DaveT

One of the best investments you can make, as far as cases go, is to find the Al Stohlman books on case making. There are 3 and they cover pretty much all the bases. Yes, the patterns and items he makes cases for are horribly outdated, but the techniques work the same for other stuff. I've been doing this a long time and still refer to the books when I'm making a new case. Always something to learn. BTW, the hand sewing book is a great reference too. Just don't get dragged into the whole linen vs. polyester thread debate. It all works. The only advantage I've found to linen thread is in tapering the ends. You can do that with poly thread, but it's a lot more work. Dave T.

This is a VERY common question. I also used to answer it with "Craftools are good, and only a poor craftsman blames his tools." Then I went to work in a saddle shop. Just as when I was a professional Mechanic, I was using my tools to make my living. Craftools work well, but have limitations. Polishing and chrome round otherwise sharp edges and mask detail. I find this in basketweaves especially. A hand made tool with no chrome just makes a cleaner impression. As for durability... I bent and ruined a few of my craftool border stamps, by stamping a finished head stall while the customer waited. Yes, I could have soaked it, stamped it, then dried and oiled it again. The problem was the customer wanted it NOW. So one badly bent border and a tweaked basket stamp later, I bought some Barry King stamps. Never looked back. As for swivel knives... As was pointed out, the bearings are smoother in the more expensive knives. The blades I use are the Henley, or the Al Stohlman HCS blades. Both are very high carbon steel blades that stay sharp a long time. As a pro that meant less time stropping and less frequent sharpening. More time carving equals more money. Same reason a mechanic buys and uses air tools and sockets, rather than using wrenches for everything. Do you NEED the more expensive tools? Probably not. Unless you are making your living with them. Then I'd say you can build a cost benefit case in favor of them. I would go with the good knives and blades though. It will help keep your hand from cramping as much. BTW, I used a 3/8" straight blade, rather than an angle blade, because it gave me two cutting "ends" to work with. Half as much stropping. Dave T.

Add me to the buff it off first, then seal it crowd. Had a heck of a time with tan kote turning white paint yellow. Finally sealed with fiebing's resolene and that fixed it. Now, if I plan to paint something I dye around it, then paint the letters, etc. Or I'll paint first, then dye the background. Lots of brush work, but worth it. Dave T.

Remember too, that a company will ALWAYS tell you they own everything, including your underwear and soul if you ask them. The truth is somewhat less drastic. It has been my experience that many companies are quick with the cease and desist letters, but also know that they haven't got a case if it gets to court. They gamble that they can bully individuals into giving up if they bluster enough. Case in point, "The Jeep Bar" in Wyoming. After Chrysler bought Jeep from AMC, A letter went out to the owner of the bar, who had been called "Jeep" since before there were Jeeps. Jeep being the noise made by and old cartoon character (Popeye cartoon I think). He won. Took a while, but gist was that he was not competing in the same business as Chrysler, so the trademark had no standing, and if he had wanted he could have sued Chrysler for use of his name! If you use a trademark name on a one of a kind piece of artwork, I believe it falls under the same fair use laws as a literary quote. Otherwise, how did Andy Warhol get away with selling prints of Campbell soup cans? Dave T.

I used to make these all the time at the saddle shop where I worked. First off, make a pattern out of paper. Ok, you don't have to do that. Just cut the leather in a circle, about 1/2" oversize. I used a flexible sewing tape measure to figure out about how big I needed my leather. I used 4-6oz, out of the belly. Yes, you'll have to mold it eventually and using the softer leather makes it a LOT easier. Once you have the circles cut out, do your tooling on either or both sides. Remember to stop the tooling before the curve of the flask. Now, while it is still cased, really soak the edges, outside the tooled area. Mold it around the flask. I used plastic clothes pins or binder clips with duct tape on the jaws (To protect the leather, binder clips will stain it.) to clamp things together as they dry. When dry, decide if you want to color it first, or assemble. We always assembled and then finished with oil. Separate the two halves, trim around the spout and glue the edges. Put it all back together, let the glue dry with clamps (I use white glue for a lot of my personal stuff, at the shop we used barge cement, no drying). Then trim and lace. Hope this helps Dave T.

The TLF press isn't an arbor press. It uses a camming action to "break over" and provide a LOT of force to the stamp. I have one and love it, but yes, they are expensive. Fortunately I bought mine at a garage sale for $50. As to hand stamping, use a hefty handle! As was stated earlier, a good heavy stamping bench/block is necessary. Best I ever used as a bench was at a school demo. We had a half wall made of brick and concrete. That was a SOLID stamping surface and worked great. If you use a table, make sure you are stamping directly over a table leg. Then tap one time to "set" the stamp. Now rock it up onto each corner as you beat on it with a large hammer. A 3lb maul or dead blow hammer works well. Some stamps also have more depth than can be stamped into thin leather. Try it on thicker leather and you may get a better impression. Dave T.

