BillinTR

And thank all of you for the further clarification. I have probably learned more than my feeble, inexperienced brain is capable of handling. I hope the OP didn't consider this a thread hijack.

Thank you for that heads up. A big help. Doesn't explain the occasional conflict in terminology but it sure tells me a lot about the tools.

Let me pose a question or two on the subject if I am not hijacking the thread. When I browse online and in catalogs I see pricking irons, stiching irons and stitching chisels. Sometimes there seems to be overlap in the use of the terms and occasionally conflict in terminology. As someone indicated above KS Blade lists pricking irons and they are actually chisels. They also show regular, inverse, flat and round versions. How is an inexperienced person supposed to know what he is getting if the terminology seems to conflict? And why would one opt for regular, inverse, flat or round. I work mostly with 7-8 oz veg tan for sheaths, archery gear, cases of one kind or another and have used a set of "chisels" I got from Weaver that have so far done what I need done. Is there an already existing discussion or tutorial that explains all this? If so could anyone point me in the right direction? If not would anyone care to expound on the subject?

I am referring to tooling stamps right now. Besides the basket weave I am also playing with making cuts withmy swivel knife and then bevelling. Also playing with a camoflage and a background stamp. I seem to do OK with those last two.

I have been browsing this section of the forums looking for examples of a knife sheath designed to be worn horizontally on the belt rather than vertically as is most common. My son wants me to make a knife sheath for him that is for horizontal wear. Personally I don't understand the desire for such a sheath for a fixed blade knife. It seems like it would be an uncomfortable way to wear it. I have seen some examples by searching with Google but I was hoping to see something here with some commentary on the design but haven't been able to find any. Has anyone made such a sheath?

That seems to be an issue for me right now. As careful as I am it seems that by the time the mallet makes contact the stamp shaft has shifted slightly one way or another. I fully understand the need for practice and I intend to continue doing so. But right now it sure seems to be a huge struggle.

Just beginning to try my hand at stamping and also want to get into some carving along the way. I expect that I will destroy a good bit of practice leather along the way. I have a fair amount of 6/7 oz. veg tan to use for that practice. But I am really getting annoyed with my early attempts at this. It seems that nothing wants to go well for me. A list of questions/problems/issues: 1. In spite of reading tutorials from here on casing leather I can't seem to get it right. The leather always seems to be too wet or too dry when I make my stamping efforts. I can't seem to time it right. And the leather doesn't seem to dry evenly after wetting. The leather is soaked completely and left to dry on my work table. Why would one section dry quicker than another? 2. Basket weave stamping is driving me nuts. It seems that no matter how careful I am things don't seem to line up nicely even when using lightly drawn guide lines. 3. I can't seem to consistently drive the stamp straight down evenly. It seems that the stamp impression is frequently deeper on one side or another. 4. Even when I do drive the stamp down straight and evenly I can't seem to get two stamp impressions in a row to the same depth. How do people manage to hit the stamp with same authority every time? Andjust how hard are you supposed to hit the stamp? 5. When beveling cuts with the swivel knife the leather keeps moving around on me as I try to walk the beveler along the cut. What do you do to stop this sliding? It seems that you wouldn't want to anchor the leather somehow because as you walk the beveler around a curved cut or shift to a cut going in a different direction you would want to easily reposition the leather as you work. Are these sorts of things just a part of gaining experience through practice or am I destined to be inept forever?

I guess I got some pretty decent veg tan then. The flesh side wasn't particularly rough and by the time I had applied about 3 coats of antique paste and rubbed each one out it had smoothed out fairly nicely. But it retained what to me looked like a weathered/distressed appearance. I may consider using the flesh side out for a future project. I guess in hindsight I should have expected that probably a lot of you experienced leatherworkers would have done it a number of times.

Being new to this hobby I am still in learning and acquisition mode. My first serious project (an archery quiver) turned out reasonably well. It performs its function well and it looks presentable even if there are flaws. But one thing I noticed as I was looking it over after sealing the project with Resolene was the back side of the quiver where the flesh side of the veg tan was on the outside. After finishing it with antique paste, buffing and sealing with Resolene the finish actually looks quite interesting. It has a weathered/distressed look that is kind of rustic. Has anyone opted to use the flesh side as the presentation side of any case, purse or other type of container type project? Am I the only one who thinks it might make a pretty good look for something?

