the two must have bevelers

[crissy]

Hello everyone,

I have learned much reading the threads in this forum! the purpsoe of this message is to buy the right two tools. my funds will not allow me to exceed two well made bevelers so my question is size and maker. all opinions appreciated! I am learning but prefer to "buy right" from the get go....I am at the point that I want to commit to at least 2 serious (well made) bevelers for a design I do. the cuff widths I am working at this time is 1-3/4" 2" to give an idea of carving size. I am open to hearing everyone's opinion and hopefully share with us their two favorite bevelers acompanyed by an image of the work. I am so excited to see the results thank you in advance I feel it will be helpful for many of us to learn of the tools the craft-smith rely on above all other tools. this design is in a preliminary stage the beveling is on the symbols that is the design element that will remain and be beveled.

thanks again

kitty

[bustedlifter]

I use old Craftool bevelers that are 30 something years old. The two I use the most are B203 and B60 ,with B203 being irreplaceable.I also use B790 quite a bit. I recently bought a nylon beveler blade from Kevin @ Springfield Leather and it's way cool! It's used mostly for borders and beading. I used to have a Barry King beveler but I prefer the old ones I have.You can see some of my junk on the board and on my profile page.I like your work, looks really cool!

[CitizenKate]

Hidecrafter has a good line of bevelers in their Pro Crafters tool collection which are just under $10 ea. - very good quality for the money.

And of course, any of Barry King's tools are superb and also well worth the money. They run about $25-30 ea.

Kate

[ClayB]

I personally like checkered bevelers. I've got a set of 5 fine checkered bevelers from Bob Beard. They were my first "serious" tool order and they are nice tools. I've also got the ones Kate mentioned from Hide Crafters and I like them a lot too. But if I could only keep 2 bevelers out of all my tools, they'd be a 198 and a 701 Craftool that were my grandfathers. They are still the ones I grab for first when I'm working on a project. They are shaped the way a beveler is supposed to be shaped so they don't leave tracks. I was told that the new Craftool bevelers they are making now have the rounded edges that the original ones had. They might be worth checking out. I've also got some smooth bevelers from Hackbarth and they work really well to. I don't think you are going to go wrong with any of the custom made tools, you just have to figure out what price range you want to shop in. It'd be best if you could go to a show someplace and try the tools from different makers. You can also call them and talk to them about the kind of work you do. They should be able to give you some ideas as to what would work best for you too. I dont think you are going to get a unanimous decision on what are the best stamping tools out there. You might on an awl, or maybe a modeling tool, but there are a lot of good stamping tools being made these days.

[whinewine]

I personally like checkered bevelers. I've also got the ones Kate mentioned from Hide Crafters and I like them a lot too. But if I could only keep 2 bevelers out of all my tools, they'd be a 198 and a 701 Craftool that were my grandfathers. They are still the ones I grab for first when I'm working on a project. They are shaped the way a beveler is supposed to be shaped so they don't leave tracks.

ClayB, I concur with the 198 & 701 bevelers. The 2 I have, I would NEVER give up, and they are also the 2 I reach for first. Mine are early '70s & they are wonderful. The 936 I have is also from that time period, but I just don't like it- it is too squared off & won't follow the sharp curves easily. I just recently got a procrafter 936 from Hidecrafter & it is a great deal better for the sharper curves.

I still am looking for a relatively inexpensive set of checkered round bevelers that Craftool used to make. I have the smooth set, but I prefer checkered over the smooth.

(If anyone has an extra set, btw, of the round checkered bevelers, that they'd like to get rid of, please PM me. Thanks.)

russ

[CitizenKate]

I've seen some of the old Craftools, and agree that they are/were great tools. However, I think it would be a lot more helpful to the original poster to suggest tools that are currently available on the market.

Kate

[kevinhopkins]

Hi... I'm kinda with Clay... I really like the old tools that I've got. And while I can understand a 30 dollar beveler, I'm probably not the guy that would buy one. I sort of think that the tools that will do the best job are the tools that you like, and that feel good to you. We just got some samples of some new 936 bevelers from Craft Japan, and they're just really pretty impressive. I'm kind of thinking that they might be the ones that Hide crafter is selling. At the moment, we're selling them for 5 bucks apiece, but that price won't last. The only reason that I have them for that, is because Craft Japan was out of their normal 936, and they kindly offered to sub this nice one for the same price. Anyway, my two cents worth is a checkered 701 and a 936, and watch out world!!!! For what it's worth, I've also got some of the steep HC bevelers at bargain prices if you're interested.

Happy Hammering!

Kevin@springfieldleather.com

[ClayB]

I agree Kate. The main reason I mentioned the old Craftools that I like is because I was told the new ones are being made close to the shape of the old ones. If they are, I think they'd be worth checking out and cheaper than any of the custom made ones.

[CitizenKate]

After hearing about the new ones for over 2 years, I really am looking forward to finally seeing some of them. If they're even half as good as I've been hearing, I plan to replace all my existing CT stamps with the newer ones.

Kate

[crissy]

thank you all for your thoughts and opinions I understand the variable appreciations for well made tools and have come to learn here there several available. I really want to invest in two bevelers and I bet I will actually need to try em out, actually hit one if possible..... I like the idea of looking into a leather tool/craft convention of sorts thank you again for the help.

