Matt S

That's pretty commonly said but it's my experience that there is no speed that is too fast for burnishing, it's just that there are different techniques for different speeds. The important speed is the surface speed not the number of revolutions per minute. RPM is a factor in determining the surface speed but literally three times less important than wheel diameter (pi*diameter*RPM). I find that faster wheels tend to be less forgiving of mistakes than slower ones but if you have your technique dialled in they produce just as good results, and far quicker than slower ones. For me there's the added benefit of not being tempted to over-wet the edge and create mushrooming. It's also quite essential to keep the edge cool and lubricated -- after all the heat is what does most of the burnishing, but the temperature at which leather burnishes is pretty close to the temperature at which it burns. I've been using a 2" diameter wheel on a 3000RPM motor for several years now. There was a bit of a learning curve at the beginning but it works well, and fast. I use different compounds and techniques on different leathers -- veg or chrome, thin, thick, soft, hard, it all works but each works differently. As @Hildebrand says, careful and consistent control of the pressure is half the battle.

Hey David, the trick with edge bevelers is to keep everything as equal as you can. If you change pressure or angle the amount of leather it removes will vary. I keep the strap still and walk along the bench, keeping the beveller at the angle I've found most effective by keeping the fingertips of that hand in contact with the bench. It's also essential to keep your tool as sharp as possible, I strop every few belts using a piece of string with abrasive paste rubbed into it. Burnishing can be a right pig until you got the right combination of pressure, compounds and speed for each particular leather but I've never had much success with paste saddle soap. These days I mostly use diluted PVA glue, but most water based glues will work. That's what him tragacanth gum is, but again I never had much success with that stuff. Also, with motorised burnishers, the leather needs to be wetter than with hand burnishing.

Normal red tin Evo stik works well, but some has clearly been sitting in inventory too long. I found that it's more effective if thinned a little, and not noticed much improvement from the 528 in the green tins. I now use Abbey's 441, proper stuff -- cheaper and more effective than Evo, it comes the right consistency, wets the leather better than Evo, dries in a few minutes and it's still got toluene in it. It works well on greasy/waxy/oily leather but I would never rely on it without stitching or riveting. When I have issues with contact cement not sticking properly it's usually because I've let it dry too far before pressing. It can be reactivated with heart, but I find potting on a second coat is better. Don't wait till it's completely dry before pressing the two pieces together, I find best results when it's still a little tacky.

I looked into strikers (non-pigment colourants) as deep as my lack of chemistry knowledge and literature available to the layperson allowed about 5 years ago. In fact the linked article was one of my early inspirations. We all know of vinegaroon (ferrous acetate), but of course most iron-containing compounds will work, including ferrous sulphate as the OP mentions. The (forgive me) amateur consensus or received wisdom is indeed to neutralise after striking but my research and basic experimentation indicated that this would lead to similar problems as not doing so at all, i.e. premature cracking and general degradation. Veg tanned leather is, after all, somewhat acidic (around pH 4-5, from memory). Best results from experienced curriers and tanners, corroborated by my own experimentation, is to simply wash the struck leather in clear water, or at most to buffer to the same pH as the leather started at.

Yep, looks like a good tool for a tenner. Thanks for clarifying about the spade symbol.

I believe that the Sheffield cutlery trade did/does simply call them "leather", "cobblers" or "beak" knives, and installers of UPVC double glazing calls them "Don Carlos" or "moon" knives. I think that the spade on the handle indicates that your knife was made in Solingen.

I agree with Constabulary above -- at that point Singer hadn't built an industrial sewing machine in two decades and were rebadging Adlers and Seikos. These will be some variant of Seiko TF-6 (still in production). Good, reliable little machines for certain jobs however the lack of reverse might be a handicap, depending what you want to make. Another potential issue is that the 18 is a "left handed" version of the 17. Not really for left handed people but I understand it has some advantage when closing show uppers. I would imagine that would make them a little awkward to use for anyone used to operating a "normally" arranged machine.

When talking about relatively common upholstery-weight machines like the 1541 and 1508 Jukis are/were roughly 1.5-2x the price of a Chinese equivalent before tax. Say £1200 vs £1800 in the UK. It's my humble opinion, based mainly on a lot of struggling and swearing with a couple of Chinese clones (and yes I know not all Chinese machines are built equally), that the price difference simply isn't enough to warrant a business or time-short hobbyist buying them over the Real McCoy (so long as the OEM ones are available and within the buyer's budget). The clones now being 25% more expensive to American buyers than they were (so using the previous numbers £1500 vs. £1800) just reduces the Chinese machines' sole benefit and make the premium manufacturers' ones seem more attractive by comparison. Heavier machines like the Juki 441 and its clones have a different set of numbers, probably due to reduced economies of scale. Frinstance a brand new Juki 441 is about £7k over here, whereas a clone from a dealer somewhere around £3K. To me that starts to be a viable saving in cash outlay to consider a clone machine. I'd still rather have a good used Juki/Adler/Singer/Seiko/Pfaff/Brother/BUSM/Mitsubishi/Toyota than the equivalent new Chinese clone but that's just me. I'm certainly not denigrating any particular dealers of Chinese machines, especially the diligent and reliable ones who help keep the lights on at LW.net just expressing a preference.

