A new, versatile addition to the workshop, and another project

© Joshua Stark 2016

After finishing the duck straps, I used some recent archery class earnings (I teach archery, if you are interested in learning) to purchase a 10 in. bench-top drill press.  It isn't a super-expensive model (it's from Harbor Freight), which means I will be using it for other purposes, as well.

Yes, it can drill holes in wood and metal with it -- but I also stumbled upon a great other purpose, one that serves my leather work:  You can use it as a leather press for rivets and punching holes.

For years now, I've been working at a workbench in the living room.  It's a cheap Ikea dining room table, and it doesn't have the sturdiness needed to pound in rivets, snaps, eyelets, grommets, etc.  When I need to set those, or punch holes, I've had to take out a sturdy footstool (confession: it's also from Ikea) and a marble slab, bend way down and hammer away.

I'd been looking at a nice press tool at Tandy Leather, but I'd been turned off by the price ($155!) for something I can do with a rubber mallet, even if I have to take a few more steps.

Then I thought, why not look for another kind of press?  After all, the Tandy press is just a handle and a place to hold dies.  Well, lo and behold, a small arbor press can be quickly modified to hold the dies and tools used for making impressions and holes in leather... which led me to thinking, why not just use a drill press while it isn't moving?

So I Googled it.

Yep.  Here's a great little video with a couple of good tricks for quickly modifying your drill press to set rivets, grommets, etc.  It's not mine, and I don't know the guy, but it's a good video (except for the part where he says, "Who's your daddy?"... that's kinda weird.)

I tried it, and was able to punch a hole in no time, with no modifications, and set a rapid-style rivet.  It works great!

Okay, so back to another project -- this one a sheath for my cousin.  I've only made one other sheath, and this one has an odd handle.  Here are a couple of pics:

Here's the leather, cased, before staining and stitching.

Stitched and stained (with a saddle-tan antique).  All that remains is putting on a keeper, and a copper rivet into the top left corner (maybe).

It's been a fun project, another boost to what had been my flagging confidence.  Even my mistakes (hammering it dry, and cracking the leather a tiny bit) have helped build my confidence.

Back on the (stitching) horse...

© Joshua Stark 2016. 

Well, I had to work through another few months' worth of fits and despair, a general lack of confidence, and an honest-to-goodness artist's block (though I strain credulity with the use of the word, "artist").  However, I have finally finished an extremely overdue leather order -- three California duck straps.

Confidence is a real problem for me, and it is compounded by the fact that when you finally make your measurements and trace out your templates, there comes a time when you actually have to cut very expensive material.  A good side of leather can cost $200, and though it isn't as bad as I make it sound (I mean, I can cut, make a mistake, and cut another part, due to its size), it is still a pretty steep climb.

These duck straps were ordered by a good friend of the family, going back decades.  He's one of those guys you admire from afar: an amazing outdoorsman, great dad, and a man who hunts out-of-state with a group (these folks go to Colorado each year).

Here are some pictures of the process...

I've picked out the spot on the leather, traced the template, and began cutting with the head knife.

Here is the process for cutting out a strap end with a strap-end punch.  I've got here a rubber mallet, a strap-end punch, a block of marble, and a cutting board of some kind.  Notice that the strap has been cut at the end to the dimensions of the punch.

I'm setting up the punch.  I'll hold the punch, and hammer on it a few times while rotating it a bit on its edge.

And here's the final result. 

Three straps in slightly different stages, after stamping.  The top one is stained, the middle one is "cased" (fancy leather term for "wetted with water"), and the bottom one is natural (before being stained).

Cutting three straps from about 6 oz. leather.  Since I made three California duck straps, I cut 21 individual 1/2 in. straps, 14 in. in length (to leave room for folding over and riveting the strap ends).

To make the folding and riveting flush, I skived the ends of each of the straps.  I use a safety skiver, and hope that one day they'll make a left-handed version.

Here they are.  The top one was stained with "saddle tan", the bottom two with medium brown.

