Jump to content

Recommended Posts

Posted

Norm has made many tools for me and can make to special order at a resonable price. Here is his contact information:

Norm Lynds, Toolmaker

Mallets, Modelers, embossing tools, lifters and others on request

Phone: (425) 357-1001

E-mail: sagerat2003@yahoo.com

Here are a few of the ones I own.

norm__s_tools.JPG

aDSC08747.JPG

Bob Stelmack

post-82-1203427213_thumb.jpg

post-82-1203428040_thumb.jpg

Bob Stelmack
Desert Leathercraft LLC
Former Editor of the, RawHide Gazette, for the Puget Sound Leather Artisans Co-Op,  25 years of doing it was enough...

  • Replies 28
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Top Posters In This Topic

Posted Images

  • Members
Posted

Bob,

Thanks, I can see that I am at the beginning of a very long road :)

Cheers,

Chris

  • 1 month later...
  • Members
Posted

Poundo boards

I wish I had started this while I was living in the States for many reasons, Hell I was living in NNJ 20 mmins away from CS Osborne. My financial situation is nowhere as liquid as it used to be in the States either. On the plus side you can find a nice Cortico in the mountains and live the "dulce vide" for not a lot of money. :)

Either way I'm not going to go rushing out and ordering a couple of grands worht of tools in one shot, this is going to be a very slow process and some "fork and spoon" tools that will just have to do. first I need to learn stitching and basic design so my first pieces are going to plain and undecorated, my first tools will be a Danny Marlin round knife, some Barry King Edge bevelers, a lacing fid from Bob Douglas and a few other odds and ends either from Tandy or Hidecraft, living in Spain means I need to establish a relationship with a supplier to hopefully ease some of the bumps in the road. I am looking at overstitch wheel sets and I am wondering how much difference in quality and performance there might be between say Tandy amd Jeremiiahs set at Horse Shoe Brand Tools.

It really is a drag that I can't visit the stores or attend shows and classes but such is life.

I would also like to get a Poundo board but I am also hoping that it is something I could source locally, what is it made of and does anybody have any suggestions.

I am impatiently waiting for my first Al Stohlman books which Tandy says they shipped early last week but USPS has no record that they actually picked them up (sigh)

Cheers,

Chris

Poundo board was used as a flooring in horse trailers at one time might look there

  • Members
Posted (edited)

I have one Barry King beveler and a bunch of Craftools that are almost 40 years old. I use 1 or 2 bevelers for most of my stuff and the Crafttool ones carry most of the load. I made a beveler out of an old swivel knife blade and it works pretty well for small areas.

If somebody has a real need I would send them the BK beveler free of charge as I don't really use it that often.

Edited by bustedlifter
  • 1 year later...
  • Members
Posted

Read this thread and just thinking?

I started with Craftools in the early 70's and quite a few were given to me by my twin sis. She was into figure carving, and doiing a pretty good job at it. I'd quit it, at the second year in 4-H cuz they disqualified me for going above the requirements.

Fast forward it to 1983, I'd gotten married and had a kid on the way.... I'd had a couple of custom saddles made for me, and traded or wore out. I needed another rig, bad!

I was trapping to help supplement cowboy wages, and used part of the winters income to buy a saddletree and 3 sides of leather from Mid-continent leather in OK, that Id ordered chap hides from.( didn't know of any others then? Took me about 8 months to get that saddle built! I had Bruce Grant's book "Cowboy Horse Gear" and just a tad bit of knowledge from repairing things. ended up with a servicable rig that survived even me, and my poor abilities. Don't know where it is today, or even if it's alive? I traded it off to a poor kid that just didn't want to live without it, even if it was wore out.

Things I have discovered...

A. you can do without, and still build a serviceable... thing? I bought a roundknife when I bought the leather... just couldn't do with it what I wanted. Cut most of it out with my pocketknife! Used the one edger I had, or a file to round the edges.

B. Most everything, you can build yourself! It might take a little ingenuity, but a person can be surprised at what they can accomplish with some simple tools. It just takes a little thought. Sometimes, I had to think outside of that little square I was in.

maybe I did something right, cuz as soon as I was riding that ugly ole thing... a neighbor wanted to know if I'd make him one. So, I said "Sure I'll do my best!" Guess it was good enough, cuz then more neighbors either felt sorry for me, or liked the work.

Never even thought of turning it into a business, cuz I just wasn't a people person. OK, I'm getting started up again, and looking forward. My thoughts are turned in that direction anyways.

Sorry for writing a book. Got way off of the subject.

I've now got a whole slew of tools of my own making... maybe it came through being a long fricking ways from anybody and not much cash to spend unless I could justify it? You can create a lot of leather stamps with just a FEW basic tools, like a set of files, a hacksaw, and some emery paper. They don't have to be stainless or carbon steel, unless they're cutting tools either. I've got several mild steel (low grade bolts or rod) and havn't had problems staining. I'm really at a loss as to say why, after reading some here.

Now, I've added. I didn't know custom tool makers existed, until I got ahold of an old McMillens catologue. I reproduced some of them , and bought some. Then I found an ad for Harness Shop News....Ellis Barnes soon followed, as did Robert Baird, then Watts. Havn't used any BK tools yet, but since I'm starting again I can't wait!

Thing is... if you create it, it's yours! Don't be afraid to experiment!

  • Contributing Member
Posted

Those "In-Fisherman" boys in MN used to have a little segment where they would answer some questions people sent in. When asked, "What's the best fishin' lure for walleye?", he answered "The one you'll use."

Oh, yeah ... mine are largely Craftool.

JLS  "Observation is 9/10 of the law."

IF what you do is something that ANYBODY can do, then don't be surprised when ANYBODY does.

5 leather patterns

  • Members
Posted

One thing you can do is to see if there are any granite counter top installers in the area. find the cutouts for the basins to use as pound boards . Most are 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 thick which works great. Maybe I missed it but Barry king tools are stainless where most of the others are high carbon. For what that is worth.

  • 2 years later...
  • Members
Posted

Here's a list of some more toolmakers and their contact info. We have a few guys here that make their own tools, too.

Johanna

Johanna, is it possible to revive this thread? the link does not seem to be working for me.

Thanks,

Raquel

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.


×
×
  • Create New...