Chris623

"Never mind" HECK!!!! I've been sitting right here watching this since Oct of 2020 waiting for this suggestion. To be really honest, my hobbies have taken so many turns I've still got my EDC knife sitting (unfinished) on my bench and I'll still need to make the sheath for it. Did I mention I procrastinate a lot????? Thanks a million for the tape suggestion...........I'll definitely try it.

Well, to be honest, I've not used it. Got it in and tried it out with a few of my stamps. Felt nice. No complaints. But I wasn't involved in any projects at the time, so it sat on the bench. Two days later a customer, who wanted a sheath for a knife I'd made for her showed up with a brand new Barry King maul as a gift of "thank you" for the knife. (even though she paid for it) Needless to say, I put the BK to use on her sheath and I couldn't be happier. The one you mentioned was right at a pound and the Barry Kind weighs in at a pound and a half. Don't know how to explain it, but while the Owden feels nice in the hand, the BK feels as if it's actually part of my hand and arm. Don't know how to explain it other than that. They both have the ribbed surface. I'm sure they will both get "chewed" up like you mention..............but I think that gives the maul more grip when it hits the stamp shaft. My wooden maul used to slip and not stay on the stamp when it hit it. Both of these mauls do stay on the stamp. I think the ribbing is responsible for that.

Chuck, I spoke with my Dentist about getting a pair of the "binocular" glasses he uses. He said the really good ones run around $700 PLUS in America. I asked him about the less expensive ones like you showed and he said "Don't bother". I didn't buy the ones he uses and didn't bother buying the ones he suggested I not.................so can't tell you much, other than that. Believe me, I'd love to have a pair of the "real thing" like he uses, but there's just no money in my budget for those. He let me try them on and I was blown away at how well they worked.

Keep sharpening.............and polish until you can see the food stuck in your teeth in the reflection. A kitchen table butter knife can be sharpened well enough to carve wood with.....................the edge won't last long, but it'll carve. Better quality helps, but isn't the deciding factor.

Well, in the US, we have liquid paraffin in liquid form for lanterns, but also in solid form used to pour on top when canning home-made preserves.

Thanks, Dwight. Believe me, I know how to sharpen and my blade is sharp. Thanks for those tips. I'll check'em out. Think I've seen that bird before in my searches. Appreciate your showing it. I can see why things like that would be both rewarding to carve and instructional at the same time. Thanks guys, I appreciate all the comments and suggestions. I'm still at that "tender/frugal" stage ($$$) and can't see myself sitting down at a piece of leather and just hacking away at it. Danged stuff costs money. But I did pick up what I thought was a good tip recently. (don't remember where I read it, though) A leather worker mentioned he melts enough paraffin to fill a cookie sheet (one with sides) and puts it in the fridge long enough to harden. Uses it to practice swivel knife work. After he's run out of space on the surface, he pops it back in the oven long enough to melt and get rid of the cuts. Puts it back in the fridge and he's got a new surface to work with. Don't know how practical the process is, but I thought it made sense.

When I was but a wee laddie, my Dad's Aunt gave me a Christmas present that hurt my feelings deeply. The Christmas before she gave me a gift (sorry but I don't remember what it was) to which I responded with a handwritten thank you note. My handwriting was probably unintelligible at the time. So the Christmas gift that hurt my feelings the following year was a book on hand writing. (a great, but unwelcome gift for an 8 year old!) Anyway, this book showed you how to improve your cursive handwriting by starting with many repetitions of each letter and then combinations of letters until you wrote on paper as beautifully as the author. Long story short, it never happened and I print in block letters all of my handwritten correspondence to this day. But in all honesty, probably the reason my handwriting never improved was because at that age I refused to go through the tedious process of duplicating over and over those individual letters. Now, I'm trying to learn what many call the "most difficult leather working tool to learn how to use"..........the swivel knife. I've outgrown my unwillingness to take the time to learn things and I tackle new skills with a fervor. I'm thinking there must be some sort of primer out there, similar to the old handwriting book, geared toward the swivel knife. Oh, I know....................cut circles, or curves, or spirals, etc., etc., etc. But surely there's some sort of seriously helpful regimented practice routine other than me just striking out on the journey in no specific direction. Am I dreaming, or is there such a book, or leather workers website with that info?

You're new to this hobby and you're really going to want to post pictures when you are asking for help. Download Infranview. https://irfanview.en.softonic.com/download It's free and super easy to use. When you get it downloaded, send me a message and I'll show you how to make your pics small enough to upload to this site. Easy-peasy!

What's to critique????? I think you did a beautiful job. I could only hope to be able to do that some day. Still working my way through Al Stohlman's Figure Carving Finesse. He says to read the entire thing before putting tool to the leather. It's going to take some time to do that.

Pulled the maul apart once again and attacked my v-slots with the side of a flat file. (Dang I miss my machine shop!) Anyway, I've got it down to 16.22 oz. So I've basically pulled 1 oz off the weight. Balance still good. Was really looking for a much greater reduction, but not sure how I can do that. At least I've got a 16 oz and a 20 oz maul to work with.

