picture of a rookie's craftsman work

[bonafide]

Hello ..

I just wanted to say thanks to leather wizards on this forum. While I've been a knife collector for 35 yrs, I only recently caught the bug of being a maker earlier this year. If it wasnt for you guys in the know posting 'how to' threads and links to youtube or tutorials on your personal websites .. then I would have been completely lost. Another plus is having a couple of Tandy Leather Outlets practically in my backyard. I am not advertising myself as a 'maker' yet. I've yet to sell anything here on BF and only occasionally sell anything to my close friends - it actually bugs me to price my stuff and I get sellers remorse when I do sell something.

I tell my wife I'm learning a new hobby that will keep me busy after retirement comes ..

So .. here's some examples of my work. The basket-weaves were just done this week. I do everything by hand. Well, except for my burnishing which I learned to do this week as well. I use my drill press for that .. but I had to go buy a dress press. lol.

 

[leatherman]

Looks like you have a great start! The condition of that rawhide mallet speak of a lot of practice time as well.

Your location is a fantastic one, come Blade Show time you are close by to picking the brains of the best in the business.

 

[bonafide]

Looks like you have a great start! The condition of that rawhide mallet speak of a lot of practice time as well.

Your location is a fantastic one, come Blade Show time you are close by to picking the brains of the best in the business.

Thank you, sir. I'm still learning and it's mostly by self discovery from trial and error. I'm a kinesthetic learner .. while I absorb a lot from watching and reading it's only when I make something with my hands the more I learn.

That mallet was found years ago in an old industrial warehouse. I had absolutely no use for it at the time, but it called my name. I also have a new synthetic mallet, but I like the rawhide one better. Smaller - lighter.

I will definitely be attending the blade show for 2014. Come hell or high water.

 

[B.Mauser]

Hi Bonafide

Very nice work for being so new. I'm really impressed with the tooling. You will definitely fit in around here.

I'm pretty new to this as well. I only gained the confidence in my work to start selling them a year ago and I still miss every piece I sell.

 

[Skystorm]

Looks like your off to a great start. One of the big improvements I made was to ditch the mallets and get some mauls instead. Makes a world of difference when tooling.

 

[bonafide]

Thanks guys. I really appreciate it.

Skystorm .. I've oogled your work before. Very impressive sir.

Maul? I wondered what those things were .. headed to Tandy today for some dyes, so I might throw a maul in the shopping cart.

 

[leatherman]

There's a couple of really good threads about leather mauls and where to find them, a search should bring them up. For general tooling and stamping like the basket weave I tend to pick up the 12 ounce maul. Mine is a flat face, but that is what I learned on, there is a sister to it with a maul end. More forgiving of off center blows.

I have two from Tandy and they are fantastic quality, a bit pricey though. If you have the top membership there (elite I think) that will bring the sting out of the price. I have a business membership that gives the same discount, but without the fee's so if you have a tax number you'll save some money.

Nifty history on that mallet! Sometimes tools to call my name. I found a rawhide mallet hidden in a garage at an estate sale.

 

[bonafide]

Thanks leatherman .. I do have a Gold membership at Tandy, but there's always some special pricing breaks that will bring my prices down to Elite level. Getting to know the staff helps too. Nice group of people who are always willing to help and let you try before buy. I bought one of the Mauls and gonna try using it on my current WIP. It was pricey (IMO) but I figured it's a tool that will last my lifetime and beyond.

 

[leatherman]

A resounding YES to getting to know your local leather provider. I've known my Leather Factory guy since 2001, a very long term and strong relationship to say the least. I dont think I have ever had as long or strong friendship with any other person in this field, bar none. Knife makers, knife dealers, other leather providers, etc etc most have let me down at one time or another through the years, but this guy has NEVER let me down.

Which maul did you get?

 

[bonafide]

Which maul did you get?

This one .. already trying it out. Says it's a 2lb. LOVE IT! I also picked up a piece of granite and rubber pad - been using an old cutting board. Merry Christmas to myself.

