Members Ronin101 Posted June 2, 2012 Members Report Posted June 2, 2012 I have been interested in leatherworking for many years. bought some tools in 2005 and they have been sitting in storage. I have letter and number sets but what stamps should I be starting with? So I am asking what are the first 20 stamps you would buy? Also is there a big dif in swivel knives? I was just going to get a crafttool adj. Thanks for any input. Quote
Members Ronin101 Posted June 2, 2012 Author Members Report Posted June 2, 2012 also, is the ecoflo dye bad? what do you rec.? what about eco sheen? does dye go bad? i have some that is 7 years old. will that stll work or should I dispose of it? Quote
electrathon Posted June 2, 2012 Report Posted June 2, 2012 Are you planning on doing floral carving or stamping patterns or ? Fiebings dye is likely what you have. I have some that is over 15 years old and I still use it. Shake it well. There are exceptions, but in general, anything marked eco flo is inferior. The new waterstains are good. Some of the older products have been rebranded too and are OK. Aaron Quote
Members Ronin101 Posted June 2, 2012 Author Members Report Posted June 2, 2012 Are you planning on doing floral carving or stamping patterns or ? Fiebings dye is likely what you have. I have some that is over 15 years old and I still use it. Shake it well. There are exceptions, but in general, anything marked eco flo is inferior. The new waterstains are good. Some of the older products have been rebranded too and are OK. Aaron yes i would like to be able to do floral as my mother likes them and I may try my hand at some saddlebags for my father who still rides! I may also try some duty gear so a basic basket weave would be good. the dye is in a one liter glass jar that is blue and white. I will have to check the manufacturer when I get home! ok no eco..so fiebings or angelus? and what finish? Quote
electrathon Posted June 2, 2012 Report Posted June 2, 2012 As to tools, the Tandy ones are low quality. I would buy a few there and then if you decide to learn more but from Barry King. Do not get overexcited and buy tons of Tandy tools, you will not be happy in the long run. As to finish, if you are tooling than I would still use Neet Laq. Tandy no longer sells it. Try springfield leather or sheridan leather outfitters. It is not called neet laq any more, but they will know what you want. Quote
Members Ronin101 Posted June 2, 2012 Author Members Report Posted June 2, 2012 yeah...the BK tools look awesome. A friend gave me a 16 oz BK mallet. I will try to hold off buying to many craftools Quote
Northmount Posted June 3, 2012 Report Posted June 3, 2012 So I am asking what are the first 20 stamps you would buy? Check this thread tools Quote
Members Ronin101 Posted June 3, 2012 Author Members Report Posted June 3, 2012 Check this thread tools thanks that is a help..i may have to start smaller if I am going to get BK stamps! Quote
mlapaglia Posted June 3, 2012 Report Posted June 3, 2012 (edited) Dont just walk away from the Tandy tools. They are not the best. They are on the lower end of quality but if you can go to Tandy and pick your own you can find the good ones in the pile. The other thing is cost. I have a friend who wants a Corvette. Problem is he can not afford a Corvette so he decides to save his money and not buy any car until he can get his vette. Sometimes its better to purchase a tool you know you may have to replace in order to get the tools you need to get started. As you get better you can upgrade the ones you use the most first. There are a lot of people that only have the Tandy tools and manage to do just fine. BK is great but Ill buy a $14.99 pear french edger from Tandy because I cant afford a BK version at $65.00. Its not the best but I still have a french edger to use while I save for a better one, if I decide I need one. Sure you might spend a little more in the long run but you get more tools faster and then you decide which ones you want to upgrade. Just a thought. Edited June 3, 2012 by mlapaglia Quote The key to immortality is first living a life worth remembering. Bruce Lee
Members DoubleC Posted June 3, 2012 Members Report Posted June 3, 2012 I agree with mlapaglia, Tandy gets written off a little quick. I am still using the Tandy 6 I started with except for the beveler. It has everything you need to do floral with a swivel knife. And by 20 tools, I don't think after 6 months I have that many unless you branch out into strap cutters, end cutters, punches, skivers, edge bevelers, etc. and so on. And you really don't need all that to start. Tandy 6 and a swivel knife will start you because there is a little bit of a learning curve involved in leather work :-) Best to do some work and then decide what tools to branch out to. Cheryl Quote http://www.etsy.com/shop/DoubleCCowgirl
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