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I've long wanted a cobbler's hammer (mainly 'cos I don't have one!). I remember my dad had one but it disappeared a very long time ago and wasn't among his tools when I got them. Very difficult to find, particularly used, so I thought "why don't I make one?". Can't be that hard. Hah, should have known better! I found a ball-peen hammer head for $3 and away I went. First thing was to reduce what I think was a very large tent peg to fit the hole in the head to prevent it from collapsing during the forging. I don't know what steel it was made from but it was tough to move under the hammer! Then it was time to start widening the head and likewise I don't know what the steel is in old hammers but this stuff is also hard to move. Once it got below orange heat the hammer had no effect on it. Eventually I got it to a suitable width and then mashed out the ball part to a flat. This hammering, by the way, didn't do my tennis elbow much good!!! I cleaned it up on the belt grinder and then heated it to non-magnetic and quenched in oil. I thought I'd have to temper it but a file could still (just) mark it so I called it good. I suspect the mass of the head was too much to cool quickly enough in oil and suspect quenching in water would have been better but it should be hard enough for leatherwork. I decided to leave the oil-quench coating on to give it some rust protection and just polished the face. The handle is from some Blackwood that I cut down years ago and saved just-in-case, need to give it another coat of linseed oil tomorrow. Was it worth it? Dunno, but it's something I just had to do.

Right. It also depends where you are, it's also called a "loop".

Nicely done! Sand casting can be a challenge at first, but you’ve got those conchos looking clean. Appreciate you sharing the process.

Used these light for years and they bright with a stout goose neck .. Best LED Sew

I noted the original post to alert any browsers to the new price, Beautiful looking stuff.

In the upper right corner of your post there are 3 horizontal dots, which is the dropdown menu. Click it. The EDIT option is there.

@AtomicLeather You are correct, the stamps and roll embossers are bookbinding tools. They're even more expensive than most leather working tools from what I've seen!! - Bill

Yeah, spammers are a real pain. I did the reply method that you advised on. Thanks

Price reduced to $150. Will ship for free to continental USA

Amazon or ebay has a wide variety of them dirt cheap. I just grabbed a few magnetic based, flexible necked lights. If you have a servo motor, the box might even have a plug so it comes on with the machine.

The easiest is just to reply to your own post. If you like, once you do that I can go edit your original post to refer to the new and improved price. The edit window is only a short time, thanks to the spammers. They like to come back and edit their garbage in later on.

I put a Python skin in the For Sale area and want to reduce the price. I can't see any way to edit my post. Can anyone show me the light? I thought messages used to have an EDIT button

Went to look at an appointment only estate sale because I saw they had some exotic wood for sale (I also turn wood projects), and asked if there were any tools or other equipment for sale…. I was amazed how much leather working stuff was piled up in a room, most of it still wrapped up since 2012-2014. There is the neatest set of roller embossing tools that I think are for bookmaking, but will make some great borders for some of my projects. Glad there was a gallon of neatsfoot oil so I can try and rejuvenate some of these hides...

Hello Thought I'd share one of the reasons why I wanted to get my Singer 111W155 sewing again. I have my late father's 1958 Plymouth Suburban. I learned to drive and work on vehicles with this car. I plan on redoing the seats. If you care to check it out, here's a link to my YouTube channel. My late father's 1958 Plymouth Suburban: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMaLPwPr28mlkzzgNSuLCdVyCnJmZ2Pf2

My original work light is long gone on my Singer 111W155. I still have it's mounting bracket. Looking for an LED work light with a flexible mounting. What LED work light are you using? Thank you!

You're absolutely correct! I downloaded an oiling guide! Glad I helped!

How did you do the dye? Did you paint the background with a brush, or just put a resist coating on the knotwork to protect it when you dyed the whole belt?

A married couple was in a terrible car accident. The husband survived, but his face was severely burned. When the doctor reviewed his options, the news wasn’t good. Skin grafts were possible, but the husband was too thin—there simply wasn’t enough healthy skin on his own body to use. That’s when his wife stepped forward. Calm. Steady. Without a moment’s hesitation, she said, “Use mine.” The doctor examined her carefully, then cleared his throat. “There is one area where the skin would be suitable… but it’s a very delicate matter.” It was from her buttocks. The couple exchanged a look—no embarrassment, no jokes, just understanding. A quiet nod. This would be their secret. Always. The doctor agreed to the strictest confidentiality, and the surgery began. It was a complete success. More than a success—the man’s face was transformed. He looked healthier, younger, even more handsome than before. Friends and family raved: “Unbelievable!” “You look fantastic!” “Medicine sure has come a long way!” He accepted their praise with a polite smile, but inside, he carried a deep, private gratitude. Every compliment reminded him of what his wife had given—quite literally—so he could face the world again. One evening, overcome with emotion, he took her hand and said: “My darling… I’ll never be able to thank you enough. You sacrificed so much for me. Please… tell me how I can ever repay you.” She squeezed his hand, smiled warmly, and whispered: “My love… I get all the thanks I need every single time I see your mother kiss you on the cheek.”

LOL. I feel your pain….

Thanks for everyone's input I did try the old coffee grinder that is hand cranked and it became very difficult to turn the crank, so I stopped so as not to break the coffee grinder. It did reduce the leather pieces into fine pieces.

Machine has inconsistent stitch length, is this play normal, checked and adjusted with the help of @Uwevideo’s with no change. Any insight would be appreciated. Thanks Mark IMG_5190.mov IMG_5191.mov

no, it belongs to the machine. See parts diagram I pointed where it does on. The lifting rod I mentioned is not part of the knee lifter.

This is the knee lifter I purchased for this machine. It doesn't include the roller you mentioned in the other example.