I'd suggest that leatherwork is equal parts mechanical and artistic. You have to be a mechanical person to build something that is functional, works well, and does the job in a simple, elegant manner. The artistic part is making it look good too. For example, a shaker style woodworking. They didn't have to build tapered legs, elegant turnings, etc. for purely functional items. Yet they took simple ideas and made them beautiful for the joy of doing it. In my mind that makes them artists. I've got some purely functional knife sheaths I've made for my bench knives. They are ugly, but they work. Pure mechanical items. I've also got some that are just as functional, but are beautiful, those are more artistic. Guess which ones I like better? A long time ago I was given a quote by my Grandfather (A good woodworker). "A laborer uses his hands, a craftsman uses his hands and his head. An artist uses his hands, head, and heart." I've seen the quote attributed to several people, but it sure makes sense, whomever said it. Grandpa also told me, "If you aren't proud enough of something to put your name on it, don't sell it or give it away." Remembering that always makes me do my best. Dave T.

I tried to trace the pattern in the computer from your picture, but it was just too fuzzy. If you can take a sharper picture it would help. Dave T.

Ask your customer for some examples. Digital photos, even from a cell phone, can help figure out what they mean. Pictures from catalogs, magazines, etc. can get you on the same page, so to speak. Why? I had a custom wallet order that requested "Old style tattoo font" for the name. He couldn't describe the font, or point to it anywhere. I researched and found an old tattoo font, but what he really wanted was Old English. Didn't figure that out until after the wallet was done. He was happy with what I found though. So the old saying "a picture is worth a thousand words" really holds true. Dave T.

Being a "pro" doesn't mean you don't make mistakes. It only means you know how to cover them up! Before doing this on your project, just like any technique, TRY IT ON A SCRAP FIRST! I've had the same problem you do. What I did: 1. Soak that area with water. That swells the tooling out. Remember to wet the entire project, at least a little, so you don't get a water stain. 2. Rub the leather with a bone folder/modeling spoon while the leather is saturated. This helps work out any tooling marks. 3. Let the leather dry (A fan or hair dryer on low helps speed the process up) back to proper tooling "temper" After that you should be back in business. Yes, you're going to have to restamp a larger area of the pattern, so be careful when you do. Dave T.

I've got a lot of tools from many makers (I measure my collection by the pound now, I lost count). Many of my tools I've made myself. I'd like to give you my opinion of tools. First off, I agree that Tandy tools leave much to be desired. The steel is of low quality, and the recent vintages are not very good. Older Craftools are actually pretty good. The trick is finding the ones that work well. In my experience, the camouflage tools, mule foot, and seeders work pretty well. Bevelers, shaders, and other simpler tools can be modified to work pretty well with a few minutes work on some sandpaper, files, or stones. The basket stamps, and other complex stamps are beyond saving. Barry King tools are a great value, and fantastic tools. Ellis Barnes/Hackbarth, very good tools. Bob Beard Pro Series, the best out there. Jeremiah Watt, great tools. Hidecrafter's Pro Series (The black chrome tools) are pretty good tools too. Any of the other makers, Gore, Wayne Juesuke, etc. all make nice tools, but I've not use them, just tried them out at shows. Now, my own tools are a collection of mostly hand made stuff that I've made. Why? Because in my exploration of leather (I started 34 years ago) I've learned that in the past, it was a right of passage for an apprentice to make his own tools. Until the apprentice had his own tools, he worked for the master. Once he had his own tools, and his master's approval, he could be a journeyman. If the apprentice couldn't make the tools, he had to convince someone to sell him tools, or inherit them. So I decided to make my own, because I have files, time, and nails and bolts. Money, not so much. There are some tools I can't make. Mostly basket stamps, borders, and geometrics. Those I've bought from Barry King. I think Barry's tools are a great value. I also love Barry's bar grounders. You can do decent work with the cheap tools. You can do much better work with better tools. The problem I see is the cost. In our group in Spokane we teach a lot of newbies. We recommend using the Tandy tools to start because they are inexpensive (Ok, cheap). If you aren't going to get real involved in leatherwork then it doesn't make sense to spend a lot of money on hand made tools. Once you decide to pursue leather carving, then it's worth spending some money on good tools. Bob Beard told me that you can do any style of carving using about 15 tools. Sheridan, Floral, Figures, etc. The trick is which(!) 15 tools. So you find your favorite style, then invest in the tools you need to do that. Use the cheaper tools for everything else. And when you don't like the way the tools you have work, grab a file, a grinder, and some sand paper and make 'em work! If you're going to make your living using your tools, then just like a mechanic, buy the best tools you can. They will pay you back in time savings. Dave T.

