Happy Holidays!

[HorsePen Henry]

Alright guys. Fess up. How many of ya got the annual delivery from Santa of T-shirts, socks, skivvies, and ties? 
Or maybe tradition runs a bit different around your spread.

Horse Pen

[Willie Dixon]

LOL
I love Christmas because I get my razor refills, new socks, skivvies, shampoo and soap! My Mom calls them all stocking stuffers! LOL

along with that, I got an awesome gift from my girlfriend, and everyone is safe and healthy, even my friends overseas, so yeah, pretty good Christmas this year.

[Dr. Bob]

HP,

Had to buy my own skivvies, but go money toward my new [used] frock coat!   Don't get much better than that!!

[santee]

Well, my present was a nice bonus to buy some leather with. Time to get crackin' on those saddlebags! Wooohoooo!!

Okay...I also got ties.

[Dalton Masterson]

I got a robe, but no other "clothing type" things. For leather, I got a lot of drawing tools, pencils, compass, rulers, and the like. Also got another wooden tool block from Tandy, and some stamps. My mom, the art teacher, is going to draw me up some new patterns for carving. That will be a nice gift.
DM

[Willie Dixon]

Doc,
post up picks of the frock when you get it!

Santee,
same with your saddlebag, I bet that will look awesome.  I'm hoping to learn some leathercraft myself so I can afford to at least make a nice saddlebag and maybe even a saddle.

Dalton,
sweet! custom patterns are always good!  do you know if you can make pattern blanks out of wood first?  I'm part of the California Wood Carver's Guild so that would be a sweet way to get a template for a stamp.  then I could make it out of pewter or lead like the guys at the RenFaires make necklaces!

[Marshal Will Wingam]

For leather, I got a lot of drawing tools, pencils, compass, rulers, and the like. Also got another wooden tool block from Tandy, and some stamps. My mom, the art teacher, is going to draw me up some new patterns for carving. That will be a nice gift.

There was, and still may be, a publication sponsored by Tandy called Make it with Leather. It is a good source for pattern ideas. If it's not being made anymore, your library may have old copies of it.

[Dalton Masterson]

I have a few copies of that mag, Marshall. I dont know that it is still around tho. I got mine on Ebay for different patterns. Seemed like a good magazine with a broad spectrum of patterns.


Willie,
When I say patterns, I do mean the carving/tooling/decorative part, not the whole outline of the leather part. What do you mean make them out of wood??
DM

[Willie Dixon]

basically if I was to make a relief carving out of a very strong hardwood (walnut or stronger, even white oak) and oil finish it, rumor has it I can use that for pewter and lead as a negative cast for the stamp.  Saw it somewhere at a RenFaire being done.

A safer and more practical way:

1 I was actually thinking was a backwards relief, where the design "pops" out of the wood
2 then I take that to a fine sand trap thing (a 4"x4" box of 2" deep sand works great for heat dissipation, and a good size to center a nice sized stamp on)
3 press the wood stamp into the sand and pour the pewter or lead or other semi soft maleable metal into that, and let it cool with a rod, metal skewer or even a paper clip sticking out of it.
4 after cooling pull out of the sand and voila!  you got yourself a stamp! 

I have a few necklaces made that way, very cool and I was amazed at the simplicity of the operation, and how cool they turned out.  I'll post pics when I can.

Basically it's easier to carve wood, and mould metal. it's just how you get the mould that matters.

[cowboywc]

There was, and still may be, a publication sponsored by Tandy called Make it with Leather. It is a good source for pattern ideas. If it's not being made anymore, your library may have old copies of it.

MW
You are dating yourself. Make it with Leather has been the Leathercrafters & Saddlers Journal for about 12
years now. They were and are not sponsored by Tandy. They were just the biggest advertiser.
You can check them out at http://www.leathercraftersjournal.com/
WC

[Marshal Will Wingam]

You are dating yourself.

LOL, again!

I didn't know they'd changed. OK, thanks for the updated information.

They're still making Studebakers, aren't they?

[HorsePen Henry]

I dunno about Studebakers but parts for my Henry J are getting difficult ta find any more. 
Horse Pen

[Marshal Will Wingam]