jiml Report post Posted February 20, 2010 Okay, need some help/advice/suggestions here. I am new to this and up to this point have been self taught and have learned through trial and error and of course what I can get from all the awesome advice on this site!!!! Thank you to everyone that shares their information and insight to those of us learning!! I'm having a terrible time creating clean symmetrical lines, for example my sewing lines near the edge. I have tried tracing with dividers (sort of works but haven't found a way to keep them on a very good line around the whole piece), I have tried edgers, again works okay but they only work on my sewing line. I even bought the guide for my swivel knife. I'm just not having great success with any of it. I know I need to continue practicing with all of the above, but does anyone have any tips or tricks concering this topic. Thanks again to all!!! Jim Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TroyS Report post Posted February 21, 2010 Hey Jim, I use all of the tools you described to make my borders. I've found that if the project piece is cut out to it's final size, it's much easier to make your borders smooth and symmetrical. It sounds like you have the right ideas and even the right tools to do what you want to do, just maybe not the knowledge. By posting pictures, you sure will help everyone understand exactly what you mean. Troy Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jiml Report post Posted February 21, 2010 Thanks Troy, I will try and throw some pictures on today. Hey Jim, I use all of the tools you described to make my borders. I've found that if the project piece is cut out to it's final size, it's much easier to make your borders smooth and symmetrical. It sounds like you have the right ideas and even the right tools to do what you want to do, just maybe not the knowledge. By posting pictures, you sure will help everyone understand exactly what you mean. Troy Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jiml Report post Posted February 21, 2010 Troy, Here is a picture of what I'm trying to achieve!! This is a snapshot of a saddle from Keith Valley (my hero) See the lines, how clean and symmetrical they all are. I looked this morning and he is a member here on leatherworker so I might drop him a line as well. Thanks again. Jim Hey Jim, I use all of the tools you described to make my borders. I've found that if the project piece is cut out to it's final size, it's much easier to make your borders smooth and symmetrical. It sounds like you have the right ideas and even the right tools to do what you want to do, just maybe not the knowledge. By posting pictures, you sure will help everyone understand exactly what you mean. Troy Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
terrymac Report post Posted February 21, 2010 Troy, Here is a picture of what I'm trying to achieve!! This is a snapshot of a saddle from Keith Valley (my hero) See the lines, how clean and symmetrical they all are. I looked this morning and he is a member here on leatherworker so I might drop him a line as well. Thanks again. Jim Jim, It would appear he is using some sort of wing dividers, and using the outside of the piece as the base line. I have a pair of dividers that will open to approx. 8" Just use the outside edge of the piece, and open the divider to where ever you want the line and scribe. The real art in what Keith Valley is doing is making the cut free hand. I know of no way to guide the swivel knife that distance from the edge. To cut those kinds of lines just takes practice, practice. Good luck Terry Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TroyS Report post Posted February 21, 2010 (edited) Troy, Here is a picture of what I'm trying to achieve!! This is a snapshot of a saddle from Keith Valley (my hero) See the lines, how clean and symmetrical they all are. I looked this morning and he is a member here on leatherworker so I might drop him a line as well. Thanks again. Jim If you're talking about those nice straight thin lines that separate all of the design features, that's done with a double edged swivel knife blade. They can be found here. The cuts look to be done freehand, however, it's a VERY TALENTED HAND that's cutting it. The rest of that beauty comes with hours and hours of practice! Also, the type of leather you use plays a MAJOR role in the results of your tooling. Herman Oak leather will give you MUCH better results than a piece of Tandy's 'Craftsman Oak' tooling sides will. Don't get me wrong, the Tandy leather works great on some projects, but not on others... Edited February 21, 2010 by TroyS Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jiml Report post Posted February 21, 2010 The common denominator here is practice....practice....practice!! I do agree with your leather comment though, most of what I have bought has been from Tandy's, but I had a saddle maker give me a bunch of scraps of Herman Oak and I could not believe the difference in definition and depth between the two!!! I think one problem I create is with my pressure, I think I'm pressing to hard when creating my line. I think I need to back off the pressure and simply score the leather with the divider and then create the line with my tool, may help me create a more smooth flowing line than the wavy lines I'm getting now. By the way, I checked out your website...very, very nice work. Thanks again for the advice. Jim Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TroyS Report post Posted February 22, 2010 The common denominator here is practice....practice....practice!! I do agree with your leather comment though, most of what I have bought has been from Tandy's, but I had a saddle maker give me a bunch of scraps of Herman Oak and I could not believe the difference in definition and depth between the two!!! I think one problem I create is with my pressure, I think I'm pressing to hard when creating my line. I think I need to back off the pressure and simply score the leather with the divider and then create the line with my tool, may help me create a more smooth flowing line than the wavy lines I'm getting now. By the way, I checked out your website...very, very nice work. Thanks again for the advice. Jim Thanks! If you're having problems with wavy lines, try taking smaller steps with the tool. Also, try using a sharper beveler to stamp the deep separation, then use a more shallow one to smooth the first run tamps... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CowboySaddlery Report post Posted August 16, 2011 Hi Jim Here is how I started getting smoother on my lines, and maybe it will help. When I scribe my line with my wing dividers, I go back over that line with a tickler and really get a deep trench so that my swivel knife has a bit of a trench to follow. You still have to take it slow and be careful, the knife will not follow your tickler mark easily but it helped me until I got a lot of practice to where now I don't have to do that. Maybe it might help. The other thing that I started noticing is if my blade starts getting the least bit sticky I strop it. I strop a lot more than I used to. Anyway, I hope that helps you out a bit. side note.... the outside border of a saddle always starts at 5/8ths from the edge. At least thats what I have been taught. Best regards, Keith Valley The common denominator here is practice....practice....practice!! I do agree with your leather comment though, most of what I have bought has been from Tandy's, but I had a saddle maker give me a bunch of scraps of Herman Oak and I could not believe the difference in definition and depth between the two!!! I think one problem I create is with my pressure, I think I'm pressing to hard when creating my line. I think I need to back off the pressure and simply score the leather with the divider and then create the line with my tool, may help me create a more smooth flowing line than the wavy lines I'm getting now. By the way, I checked out your website...very, very nice work. Thanks again for the advice. Jim Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
