JLSleather

Right. But no worse than those who jack up the price of the goodies so they can advertise "free shipping"

Lookin' forward to it .

HEY.. maybe I could spend the winter making videos... like sorta myth busters for leather .... SHOOT! I just realized.. with all the freshly sealed oak floors, I'm gonna have to go out the back door and around the building to get the mail ... Oh, well... saving $3k, I guess I can walk around once....

I put mine on myself. And when it turned out to be a lemon, I took it off and shipped it. Then I put the replacement on myself. Then I removed it, and then I put the THIRD one up myself. The worse these things get,the better shape I'm gonna be in.

From what I'm reading, MN is pretty much like here - legally. But no -- not opening again once i'm up there. Too many hours on things OTHER than making stuff these days.. which is basically unpaid work. In this instance, one of many, I can now call and order leather AGAIN that I thought was arriving in this package, and hope it's what I need. There's nothing wrong with this leather, except it's not 7 1/2 oz. I plan to use it - just not for what I ordered it for. So I end up storing a couple of sides more than I planned (and moving with them) while waiting for some more to arrive - which I'm not sure i want to do since I may not be here by the time it's ready to go out. The 4 oz I got in is a tad heavy as well, but not a problem. OR, I could order a splitter, but the same timing issue, PLUS - the way things are done these days I'd almost bet money that it will not arrive sharp and ready to use. That type of thing really irritates me. I don't even have a decent awl blade any more - since you apparently can't buy one ready to go. Some stores having nothing to do with leather do the same thing. I was in one, found out that you can buy the head for a sledge hammer right over here, but you need to go to the far end of the store - a block or so away - to get the handle. "Marketing" tells them that people will buy more crap they don't need on the way across the store. Oh, there's that too.. don't even get me started about them 'sensitive' folks who think 'marketing" is a real job For me personally, they shot themselves in the foot - I'll just pass on the sledge hammer before I go through all of that. Nah.. I'll just flip the leather over into a hobby thing. Make my own, and some for people I know.... Maybe spend some free time making a pattern available around here and making fun of people who make lame and unnecessary videos! Maybe loan out a dummy gun here n there ... I have decided (finally) that GOOD leather is not a scalable business. I don't click out cheap crap to sell to people who don't know better. It's not my nature or my style, and plus there are plenty of those already! Get right down to it, I really don't need anything. Good truck, smart dog, decent fishin' rod. Period. As for preparing for winter... the wife is already shopping for electric generators (like to run the whole house) and new trucks

Well, more important than the belts, really.. is maybe that we're both controlled by 8-year-old girls

My baby girl got the purple one 3 years ago. Pink one two years ago. Blue on last year. Now she says she needs a new belt, and don't care what color it is at all. Long as it isnt' black, brown, or tan

Moving out of the state before long, and closing up the shop. Just a matter of NOT registering the business in MN. Opened the W/C order came this morning. Nice looking leather, and firm. Drum dyed well. But what should have been split to 7.5 oz is every bit of 9 oz I'll use it, and I still have one more order coming also, but I don't think I'll order any more. Moving to the middle of 10,000 fishin' holes anyway

Small flat rate box is now $6.80 within the U.S. I sometimes use them for small items, not for teh flat rate, but because it includes insurance.. and by the time you pay for 1st class plus insurance, plus buy the box.. might as well use that priority box!

Didja like the caiman? Tell us at least you liked the goodies ...

Yeah, me too. Sanding oak floors today. Not that i have time to sand floors, but today is when we could rent the floor sander -- and I'm NOT paying that goober $3200 to do what I can do myself in a morning. "Everybody" says he does nice work, so got him over here. Bedrooms already been done - just need the main room and hallway. When I asked why so much for so little area, he says ya gotta take off all the base trim, casings, etc. But when I asked how much if that's already done (which it already was for painting) the price didn't drop all that much Wickett / Craig bundle showed up in the middle of the floor sanding. Haven't opened it yet - until the dust settles...

okay, 6mm makes more sense... so what them 'merican fellas calling 1/4", or 16 oz. Yeah, you gonna wanna git them teeth off the leather. You could grind them off, and then buff the foot smooth -- this has been done, but keep in mind that you're altering the length of the foot like that... and results wouldn't be ideal. Better perhaps to contact the dealer - or a repair shop -- and get a set of feet to fut which are smooth. Those feet really arent for leather, though they probably do just fine with fabric, canvas, etc. http://www.highlead.co.uk/contact-HIGHLEAD.htm

.6mm is pretty thin stuff ... like what us boys over here would call 1 ounce leather. Are you sure you didn't mean 1.6mm or even 6mm? What to do with the feet (or TO the feet) will depend on what type you currently have.

