Where to buy leather stamps?

[abn]

I'd like to know where readers of this forum buy their leather stamping tools (veiners, seeders, etc). Most of my stamps are Tandy Craftool, but I recently purchased a few stamps from another leather supplier that are marked "Craft Japan" and give an incredibly crisp impression. This got me thinking about other suppliers.

Anyway, I'd just like some recommendations on which company produces the best stamps.

Thanks, -Alex

[bruce johnson]

Alex,

We're opening a can of worms here. Rating stamp makers is kind of like discussing religion or politics with your in-laws, everyone has an opinion, (and the first respondant is never right). I have stamps from several makers and quite a few craftools, and hope off the top of my head, I don't forget one. I am not really ignoring other makers, I just have dealt with these guys and been happy.

Basket stamps -I prefer ones with slightly thicker legs, less cutting and more burnishing. Also prefer deep centers for more definition. I prefer Barry King's stamps in medium and larger sizes vs. some of the other makers. Some prefer the thinner leg stamps.

Flower centers - I have a Hide crafters pro-series that I like in an oval shape. I prefer my Gomph-Hackbarth centers by Ellis Barnes for round centers.

Acorn set stamps - Horsehoe Brand (Jeremiah Watt)

Geometric/Block stamps - Wayne Jueschke

Steep bevelers - Barry King or HideCrafter ProSeries. Make sure the checkering pattern is consistant between sizes.

Long Pear Shaders - Barry King

Backgrounders - buy a set or one at a time from the same maker. You then will have the pattern matching for all the shapes and sizes. I have a set from Barry King.

Veiners - My veiners are all Craftools. I have gone through enough yard sale sets, I have kept the ones with good impressions in the sizes I use.

Mule feet are generally Craftool, except for a wider one from Barry King. Stops are all Craftool or a veiner end.

Cam tools - Don't use them a lot. I have the scalloped ones from Barry King that I use the most. The craftools are OK too.

Border tools - Sky's the limit here depending on my whims. Hidecrafters, Ellis Barnes, Jeremiah Watt, Craftool, etc. I usually have bought a Craftool first and tried it. If I liked the finished border, and will do it a lot, then that stamp may be replaced if a better impression replacement comes up.

These are the tools I use them most. No particular reason I use them, other than that is what I have and what I like. I try to buy similar tools from the same makers so there is consistancy.

My thoughts are to see what you use the most. Then replace them with the better tools if the better tools have better impressions. Not all of them do. I have a $5 Hamley swirl (crazylegs) from HideCrafter's bottom end line that has a deeper and cleaner impression than the high dollar ones I tried. Not always the case, but sometimes is. Generally the larger the stamp, the more detailing and sharper the impression it can have. I would challenge most people to look from 10 feet at a bridle stamped by my Craftool #500 and a small basket by any other maker and pick out the difference. Not worth it for me to replace my #500. I have kind of replaced my stamps from larger to smaller. I like to see and try them at shows, as each stamp can be a little different than others in the same slot. If I can't and have a preference (as in the case of my baskets), I tell the maker what I want - the thicker legs and deeper centers in that case. My 2 cents.

Bruce Johnson

[Johanna]

If you are really serious about improving your tool collection, look here:

http://www.gomph-hackbarth.com

The tools are handmade by Ellis Barnes, and the dealer (Phil LeDuc of Stonehenge Leather) is an experienced leatherworker and a really good guy.

Another toolmaker worth mentioning is Robert Beard ("Bob" to friends) His line of tools is called "Pro-Series". His swivel knives are perfectly balanced, and he makes hundreds of carving/stamping tools.

http://home.earthlink.net/~kenhale/proseries/proser.html

http://www.robertbeardtools.com/index.html

Please be seated when you see the prices, and do not have a stroke. Keep in mind that these are very high quality tools (not "disposables") and with proper care, can last for generations. They are investments. If you get a chance to attend a trade show and hold one in your hand, you will immediately understand why the prices are justified.

Hidecrafters in Ft. Worth Texas carries "Pro Crafters" tools, designed (but not made!) by Bob Beard, Jay Gore, Ellis Barnes & Barry King. They are more moderately priced, and better quality than Tandy's Craftools.