I was overwhelmed, in part, by the repetition.  I had 21 straps to build, dye, seal, then 42 skive cuts, and 42 rivets to place.  The great part is that, once I started, I realized that this repetition was just what I needed!  I got into a rhythm, and worked to improve my technique.  I also, I believe, have become more confident.

Now, it's onto a knife sheath, followed by a very nice Ranger-style belt for an Angolan friend.  I'm worried about the last one, because I want it to be just about perfect, and hand-cutting billets to look symmetrical is quite a challenge.  But working on these duck straps have put a measure of confidence in me I haven't had in a long time.

Sorry for the gory details.  Here's a pic. of my cousin after a successful day afield, using a strap I made for him last year.  He's my pro staff, I suppose.

Latest leather project: a belt

My brother in-law Back East commissioned a belt from me a few weeks back. Talk about a teachable moment! I'd never tried a belt before -- well, I'd recycled a thrift store leather belt for my three-year old son, Ruben's, kilt, but I hadn't tried any tooling.

In talking over what he wanted, he expressed an interest in some kind of Nicaragua-themed pattern on a simple leather 1 1/4" belt with no fancy buckle
.

I skipped down to my local Tandy Leather, picked up a vegetable tanned belt blank (my leather wasn't long enough for a belt, or I would have tried cutting a strip). Their craftsman blanks are plenty thick and good quality.  I also bought a solid brass buckle, an adjustable groover, and some tracing paper.

Then, per my process, I seized up with fear and anxiety for a few days as I considered some pattern.  Unfortunately, when I look at a blank piece of veg-tanned leather, I don't see any possibility other than the very likely one that I will screw up a valuable piece of leather with a hideously ugly pattern and a few slips of the hand with a knife.

I flipped through the Google for good images from Nicaragua. My brother in-law's style is understated.  Without getting too far down into a stereotype, he is a professor at a prestigious East Coast liberal arts school: Katherine Hepburn's alma mater, as a matter of fact. He is also, as a geologist and paleontologist, a man who gets out in the field, so something rugged and natural would be important. Earth tones.

Also trying to avoid stereotypes, it seems safe to say that, "understated" is not a cornerstone characteristic of Nicaraguan visual art. "Vibrant" may be more appropriate. There is a strong leather craft culture, and I would love to go visit and learn from some of their masters, and there is an eon of human history and art remnants, as well as rain forests, lakes, the ocean, and volcanoes for inspiration.

I knew I'd use images from stone carvings, Granada tile, pottery, and also some images from nature. I looked through the list of national symbols and picked the flower and tree, and also a jaguar and a snail, the latter recommended by his good friend.

Finally satisfied (mostly), I settled in to the actual work.

Alright, here's a quick tutorial, in case you'd like to make and tool your own belt:

First, after a few days of trying out different pattern ideas, finally commit, dammit!  This is the pattern I drafted: Steps and swirls, some native flora and fauna.

Thanks to Mr. Fashion House for the snail tip -- they look cool!

Next, bevel the edges of the belt to round them out (don't forget to wet your leather and let it dry just for a minute or so), and then groove the edge to frame your pattern. You can also cut grooves with that grooving tool, if you want to deepen the background of your belt to make your tooling marks really stand out, but, since I was going for "understated", I kept the grooves shallower.

My newest tool: a groovy adjustable groover with interchangeable tips. 

Now, it's time to trace your pattern.  I finally bit the bullet and bought honest-to-goodness tracing paper, simply because I couldn't see the pattern through regular white paper well enough to keep it in line.  Belts are long, and (especially with skinnier ones like this one) if you veer off course on your pattern, it's visible.

With wet or "cased" leather, all you need is light pressure with the stylus.

Now, it's carving time!  Again, make sure the leather is cased. Keep your knife sharp (the Tandy instructions say to consider your strop a part of your knife, and it's good advice).  If your knife starts to drag or catch, stop and strop.

