TomG

At the very least, this is an inconvenience to him. I'd be willing to bet that he will be back under another name/ID in short order. People like that are hard to stamp out.. like roaches... As for cradom's note about Pinterest, I believe you can post most anything, as long as you do not claim it to be yours and leave or note the source or owner of it... But I may be wrong. Someone correct me if I am.

I picked up this Craftaid today and in my opinion, it's a great aid. I haven't worked with it but a short time, and noticed a couple of issues. 1) For best results, make sure that the stamp you are using is sized so that the ends do not overlap and that they don't leave hardly any gap. If they overlap, you get depressions at that point. If they leave too much of a gap, it leaves the grid line visible. 2) Use the lightest impression that you can still see the grid lines. 3) Make sure you have good lighting on all sides of the stamp to help with positioning the 4 points of the tool. Other than this, it seems like a good item to have in your tool bag. Thanks to JLS for the info.

Duh. Now I feel stupid. I've seen those for years now and never even though of using them for straps. For some reason, I guess I though they were for things like folders, covers and larger items. Thanks for the info. I'm going to pick one up and work with it.

I had the Consew model with that knob and I could not control the speed at all. It was either on or off. I took it back and got the CSM-1000. Much better, but it still needs the reducer pulley to make it truly slow.

It IS impressive. So let me ask again. Is there a technique that helps keep the stampings so perfectly aligned? I use a set of dividers and a square for some on my stuff, but it would not work well for this type of pattern... Thanks

I always struggle with keeping the stamp pattern lined up . What method do you use to keep everything lined up?

I always try to make them tight and make sure at least 1/2 of the thread length is engaged. Where did you get the clamp? I'm using one I got from OTB. It's a high impact plastic material (can't remember the name) and works pretty well. But the rubber stop on the bottom is tearing and I don't know where to get a replacement.

I have a 24" Laserpoint vinyl cutter and have tried to cut some 7oz vegtan on it with moderate success. Have any of you had good luck using one? I was able to cut about 1/2 way through, but trying to cut all the way caused the blade to hang in the cut and lose registration. I used high pressure, 60 degree blade, multi cut, and had it glued to a backing sheet. Anyone else have experience with it?

What tool do you use them in?

I would rubber cement the 2 halves together and use a pricking iron through both at once.

Has anyone tried one of the Ozone generators to kill mold? On anything (not just leather )?

I need some expert help here. I have the Tandy High Tech Leather Splitter and it has been great for years. Today, I needed to split a 3" wide 20" long strap of 8 oz down to 6 oz for a repeat job. I had used it to do this a few weeks ago. I have noticed it dragging just a tad, so I took off the blade to strop it. As I was putting it back on, I noticed one of the roller posts not touching the side adjustment screw. So, I loosened the nut and turned it in until it just touched and secured it. Now, it is splitting fine for a very short bit and then shearing through the strap an an angle. Repeatedly. I moved it back out but it's still doing it. Stupidly, maybe, I tried to adjust them both so that the roller posts are equal distances in. I've started with the blade edge just past the center of the roller and worked it out until it's just before the center. I'm at my wit's end. I have to get this job out. Any clues? Thanks

Going to PM you about this

I disagree with your blanket statement. It is not that black and white. If the package is insured, the shipper is responsible for recouping the value of the lost shipment. In that case, yes.. the seller should replace the items at no charge. But if the buyer is offered insurance and declines it, that is their gamble and they take the hit. Once it is accepted by the shipper it is totally and completely out of your hands and control. While I sympathize with the buyer's loss, it is not my fault that it was lost. Why should I HAVE to take the hit. Before you try to rip my head of... Personally, I will, in general, make the order over and ship it. But, don't tell me I have to if they have declined the minimal cost of insurance. And NO.. I do not and will not include the shipping costs into the item price. It's too bulky and unwieldy to manage with a wide range of products and destinations. Especially international. $8 to Canada, $16 to UK and $23 to Australia. I put the weight into the shopping system and let the customer choose how they want it shipped and if they want insurance. I add $1 to cover the cost of the envelope/box and the system adds the exact cost of the postage in.

Crying??? there's no crying in leatherwork!!!!

Try 10% and 25% dilutions. I think I settled on 25% but don't remember

Actually, for the money, the GoldStar is not a bad little press. I do up to 200 double caps a month and it had been a real time-saver. You just have to be aware of the little things like using 9mm dies for Tandy medium double caps instead of the 8mm that Tandy claims their rivets are. And their Line 20 dies don't fit Tandy Line 20 snaps without modifying the dies. But those are really Tandy issues and not GoldStar. But, if I was going to be setting caps for hours a day, I'd definitely go with a better quality press and die set, for the durability, if nothing else.