@machineage that's a cool machine. I bet she goes some! I like the jack servos. Good low starting speed and a smooth control range. A 550W (plenty for a upholstery machine) is about £120, and an extra tenner for a positioner sensor.

Chinese copy of the venerable (and now discontinued) Adler 205 so a lot of the advice for that machine would probably apply. However having never played with a Global machine I can't say anything about the quality. For me a 750SPM top speed would be a problem.

I agree with @LatigoAmigo above in that chrome tanned leathers don't really require a finish. However I would like to make the point that Fiebings Aussie, like all similar dubbins, is a dressing rather than a finish. Definitely a "working" grease or dressing it lubricates the fibres of most leathers very well and helps to resist dirt and moisture ingress but it's no finish as it doesn't form a coating.

Tony, not sure where you are in the UK but you might be best visiting a couple of reputable dealers and asking them what they have/would recommend. 10mm stitch length on an older cylinder arm design will be relatively unusual without going to something larger like a Juki 441 or Adler 205, which will entail the accociated reduced availability of parts/needles/fittings over the more common ones for upholstery-weight machines, as well as the difficulties you might encounter keeping them happy with lighter threads. You will likely also have a reduced top speed over an upholstery weight machine, which may not be a problem now but could be a bit of a bottleneck in the near future. If you'll settle for a new Chinese machine there is at least one Thor dealer in the UK but I can't recall them off the top of my head.

I expect that all will work. The wimsew is indeed a Chinese machine (rebadged Highlead 0618-1). I had one and wasn't hugely impressed with the quality. Not sure about the Durkopp except that they make good quality machines. I'd be tempted to use the Singer, as that model is a rebadged Seiko (STW-8 IRRC). It's a good quality machine unlikely to go out of whack in the middle of a job (unlike my experience with Wimsew), can go fast (2900spm) and has a compound feed with walking foot, which is ideal for your use case. The only caveat to the above is that it will use smaller bobbins than the Wimsew so you'll have to change them more often. However I think that the quality of the Singer will outweigh this advantage. Hover craft you say? Any chance of a look?

12-20 of multiple lines is probably too much for most bespoke and hobbyist makers but too small for people to tool up for specifically. Look at North Star Leather ( @nstarleather). Second generation family business. They should have no problem supplying what you're after.

They have done very well with that. I almost bought one a few years ago, and not only has Weaver managed to increase the quality of the product but dropped the price. That's economies of scale I guess. Just a shame there's no reverse or grooved flywheel, cos otherwise it could be a decent alternative to the CB3200.

I tend to use saddlers powdered edge dye, since it's what I had. It makes a really strong, deep colour however I've only found one source (Abbey), and you have to buy a half-kilo at a time which would probably last a hobbyist several lifetimes. I think any water soluble dye would work. Another reason I like PVA is that I think it makes a tougher and more water resistant finish than most conventional burnishing compounds. I'd like to try something that's specced as waterproof when dry, like Titebond 2 or 3, but in the mean time I've got a lot of PVA to get through. No, but I keep my PVA pre-diluted anyway. Quantities are very scientific: one dollop in a mayonnaise jar, topped up with water. Try it out on a scrap. If it doesn't shine quickly, needs more glue. If it dries before you get a good burnish, needs more water.

I never got on with tragacanth, found it left a crackly sort of layer after a lot of rubbing (oo er Mrs). I have much better results with almost any water-based glues -- gum arabic, rabbit/hide glue, wallpaper paste, even those glue pens that look like a marker that kids use to stick bits of paper together. However the best one I've found so far is diluted ordinary white PVA glue. It burnishes quickly to a thick, solid layer; it's easy and cheap to buy; it cleans up easily; it's completely non-toxic; it doesn't go manky. I keep several jars of it knocking around, each mixed up with a different colour and a dedicated dauber in each one. Slap the stuff on, wipe off the excess then give it some beans with a bone or stick until hard and shiny. Trick is to not bite off more than you can chew -- about 4-8" at a time maximum. Then once it's all done put it aside and LET THE BLOODY THING ALONE until very nearly dry, when it gets a heavy application of wax with the motorised wheel and then polished off with a rag. I'll see if I can dig out a photo -- edges are tricky things to capture accuractely.