While I don't have a lathe, I do have a floor stand drill press. I hate to apply sideways pressure on the spindle, but it's a good drill press and I don't think I could hurt it doing this. I chucked up the bolt that goes through the center of the maul and marked off half inch "ticks" and put the corner of a square file to it. Didn't turn out uniform because it was so hard to get the file started.............but it worked. Didn't go real deep, but when I put it back together, found I'd only dropped the weight a half an ounce!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was careful to maintain the original balance point. Got mighty close. Think I'll pull it back apart and file deeper. I'd sure like to get it down another 2 to 4 oz. Not so sure I can do that without a lathe. Think I need square cuts and not v-cuts. Ahh-h-h-h-h-h-h, just another "rabbit hole" to follow.

Well, at least my old eyes aren't failin' me! Just my opinion, but running double rows of stitches look a lot better when they are the same distance apart from start to end. To tell the truth, that's one of the reasons I haven't tried any double-row work myself. Not sure I could pull it off. Still doesn't mean it isn't a good looking sheath.

Personally I like it. Might be the camera angle, but it looks as if your stitching rows come closer together as they go from the tip to the mouth of the sheath, though. If that's just camera distortion, tell me to go jump in the lake.

Considered that already.................but that would soften the blow. I used to own a plastic manufacturing company. Believe me, those Polypropylene striking surfaces don't weigh much, so drilling some holes in the head won't pull out much weight.

Unfortunately I sold all my lathes many years ago. But the head doesn't weigh as much as the bolt..........I'm thinking. Might take the bolt to a machine shop and have them cut down the diameter of the bolt...........leaving some areas full diameter so the head won't move around. It's not like the bolt is under that much stress.

I bought a nice Polypropylene Maul for myself as a Christmas Present. Two days after it arrived, a friend gifted me a 20 oz Barry King tapered maul. It's 4 oz over a pound and the one I bought is just a hair over a pound. So I thought it would be a good idea to lighten the one I purchased enough that there was a difference between the two that was noticeable, thinking having two mauls of different weights would have merit. Have never seen the inside of these mauls. Thought there might be some weights inside that I might mess with. Turns out when I took the maul apart I found all it was was a Polypropylene head with a hole drilled through it for the bolt that holds everything together. Anyone lightened a maul who might have thoughts as to how I could lighten mine?

Thanks guys. I'm a huge proponent of buying good tools. Always have been. I'd rather have really good tools and fewer of them than a whole lot of mediocre tools. Good tools are easier to use and more accurate...........and last longer. Or at least that's my take on it. It'll be nice having the two to compare. I just pulled my "Christmas present" out of the box and it weighs 17.29 oz, so they are both pretty close. I'd like to lighten it to 16 oz if I can. Took the nut off the handle but couldn't get the handle off the shaft. I imagine it's glued, but we'll see. I'd like to get into the head and see if I can lighten it a bit. Talk about a "happy camper". What a day.

My day in the shop has been interesting...........to say the least. One of my wood carving students purchased my first sheath knife a year or so ago............without a sheath. I told her to bring it back and I'd make a sheath for her. She showed up today with several large carvings she's working on that she had a ton of questions about, so we spent a couple of hours working out the problems. Then when it came to the sheath, she told me what she wanted. I told her I wasn't charging her for it because of all the nice things she's done for me in the past. But she opens her satchel and pulls out a brand new Barry King maul with the tapered 2 1/2" head, adding "I know that now you are getting into leather working, you'll need one of these." I'm almost without words. I just received in the mail a couple of days ago a maul I bought myself as a Christmas present. Was a 1 pound copy of the BK maul. (nice.........but not a BK!) This one weighs 20. 38 oz. I feel extremely Blessed. Now that I have this professional BK maul, does that mean I'm a professional leather worker?????

Like the carving and "sunburst" shading. He'll be mighty proud of that, I'd imagine.

I see the effect you were telling me about, in another thread, when it comes to the eyes. I'd imagine a "lifter" would be useful on the eyelids.

Heavens, you needn't apologize for critiquing my work. That's why I posted it. Here's how I would critique my own work at this point. The antlers are very well done...........in fact I think as good as many people with a whole lot more experience than I would do. The rest of the carving is mostly mediocre..................and parts of it are terrible. So if I can say that about my own work, there isn't much anyone else can say that would offend me. Besides, I posted the picture for honest critique. I'll get better. I always do with whatever new thing I'm attempting. I've thumbed through the Stohlmand books. Wish they weren't so expensive, I'd like to have a couple (or more) of them. But I especially lust after the Finesse book. Maybe when I win the lottery, funds won't be so tight.

Thanks. I totally agree with all you've said. I've a lot to learn and really exposed myself showing my first "try" at carving. I become more embarrassed of the piece every time I look at it. The eye is absolutely horrible...........I'm aware of it. Going to have to study up on it because the carving is something I want to learn. I bought myself a set of sculpting tools and a mallet for a Christmas present. Haven't seen/tried either yet because I always wrap and mark my "present from Santa" and open it when the little wife and I open our presents Christmas Eve. It's still in the shipping box. So it's even a little bit of a surprise for both of us.

That would be far too much bother for my small projects. I know what it takes to properly clean a big air-gun like that. (100 years ago I painted automobiles) I think if I go with spraying, I'll stay with the little air brushes.

Thanks for the info. Is that larger gun an HVLP? I've got one, only I have a larger cup.

Yes, I've (disappointingly) experienced the "lifting" of the antique................and smearing my project. What a shock it was!