How Do I Properly Organize My Stamping Tools?

[MMLeathercraft]

Whenever I watch figure carvers in action they always seem to have colored bands on their tools. My guess is that it's to organize them for easy selection. Does anyone have any insight into this organizing method? Do you have a method of your own to keep your tools organized that you could share with us?

[Chief31794]

Whenever I watch figure carvers in action they always seem to have colored bands on their tools. My guess is that it's to organize them for easy selection. Does anyone have any insight into this organizing method? Do you have a method of your own to keep your tools organized that you could share with us?

First, welcome to the forum.

For me, I have two racks that combined will hold about 170 stamps. The 80 hole rack is for my Sheridan carving tools and I keep the tools in sections, for example I have a column with 4 checkered beveled with them arranged with the narrowest at the bottom and progressing to the widest at the top. The rack slants back toward me. The next column would be smooth beveled, etc.

The most important for me is to keep them in the same place so I don't have to look for them.

The other rack holds figure carving tools, geometrics, basketweave, etc.

Hope that helps.

Chief

[bruce johnson]

I used to use the wooden blocks for everything. My biggest problem was when I got a new stamp was having to do the left shift/right shift to make room. Then there was the problem putting one back wrong and having to rerack everything to make room. I went to using cups on a pegboard at the back of my stamping bench and that worked pretty well. I sort them by type of stamp and size. My mauls and knives are all right there too. I recently added the stamp rolls under them to sort off the really good stuff. They are sorted by makers and pocketed by type of stamp. An old test tube rack works well to hold the handled tools like beaders and ticklers. I have a small wooden rack to hold the stamps in use for a particular piece. I have a few weight bags there too. I use a scrap of woolskin on the right to lay my swivel knife down on. That saves the tips from hitting the stamp rock and is a subconcious reach. This system has been my handiest so far.

[radar67]

I have friends who do the same, but it is to identify who the tool belongs to.

[whiteeugene]

I used to use the wooden blocks for everything. My biggest problem was when I got a new stamp was having to do the left shift/right shift to make room. Then there was the problem putting one back wrong and having to rerack everything to make room. I went to using cups on a pegboard at the back of my stamping bench and that worked pretty well. I sort them by type of stamp and size. My mauls and knives are all right there too. I recently added the stamp rolls under them to sort off the really good stuff. They are sorted by makers and pocketed by type of stamp. An old test tube rack works well to hold the handled tools like beaders and ticklers. I have a small wooden rack to hold the stamps in use for a particular piece. I have a few weight bags there too. I use a scrap of woolskin on the right to lay my swivel knife down on. That saves the tips from hitting the stamp rock and is a subconcious reach. This system has been my handiest so far.

The test tupe rack sound like a good idea and having a seprate block for the tools you have used on a project also sounds great I bet it keeps you from having to rember what you used a great time saver.

Thanks fot the tips

Doug

[sinpac]

I used to use the wooden blocks for everything. My biggest problem was when I got a new stamp was having to do the left shift/right shift to make room. Then there was the problem putting one back wrong and having to rerack everything to make room. I went to using cups on a pegboard at the back of my stamping bench and that worked pretty well. I sort them by type of stamp and size. My mauls and knives are all right there too. I recently added the stamp rolls under them to sort off the really good stuff. They are sorted by makers and pocketed by type of stamp. An old test tube rack works well to hold the handled tools like beaders and ticklers. I have a small wooden rack to hold the stamps in use for a particular piece. I have a few weight bags there too. I use a scrap of woolskin on the right to lay my swivel knife down on. That saves the tips from hitting the stamp rock and is a subconcious reach. This system has been my handiest so far.

Nice setup Bruce!

[REDTAILHAWK]

I agree with radar67. The only time I've seen people paint their tools is to be able to tell whose stamp is whose at a leather guild meeting or a gathering of some people that are tooling together.