From a purely pragmatic approach, using a matching thread colour on the backside does tend to hide a lot of cosmetic issues with the stitches, as does hammering and/or rubbing. Sometimes increasing the needle thread tension pulls the backside stitches in sufficiently to neaten the look on jobs that are being difficult however this is a balancing act, especially if you're using thread sizes that are at the high end for the thickness of leather being sewn. I've also found that on some leathers, dampening the back of the leather before stitching reduces blowout and allows the stitches to sink in a little more, which neatens their appearance.

Since it's upholstery leather and you only need a small amount I would print off a pattern (lots of ways to make custom sized dot grids) and attach it to the leather with a temporary spray glue, like spraymount. Then punch the holes with a small drive punch and peel off the paper. If you're wrapping it around a relatively small diameter that curves in three directions (a steering wheel) any small irregularities wouldn't be very noticeable.

Chris, you are quite right that the holsters you seen in typical mid-20th century Westerns were quite different from what was seen in the Western states from say 1850-1900. Partly it's a matter of what looks cool in a film, and partly the change in what people were doing with holsters in the 1950s (advent of steel-lined, low-slung holsters for quick-draw competitions, for instance). There were a lot more revolvers carried cross-draw back in the day than you'll see in 1950s westerns too -- if you want to know why, try drawing a pistol from a seated position! Will Ghormley is an excellent maker of period correct Western gear and has for many years created the actual rigs you see in the more modern, realistic (in terms of kit) films. His website, while appearing to date from not long after 1900, gives a lot of interesting detail. For instance I understand that the earlier revolver holsters (commonly called "slim jims" since they're pretty skinny looking) were felt lined. This was to protect the earlier, more delicate revolvers like the Colt Navy on the long early cattle drives (which got shorter and shorter as the railroad heads got closer to Texas).

Hi @BulletAK, welcome to the forum. I've been playing around with my laser engraver and found that leather with a top-coat (which yours appears to be) don't have the most detailed or permanent effect. This is because they have a layer of something similar to acrylic paint applied to them during manufacture -- this is the top surface of "leather" that you see. Very common in the world of large-volume commercial wallets as it reduces costs and increases consistency. The "black" is soot. On your leather it'll be a mixture of burned top-coat and chrome-tanned leather so I'm sure it has a distinctive scent. I installed an air-assist on my laser to remove the soot from the laser-affected zone as soon as it formed -- wiping it away afterwards stained the leather. This also reduced the residual smell on the leather. Maybe a blast with compressed or canned air would remove yours in a tidier way than wipping? No helpful suggestions I'm afraid, as my laser is almost permanently employed elsewhere ATM. Just thought I'd share my limited experiences.

Welcome to the forum, @studio6f. Consider adding your approximate location to your profile, so that people can make locally-appropriate responses. Depending on budget, I'd try to find someone local with a lathe. Preferably a retired person or other hobbyist, rather than a proper machine shop as they will probably be more amenable to a job like this and you might be able to pay with goods or services rather than money.

Yep as JCUK says best thing is to email for a price list. I'm not sure if the copy I have is up-to-date. It's literally just a price list, no photos or much description. @jcuk if you want to try out a bit of Bakers bridle without buying a whole piece I might be able to hook you up.

That does sound like bad service from that dealer. I'm sure Baker's would be interested in hearing about it, and would be the best place to advise you. Are you willing to name and shame? Those additional costs sound like a real killer. The industrial machine belting is what used to be used in line-shaft setups. Back when most workshops were powered by a water-wheel or steam engine the power was transmitted through the facility through line shafts (axles running along the ceiling) and down to the individual machines by leather belts. They use butts as it's the strongest part of the hide however defects that don't affect strength are unimportant. Baker's definitely sells it -- it's on their price list and I saw a shed full of the stuff. (What America calls a bend we tend to call a butt or a half-butt since it's a half of a wholebutt, which is split down the spine to make a pair of butts.)

Curious. I wonder if that's a belting butt that your dealer has sent you. It's mostly intended for machinery belting (as opposed to trouser/tool/gun belts) so I think the aesthetic tolerances are looser. Have you emailed Baker's with your photos? They would be better able to identify that piece and are rather helpful. In future you might want to order directly from Baker's. The price probably won't be any different however Baker's will get more of a cut of that money, and I expect that they will be better placed to pick a piece to your satisfaction. I don't know if there is a minimum order for international orders, but there isn't for domestic ones -- I've bought single pieces from them before. BTW, slightly off-topic, I visited Baker's last year and took some mediocre photos. Thread here: