TomG

I never even thought of the silicone parchment. I just happened to see this during a trip and since I had a bunch of strap ends to glue up, thought it might work. It works well, but it's time consuming to rub the glue off. A couple of spots would be no problem. But I have streaks all over it. But, I do like that it's reusable and folds up to store easily. I've got a couple of ideas I'm going to try tomorrow <g>...

Have any of you treied that red glue mat Tandy carries now? I just bought one to try and it seems OK, but could be larger. But I'm trying to figure an easier way to clean the dried glue off than finger rubs, which is what was suggested. It works but it's slower than hell.

Check the needle. Possibly worn out. Check the feeder plate for burrs. But first, check your tension and make sure nothing is snagged or threaded wrong. Have you ever used 46#? I don't know about your machine, but I seem to recall 69# is the smallest my machines will handle (111W155 and 227R). There is also left and right twist threads. You said it was just purchased, so maybe the wrong twist? Post what you find. Helps us all <g>

What would you use a 19mm button stud for? In fact, is there any rule of thumb for what size to use where?

Water. It helps prevent cracking when the leather is flexed

So you guys are saying that you can dip dye using the Pro Waterstains? I thought you had to rub it into slightly damp leather. How long do you dip it? My oil dyes only take seconds to dip.

I use Leather Balm with Atom Wax and after well dried, top it with a very light coat of 50/50 Resolene or acrylic floor wax. Right after the Leather Balm, I flex the leather a bit and it limbers right up. Of course, 80% of my stuff is straps of some sort, so that part is easy <g>. Works well for me. Someone else I know uses the floor wax first and the Leather Balm on top. Works for them as well.

I did not know a lot of this. I wondered about the Ligne/Line designations but never took the time to learn the history. Thanks for the education!

I'll do that. I have generally been using a 12 oz rawhide maul. I put the cap holder on my slab and hammer until the sound changes from soft to sort of a "tink". Hard to explain unless you're listening as you hammer... But I still have to fiddle with the female socket. I have never figured out what I have, as far as setters go. I have 2 setters for these but they are slightly different. I know there are Line 14's out there, but the difference is not enough for that to be the answer. Both appear to be Tandy setters. So, what I wind up doing. is setting as above using the slightly smaller setter and then testing the fit. I then use the slightly larger setter and gently tap the socket until I get a good snap, I then snap them together and tap the cap on an anvil to "set it". If I just set with the smaller setter, I can set the on the anvil but can't get them apart without prying them. If I use the larger setter, they don't hold well. I placed an order for some buckles and D-Rings from OTB today and they are sending me a few samples of their Segmas to try. BUT... They have Size 21 and Size 22. I have not seen those sizes anywhere else and Google couldn't find them either. Has anyone heard of these sizes?

As Gary said. It's a surgical staple remover. Still widely used by Vets.

When I first started leatherwork, I used them almost exclusively for a time. I found them to be temperamental and pretty fussy about factors like the leather thickness, how hard I set them and whether the setter was perfectly vertical. Same as you have found. I also had a couple of setters of vaious ages and found differences in which one I was using. Although I got fairly good a developing a routine, I still had way too high of a redo rate. Now, in all fairness. I was using them on 2/3 and 3/4 oz leather. This is actually too thin for what they are intended for. On 5/6 to 7/8, they worked much better. So, a large part of it was "wrong tool for the job". But even with the correct thickness, I was still experiencing too much waste. I also was using Tandy snaps, and the female socket was kind of flimsy. I bought a small package of them recently for a custom request, and found that I could actually move the "ears" with my thumbnail after setting them. So, now I use glove snaps for the thinner stuff and line 20 or 24 for the thicker stuff. Finally, I have heard that using a press and dies reduces the error rate significantly. But I don't have those dies and am not spending $100 to find out So, check out the glove snaps if you are using the thinner leather and see if they fit the bill for you. Later

I had this happen once when I had the bobbin installed the wrong way. Check it like MikeSC said.

I saw some of these at the Ren-Fair here in Atlanta. The leather felt like upholstery leather. Soft, and a bit pliable. I assumed it was glued together. I actually introduced myself and tried to discuss the technique (I have no shame ), but I really am not interested in make these for sale. Too many other irons in the fire. But the gal at the booth said she was just an employee and had no idea of how they were made. But I do like the white leather glue idea. It "feels" right. It stays flexible, yet will hold the leather together. I'd use the plastic clips they sell to hold cloth together for sewing the seams. Expensive, but nice. About #0 for a box of 50, but with a coupon from JoAnns it drops it can drop in half...

Found out today that this press will take the Tandy dies. Thanks for all of the input

I did actually think of the inserts, but haven't had time to follow up on it. Wish I still had my metal lathe

I have a United Carr M369 press and am looking for dies. I'd specifically like to find dies for Segma snaps and maybe a few others. Anyone have some for sale/trade? Or does anyone know of a brand or source of dies that will fit? Thanks

If you find 2, let me know

Before you use a syringe, make sure the end cap makes it waterproof. If you overfill the chamber, it may leak out. Not sure though.

I use mine for cutting the slits for doing mystery braid and stuff. It's a PITA to change setups for different sizes, and that black holddown bar is a bit flimsy, but it does a good job of doing what it's designed for after it's set up. Be sure to use sharp blades. Stropping them once in a while helps.

If you try to pour dye in, you're probably going to have a mess. Pull the cap off the top and slide the sponge tube out. Drop one end into a small bottle of dye for a few minutes and let it saturate. Then put it back into the pen and cap it back up. Dip the tip into the bottle to pre-wet it and you're good to go. When it runs out, just resoak the sponge tube. I really like mine.

So, where do you get the stuff to do it and are there any issues with doing it by hand?

Generally, when you fold a thicker piece like that, you wet the back side down a bit, let it soak in a few minutes and then do the fold. Tom

This had me puzzled. I have used Tandy's double cap rivets for years now and never experienced that problem. I believe they use the same caps as the rapid rivets. I set a few in a strap and rubbed the hell out of them on my desktop, a formica embroidery table top, a cutting board and my granite slab. I rub hard, like I was doing a rough cut when sharpening a knife. The only one that showed the base metal was the slab. I'm not sure what's going on with yours. Any way for you to post photos? I am getting ready to switch to the solid brass rivets and may switch to OTB for them if Tandy is having quality issues now. I can see them cutting down on the plating thickness to save money. Tom

Hi Wiz, Thanks,,, Yep. Already did the decision on a bottom price. I always do that anyway . Don't think I put FIRM on it though.... I just got in from vacation, so will check that tomorrow . I haven't had to battle the Nigerians lately, but I've had a few "official" Microsoft support folks form Manila call to tell me my PC was in serious trouble and the could fix it. I couple of them even held on while I "had the FBI start a phone trace on the call". Talk about being faithful to a script. Hmm ... I wonder how long they held on after I hung up? Thanks Tom

Thanks for the input, Floyd. I've had a few inquiries locally but they were from people who wanted it for next to nothing. I don't really mind shipping, but was not up to speed on ways and costs. I have a much better handle on it now. Thanks to all Tom