[crissy]

I use old Craftool bevelers that are 30 something years old. The two I use the most are B203 and B60 ,with B203 being irreplaceable.I also use B790 quite a bit. I recently bought a nylon beveler blade from Kevin @ Springfield Leather and it's way cool! It's used mostly for borders and beading. I used to have a Barry King beveler but I prefer the old ones I have.You can see some of my junk on the board and on my profile page.I like your work, looks really cool!

thank you. I will take a look

[hidepounder]

Kitty,

I just don't see a way to give you a definitie answer to your question. Only you know what sizes will best suit what you do. The only advice I could give would be to select two sizes which you think would be most suited and then select what pattern you prefer (if any). When considering western floral tooling, a checkered pattern at 75 lines per inch is very popular. If you were stamping saddles I would recomend larger bevelers checkered at 50 lines per inch. On the other hand smooth bevelers are suitable for all kinds styles of tooling, including figure carving, however they are harder to run and do not burnish as well as checkered bevelers. Based on your comments I would select a size that will become your most useful size...it's the beveler you will use the most. Then decide if you need a smaller beveler for the really tight areas or a large beveler for long straight lines as your next most useful beveler. If you are not doing specialty tooling I would steer away from the steep Sheridan style bevelers....stick with the normal standard angles.

I personally use Beard bevelers almost exclusively. This is because we agree on the philosophy of how a beveler should be made. They are constructed of tool steel and will last several lifetimes. However Beard tools are extremely expensive and you will probably have to wait a year to get them. I also have Barry Kings bevelers and consider them to be a very high quality proffessonal grade tool. Barry's tools are more affordable and are readily available. The same goes with Hackbarth.

The width I use most often is just under 3/16 of an inch. It is my "go to" size regardless of the pattern on the face. I have them in checkered patterns at 50 lpi, 60 lpi, 75 lpi and smooth....Sheridan and standard. My smallest is less than 1/16" wide and my largest is probably close to a 1/2" wide. I probably have more bevelers than any other type tool. This is because of necessity to use the right tool for the job. You may need something a little wider, say 1/4" wide as your main beveler, I don't know. There is no such thing as the one size that's best for everything.

I know I didn't answer your question but I hope this helps you to select something that will benefit you.

Bobby

[bustedlifter]

thank you. I will take a look

Here's a seat where I used B203 and just a bit of B60.

[crissy]

Kitty,

I just don't see a way to give you a definitie answer to your question. Only you know what sizes will best suit what you do. The only advice I could give would be to select two sizes which you think would be most suited and then select what pattern you prefer (if any). When considering western floral tooling, a checkered pattern at 75 lines per inch is very popular. If you were stamping saddles I would recomend larger bevelers checkered at 50 lines per inch. On the other hand smooth bevelers are suitable for all kinds styles of tooling, including figure carving, however they are harder to run and do not burnish as well as checkered bevelers. Based on your comments I would select a size that will become your most useful size...it's the beveler you will use the most. Then decide if you need a smaller beveler for the really tight areas or a large beveler for long straight lines as your next most useful beveler. If you are not doing specialty tooling I would steer away from the steep Sheridan style bevelers....stick with the normal standard angles.

I personally use Beard bevelers almost exclusively. This is because we agree on the philosophy of how a beveler should be made. They are constructed of tool steel and will last several lifetimes. However Beard tools are extremely expensive and you will probably have to wait a year to get them. I also have Barry Kings bevelers and consider them to be a very high quality proffessonal grade tool. Barry's tools are more affordable and are readily available. The same goes with Hackbarth.

The width I use most often is just under 3/16 of an inch. It is my "go to" size regardless of the pattern on the face. I have them in checkered patterns at 50 lpi, 60 lpi, 75 lpi and smooth....Sheridan and standard. My smallest is less than 1/16" wide and my largest is probably close to a 1/2" wide. I probably have more bevelers than any other type tool. This is because of necessity to use the right tool for the job. You may need something a little wider, say 1/4" wide as your main beveler, I don't know. There is no such thing as the one size that's best for everything.

I know I didn't answer your question but I hope this helps you to select something that will benefit you.

Bobby

Your thoughts are very appreciated I do understand everything you wrote (right tool for the job being paramount). I guess I was thinking that I could make a better decision on how and when to lay down the hard cash after having read and understood many thoughts/opinions I might receive here. everyone who shared their information has helped me better to understand the trials of at least getting close to what I want/need without having to buy tools that might not be right for the job as I have experienced thankfully rather quickly so as not to waste that hard earned cash. At the moment my work is focused on perfecting the design in the first post. The bevelers I have used are challenging to say the least so I had to post for some quality feedback before risking buying something expensive to then not be able to use it and I also realize there is a level of trial and error to perfecting anything equally I have learned many opinions usually help me to make an educated decision. the entire thread is valuable, I love this place! LW

thank you everyone!!!

Here's a seat where I used B203 and just a bit of B60.

very helpful thank you also very cool.

[swinewerx]

I have quite a few differnt from each other bevelers, I used to have double bevelers but gave my extras and some of my only's to some cancer patiens. what i would recomend is, textured and smooth bevelers that range from very wide to very narrow. I did get very lucky and got a ladies old set of tools that she used back in the seventies. The best from that group was the swivel cutter, it is very old and has the ruby blade. I stopped using it and have saved it and now use ceramic swivel blades. the bevlers I have are,b802,b896,b936,b203,b985,b801,b803b201,b898,b200,b204,b894,b60,b200,b892. npw, the first two are my desired ones then the project makes me lean all tjw other ways. there is one thing you could do, get some stainless bolts almost as long as a pencil and either grind it or use hand files ane make thm your own way, just rally try to make them the same level all around.