hidepounder

Sure Gary...I thought HideCrafters and Weaver sold them, but you can always order direct from Bob Douglas at: Douglas Tools 307-737-2222 Sheridan, WY

Jill and I have had a wonderful Easter morning! She gave me a beautiful basket to put my Easter Eggs in.....one little hitch, however....my basket is still empty because I can't remember where I hid the eggs!!! Happy Easter Everyone! Bob

Like Bruce, I use a fine tip soldering iron. I pull the thread back against the last stitch and actually melt the tag end into that last stitch.

Hi Russ, Headstall looks really good! I would make one suggestion...I would like to see a better finish on your edges. Edges seem to something that we all hate working on, but IMHO, a finely finished edge is a more professional job and raises the value of the final product. Just an observation..... Bob

Your very kind, Richard, thank you...but those guys cast pretty big shadows. When ever I get stuck designing a pattern or want to do something different, I go and look at what they've done.

Thank you everyone, I am flattered by your comments! And if I can ever get caught up, I will try to do something on finger cutting...I appreciate your asking! Bob

Thanks Ben! I've been doing the breast collars off and on for several years, for the Verde Vaqueros and a coouple of other roping organizations out here. Thanks Pete! When I do finger cutting I draw a pattern to fit the space I'm going to fill...but I only draw the main cuts...the rest are just fill in.

Thanks Troy! Those ar given away fairly frequently out here...of course, no one cares abouot the cinches...they just like the big fancy buckles.

Okay, okay...I concede, you're right!...I did get a little carried away with that statement!

I haven't posted anything in a while, so I thought I'd put up some pics of what I've been doing lately. This is a repeat order, so if they look familiar it's because you probably saw last years awards in an earlier post. The cinch buckles were made by Red Bluff Buckles. The breast collars and cinches are both constructed from 10/11 oz HO skirting and are lined with 9/10 oz California latigo. The tug straps on the breast collars are lined and stitched, and the latigo tugs are doubled and stitched. All the hardware is stainless steel. All critiques are welcomed. Bob

Brent, When your leather is so wet it's closing up, then that's way too wet. However, you can cut when the leather is just a little too wet to tool, without any negative results...the cuts will still remain open. It will buy you a little more time when you need it. I'm not advocating cutting wet leather, I'm just saying you can push the envelope a little when it's advantageous to do so. Nothing feels better than taking a sharp swivel knife to perfectly cased leather, but sometimes a guy needs more time for tooling when the leather moisture is just right! I use color as a barometer more than temperature, also. Bob

Nice case Tommy! I really like your makers stamp on the tag. Classy! Bob

Tom, When the glue is dry it should be easy to remove by rubbing it...try using an eraser to get it up. When you've applied the glue to the leather, make sure you clean up any residue before on your glueboard before setting the second piece of leather on it. It shouldn't be difficult to keep the leather clean of glue. When you do get a little residue, after removing it, clean the leather with Oxalic Acid. Bob

Another great seat David! I like the color on this one, too. I've always liked the braid you use on the outside edge...what is that called and are there any publications which show how to do it? Great job as always! Bob

Another good looking saddle Steve! Pretty concho on the back, too. Bob

That's funny!!!!

Here's what I do.... http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?a...=&pid=97005 Hope this helps! Bob

I buy Herman Oak thru Goligers. They do an excellent job in sorting the sides. They are knowledgeable, fast and very plesant to work with. I can't say how competetive they are because I haven't tried anyone else. I have never used Wickett & Craig, but I understnd that their lether is very nice to tool. Bob

In my opinion, the only stitch groover worth having is the Versa Groove made by Bob Douglas. The guide is easily removable so that it can also serve as a freehand groover. I would buy one of those and return the Tandy groover. I've tried the Osborne, Tandy, JW and a couple of others that I cn't even rememer the names of...Douglas' is the best. I do occasionally use a JW groover, but I have fitted a Douglas blade in it. Bob

Tom, I see improvement every time you post one of these. Decorative cuts ARE difficult! Especially as your knife passes from soft leather into compressed leather (where you've used a pear shader or beveler). The only thing to do is practice, practise, practise on scrap leather. Every piece of scrap you have should be covered with practice cuts before you toss it. You'll be surprised at how fast you pick it up and how much better your initial cutting will get. 99.9% of all cuts are either some form of a "C" shape or an "S" shape. Just practice those shapes over and over. I think you're making good progress! Bob

The drag felt when carving leather is the result of a build-up of crystals on the steel caused from a reaction between the steel and the chemicals used in the tanning process. The sharper the blade the easier it is to cut, obviously...it also makes it easier to remove the build-up on the blade when the blade is stropped! Improper stropping results in dulling a blade more than the carving does. When I'm tooling a large area, I often begin cutting when the leather is too wet, knowing that by the time I begin stamping, the moisture content will be optimal. Cutting leather when it is a little too wet is not a problem...but a dull knife is always a problem! I have yet to meet a beginning or novice tooler with an appropriately sharp knife. It's one of the things that's difficult to learn... when you don't really know what sharp is, you don't when you're finished sharpening! That's my story and I'm sticking to it! Bob

Troy, I do large pieces fairly frequently. Because 99% of my tooling is floral, separating different areas may ba a little simpiler than when figure carving is involved, however, what works for me is using different layers of plastic wrap. I determine the different areas I will be tooling in stages and cover them with the plastic wrap and then adding packing tape over the edge of the plastic wrap to hold it down close to the leather. I don't let the packing tape touch the leather, it just runs along the free edge. I cover the last stage first working baclwards, so that as I finish one section, I can remove the plastic wrap from the next successive section and so. So when I begin tooling, I may have two or three sections with overlapping plastic wrap, ready to be removed in sequence. This works very well...when I remove a section of wrap, the leather is moist and cased the way I like it and is ready to tool. Hope this helps, Bob

I'm with you Brent...when the Barge can isn't strong enough I open up my can of Neat-Lac too!

For me, the toolers that come to mind first are: Troy West, Bill Gardner, Chester Hape, Jim Jackson and Travis Stillson. I was also really impressed with a piece from 2shews(sp?) that Johanna posted. I love Peter Main's work, even though he's not a western tooler, because he is such a great designer and mechanic.

OOOOOOoooooooooooooooo........I felt that!