hidepounder

Hi Mike...info sent. Thanks! Bobby

For anyone who might be interested I have a new book for sale. It describes the method I use to create tooling patterns. I released it at the show in Sheridan. Here are a few reviews: "...Bob has put out an 86 page, in-color book called CREATING WESTERN FLORAL DESIGNS. The pages are high-quality, glossy pages. Made to last. This is definitely a book to get. Stamp your name in it, `cause if you do share it, you want it coming back to you...." Harvey - California "I have to say that this book is a pretty straight forward step by step teaching guide to learning the Sheridan style drawing and for those of you wanting to learn this style I highly recommend this great book " Tim - Wyoming "If you're looking to learn how to draw your own Sheridan style patterns, check out this book by Bob Park. It's very well done and full of great information." Clay - South Dakota "This book was a God send for me. Love, Love, Love it... " Nelseena - Nebraska Thanks for looking! Bobby

I use the bar form of Fiebings glycerine for two reasons. In bar form the process of rubbing the soap onto the leather edge helps to "round" the edge. Also it is easier to apply. Any form of bar soap would probably work just fine. I use the paste soap on my burnishing cloth (mechanical burnisher) to control the heat produced by the friction. Also applying the paste soap to the burnishing cloth is easier than working the glycerine bar into the cloth. I was taught to use both soaps and I still feel I get better results than when I jsut use one or the other. I really don't have an explanation for that. It's always been one of those "if ti ain't broke don't fix it" things...... Hope this helps... Bobby

Marcelo i probably put about teaspoon of soap and 1/2 teaspoon of glycerin to two quarts of water. Sometimes I use a little more of each. I don't measure.....I just add a little and I'm done. Bobby

.......what they said!!! They said it well!!:banana:

I like my bench height at 42" That puts my elbows in the same position whether I'm standing or sitting in my drafting chair...... Bobby

GREAT photos Bob!!! Thanks for sharing! Bobby

Skye, Every project is different. Sometimes I sew before I finish my edges and sometimes the other way around. I sew with a machine so it's not quite as hard on the edges as hand sewing is. I think you might be sewing a little too close to the edge and for me your thread is too heavy. I prefer lighter thread than heavy. The way to get around beating up the edge is to leave everything oversized and then trim back to your sewing and finish the edge. The lines appear to be where you have glued pieces together, but if that's not the case I'm not sure what is going on there. I think I'd have to see it person to get a better idea....sorry! Take care.... Bobby

Hi Adrian! Unfortunately chrome tanned leather won't burnish. Best to do a bound edge. However if it is combined with a piece of veg tanned leather burnishing is possible by skiving the chrome tanned leather paper thin before gluing to the the veg tan. Hope this helps.... Bobby

Letter stamps can definitely be challenging some times, but I discovered a terrific way to deal with them. That is, don't use them! I used to use them too until I realized how amaturish they made my work look. Hand cut lettering ALWAYS looks better and with computers there is no reason to try to draw letters by hand. Print them out and tool them....you'll be amazed at how much better your work will look! Bobby

If you'll send me an email I will put you on my notification list. They will be ready by the Sheridan show. Bobby

The Sheridan class schedule is out! See the Leather Crafters & Saddlers Journal website for details. Here's a link. CLASS SCHEDULE. For anyone who is interested the attached "ad" shows the classes I'll be teaching. Please feel free to contact me with any questions about my classes or about Sheridan in general. I'm glad to help if I can. The Sheridan Show is is like no other! It's an opportunity to see and compare all the latest products. There are a wealth of classes available and numerous evening activities. It's an event well worth attending!

Tina........WOW!!!!!!!!

ironpounder, You will probably get a lot of different answers to your question here. I'll give you my thoughts but please remember they are just one mans opinion. I hold my swivel knife between the pad of my thumb and the first pad of my middle finger. My fore finger rests in the cradle mostly at the last joint of my forefinger. I like my hand opened up a little as opposed to having the knife short with my hand clamped around it. The truth is that you are going to have to use the knives enough to decide what feels most comfortable for you. In my mind a far more important issue is whether you have a sharp blade to use. Most of the craftsman that I meet in classes are using dull knives that they think are sharp. I mention this because whether your knife blade cuts well or not has a direct impact on how you handle your knife. I usually recommend that a person start out with a 1/2" barrel knife with a straight 3/8" blade. I feel this is the most universal set-up and when you have mastered the use of that rig then you can move on to specialty rigs. You would be surprised to see how many toolers are limited in what they can tool because they started with a thin barrel and a 1/4" angled blade because it was easy. Consequently, they never learned the fundamentals of good knife control and developed bad habits. You made a couple of other comments that I would like to address. You certainly can use bevelers to tool with, there is nothing wrong with that however in doing so you are severely limiting your ablitily to produce good work. It's a little like bringing a knife to a gunfight! Why would anyone want to do that, lol? You also mentioned that anything goes in art and while I generally would agree with that, I feel there are some significant exceptions. When doing western floral tooling there are a multitude of traditions which we observe when creating patterns and using our tools. Observing those traditions is an important part of the art and if you are working within that genre they are not easily swept away. So to my way of thinking it is important to learn to use the swivel knife. On the other hand if you are tooling other types of patterns, such as figure carving, tat art, etc., then in my mind there are no boundaries. Everyone might not agree with me but that's the way I see it. Hope this helps.... Bobby