Carving sets the stage for the tooling.  Note strop in the upper right.

Tooling is next.  For this project, all I did was use a beveling tool to make the cuts stand out.  I could have also use a pear shader on a couple of spots if I'd chosen.

Tall end of the beveler goes into the cut on the outside of the image. Hammer lightly.

 After carving and stamping, it's time to dye... I learned a lot from this belt, dyeing being one of them.  My dye didn't go on as evenly as I'd have liked, although it gave an impression of age that the owner really appreciates (whew!).

For more even dye applications, make sure to thoroughly clean the oils that have accumulated from your hands onto the leather -- I believe you are supposed to use some sort of denatured alcohol or oxalic acid, and I think Tandy Leather sells a "deglazer" that does the trick.  I'm looking into it.

Almost finished.  What's left?  Edge dyeing and slicking, hole punching, adding the belt keeper, and shipping off.

And here are a couple of pictures of the final product:

Solid brass buckle so it won't rub off to steel, a darker brown edge dye, and Fiebings Aussie leather conditioner applied.

The part I'm happiest with -- the belt end keeper.  The dye went on beautifully, and the stamping was just a simple and very traditional leather veiner tool.

Lesson learned:

--Belts are long and narrow, which creates some issues with design (patterns are easier to carve if they flow in a shallow diagonal), casing (keep wetting it!), and the build-up of oils and dust (keep your workspace clean -- even the floor).  

In all, it was a great experience, and now I can add belts, straps and slings to custom projects at my other website.

What would you like in a field bag? And, a quick update around the grounds

For years, I've worn a hand-me-down shooting vest while hunting in the field.  My cousin offered it to me a while back, and it's been out with me a number of places.  However, though useful, it never did fit quite right, and the blaze orange back is faded, a button and zipper pull are now missing (having both fallen off), and the velcro design of the flappy front pockets grab onto my other clothing.

While perusing various online establishments, looking for cool leather work to attempt, I have come upon a couple of nice belt pouches.  What I've realized is that I just might be able to design and build my own pouch (or sporran, possibles bag, man-purse, whatever you want to call it) for the field.

I also know some of you out there who have varied and interesting experiences in the field, and I want to know what you might find useful on a bag for the field.

So far, I know that I'd like a bag that I can fit a box of shotgun shells, a bumper (for teaching retrieving), a water bottle (or flask, but just for the size), a pair of gloves, a tiny first aid kit, and still have room for collecting stuff (perhaps mushrooms or other food).  I also would like a separate pocket that I could line with a plastic or wax-paper baggy for the kind of dog treat my dog cares about (greasy).

It would definitely need a couple of D-rings, and maybe a dog leash latch.  Last, it would have a game strap.

These are my ideas.  Please let me know yours.

I can make a decent pull-string pouch, but the one I'm designing will need to have a bigger mouth

----------

Updates around the house and garden

We've decided to finally end the pond.  Instead, I've filled in the hole with leaves from the walnut tree, and we hope to build a hill with a couple of nice rocks, and perhaps a little trickling stream at the base (we have the pump and liner from the pond, after all).

There has been a wonderful uptick in the number and variety of birds visiting lately, including a bluebird and two extremely violent hummingbirds.  These two went at it hammer and tongs (and yes, the hammer and tongs were precious, being so tiny).  At one point, they almost ran into my son.  One finally got hold of the others leg, wouldn't let go for quite a while, and then the two separated very quickly back to corners of the yard, like somebody had rung a tiny bell ending the round. 

I have purchased a small smoker that fits into my barbecue, and hope this weekend to smoke three pheasants from a recent hunting trip (where my dog was amazing, unlike a recent snipe trip, where she was horrid.  More on both very soon).

Pictures to come soon, too.

My newest hobby, perhaps a little side job?

