Was wondering who all has had the same problem I have had?

[Ace Lungger]

Every since i started working with leather I knew what the books and other leather workers had told me about how to case a peice of leather. But, being the kind of person I am (allways in a hurry) I never knew what it was like to work a peice of properly cased leather! Just by pure luck I figure out what one of my biggest problems was  I had allways work my leather to wet!! I had cased a peice of scrap leather to carve, right after I had wetted it down the phone rung, after the phone call I turn pack to the peice of scrap leather that I had wetted, when I pick up the peice of leather, I looked at it and it looked dry, at that time I thought to myself, go a head and see how the swivel knife would do in a peice of leather that looked dry!! I couldn't believe how nice my swivel knife was gliding threw the leather!! so after I had cut out the design I decided to see if it would bevel, to my suprise my beveling tool was gliding along instead of draging like it had on earlier projects!!
So I what I am asking, is there anyone else who has made this mistake? And if so, how long did it take you before you figured out that you were working your leather too wet??
If nothing else, maybe a newbie will read this and not make the same mistake that I have made!
Later
ACE

[cowboywc]

Howdy Pal
It has happened to almost everyone when they are learning..
WC

[Ace Lungger]

Howdy WC,
I can't believe how little amount of water it takes to case a peice of leather. I went out this afternoon and dampin a small peice of leather, I picked up a few tools and misc. when I looked at that peice it looked total dry, but the swivel knife just sliced the leather like it butter!! It is just hard for me to accept the fact on how dry the leather can look and work so good!! I now wondering, if my problem I had with the basket weaving tool wanting to walk a little, making it allmost impossable to keep it strait??
Thanks a Bunch
ACE

[Slowhand Bob]

Ace my friend, I have made every mistake in the book and am still making most of them all over again.  I think I need to start lobbying Tandy to open a store in beautiful Charleston, SC and get them to convince WC to come on down and run it!  It has always surprised me that a fairly well populated area like Charleston doesn't have its own store.  I think many look at the demographics of the city itself and do not realize that there is a greater Charleston area that magnifies its population base by at least four or five fold.

[Dalton Masterson]

Yup, done it.
Ace, hold it to your cheek, and if it feels cool, and looks dry, you are good to go.
DM

[Gun Butcher]

  Ace, I did the same thing years ago and then had to relearn it when I started doing leatherwork again Go figger

[Arizona Cattleman]

Ace, that is one of my biggest problems, I am impatient and usually don't wait long enough.  The class I took Sat really said the quality is directly associated with properly cased leather.  They even suggested putting it in a plactic bag and storing it in the fridge if you have to leave and then come back to it.  It will still be cased.

AZ Cattleman

[cowboywc]

Ace my friend, I have made every mistake in the book and am still making most of them all over again.  I think I need to start lobbying Tandy to open a store in beautiful Charleston, SC and get them to convince WC to come on down and run it!  It has always surprised me that a fairly well populated area like Charleston doesn't have its own store.  I think many look at the demographics of the city itself and do not realize that there is a greater Charleston area that magnifies its population base by at least four or five fold.

Howdy Bob
Not if they were the last company on the planet. I have enough headaches just being an Authorized Dealer for them.
I would be happy to come and teach a class if enough people wanted it but you have one of the best leather carvers I know in Mytle Beach. Jeff Mosby of Grey Ghost Graphics carves much better than I. He is coming out here in Jan to teach a class at my store.
WC

[Slowhand Bob]

Thanks WC, I have actually done a bit of business with him.  We do have a large independent dealer who carries most of the Tandy line locally, they set up shop in a large local flea market.  I have actually seen some of the Tandy managers who could do some really fine carving BUT I do tend to think that the job does get heavy on most I have known and they are seldom around in one spot for very long.  Good luck with your class and take some pictures for us.

[cowboywc]

Howdy Bob
I'm not putting down the Mgrs. I just wouldn't work for the Co. if it was the last job on earth.
WC