So far I haven't accumulated enough to present a problem. But I am working on that. Hope to be able to have my own disorganized mess in the not too distant future.

JLSleather, I tried that Ebay link and decided to give him a try. He has a swivel knife that seems to be a good value. I also ordered a set of smooth bevelers. He seems to have a range of price/quality. I will see how these tools turn out to be before I order anything more. I figure a swivel knife and bevelers ought to at least get me started with some very basic carving. Thanks for the heads up.

To me "tool" = "utility". Apparently I ruffled at least one or two feathers here. It wasn't my intention but I can understand where some of you might be coming from. It just seems to me that there are some things you spend money on as much for appearance as for its intended use. Personally I wouldn't consider it for a tool. Apparently some people feel strongly about the glitz of their tools as well as the function. I fully agree with this. I can appreciate the difference that buying higher quality can make in your work. As a hobbyist on a limited budget I have take value into serious consideration so I have to look for how to acquire as much quality as I can without killing the budget. For that reason I have to focus on function more than glitz. In that regard I have been trying to locate tools somewhere on the scale between $10 and $100. But that doesn't seem easy to do. I guess I will always be one of those "tandy toolers" you can spot a mile away. But I am a beginner and I want to eventually do good work. I will eventually see if I succeeded. Again I apologize if I offended. I have no intention of ever becoming the professional that some of you who were offended are.

I have one of Stohlman's books on carving, just not that one. The one I have wasn't as useful as I would have hoped. It was just not as good a tutorial as I thought it would be. I will look into getting a copy of the one you pointed out.

Yes but there you are talking about the end product where the objective is quality of appearance as well as function. I am talking about tools. Yes I can understand the cost of quality steel in blades and quality construction relating to the function of the tool. Being just a hobbyist with a limited budget I just can't afford to spend well over $100 on a swivel knife. But even if I could I wouldn't spend the money for pretty handles. It is a tool.

I have been trying to do some research for upcoming tool purchases. In particular I am looking at stamps and swivel knives. The problem I am having is understanding why it seems that an awful lot of high priced versions of things seem to be more about the glitz than the function. I see swivel knives costing well over $100 where it seems that a lot of the cost is because of some really wild looking glitzy handles. The same thing with some awls and other hand tools with wild looking handles made of exotic hardwoods. Why do people care about how their tools look vs how they work? If I can afford to put money into a high end tool I want it to be to make it do its job better not make it look better in the tool rack.

Jbinpa59, I haven't figured out yet what Sheridan style means. I want to carve wildlife images into projects such as archery items, purses, cases of one kind or another. Also carve/stamp patterns onto belts, holsters, sheaths, etc. It sounds like maybe for hobby work the Craftool level of quality may get me by. Springfield Leather Supply sells a basic 9 piece starter set of stamps. Maybe that is the way to start and build from there.

I am just beginning to research the purchase of my first stamps. I am planning on doing some figure carving as well as some patterns and floral designs eventually. I have a couple of questions that may have been asked before but I haven't found anything specific to my questions so far. 1. Stamps, stamp sets, quality vs cost. I have read all the comments about getting the good stuff in order to do quality work. But I am on a fixed income with a limited budget so I need to keep costs in line. The problem is that there doesn't seem to be anything in between the $8 stamp and the $40 stamp. People say the latest Craftool stuff isn't good quality. They point you at Barry King or some of the other high priced stuff. Isn't there something intermediate that an amateur hobbyist can do decent work with and still afford to buy some leather to work on? 2. If there is an affordable source what stamps would be recommended to start with if I bought individual stamps as opposed to a set. If I have to spend a little more then I will be forced to acquire stamps one or two at a time so I would be looking for stamps with the most widespread useage initially. SLC sells a basic set of 9 stamps for about $60 but I believe those are the modern Craftool stamps people advise against. I am just a hobbyist as I said but I would like to be able to produce decent quality work once I learn and practice. Perhaps 3 or 4 fundamental stamps of higher quality are the way to start but which stamps.

battlemunky, I posted in the Critique My Work section. Maybe I should have posted here but most forums don't like double postings.