The Japanese tools you came upon are probably Kyosho Elle (and that is likely not spelled right) I don't know if they are still in business. I met some representatives from their company at the 1997 IFoLG show. They supplied Hidecrafters for a time- perhaps George Hurst (CEO of Hidecrafters) could give you more info about them.

Hope this helps.

Johanna

[Tom Katzke]

I'd like to know where readers of this forum buy their leather stamping tools (veiners, seeders, etc). Most of my stamps are Tandy Craftool, but I recently purchased a few stamps from another leather supplier that are marked "Craft Japan" and give an incredibly crisp impression. This got me thinking about other suppliers.

Anyway, I'd just like some recommendations on which company produces the best stamps.

Thanks, -Alex

I believe the tools you have are from Hide Crafter. Many tool makers out there, some are better then others.

I still say the best $5 tool is sold by Hide Crafter. There better line tools (more $) are a good buy also.

Now if money is no object then the custom makers as in Bruce's reply are tops. He did leave Bob Beard off his list. Bob makes lots of styles but has been better know for his figure carving tools in the past.

Just do not get the mind set that you need better tools to tool better. It ain't so. Better tools will give better impressions but to be a better tooler you need nothing more then practice and the ability to be self taught or have someone show you how to do it.

Tom Katzke

Central Oregon

[ClayB]

You've gotten good advice here already. There are two sides to this topic. First off, you need to practice and learn to use whatever tools you have, or are planning on getting. A high dollar tool doesn't instantly make you a great carver. It takes lots of practice to learn to do smooth beveling or pear shading. It takes practice to learn proper placement of veiners and cams. But on the other hand there are some tools out there that make it difficult to do a decent job of carving no matter how much practice you do. Several years ago when Tandy was closing all it's stores, I added quite a few Craftools to my collection at really cheap prices. Some of these tools were terrible quality. The checkering was almost filled completely in with the chrome plating. The shape of some of the tools also made them almost impossible to use correctly. I have bought some of the newer tools that Tandy offered in the last couple years and the quality was a little better. I do think that the tools from Hidecrafter are better. And I really like the Hidecrafter Pro Series tools. I have a set of their steep bevelers that I use a lot.

When you get to the point that you are sure that you want to continue with leather carving, then you MIGHT want to go to the custom tool makers. I have tools from Barry King, Hackbarth, and Bob Beard. I usually only buy tools that I know I will be using a LOT or ones you can't get anywhere else from these guys. When I decided to try Sheridan style, I got some tools from Barry King. I get my specialized figure carving tools from Bob Beard. I feel that the guys that do that style of carving probably know best how to make the tools to do the job. If you are going to do basket stamping or geometrics, check out Barry's, Wayne's, or Jeremiah's. They have some neat designs. These tools are going to cost some serious money, but they are definately made to do the job right.

One other option you have is to modify Craftools to do what you want them to do. Peter Main said all he uses are Craftools, but he has altered some of them to do what he wants them to do. I don't think anyone will argue that it works for him!

Sometimes you can get good deals on Craftools on Ebay. The better ones are the ones that don't have a letter prefix before the number.

Don't know if this helps, but at least it should give you some options.

Clay

[Tom Katzke]

You've gotten good advice here already. There are two sides to this topic. First off, you need to practice and learn to use whatever tools you have, or are planning on getting. A high dollar tool doesn't instantly make you a great carver. It takes lots of practice to learn to do smooth beveling or pear shading. It takes practice to learn proper placement of veiners and cams. But on the other hand there are some tools out there that make it difficult to do a decent job of carving no matter how much practice you do. Several years ago when Tandy was closing all it's stores, I added quite a few Craftools to my collection at really cheap prices. Some of these tools were terrible quality. The checkering was almost filled completely in with the chrome plating. The shape of some of the tools also made them almost impossible to use correctly. I have bought some of the newer tools that Tandy offered in the last couple years and the quality was a little better. I do think that the tools from Hidecrafter are better. And I really like the Hidecrafter Pro Series tools. I have a set of their steep bevelers that I use a lot.

