resqman

Newbie from North Carolina. I always wanted to make something besides a wrist band with name since I was a boy scout 30 years ago. I found an old box of tools, mallets, and assorted stuff in the garage left over from my scouting days. Basically the Lucky 7. Picked up a few How To books from the local Tandy store and started with a Sheridan half back. First attempt was pretty rough but I could see where with a little practice it might get better. Been banging on leather for about 4-5 months now off and on as work and family allow. I think I have caught the bug. The clerks at Tandy call me by my first name when I stop in. I am looking for some one locally who I can watch to see find ways to tool better. In the mean time, I am just forging ahead in an effort to get better on my own. So far the forum looks to be a wealth of information.

I have been leatherworking for about 4-5 months off and on when time allowed. I needed a gift for my 12 and 14 year old nieces for Christmas. I used two different kits from Tandy with their included patterns. The kits solved a lot problems and I needed something quick since I did not plan very far in advance. Took about 3 days from start to finish for the two purses. I spent about 6-7 hours tooling the sheridan style purse. Probably should have spent another couple hours and not rushed so much. It is only tooled on one side. I am having problems getting the beveler into small areas. Also need to work on making things more consistent in size from side to side. The handles are installed backwards in the pics but I corrected that before I presented them. I spent about 4 hours tooling the floral purse. That was for both sides. Large patterns with not much detail. I am self taught by reading as much as I can from the How To books from Tandy. I am trying to find someone locally I could watch for a few pointers. Anyway... would love to hear your critiques. Please be pointed and detailed if possible. I want to get better, not patted on the back.

Below is a link to a tool carrier based on the Stolman pattern. http://www.leatherbywc.com/ToolCase.jpg