Just Broke My Second Basketweave Stamp.

[alysay]

So I was about 2/3 through a fairly large piece of basketweave with an X514S and it broke. This was the second time I had a stamp break, though it was a different model stamp and caused me to redo the whole design with another stamp I had. It had previously only did a single motorcycle seat and a piece approximately 4" x 18".

Both stamps were bought at Zelikovitz and all I can say is if you hit these with another more than a love tap they will not last even 1 project.

So the question would be where to get a decent basketweave stamp and are the good quality ones of the same dimensions as the cheap craftool type? I have no problem spending the extra money for a good one, but I also don't want to have to start over the current piece because the sizes are off? I will probably buy 2 more of the craftool ones just to finish it, but for the future the rest are all going in the bin.

Aaron

[howie696]

Are these the modern craftools??

[alysay]

I'm guessing yes they are modern craftool. Big China stamp on side. From what I've seen standard Craftool basic tools that aren't used for extended use as with basket weave aren't too bad. But the basket weave that you need to give a decent whack just can't handle it. I was only using a basic wooden mallet that comes in a Tandy kit.

[dirtclod]

Barry King stamps makes some real nice ones !

[Halitech]

not sure what the difference is but all mine are Craft tool and I'm not gentle on them and I've never even had one bend slightly. And I'm using the medium and heavy poly mauls from Tandy to hit them with.

[Thor]

Either use the real deal which would be Barry King http://www.barrykingtools.com/page8.htm called hourglass there, or if that's too expensive just now than either Craft Japan or Hide Crafter. The later makes em in the way the old Craftool stamps used to be like. The so called modern Craftool are the same as Ivan Leathercraft from Taiwan.

Never heard anything about US Stamps, but obviously Stecksstore has them https://www.stecksstore.com/5-8-l-16-mm-x514s-basketweave-leather-stamp-by-us-stamps/

Hope this helps so you don't have to start over again.

[Art]

Basketweave stamps get hit sometimes as many times as a beveler, but a lot harder. They also have many inward angles in them which could cause stress lines. These tools really need to be made very well to survive heavy use. Hand crafting (or machine) is much more desirable to casting. In my experience, Robert Beard, Barry King, and original Craftool Co. (without letters) are going to be your best bet. An original Craftool Basketweave stamp will cost around $10 to $20 which is excellent value as the other stamps are higher. Craftool Co. basketweave stamps are not easy to find, so Barry King Stamps are very popular even at 3x to 4x the cost of the Craftool Co. stamps.

Art

[NVLeatherWorx]

The modern Craftool stamps are indeed garbage. I still have my original Basic 7 set from 1972 (made in the USA) and they are still just as good today as they were then; the foreign made garbage isn't even good enough for me to use as weight on my fishing lines. Furthermore, if you really want quality tools that are intended to last awhile then you have to shell out some dough for them but it is worth it if you are a business minded person who is making things on a consistent basis; hobby workers can get away with the cheaper stuff if they like.

[alysay]

I will try to order some of the Barry King stamps. Hopefully they will send overseas. That's the other problem I run into. Still waiting to hear back from the Barry King site if they ship overseas, but from what I saw on the Steckstore, they don't send to the Philippines.

[Thor]

Where are you located?

Edit: sorry seen too late that you are in the Philippines

Edited December 10, 2015 by Thor

[dfrensdorff]

+1 For Barry King....... They are absolutely a quality tool!

[alysay]

I've contacted Barry King and have some stamps on order. Hopefully will get them here in a couple of weeks.

Thanks all

Aaron

[alysay]

Just a follow up on this. I ended up ordering some stamps from Barry King and Springfield. Both have arrived and I'll have to say that I was pleasantly surprised that the Springfield chinese ones are well reinforced now and matched the broken one from Zelikovitz so at least I saved the piece of leather I was working on and didn't have to start from scratch.

It is definately noticeable on the quality of the stamp between the 2, though unfortunately the Barry King size was different as it was quite a bit smaller than the Springfield one, even though I ordered the largest size they had.

Here's a few photos for comparison.

Aaron