Yeah, you can and should say. Seriously, if you made something for someone, and they were happy and felt like they got a good deal, wouldn't you want them to refer you to others? Same thing.. if somebody treated you right, give 'em a reference! Now, I generally go beyond that, personally, and if somebody gives me a bad deal, I tell that too. Though, I'm not recommending that to others....

Your order of steps will work. Use your stamp before or after dye, as long as it's before the finish layer. Incidentally, I dont worry about a "makers mark"... I've been at this since before some of these boys wore big boy pants, and I've never owned a "makers mark"

That video was down-right inspirational, Wiz And exactly my point... git'er done. I go slow enough ( and JUST slow enough) to ensure the quality of the finished project. I understand that won't be the same speed to everyone. Without even looking for them, I'd been shown SO many videos of click... et...... tey.... clak..... click.... When I saw your video, I was this guy... Truth is, what the next guy does - or does not -- is not my business. But that simple little video was memorable and worthwhile (thanks )

Thanks for the pic. Might have to scratch my head another minute. Trying not to order BIG piles of stuff I will have to pack up again to move ...

One more "tip" about the set-up..... when using a 25 needle, I would consider 6 per inch the MAX to stitch with, and probably aim at a bit longer stitch than that... 5 or 5 1/2 per inch. Too many holes too close together is called a "tear"

Try to relax - I slow down at sharp turns, too, .. and likely most of us do. And I go quite slow when backstitching, since I'm determined to get at least some work out of this piece of cobra. and it's not so very reliable about stitching back in teh same holes (crap shoot... it may or may not from one time to the next). But on a belt that runs straight for 45" per side, or a holster that has a "turn" with an 8" radius.... Well, ya know what.. second thought.. I should just stay out of alot of stuff around here. No worries

I'm always just dumbfounded when I see all the posts about how slow I can sew with my [ insert model here ] sewing machine. There is no value in being slower. Obviously, you shouldn't do anything faster than you are able to do safely. And I've heard of people learning to use sewing machines with a tennis ball under the foot pedal -- or like I did, just adjust the foot pedal rod so that if I accidentally pushed it down, there was a top limit that I could control. But down the road, seriously... how well do you think that would work at a job interview? Q: What would you say is one of your strengths? A: I can sew a belt R E A L L Y slow! While it's not politically correct to throw you out, you're probably not on the call-back list So why, then, would anyone think it's desirable on a project? Same scenario... Q: "hey Jeff, you use HO grade A leather, design your own, and stitch (usually) with a piece of cobra, just like that other guy.. so WHY should I buy yours instead of his?" A: Cuz I sew it R E A L L Y slow. Like, have a snak between stitches. Again... I've even seen videos made.. like ... LOOK how slow I can go ...! Where's that video Wiz did a while back.. was it guitar straps or rifle slings? Zip, zip, done. Zip, zip, done.

Latest die I purchased was through Tx Custom Dies. Reasonably priced, arrived quickly, geometrically correct, and cuts cleanly. Nice work.

Anybody tried the shark out there? I'd like to see the difference what we's calln "gloss" and what we's callin "matte". ANd I like to know without dropping $200 to find out

Man - tough crowd around here Got some I been meanin' to get back to.. but between house shopping and comparing schools, doctors, and distance to fishin' holes, it's tough to find the time at the moment.... Been a while since I moved - sorta fergot how much a pain that is!

That edge guide really is a nice addition. People make videos these days more for attention than to actually make a valid point, but that would be other "not-Jeff" people. If the thing wasn't a 'plus' for me, there wouldn't be a video That roller thingy that came with the machine isn't entirely useless, but the drop-down model is much more convenient (and less money, if i remember right). I don't mind "clearing up" what I can and where i can, though it does seem quite petty that for two and a half THOUSAND dollars you get to hope that the machine is set up correctly and for information ask questions on a forum from someone OTHER THAN the place you got the machine. I bought a $10 digital stop watch recently, and EVEN THAT came with SOME kind of manual...

I've been using Organ needles. I lack the experience to confirm that they are THE BEST made, but they do stitch well, so there's that. As for the 794 designation, the 7x4 is the same thing, said a different way. There was a chart around here somewhere explaining all of that.. but no idea where it went. They might also say DY3. I got some recently from an ebay seller. Keep in mind, that i ordered from them twice... once I got just what I ordered... the other time I got a different needle (even though I emailed to confirm they were 'LL' points, they weren't). http://www.ebay.com/itm/400730390609?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&var=670274800837&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT For 277 thread top and bottom, you'll likely want a #25 needle.