Fred, That is an interesting tool. Where did you get it? I did get some stitching chisels from Weaver. They got here pretty quickly and I got to use them for the stitch lines down the length of my quiver. I found them to be a big improvement for me. I haven't totally given up on the awl but I believe I have managed to prove it is me and not my awl. I asked my son, who knows diddly squat about leather work to push my awl through two layers of 6/7 oz. veg tan. He had little difficulty and didn't even know what he was doing. Didn't push perfectly straight in or anything. My conclusion is that I am the problem not the awl. Guess I will have to work on my awl muscles. Which ones are they by the way.

Mike, very interesting comments and that looks like gorgeous work to me. I am beginning to believe that some form of technique that involves pre punching all of my stitching holes for a stitch line is going to be my preference, at least for what I consider thicker stuff. Chris, I don't have a "selection" of veg tan. But the stuff I have is fresh from Springfield Leather within the last couple of months. It isn't old and dried out. And hopefully I won't let it get that way.

I appreciate all of the comments and suggestions. A lot of interesting information to digest. First of all for me it is a hobby and I have no anticipation of making any money at it. As a matter of fact as a hobby it can only cost me money. Secondly for those that hinted at me possibly finding the act of holding the two needles and the awl and performing the actions of Stohlman's technique a bit awkward, that is not it at all. My manual dexterity is reasonably decent for an olde pharte. It is purely about the effort of getting my awl through the hole. The awls I have are Osbornes that I got from SLC. There is absolutely no burr to be felt anywhere. I have polished and polished right down to using an ultra fine ceramic stone I use for polishing sears on my pistols. I will continue to work with them. As I said it is a hobby so it costs me money. And I am on a fixed income. So paying upwards of $75 to $80 for a Barry King awl isn't likely any time soon. I don't need a finely finished cocobolo handle to make an awl work. And I expect that I will here the you get what you pay for preaching. Well if you can't buy "quality" then you have to be willing to work to make it so. In Armitage's video he is sharpening an Osborne awl with a fixed point. He seems to do pretty well with it but I can't say that the awl appears to just "glide" through the leather as some seem to think it should. I am not giving up because I have a number of things I want to do in my new leatherworking pursuits. I hope to do a fair amount of hand stitching, one way or another. I will get back to my polishing this week end although I am unsure how much better I can get these blades. Thanks again for all the comments.

This is the part that is my problem. It isn't the finger dexterity or manipulating myself around the leather being stitched. It is the sheer effort of getting the awl through the thickness of leather. The awl does not glide easily through that thickness of leather. In the Armitage video on sharpening awls he demonstrates working on the identical awl to what I have. I have spent a fair amount of time following his sharpening technique. I feel my awl is in pretty good shape. I am not giving up on the Stohlman technique and will try again later. But for my current efforts with this veg tan I am leaning towards using stitching chisels.

You are a better man than I will ever be. I have two layers of 6/7 oz. veg tan that I am sewing. The effort required to push something through those two layers to create a stitching hole would absolutely wear me out to complete a stitch line 18 to 20 inches long. I have since worked over my awl for quite awhile to get it sharp and smooth. Tried the suggestion to use wax on the awl to lubricate it. Went back to a practice piece of the same stuff I am stitching. I will say that I sort of succeeded in that there was a slight reduction in effort from my previous attempt to pierce that thickness of leather and I did manage to get the pointy tip of the awl to see daylight on the back side of the leather. But I still would never want to repeat the effort over and over for 120 or so stitches. Maybe I just don't have the hand/wrist/arm strength. For lighter weight stuff maybe but for my current projects with this veg tan I am going to have punch my holes somehow and proceed from there with his technique.

I have the book. I read it, studied it somewhat even. I am curious as to how many actually follow the technique he teaches. By that I mean the two needles and the awl in your hands at all times, make your holes with the awl, keep feeding the needles back and forth, never putting anything down. As my other thread indicated my first attempt at stitching did not go as I had hoped. But perhaps his technique was intended for thinner and/or softer leather than I expect to be using for my projects. I have been reading a good bit here about other ways to line up and make my stitching holes. I have read about using corks to support the back side of the leather I am trying to pierce with the awl. Put two needles, an awl and now a cork in my hands and pretty soon fumble fingered me isn't getting it done. Just curious as to how much of a religion his book is since every time someone is starting out in stitching there are usually at least a couple of recommendations to read his book.

What is everybody's opinion on the best value in a stitching chisel/set?