ChasCS

That's some marvelous basket weave stamping. Really straight down the line, for sure. Good job, is right. ;-) So eh, keep at it, will only improve over time. Ha I need to get mine, to look similar to yours... Chas

I definitely don't mind you correcting me, or sharing helpful suggestions. I have found punching directly into that base plate, will dull the hole punches faster than normal hole punching with a piece of leather below, whatever you are piercing. But that bottom layer could be a piece plastic or even wood for that matter. I was always taught to try and protect those punching tubes, but had never considered touching them up, or even resharpening them. I have seen some videos, where the piece being pierced was being turned, while the hole punch was still engaged in the leather. The paraffin sounds like a smart idea. I have never touched up my hole punches or lubed them for easier cutting. I will have to look into both of your suggestions. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience here. ;-) Chas

Place an extra piece of leather under the piece you are cutting your holes, to make the distance the hole punch has to travel a bit less. Never punch holes onto the bare anvil base. Chas.

That's interesting. Nice collar design too. Chas

Ok, thanks. They look very well made, and the handle appears to be quite comfortable to use. I may look into buying myself a set. Thanks for sharing your happiness & approval. Were they sharp, out of the box, or have you used a strop to clean them up a little? Chas

That's quite the collection of cutting mats. ;-) http://www.joann.com/search?q=Cutting+board Chas

Tandy Leather also carry a great new product line for leather restoration and conditioning. https://www.tandyleather.ca/en/product/dr-jackson-s-hide-rejuvenator https://www.tandyleather.ca/en/product/dr-jackson-s-leather-conditioner-8-oz They used to carry the Lexol line, but have moved on, to this product. Chas

Use a dobber to apply the Neatsfoot oil. Give it a nice light to liberal coating, and let it sit for a day or two to absorb and dry. You can always add another coat, but you can't remove it, if overdone. You could practice applying the appropriate amount of the Neatsfoot oil, on a scrap piece of leather first... Chas

I see they also sell separate handles, if you wished to have them all with their own grip. Do they work any better than the Tandy Craftsman series? Chas

I should add this pic to my post... Our Tandy location, won a customer appreciation award. Chas

Ok, thanks. I look forward to seeing those. Chas

A Leprochaun billfold, how Devine... Ha. It surely holds plenty of green, when it's full... Chas

Where are the pics of these 6 edge bevelers? ;-) Every picture tells a 1000 word story. Chas

You can never have too many hammers. Haha Like this guy... ;-) Chas

That's what the Fid was made for. Undoing knots and pulling out lace that needs to be redone, or ends joined when finished. Chas

Try to PM her on here: http://leatherworker.net/forum/profile/5-johanna/ Good luck in life... Chas

You will always be much happier, if using the appropriate tool for the specific job at hand. There are those mallets which have two different interchangeable faces for hitting with, that are relatively cheap. Chas

Funny how things go on our luckiest days... A number of years ago, a friend called and said he found something at a local Pawn Shop that I really needed to go see. He was in the pawn store talking to his friend, the store manager, when a customer walked in, with a medium sized box full of leather tools, he wished to sell. The store bought them for a very reasonable price, and my friend called me, and told me the manager would hold them in the back, for me to come in and have a look, before he put them out for sale to the public. I was there in less than an hour. The fellow was being very generous to me, being that Rick was both our good friend. I gave him a small profit, on his inexpensive investment, and I had myself a great buy. I was totally stoked. What a find... The other great part of that day, was going to Tandy Leather, where the manager at the time was also my good friend, & after sorting through all of my new and present tools, and taking the ones that were doubles or any which had rough edges or warn stamping areas, back to Tandy, and trading them in, for brand new tools. That was over 25 years ago, when the Tandy Leather tools were still of quite decent enough quality. The same goes for the awesome set of leather tools gifted to me, from a friend in SW Australia. Those tools were given to him 15 years ago, and he had never used them. Stored in a tool shed for all them years, then shipped up here to me, last month... ;-) Most of them tools have no serial or part numbers on them, so, I'm not sure who made them. I certainly can't complain about the high prices of leather tools, since getting so many of mine, for little more than a fine song... La la, la la laaa!! Chuckles Chas

That is not an appropriate mallet for leather carving. It's made primarily for wood carving, where you are hitting mostly wooden handled chisels. The metal handle will not absorb the force of the head hitting the metal leather carving tools like an appropriate leather carving maul with stacked leather handle. The return policy will certainly be handy for you, if you are unhappy with it. ;-) I understand your sentiment about affordability, but it would be advisable to save up and purchase a quality mallet or maul, that you will enjoy using. Something that will compliment your tool set and carving, for many years to come. Too bad shipping can be so expensive. Sometimes you can find similar or the same items, on Amazon that include free shipping. Chas

Sweet trio. Of the three, I bet that curved blade would be the most difficult to sharpen. You will need to build yourself a nice round buffing unit, with curved top. ;-) Nice blades for sure. A lifetime of investment in fine steel right there. Chas

You did a good job on that. Very nice. It should serve you very well. Thanks for sharing it. Chas

I have a large selection of hammers, mallets, mauls. They all have their own places. The larger stamps like basket weave certainly can benefit from a heavier implement, that's why I am happy with the Tandy Tapered 2lbd maul. But for more delicate carving/tooling, & with thinner leather I have a couple or three much lighter rawhide mallets. As for the tapered maul, for me, the taper allows you to hold the handle more naturally, plus the actual swing, of the tool, is less, as the wider top of the taper allows for a shorter swing. More like a tapping, than swinging. Which one is the best? It mostly depends all on what you are doing at the time... Yes, you can certainly use a heavier maul with less force, for lighter carving, but it's difficult to swing a light maul or mallet with much force. You need to use the correct tool for the job, that's where a piece of scrap leather can be used, to trial your tools, and hitting implements. Chas

Edmonton Alberta Tandy Leather has always had friendly, helpful, extremely knowledgeable staff. Their sales team are all long term employees who have a wealth of experience and expertise between them. Chas

Neetsfoot oil, will give it back some suble life. Chas

Yes, my old Tandy swivel knife has done me very well, considering, I've had it since the mid seventies. ;-) Chas