Last year, I found myself wandering through a nearby Harbor Freight store.  If you ask yourself, "does this happen to him very often?", then I know you are unfamiliar with Harbor Freight (or, you make a decent living, in which case you probably don't read my blog, either). And if you are reading my blog, and you haven't heard of Harbor Freight, I must warn you to stop reading right now.

Harbor Freight is unlike any other store you may visit.  Like many stores, it sends unsolicited advertisements in the mail, filled with enticing deals.  However, these deals really are enticing: free flashlights, head lamps, utility scissors, sometimes without any purchase required!

In the size of a thrift store, Harbor Freight carries everything from pop-up sunshades to Rambo knives, from solar-powered lawn lights in the shape of hummingbirds to anvils, from hand-planes to arc welders.  I bet you didn't even know you needed a 4" table saw, or a 35 watt solar power kit, or a combo disc and belt sander; but for forty bucks?  You now realize, in a daze, that these are exactly the things you were looking for!  You just didn't know it.  And though their motto is fitting ("quality tools at ridiculously low prices"), it should probably be something closer to, "marginally effective products that pretty much do what you'd expect of them, -- with a free flashlight! -- at ridiculously low prices." (No need to wonder why I don't work for an ad agency.)  But when you are staring down a bench-top drill press, that kind of nuance gets lost.

In my case, it was an $8 pyrography pen kit that got me (don't ask my wife, or she'd probably add to this list).

If you aren't familiar with the pyrography pen, it does just what you might imagine: it writes with fire (actually, just a really hot tip, heated electrically in this case, but "fire" sounds much better).  More commonly known as a woodburning pen, it can also burn other things (like your house down, if you aren't careful).  As I looked at this deal, I immediately thought about cutting some leather arm guards out of an old leather shoulder I knew I had in the attic, and shooting tabs, too, in my new role as an archery instructor.  With this pen, I could possibly design some nice things to them, add that extra little touch.  I knew that other pens go for $30+, and a stamping set for leather tooling would set a person back $40, at least -- and all the hammering would keep my family awake and annoyed.  But for eight smackers, who could say no?

Not me.

I bought the kit, which came with a number of different tips (and can also be used for soldering).

What I didn't know was that something inside of me that had been trying to get out would find a way through this pen.

The next thing I did was head for the local library for a design book by Lora Irish, the, "Great Book of Celtic Patterns" (yes, I'm a cheapskate, which is why this story starts out with a trip to Harbor Freight). I first made a copy of a design by Ms. Irish (an amazing artist, by the way, with a great website) -- an arm guard with what was supposed to be a fierce Viking-styled wolf.

Lesson #1:  The mouth is a very important part. Rather than looking like he (and, by affiliation, I) might just eat you alive, an accidental upturn of the pen at the corner of his mouth gave him a rather cheerful look.  If you smile brightly while saying, "I'm a wolf!" an octave higher than your speaking voice, you'll catch his look exactly.

Strangely undaunted by my first attempt at "art", I took a trip to my local Tandy Leather Supply shop.  ANOTHER WARNING: this place is amazing.  Everything for leather work.  Stamps, tools, dyes, finishes, little tools for slicking and edging, buttons, conchos, rivets, skivers... everything.  And piles and piles of different types of leather, from vegetable-tanned, vanilla colored sides to deerskin with bullet holes in them.

I'd opened a door I immediately knew I should have opened thirty years ago.  I'd been into Tandy Leather before, but for some reason, this time was different.  I felt like I was just about to start something.

To quote Paul Simon, after "reeling in infinity" in that place, I bought a pack of leather stains in eight different colors, an edge beveler, and a plastic creasing tool that also slicks leather.  I ran home, stained my arm guard "bison brown", and finished the edge.

I stepped back and looked at it, and I'll be danged if I didn't make something that didn't just look like a ratty piece of leather strapped to my arm.  I saw all the mistakes, but I also saw a potential I hadn't felt in some time...

Not exactly a fierce wolf in the Celt-Norse style, this fellow just looks amused at my shooting prowess.  He also might have gingivitis.