Hi Colby, The reason I asked what method you were using for casing is because you mentioned that you cased by pulling your leather through a pan of water and based on that comment you are just wetting the leather but not casing it. Many people mistakenly use the term "casing" for wetting but I didn't want to assume that was the case here. The casing process can be achieved with some variations, such as using additives or using casing boxes ILO bags, etc., but the bottom line is that leather is either cased or it isn't. The process doesn't change. It doesn't matter if I'm using W&C, HO, Thoroughbred or Tandy leather, the casing process is the same. So if my assumption is correct and you are simply wetting your leather, you will benefit greatly by casing. However if you are truly casing your leather then there are a couple of things you might try. The first is to re-sharpen your swivel knife blade. You would be amazed at how many people cut with dull blades and don't know it and that's understandable because if a person has never had a sharp blade how would they know what sharp really is? As Brent mentioned, the chattering you feel is corrosion forming on the blade due to the residual chemicals in the leather. Sometimes you get a side which is just difficult to cut and requires a lot of stropping (which does dull your blade, BTW). So the next thing to try is adding a small amount of Joy dish washing detergent and a small amount of liquid glycerine to your casing solution. The soap is a surfactant and helps the leather absorb the water more completely and the glycerine seems to help the leather to cut a little smoother. I think it's acting like a lubricant, but I can't prove that. Additionally when I have a side which is difficult to cut I will apply a light lather of Ivory bar soap to the surface of the leather, again, to act as a lubricant while cutting. With all that said, I rarely need to apply anything to the surface of the leather when using cased leather. So anyway, hopefully some of this will help, however, if I have made any assumptions in error I apologize and please ignore me! Good luck, Bobby

Mark, what you are doing is wetting the leather, not casing it. There absolutely nothing wrong with do that, but you should understand the difference because it is significant. If you case your leather you will find it much easier to tool. Also, the difficulty you describe with your knife indicates to me that your knife isn't sharp. Bobby We've got to talk, LOL, that's a terrible proceedure, LOL!!!!!!

Colbyj.....what method are you using to case your leather? I'm having difficulty understanding what you mean when you say you can't get it cased right. The casing process is the same regardless of the brand leather you are using. Can you elaborate a little? Bobby

Chris, I want to thank you for the burnishers you made for me a couple of years ago. I still use the regularly. I'm sorry to hear you are shutting down, but can attest that your choice to pass this on to Ed is a good one! Thanks again... Bobby

I'm curious.....are you still using "edge paint" in that process? Also, are you applying anything to the edge when you burnish? We would all like to see a photo of the results......you might be on to a new process! Bobby

I can't answer your question because I've never tried them. I stick with the canvas and saddle soap simply because "if it ain't broke don't fix it!"

Hi Mark, I don't know what shell cordovan is so I can't comment on it. In general, chrome tanned leather just doesn't burnish. There are some exceptions, though. Sometimes exotics like alligator and ostrich can be skived very thin and glued to a piece of veg tanned leather and then they will burnish acceptably. For the canvas, I just taped it on with elelctrical tape, saturated it with water & saddle soap and then formed it to the wood. After a time it will completely form to the wood and the flap will stay down. Hope this helps..... Bobby

Really nice Terry!

Hi Beka, I only use Fiebings spirit based ( alcohol) dye on my edges. It penetrates quickly and dries quickly as well. I have never used an oil based dye on my edges but the feedback I get indicates that it doesn't penetrate as well. I know it takes a lot longer to dry, also, which is problematic because of the likelihood of picking up dye on your hands and transferring it on the surface which will ruin the piece. The edge dye that Fiebings makes is very thick and slow to penetate. I don't use it. Hope this helps.... Bobby

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the"Big Red" roller guide that Chuck Smith sells. It comes with a 30 degree angle guide and accepts two sizes of blade shanks. I use this on every blade I sharpen. If you use the guide it's pretty hard to get it wrong! I used to sharpen free hand by "feel" but I've proven to myself that I can't even come close to getting a consistent angle and a flat plane on each side without the guide. Consequently I need to sharpen less that 1/2 as often as I used to. When I sharpen I use a 600 and 1200 diamond hone. Be sure you push the blade across the hone...don't drag it! Then I finish with 2000 grit sand paper and polish with green rouge. Barry's blades are made of tool steel and will provide years of service if prepared properly. With the exception of my LW I won't use anything but hollow ground blades. If you don't want to spend the money on a Big Red it is a pretty simple matter to drill out an inexpensive Tandy roller guide to fit your blade. Then you only need to figure out the angle. Hope this helps...... Bobby

Crystal the clock is beautiful! You did and amazing job on that!