Did almost the exact search years ago when they were discontinued and all I got back were references to Tandy and it's various distributors. Good job finding them

I have a guy who wants a custom holster made like the one in the photo below. I haven't found a similar one that leans like this. Plus, I really have not done molded holsters and don't have time to start now. Is anyone interested in taking it on? He is in the Atlanta area Thanks

They look like the old Tandy Star rivets. They discontinued them a number of years ago. I've never found a replacement for them either. Let us know if you do!

I think they are all the same for that series of machines, but I could be wrong. Wiz and others can confirm that though. I had a similar issue a few years back on my Singer 111W155. There is a pin the behind it that pushed the tension discs apart when the pressor foot is lifted. It was stuck in the out position and that removed all tension. Something to check.

Fiebings had discontinued all shades of their leather balm and are only producing the Neutral. While this works, I liked the brown and black as I've found it helps smooth and blend out any irregularities in the dye job. Has anyone tried to color the Neutral with dyes? I spoke to the Fiebings guy and he didn't have a clue as to how to do it. I'm going to try it myself, but figured I'd check here first before trying to reinvent the wheel <g>

Dave, Can you post pictures of the 10M set - I'm assuming that they are double cap sets? I have the same press and I have the 8mm and 9mm sets. It presses double cap rivets fine. That being said, I DO have to put the cap end down and the post end up to get good, consistent results. But mine look identical to the ones you show. But, both have a very shallow curvature on the bottom die. You have to look closely, but it's there. One point with these dies -- The double caps they fit are everyone's product, except Tandy. Goldstars rivets have 8mm caps They claim other vendors "mediums" are 8mm as well. Tandy states their medium is 8mm as well, but it measures 9mm. Tandy has a very nice-looking press now and feels good. But I have a real problem paying $60 to $120 for dies. If I were running a production line, I could maybe justify it based on them appearing to be more heavy duty. But not for some 200 or so rivets a month. Of. The Goldstar Line 20 die set will not set the socket part (I think) of the Tandy line 20's. I've got some line 20's from Zack White and one other vendor and they fit fine. If I start doing a lot of Line 20's I'll buy another set, chuck the socket die into a lathe or drill press and knock the diameter down about 2mm or so. Will probably take all of 3 minutes. I also had a few phone and email conversations with the owner (Dave?). He was OK to deal with. Not overly friendly, but not at all hostile. He was cooperative when I had to exchange my first set of dies due to that size issue. But I have read threeads here where folks have had issues with him like yours. No telling <g> Appreciate any pictures of those 10mm dies.

On carpet but I could lay some cardboard down. I don't even think it's in there now. Of course, it IS small. I've used a very bright light and laid under the machine, in back, front, top etc. I've used a dental probe to see if anything shifts as I poke around and had my wife turn the wheel as I looked and nothing moves. When I pulled that bottom case cover off, the cover sort of snapped off suddenly, so if it was in the bottom of that, there is no telling where it went. Turning the head upside down and shaking will have to wait until I get some help. I had surgery on my wrist last week and am still in a cast. And dikman... that is my worry as well. It would be just my luck...

Well, this may be the stupidest question ever posted, but I have to share my pain. I am sewing down each side of 3/4" straps. Done many of them, so it should be a drop-kick. I have a pretty new Consew 227R that began giving me erratic bottom stitches last night. I get a few lines that look pretty good. Then I get one where the entire line has the top thread being pulled down to the bottom. Now, to get the "good" lines, I had to adjust the top tension to almost max to pull them up. Bobbin tension felt relatively light and adjusting it in 1/4th turn increments didn't seem to help. Threaded, re-threaded, re-threaded, etc. (Using 138 nylon). Bobbin in correctly. No snags, thread pulls through smoothly on top and bottom. I stopped by my local dealer and his tech said I might have a damaged bobbin tension spring or trash in it. I took it off to check it. Dropped the tension screw down by the hook and it disappeared. I took off the cover under the hook but I can not find that stinking screw. So -- the stupid question is --- Is there some little nook or cranny under there that these screws like to hide . There's ALWAYS some oddball place that lost screws hide <g>... Hopefully, my dealers service shop has some spares tomorrow. End of Pain Sharing !!!!