flower which is the size of a nickel on a wallet. On very thin leather, I use a Peter Main blade like Marlon refered to. Sometimes a thin blade is preferable to a thick one and sometimes the reverse is true. In general terms, however, you should be able to make decorative cuts with the same blade you used to cut the pattern. I probably use my 1/4" angled hollow ground blade by Bob Beard more than the others. I also frequently use more than one blade when making cuts on a single pattern. The moisture content of the leather and blade sharpness are the two most important issues to concentrate on! Use a guide to sharpen your swivel knife with. Tandy sells an inexpensive one, Chuck Smith sells a higher quality one. When you have finished honing the blade, polish it by stropping. I recommend using a fine grit stone to finish honing with, before stropping. Hope this helps, Bob

Dustin, I will attempt to explain some of the differences/similarities. To begin with, I can't really comment on Barry's knives....he's a good friend and I use a lot of his tools but his knives are made of brass which I just don't care for. I have no doubt they are good quality knives. If I'm not mistaken, the shank on his blade is flat, not round like you are accustomed to. I find flat shanks more difficult to fit in a sharpening jig. Henley is an excellent knife, I have four of them. The yoke is wide and stable with excellent ball bearings. Their checking pattern is the coarsest on the market which is one of the reasons I like them. I also think they make excellent round shank blades, which are available in a hollow grind which I also prefer. Bob Beards knives are excellent also. He provides a very nice, wide yoke with excellent ball bearings. His 3/8" barrels are not offered in an adjustable size due to the way he constructs the yokes. I would call the checkering pattern, medium fine. His blades are some of the best I've seen, made of tool steel, their edges last a a long time. He is custom maker and will fashion any style blade you can imagine. I use his blades more than any other and they are all round shanked. He made a detail blade for me that is 1/32" thick, it's amazing. He made two custom barrels for me with a coarse checkering pattern that I am crazy about. Chuck Smith's knives are right in line with Henley's and Beards. Top notch quality, excellent yokes and ball bearings. I have not used his blades so I can't comment, except that they are also made with round shanks. Chuck offers a wide variety of barrel sizes, lengths and colors. The only reason I do not use them is because the checkering on the barrels is very fine and I do not like that style checkering. It's only fair to add, here, that I think I am in the minority regarding checkering....I think most toolers prefer a finer pattern than I do. I have one Leather Wrangler knife that I won this past spring and I am very impressed with it. Pauls knives are different in many aspects to Beard, Henley and Smith. The barrels are made of aluminum and are very light to handle. I think his blades are excellent. Paul has done a lot of research in selecting the steel he uses in his blades. The blade shanks are flat like Barry's blades. He constructs his yokes very differently than everyone else and offers two basic styles. One is a large rounded yoke similar in style to what Barry makes, the other is a much smaller, flatter version, similar in style to what Beard, Henley and Smith make. I also have a few knives that came from HideCrafters. They are indistinguishable from my Henleys. I don't know who made them but I don't think they are still available. I don't think they have the same ball bearing as my Henley, but other than that I can't tell the difference. I do not care for the blade that came with them however. HideCrafter carries a couple of other lines of knives and I don't know anything about them. If you haven't seen any of these knives, here's a couple to look at. The knife on the left is Leather Wranglers, the next two are Henleys, then Smith's (Old Smoothie) and the two on the right are Beard's with custom checkering. I don't know, but, I assume you can see most of these knives on the makers websites. Hope this helps, Bob

Heath, Mike is right on! I haven't read Pete's book, I'm sure it's good, but I consider the Likewise book the Bible for toolers. I still refer to it from time to time. A very simple corner stamp theme is simply a single flower centered in a vine encircling the flower, with a couple of leaves branching off. The examples of how to layout flowers in the Sheridan Style Carving book will show you how to do this...it includes lots of photos of work by Master Toolers for inspiration. Bob

Dustin, King, Henley, Beard, Leather Wrangler, Smith all make excellent knives. The differences between them are really personal preference. The only way for you to be able to make a decision is to handle each of them yourself, and determine what you like. Maybe you could find a leather artist in your area who could let you handle some of what he has. That is really the only way to tell. Also, one knife won't do it all. In the beginning, one knife is okay, but there will come a time when you will begin to accumulate different sizes and blades to do different kinds of work. I have ten knives on my bench, six of which are in use constantly. Sorry there's not an easy answer to your question....a swivel knnife is a very personal tool and you will get a wide variety of recommendations. I know this doesn't help, but you really need to see them to choose. Bob

Nice job Tim! Looks good.

Marlon, I don't know if sand blasting or bead blasting would have any effect on temper or not....it doesn't seem like it....but the truth is I don't know and I would like to. Bob

Ed, I use the blue tape from time time, but only if I have to. When I do it is where I can remove it immediately and I usually only do small pieces. It leaves very little residue which i have been able to remove during my standard wash with oxolic acid. I haven't used the green Frog tape that Bree found yet, but it's next. Bob

Ed, I shorten the female part of Chicago screws all the time...we're talking hundreds of them! I simply grind them down on a stationary belt sander...it takes less than two seconds.....been doing it for years! I grind the screws off also. Chicago screws are a standard 8-32 screw and you should be able to find many styles or machine screws to fit them. I wouldn't expect to find them at Lowes or Home Depot, more likely a good Hardware Store. I always order my silver with long screws so that I can cut it down to fit the thickness of the leather....piece of cake! Bob