When you get to the point that you are sure that you want to continue with leather carving, then you MIGHT want to go to the custom tool makers. I have tools from Barry King, Hackbarth, and Bob Beard. I usually only buy tools that I know I will be using a LOT or ones you can't get anywhere else from these guys. When I decided to try Sheridan style, I got some tools from Barry King. I get my specialized figure carving tools from Bob Beard. I feel that the guys that do that style of carving probably know best how to make the tools to do the job. If you are going to do basket stamping or geometrics, check out Barry's, Wayne's, or Jeremiah's. They have some neat designs. These tools are going to cost some serious money, but they are definately made to do the job right.

One other option you have is to modify Craftools to do what you want them to do. Peter Main said all he uses are Craftools, but he has altered some of them to do what he wants them to do. I don't think anyone will argue that it works for him!

Sometimes you can get good deals on Craftools on Ebay. The better ones are the ones that don't have a letter prefix before the number.

Don't know if this helps, but at least it should give you some options.

Clay

Just to add what Clay has said.

Peter is one of those odd people, you know like Einstein or Bell. He can come up with the damnedest things, just like Al Stohlman did. So do not let the idea of modifying tools stop you.

Unless you know what you are looking for I would be shy of eBay for tools. Some people will bid them up to an unbelievable price just to win. I would remember the 'no prefix' rule and look for tools at yard sales or local auctions or even second hand stores or flea markets. It is a simple rule to remember even if you do not go to sales like that very much. You can always find a home for the tools if you do not like them, that is if you do not pay too much for them.

What is too much, well I am cheep so don't ask me.

Tom Katzke

[whinewine]

Just my 2 cents worth: the Craftools all used to be made by hand, so the quality varied from tool to tool, depending upon the skill of the person doing the engraving/cutting/finishing. Today, they are all supposed to be made by computerized machines (or so I 've been told by a Tandy manager). Guess what: the quality is still almost as variable as when they were made by hand! There are tools with good impressions & there are tools with awful impressions. The bottom line is: if you can personally try each tool in the particular series till you find one that you particularly like, that is the ultimate. (I have a Craftool B198 beveler that I use exclusively & would not part with for any amount of money- it just works fantastically). This goes equally for Craftool, Hidecrafter Pro series & Craft Japan. The quality is NOT equal. If you have the option of trying, do it!

The yardsale thing is a good deal, too. I bought a bag of 5 tools, some of which are no longer made... and the only duplicate to the tool I already own had a much finer impression, so that's the one I'll use.

And yes, the high end tools are really nice, but they tend to be 'niche' tools: they fill a need that the commonly available cheaper tools can't fill. I saw Robert Beard in action with all his tools at the IFoLG show in Butler, PA, and WOW! He has designed a tool for seemingly EVERY need! I also purchased a Barry King modeler which fiils a need not commonly available in other ball modelers (the ends are massive & will emboss smoother, faster & easier than standard ball modelers).

I also tried out the Hidecrafter Pro-series there & played with many, many tools till I found 2 steep bevelers that I liked.

Edited November 7, 2006 by whinewine

[abn]

I really appreciate all the great information that has been shared in this topic.

Several folks mentioned giving each tool a "test drive" (if possible) to preview the impression. Great idea that I'd never thought of before. I also appreciate Bruce's recommendation to try different sources and keep the stamps (even the inexpensive ones) that have the best impressions.

Thanks again, everyone. Excellent advice. :biggrin:

-Alex

[deanmc]

Im having a realy hard time finding a raven leather stamp. I found a viking version, but it's not what Im looking for. I have a set of large tandy stamps, so I was thinking of something in that size and frame, but would also like something along the lines of  my vieaner stamps .thanks for any help.

[fredk]

1 hour ago, deanmc said:

Im having a realy hard time finding a raven leather stamp. I found a viking version, but it's not what Im looking for. I have a set of large tandy stamps, so I was thinking of something in that size and frame, but would also like something along the lines of  my vieaner stamps .thanks for any help.

Sometimes you just gotta get it made for yer self. I get stamps made by a guy in China. I send him a jpeg image and about 12 days later I get my stamp. For a 1" square size it costs about £14 and I've seen Midas stamps selling for 3 x that price