why does my tooling go away?

[ABHandmade]

I dare to suggest that you are using a not very quality tools (stamps). This is especially true for beveler. Judging by the imprints, it has a very large radius of the edge, so you can’t "put down" the leather along the cut line maked with a swivel knife.

UPD. It’s not about looking at very high-quality (and expensive) tools right away. There are quite worthy stamps at a price of 5-7 dollars. Simply, if you use what is sold in the form of a set of “20 stamps for $ 10,” it’s very difficult for a beginner to understand whether he is doing something wrong, or the existing tool, in principle, cannot perform its functions.

Edited April 3, 2020 by ABHandmade

[joet]

I was told by, I think, Jim Linnell that you have to learn to use your tools.  Practice with one and see what it can do.  Even a cheap tool, if properly used, can do the job you want.  Learn, practice with each, see what potential it has.  Just a thought.

 

[YinTx]

No one has mentioned this yet, but quality of leather has a huge impact on the final results.  With some of the Hermann Oak leather I have, I can tool it and wet mold it and only lose some of the definition.  With some of the Tandy leather I have, I can tool it and lay it gently aside and as it dries it springs back to it's untooled state in some areas.  Very frustrating, and I keep telling myself not to tool that leather, but I invariably carve a piece now and then.  Tonight is one of those times.  Have to hammer it down multiple times it seems.  What kind of leather are you using?

YinTx

[cruxx]

Northmount    Excellent advice, I will absolutely do that tomorrow

fredk                 I never noticed that they asked where I lived but I will add that. I am in SW Florida

ABHandmade      Ummm, guilty of buying a 20 piece set for $15 although I have since added a few stamps of better quality. I had no idea what I wanted or needed until I started.

joet                    yes, still learning how to use the tools and I find it frustrating to not be able to produce the image in my mind. Just impatient.

YinTX               that did occur to me when I started reading about people's opinion of Tandy. I have to drive an hour just to get there. I haven't found a closer supplier yet and hesitate to buy online if I don't understand what I am looking for. I usually take classes in whatever new media that interests me and I go on from there. I just haven't found anyone around here yet.

Thank you all for your interest and suggestions, you have all given me new directions in which to look

[Tugadude]

You've gotten a lot of solid advice.  The only thing I will add is encouragement.  They look nicer than I expected from your first post.  Your stitching looks good to me.  Are you adding a welt?  Reason I ask is I couldn't see edges clearly and one sheath in particular looked thin to me.

Keep working and learning!  

[cruxx]

Yes....although I had to look up the term "welt". I have been calling it a blade guard. I took the design from a beautiful old Buck knife that I have. I think I will run the experiment that Northmount suggested except run it on two pieces, then dye one and put a beeswax/oil finish on the other to see how much of an effect the alcohol in the dye is having.

This forum is a godsend