Tools - Airship 67

Of Interest to Gardeners

The old saying, “You get what you pay for.” holds true for garden hoses. I bought the cheap hoses in my younger years and ended up buying a new one every year. The cheap hoses kink, crack, leak, and just fail.

I decided to spend more money on a hose after working with a nursery for a summer. We used large rubber hoses that were designed for commercial, industrial use. As a result of my experience with the higher quality hoses, I went out and bought several of these. I have three 100 foot and a 50 foot at my house, and another 50 foot hose on my property.

My hoses stay outside in the Mississippi heat, and often laying on the ground. They never kink, have only leaked when the little rubber washer fails, which is an east fix, and pull like a dream. The hose on my property has been laying on the ground for 4 years, in the sun and weather and still performs like the day I bought it.

The savings not having to replace a cheap hose every year is great. Two cheap hoses more than pay for this one, and this hose lasts for years. Do yourself a favor and quit fighting your garden hose. Life is much easier with this hose.

Happy watering,

Cannon

p.s. I thought I would change things up to keep the attention of my readers. I think I will feature a household, usable by everyone item on Fridays, something you will need on most weekends.

You Need a Good Hammer

One of the first tools I got was a mallet/hammer. I was warned early on to never strike your tools with a metal hammer, never EVER, EVER. I started with a wooden mallet like this one (Basic Wooden Hammer) I was warned about the head coming loose, so I ripped the head off the handle, removed the staple holding the parts together and used a good wood glue (Elmers Wood Glue) to glue the head back on the handle. I then drilled a 1/4 inch hole through the side of the head and through the handle, and glued a 1/4 inch dowel rod (Dowel Rods) in the hole. It strengthens the tool and you would have to work hard to break it.

As I progressed, I moved to better hammers. Here are a couple I recommend, (Raw Hide Hammer), (Nylon Mallet), and a (Nylon Hammer). Any of these will work for tooling leather, it just depends on what you want to spend.

The nylon hammers/mallets do require a little maintenance every now and then. The nut on the end can come loose over time. A good solution to that issue is to apply some thread lock on the threads and tighten the nut down. (Loctite Blue Thread Lock).

I hope some of this information helps. I will continue to point everyone in the right direction on good tools to use. I will also try to point toward the least expensive, quality products to help you get started.

One way to help me continue to bring these items to you is to click the link and buy what you want. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.. And the great part is, it does not cost you anything extra to throw a little support in my direction.

As I progress through a basic tool list, I will start providing some video content of small projects to let you see exactly how to turn leather into art. Stay tuned in and check back often.

Fair winds,

Cannon

Everyone Needs A Good Knife

Cutting leather requires a good knife. There are knives made specifically for cutting leather, but for a beginner, they can get expensive. When I first started out, I used a utility knife that I could change the blade in regularly. A good clean cut with a sharp blade makes working with leather a lot more enjoyable.

The utility knife is a multi use tool, it comes in handy in so many situations. I can use this to cut leather, cut sheet rock, open boxes, a variety of things. The knife is also comfortable as an every day carry blade. The price is very reasonable, so if you lose it, it doesn’t cost an arm and a leg to replace it. I have a few really expensive knives that I would be sick if I lost them.

I was first introduced to the Stanley brand while doing construction so many years ago. Everyone had a Stanley tool of some type. I used a straight, fixed utility knife for many years when I hung sheet rock, and it performed every day without fail.

If you are looking for a knife to cut leather, or just a utility knife in general, check out this Stanley. I will also link to extra blades.

I realized many people are not able to pay for classes to learn how to work with leather. I was provided information without charge, in an effort to keep a dying art alive and well. So I decided to pay it forward. Each purchase you make by clicking on the links pays me a small affiliate fee. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. You get what you need to get started and I get a little compensation for my time to pass the information on. Both parties win, it’s like having your cake and eating it too. So please show some love and give a little support for my investment of passing this information on.

Remeber to practice safety in everything you do.
Cannon