Any of the larger "spots" would have these kind of legs that penetrate the leather. However, that appears to be a repair. Then again, I know nothing of sax straps. Dave T.

Machine sewn without a doubt. The thread was cut with a pencil type soldering iron. It melts the end of the thread and forms that little mushroom head on it. Very distinctive if you've done it. A couple observations of these collars. 1. They did not edge bevel or finish the edges. Very hard on the dog's neck (I have dogs too.) edge the straps before assembly and it's easy to do (Don't edge the flesh side where you're folding over) and rub with paraffin wax to slick and seal. 2. The straps where run through a mechanical roller to put the bead lines on them. Quick and easy, just watch your hands! Dave T

I once did a similar technique, by accident. I used a coat of acrylic antique, applied in the normal manner, let it dry, then used a very SLIGHTLY damp cloth to buff off the highlights. Ok, I was trying to remove the streaks, but the effect was similar and turned out pretty cool. Dave T.

That saddle looks just like what we had at the saddle shop where I worked. We used Wickett and Craig leather and nothing but Neatsfoot oil compound to color it. Takes quite a bit of oil to get that nice color, and you have to use a good leather like W&C or Hermann Oak. The imported leather oils up a different color, more a muddy brown than a chestnut gold. You can use diluted tan or buckskin dye to get a similar color. DIlute with denatured or rubbing alcohol, saturate the leather with the dye to get an even color. Then buff the extra dye stuffs off the leather with scrap shearling or an old T Shirt when it dries. Dave T.

I tried the ruby blades too, along with the sapphire blade (Blue stone) that Tandy sold. As I recall, Ruby is actually a particular type of Sapphire, if I can trust my jewelery store manager brother-in-law. (Yes, it makes Christmas shopping for my wife really easy) The problem with most of the Ruby blades is the glue failing and the stone falling off. A ceramic blade is about as hard, and doesn't require sharpening as often. Yes, it should be stropped, same as steel, to remove the build up of the chemicals from the leather. (I've heard them called sugars? It is sticky after cutting a while.) I've resharpened ceramic blades that were damaged using a dremel tool with a thin cut off wheel. Held the blade against the flat side of the wheel like a grinder. Then a final polish on 1500 grit wet/dry sandpaper, and stropping on white rouge. Worked pretty well and salvaged a blade. Which I then sold, since I prefer the Henley knives and steel blades. The only real advantage to a ceramic blade is hardness, and that means no sharpening under normal use. If you are comfortable sharpening a knife, then you can actually get steel sharper than the ceramic. If ceramic were really the best, I'm pretty sure Bob Beard would be selling them. <grin> Not trying to stir the pot, just my opinion. Dave T.

For a long lasting, waterproof, dead reliable finish go to a hardware store and buy water based polyurethane. Minwax Polycrylic is one brand. For a mouse pad I'd suggest a satin finish. Put it on with a foam brush or a scrap of shearling. Works great, is cheap, and lasts forever. However, it does feel like plastic (it is) and will not have the leather "feel" we all love. It is a durable finish though. Dave T.

I learned a great burnishing technique from a saddlemaker I worked for. Cut a square of canvas (or "Duck Cloth" as the fabric stores call it) about 14" to 24" square. Smaller would work too. Use yellow paste saddle soap (the white paste will discolor the leather, don't ask me how I know!) and rub it in until the canvas is saturated. Let it dry. To slick the edge, wet the leather if you want, but I usually just spray a bit of water directly onto the folded canvas rag. I fold it up to make it more managable. Then rub the damp (Not wet, just enough to reactivate the soap) on the edge of the leather. I usually wait until all finish work is done, but since it's saddle soap it won't resist the finish. When the edge dries it should be nice and slick. Normally drying only takes a couple minutes. After the finishing and edge coloring (I use a sharpie marker) is done I rub with wax, paraffin or bees wax, and shine that with a dry canvas cloth. This melts the wax a bit and really makes a fancy edge finish that will hold up. You could also coat with edge kote, a clear finish i.e. sheen, or whatever rather than use the wax. BTW, waxing the edges is the only way I know of to get a slick edge on chrome tan or latigo. It works really well on Harness leather too. Dave T.

The Al Stohlman case making books are a great resource, I believe there is also a bit on how to sew it in the Al Stohlman hand sewing book. All are great references and recommended to have on your shelf. Dave T.