 

[Skystorm]

I was a little hesitant to try a maul at first, couldn't see why I would want a round hammer to hit stuff with. After a week with it I gave away all of my flat faced mallets. Fwiw, Weaver has finally decided to join the digital age and is posting alot of their tools and what not online now. That is usually where I pick up tools from, Tandy is great for starting out but there is a definite difference in the quality.

 

[bonafide]

I'm far from being a top tier professional - so premium tools might have to wait. The one thing I really like about Tandy is my ability to try before I buy any/every piece and part they offer. .

Thanks for letting about Weaver tho .. I'm so green in the game, I'd never heard of them. Now they're in my bookmarks.

 

[bonafide]

Finished yesterday's WIP from above ..

 

[bonafide]

I found a pic the 2nd sheath I made .. back in August this year. My buddy asked me if I could sort out how to make him a leather sheath for his TOPS knife. Bought some leather scraps and minimal supplies. I remember pounding the thread holes with an old awl. Took me a couple tries to get it workable and together.

 

[bonafide]

Since posting this thread about a month ago, I've been working on making sheaths for my fixed blade knives (there's more than a few). This is still a hobby for me at this point. I have a day job that can stress me the F out at times .. so this hobby helps bring me back to Zen.

From a few months ago. My first attempt for 2 piece style and I decided to incorporate a dangler. The knife is a DIY blade blank I finished from Backwoods Customs.

Another DIY Backwoods blade blank I finished from several months ago. The retaining strap is a fold over from the entire one piece of leather - taco'd. Learning as a I go.

Tried another 2 piece sandwich .. but squared it off a bit. I, personally, didnt like it. The person I made it for .. loved it. The knife is a Jantz DIY.

Then I started doing some tooling and made a few basketweave pouches .. like the ones I posted earlier. I like making these. It takes time, but it's challenging and I really do enjoy it and I started incorporating fire strikers and conchos.

I asked my buddy who has the 2nd sheath I made if I could make another sheath for his Tops Fieldcraft knife. I went all out. Basketweave, concho, fire striker .. make it purdy.

I decided to make a sheath for a huge chopper I have. The maker is KFU (knives for users). This is my favorite knife (out of 400+ knives).

My first attempt at a 'stacked' sheath set up. The knife is the KFU Chopper .. and it's over 15" in length.

My very latest sheath .. my 2nd stacked. The knife is another Backwoods Customs DIY.
This one and the large chopper sheath .. I decided to start maker-marking.

 

[Fishinbo]

You got some great talent and skills. They all look great and well made, impressive work!

 

[bonafide]

You got some great talent and skills. They all look great and well made, impressive work!

Thanks dude! I really enjoy making them .. helps me get clear my head and get to my Zen place.

 

[quint]

Good looking stuff. Coming right along. Good deal on getting a maul. When I started I struggled with my mallets then had Ed the Bear Man make me some mauls. Have not used anything since. Ofcourse his stuff is a little pricey but its all custom made by him. Actually now I think his son is doing it if I remember last. Its been a while Ive had mine for like 8 years now.

 

[bonafide]

Good looking stuff. Coming right along. Good deal on getting a maul. When I started I struggled with my mallets then had Ed the Bear Man make me some mauls. Have not used anything since. Ofcourse his stuff is a little pricey but its all custom made by him. Actually now I think his son is doing it if I remember last. Its been a while Ive had mine for like 8 years now.

Not familiar with the Bear Man .. does he have a website?

 

[quint]

Yeah guess its more of the burnisher side but they have the ability to order them. When I got mine it was just via the forums over at leatherworker.net.

Heres a link to his site. http://www.leatherburnishers.com/BearMauls.html and a link to a bunch of pictures of previous mauls. http://www.flickr.com/photos/42560042@N03/

My second set is about 2/3 way down, its the cocobolo and ivory holder with the two mauls directly to the right of it. Its not actual ivory obviously but those ivory nuts (forgot there real name). Ive also got one of his drill bit burnishers that works very well too. Not necessary but speeds up the process. I like the holster maker one becuase of the extra thickness you can do.