hidepounder

Amen Brutha!!!!

Great job on the stool LR. Sorry about your son's injury. On the positive side, when he has his leg propped up on that great stool, he can cross his other leg and practice tying his foot........no free lunches! Hopin' he's back in the saddle, soon! Bob

Everybody probably already knows this, but just in case someone doesn't know.....on a drawknife, the blade is only sharpened on one side, so that the blade forces the leather into the knife and holds it tight against the gauge. If you're drawknife lets leather drift out from the gauge, the blade probably doesn't have enough angle on it. Just a little tip..... Bob

I use both Masters and Barge (original Barge), and like them both. I have a lot of experience with Barge and only a little experience with Masters. I began using Masters when I thought I was not going to be able to the original Barge any longer. It seems to me that Masters drys a lot faster than Barge does, so for me that is one of the things I think about....drying time. When I'm gluing smaller pieces, I usually grab the Masters. I use Barge the most because that's what I have the most experience with. I thin it...probably 10% to 20% depending how long it's been in my bottle. Just enough to be able to spread it evenly. If it's thick and I have a large area to glue, it is difficult to spread evenly. Masters can be thinned also, but I don't have any experience with it yet. I would assume the properties are the same as Barge. I think the Masters may be a little stronger than Barge, and so that is a consideration when I use it also. The more I use the Masters, the more I like it. I have also noticed that when gluing latigo with Barge, I usually have to coat twice, but with Masters, I don't. The bottom line for me is that I like them both and enjoy having the option to use each to my advantage. Bob

David, Ounce a black seat has been treated with Neat-Lac and wears a while....where the top coat essentially wears off...will the black then continue to bleed or rub off? Bob

It's been a great tool! It's called a Multitool. They also make a Portagrind, which I have also, which attaches to a hand grinder. They are manufactured by P.A. Products, 6 Barry Ave, Mortdale 2223 N.S.W. Austrailia

Wild West Blade Works...we're just a cut above!....this is Bob, may I help you?

Really great tip and "how to" as well! Where would one find the Melinix (sp?) Thanks for sharing! Bob

To tell the truth, I like a very light scortch on my edges. I've found, quite by accident, that it creates a little tougher edge. Too much and the edge becomes brittle and cracks. I'm probably weird....but there you have it...... Bob

Ray, I use a belt sander more than anything else. For small curved edges I use the little drum sanders. I have a series of different sizes that I use on the end of my burnisher or I put them in a dremel. But 99% of my sanding is done on the belt.

Russ, Thanks for posting that edge photo. It is the first time I have been able to see what Ivan's machine will do and I appreciate it very much. You said that you dyed before burnishing....does the wax/parfin combo (I assume that it's wax & parafin) prevent dying the edge after you have burnished? Again, thanks for the help! Bob

Tom, Glue all the way to the edge, do not use excessive glue, and ounce you've married the two together, use a leather hammer all the way around the edges to insure a close tight bond. I didn't use to do this until I started using Masters Cement...who tell you to use a hammer. Now I do it when using Barge also. Hope this helps, Bob

I would really like to see some finished edges using his machine! I've heard so much about it...seen the video....but couldn't really see a close-up of his edges when he was finished. I was hoping he would be at Wickenburg where I could see first hand. Was he at Sheridan? Maybe someone else could give some testimony also? Anybody know? Bob

Ed, You knocked this one out of the park! It's obvious that you are comfortable with this style tooling. I like it all....the composition, the variety, you snuck outside the borders a little which I'm crazy about, great depth, great color and great edges!!!!!! Nice job! Bob

Dwight, I agree with everything you've said....no arguments at all....but I don't think the results will be the same on a bag with soft, pliable edges. The edges on a holster are rigid and fixed and lend themselves to the finish you describe. I'm not confident that one can expect the same results on the edges of a bag. I've repaired a few rope bags with chrome tanned gussets that were contact cemented, sewn and burnished. On all of them the soft chrome tanned edge separated from the veg tanned leather. They didn't look horrible, but they weren't nice and clean either. That's been my the biggest source of my experience with burnishing the two together.....I could be wrong though...wouldn't be the first time! Just thinking out loud.... Bob

I'll Second that!!!! Bob

Adler gets my vote!

Johanna, Great account of the show. LOVED the pix.....seeing it all again brings back memories of great fun! Now I really am depressed for not going! Thanks for the great write up though!

Freak...I've done a couple inlays...what works really well is make your leather just ever so slightly larger than the recess where you have to just slightly force the leather in...get the edge started first and then work from the middle toward that same outside edge. Works like a champ! I used Barge...really holds strong....still holding! Remember though, free advice is often only worth what it costs! Bob

That looks way more dangerous than a round knife!!!!!!! Think I'll leave well enough alone!

Kate....that's fabulous! Nice job! I would think there would be a good market for that kind of thing.... Bob

Personally, I think the problem you're experiencing is a combination of not having a heavy enough piece of marble or a stable enough table to set it on. Most professional toolers have scrounged up a piece of marble or granite that is approximately 18" x 24" and is 3" to 4" thick. Mounted in bench and set in sand or some other shock absorbing bedding, all bounce is eliminated at the surface of the slab. I think Peter Main uses a piece of 1/2" steel plate (don't quote me on that). I used one successfully for a long time, but I prefer the granite slab. If these type of surfaces are not practicle for you, you may just have to learn to deal with the bounce. I'm in that situation right now. I installed a chemical lab counter top that I am tooling on (it was given to me so I thought I'd try it) and it has a little bounce to it. Until I re-build the bench (soon I hope) I have decided to just deal with it. I have found when using my makers stamp, that I can tip it ever so slightly for the initial blow and then tip it in the opposite direction to even the impression out, on the second pass. While not the most desireable, it's a method that works well and I won't worry about it until I re-build the bench. There is nothing wrong with placing a piece of leather under the one you're workiing on if you're satisfied with the results. If the impression is clean and crisp and if the leather does not stretch too much, then I'd say you've found an acceptable way to deal with the bounce! However I do recomend ditching the light weight mallet for a heavier maul. I've never used a dead blow hammer, but I think it should work just fine. Most pro's have a 3 or 4 mauls in different weights....one being heavy for use with their makers stamp, end punches, etc. Happy tooling! Bob

I didn't even know such a tool was available.......I love this place!!!!!!!

I've tried this a few times and wasn't pleased with the results. What I ended up doing was installing a binding over the edge and that looked a lot more professional to me. I used a strip of 2/3 oz and glued it on. I made a light scribe line to mark where thee binding should be in front, leaving the backside pretty long. After I had finished sewing, I took a #3 edger and trimmed the binding on the back side parrallel to the stitches. Came out pretty nice. The only pix I have are on a rope bag. The outside edge of the bag has a binding and some of the areas on the pocket do as well. I'm not sure if this is applicable to what you are doing, but it is a good way to deal with two dissimilar materials that don't edge well. Here's a photo, hope it helps:

My pleasure, Bree, hope it works for you.