My next projects were gifts.  I'd forgotten to make my first arm guard as a gift (it is an idea taught to me long ago by an old acquaintance), which is probably why I'd been so sloppy with the artwork.  I found an absolutely gorgeous piece my wife had picked out during our trip to D.C., where we'd visited the Museum of the American Indian, copied it, and made an arm guard for her.

Still learning.  This time, learning how to dye leather, and learning the effects and interaction of pyrography and dyes -- and getting a small sense of the Northwest style of art, which is geometric and aesthetically amazing in its relationships.

Next, I built a leather quiver my daughter had designed, carved a few shooting tabs, designed and burned a "celtic" black phoebe, and started burning a pictish boar onto arm guards.  I branched out, bought a strap cutter, and made bracelets, a sporran for Rubén, and covered a metal camp cup in leather. I picked up George Bains' amazing work, "Celtic Art: The Methods of Construction", learning (painstakingly) how to solve celtic knot patterns, and re-opened a book I'd bought on our honeymoon over eleven years ago, "Northwest Native Arts: Basic Forms" by Robert E. Stanley, Sr.

At the Pleasanton Scottish Highland games, where my brother in-law and I set up a booth to teach basic archery, I also brought along some of my leather work, and sold a couple of arm guards and bracelets -- a wild success for me, considering I'd never tried to sell any piece of art or craft of mine in my entire life.

Trying to solve a fairly complicated, intricate (and small) beautiful celtic border with birds, I reached the end of the pyrography pen's capabilities.  I couldn't get the pen to make the very thin lines I needed for the double lines of the birds' tails.  Instead, I had to solve for a thicker and "simpler" knot, which came out good, but made me realize that $8 -- in my hands, at least -- has its limits.

The end of the line for my $8.  I can (and will) still use it for larger patterns, but the detail for that border was just too much for me+it. (The eagle and bird patterns are from George Bains' book, taken from the Book of Kells.)

What could I use to create more detailed and intricate patterns?

Why, a leather tooling set, of course!  They only cost around $40. A leather-carving swivel knife can cut very detailed, tiny designs, and with some basic stamps, I could make them pop.  For Christmas, then, my loving family bought me a basic 7-piece tooling set.

I don't think they quite know what they've gotten themselves into.

My first real tooled project, Aix sponsa (wood duck).  It started out as practice, and became a Christmas present for my cousin.

 Sales at the Highland Games really lit a fire under me, and I've officially added leather work (arm guards, bracelets, and belt pouches) to my side business. Our name, "Wild Spirit/Old Soul" tries to split the difference between the young 'uns who are interested in the popularity of archery right now (the, "Wild Spirit" part) and the old fogeys (like me), traditional archery guys, and maybe re-enactors who might want some leather goods (the, "Old Soul").

If you know anyone interested in leather work, please send them my way and I will do my best to accommodate them.

I just hope my family can get used to all the hammering.

A deerskin and vegetable-tanned leather possibles bag for my friend, Holly.

The front panel of Holly's bag.  Some of this was with a pyrography pen, but the more detailed work was a pencil on wet leather.

A collection of bracelets.  They are quite fun to make!  The designs are of the Pict/Celt school -- even those fish are Celtic salmon.

My son, Rubén's, sporran (also called a belt pouch, possibles bag, or man-purse).  This was my first attempt at a bag, and was a lot of fun to make.

An arm guard with a very basic knotwork border and brass lace hooks.

A more traditional, long and thin arm guard, with my rendition of a Pictish wolf.  Not my best edge work, but the wolf is very savage looking and fun to draw.

Arm guard with a Pictish boar and nickel laces and grommets.

An arm guard for my daughter, Phoebe.  I tried to "Pict-ify" the bird in the fashion that they reserve typically for mammals.  Oh, well, I'm learning. Also, she wanted the natural look of the vegetable-tanned leather.

Quick pic of the stitching pony

For Hippo -- here's the stitching pony in action (actually, I was just modeling it).