hidepounder

A small sanding drum mounted on a Dremmel works very well!

ATTENTION TOOLERS: For anyone who might be interested, I just received news that a couple of seats have opened up in the "Gathering of Masters" carving workshop in Elko, NV. Last years workshop was a great success and included a variety of attendees ranging from professional saddle makers and toolers as well as individuals who just wanted to improve their tooling skills. A number of them are returning again this year. The instructors are award winning artists who represent a variety of tooling styles and work well together in the workshop. Lunch is included each day and rooms in Elko are readily available. If you've been on the bubble this will be your last opportunity to attend this great workshop. Due to scheduling conflicts, the workshop will not be offered again next year. Attached is a flyer about the event. If you are interested call (775)738-7508 or (308)991-2364.

Thanks for sharing this Paul. I really enjoyed it. Boot making is something I know nothing about and I found the process fascinating! The outcome was amazing...especialy in that you were able to take a pair of men's boots and make them femnine. Beautiful job! Bobby

Hi Tom, That may be a great way to prepare the leather when basket stamping, etc. I have heard of the technique before but I don't use it. When ever I basket stamp it is usually combined with tooling. Consequently I case my leather normally. Someone else might weigh in here with some more insight.......... Bobby

Terry, that is what I was trying to say. The thin part of the blade created by the HG usually never comes in contact with the leather because only the tip of the blade is used. There are a couple of exceptions of course, such as when cutting a straight line. In that instance the blade is laid flat in an effort to get as much blade as possible in the leather which helps to prevent wandering. The other exception might be where a very thin blade is used on heavy skirting leather and the tooler is cutting very deep. But for the most part, the HG does not aid in making the cut. Paul, I agree that the logic would suggest that a thicker blade would benefit more than a thin blade from hollow grinding. In reality the opposite is true. The reason for this is that the length of the taper (to the cutting edge) on a thick blade is much longer than on a thin blade (assuming both are sharpened at the same angle). Consequently one would have to push a thick blade much deeper into the leather in order for the grind to make contact. I have a very thin Henley blade designed by Jim Jackson for finish cuts which is HG and the "grind" would contact the leather quickly in comparison to a thick blade (if I used it for that purpose, which I don't). So you can see that HG is really only effective on a thin blade with regard to cutting. On a thick blade the HG just looks good and provides a nice little spot to place the tip of the finger. And I think we all agree.....that is probably the only real benefit for any HG blade. In this photo you can see the difference in the length of the tapers on the two HG knives. The 1/4" tapered blade is twice as thick as the 3/8" staight blade. They are both sharpened at the same angle. (sorry for the poor photo quality!)

I prefer hollow ground blades over flat grinds but not for the reason you might think. A hollow swivel knife blade is never used deep enough in the leather for the hollow grind to be of any real benefit. However, when using the knife I find that I like to place the tip of my ring finger into the grind. It's a comfortable spot which gives me a little bit of control when using the knife. With the exception of my SK3, all of my blades are hollow ground. It might be a mental crutch, I don't know....nor do I care, LOL! I like hollow ground blades. Hope this helps.... Bobby

If you'll do a search you'll find a LOT of discussion on this subject. Not only on style of knife, but manufacturer too. You're also going to get a lot of different opinions. I generally recommend that a beginner start out with a 7/16" or 1/2" barrel with a 3/8" straight blade. I feel this is a good all around setup and once you really master it's use you will be ready to begin accumulating specialty knives.As far as blades go I happen to prefer hollow ground blades. One tip I can offer on knife length....do not buy a knife that forces you to close you hand down around it to grio it. You should be able to grip the knife with a fairly open hand. You will develop muscles in your fingers with practice and you will gain more control. I want to be able to place the cradle at the first knuckle toward the end of my finger. I disagree with using a short knife where the cradle lands behind the large knuckle at base of your hand. I also prefer a more aggressive knurl on my knives but I think I am probably the exception there. Hope this helps.... Bobby

Thanks Chris! Yes I'll probably enter again this year. I don't know if I can go or if I'll just send something up there.

Thanks Paul and everybody! You all are always generous with your comments and I appreciate that very much. Bobby

For anyone who might be interested, I'm told there are still a couple of seats left for this carving class. It was a great success last year and I'm looking forward to it again this year. It's also my understanding that it will not be repeated next year as other events have been planned, so if you have any interest you might want to call soon! attached is a flyer with all the info. The class consists of six instructors who assist the students with the carving pattern they have chosen. This year the patterns were designed so that a student can tool more than one over the course of the two day class. Primarily designed for intermediate to advanced tooIers, it's an excellent opportunity to be exposed to some different styles and techniques of western floral tooling.

Harvey, I haven't seen it yet, but if you go to dafont, they have a LOT of free fonts and you may be able to find it there...... Bobby

Pete's right. Too much moisture was introduced after the cuts were made. I also suspect that your leather was a little too dry when you made the cuts. Hope this helps... Bobby

(laughing!!!) I hear of people having trouble with Neat Lac and I have never been able to understand why! It's easy to apply in light coats and easy to apply in heavy coats (which will not perform well). It's easy to get a light shene for a finish or no shene at all! It doesn't streak or blotch, it can be stripped and re-applied and it can be oiled through and in IMHO it out performs everything I've run into! Finishes aside, I leave my belt edges unsealed more than I seal them and I don't have problems with the dye rubbing off....for whatever that's worth.... Merry Xmas! Bobby

The styrene I buy is sold in mil thicknesses and I use 3, 4 and 6 mil material. Merry Xmas Bobby

Really nice Ed!!!

Nick, I'm suspicious of your oil based dye. I never use it on edges. I use Fiebings alcohol dye. Additionally I don't use any of Fiebings black because of the rubbing off issue. I use Lincoln alcohol dye when I need black, which can be purchased at any show repair shop. And I always burnish with saddle soap BEFORE dying the edge. It is difficult ot get a clean dye line when using alcohol based dyes on raw edges. Using saddle soap to burnish edges is probably the oldest most commonly used method of burnishing used by saddlemakers for years and years. I think it is far superior to using Gum Tragacanth. Gum Tragacanth is difficult to dye through as is beeswax. Additionally, using heavy canvas to burnish with produces better results. The saddle soap acts as a slicking agent. However if one has an adversion to using saddle soap, Quick Slik is a good alternative. Resolene is a good finish on edges, however if you finish your edges with paraffin as I do, it can be difficult to get it to adhere. Here is an example of edges finished in this manner:

Rich that is really cool! I knew it was going to be after I took a look at your website. You're doing some really neat work. Thanks for the photo!!! Bobby

The covers are very nice! However I'm curious to see is your multitool razor.....I couldn't find one on your website.......

Nice job on the can and the strap both, Rookie! He'll be proud of that!!

That's a really nice set, John! That will really make his desk look good!

Looks really nice Rookie!!!

Good looking Maul, Chris! I sure like mine!! Bobby

Thanks Ed! What a glowing endorsement! I was really proud to be part of that class last year and I am really looking forward to it this year! Listening to the other instructors was amazing. I think I learned more than any of the students did. One of the things I found fascinating was the variety of methods that the different instructors used to achieve the same end and so the students were exposed to a lot of different techniques. It was a lot of fun!

This is a reminder regarding the 2012 "Gathering of Masters" carving class which will be held in Elko, NV in January. Last years class was a huge success so don't miss out! See the attached flyer for details.

I use Prish Image Resizer CLICK HERE It's a free download which allows you to right click on any image you have downloaded to a file and change it's size. The right click menu offers about 4 size options and a custom option. It saves the re-sized copy right next to the original. It's so fast and handy I can't imagin being without it. Bobby