TomG

Not sure on those.... Sorry

If it's the one that swings down and mounts to the rear, I believe it's 6mm, but I could be wrong. The model I mentioned has to have a hole drilled and tapped into the rear. Then you can use a short screw in the other hole... But be careful. That existing hole already has a screw in it and you have to be careful not to mess it up.

This was done with Fiebings Oil Dye diluted 4:1 with denatured alcohol. The lettering was resisted with 3 coats of 100% Resolene. It looked good but it did have some spots that the dye didn't seem to penetrate well. Probably from being heavily diluted.

The only issue I had with the Black River gauge is that I found you have to subtract about 1/64" from the width to fit many belt buckles and so the tongue will go through. The BL gauge sets to exact sizes.

OK. I went to the garage and did a couple of tests. Here's a strap... The strap is 1-1/4" wide. "MICHELE" is just over 1/4" tall in a block font. "TOM" is in a script font and is about 3/4" tall. If that script was any smaller, it would have been messy. As it is, the "M" is a tad ragged, although the antiquing fills it in a bit. Hope this helps. Tom

With that linotype lettering. you can make any number of jigs to hold them in and shape you want, as long as you are handy with tools. The only drawback is that the type can get quite expensive if you need a number of different sizes and styles. You can use a top plate and an arbor press to set them. And they look great. I have a couple of manual engraving machines (New Hermes/Gravograph) that I do metal plates with. One is a diamond tip drag engraver and the other is a motorized rotary engraver. Paid about $200 for the big one and about $50 for the small one. With about 14 font sets (some dupes) motor for the big machine, jigs, fixtures, etc. These also use a set of fonts. The fonts are brass plates that you drag a stylus through to do the engraving. The advantage over the typeset letters is that you can take 1 single set of 2.5" letters and adjust the pantograph down to about 8:1. Smaller font sets let you engrave smaller letters. Gravograph makes a computer driven, rotary engrave, the M20, that places like 6 flags, Disney, etc use to personalize leather bracelets. I have played with my rotary machine a couple of times but haven't gotten the font vs size vs cutting tip to use. It does great work except certain letters, like "M", tend to get sloppy at the points. But it's just a matter of time before I get the right set together. Advantage - fonts are on the computer. Disadvantage? Over $5000 and I'm not sure if that includes the required software or not. That's a LOT of bracelets!!!! You can find all of this stuff on eBay and possibly Craigslist. Make sure with the font sets for either, that they are complete. Especially the typeset fonts. Lots of folks sell partial sets for some reason. Tom

Do you have 2 buttons on the base plate of the machine? Sounds like you pre pressing the button to lock the shaft after the safety clutch releases. If there is a second button, press it while turning the pullet towards you until it locks down. Then while holding it down, turn the pulley back and forth to set the stitch length. Tom

Check this post out. It covers it. and has some other links to methods as well, if I remember right. http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=56574#entry363071

Our local store has had a huge range of quality in specific sides. I bought a couple of Latigo sides that were beautiful. Others in the stack were absolute garbage. I also bought a couple of sides of their light weight saddle skirting a few months ago and it is almost impossible to split. Almost pulled my bench over trying - and that's with a newly sharpened blade and with the splitter mounted so I pull lengthwise down the bench. I'm really not sure why it seems to be getting worse. I like Tandy - if for no other reason that our local staff is fantastic (Atlanta GA) and super supportive. I'm about ready to start buying my leather on-line.

I'm not a pro by any means, but I'm pretty sure that square tab on the left of the hook assy needs to go under the plate, Take the 2 screws out and look under it. You should see a notch that it fits into. Rotate it back under and screw it back down and see if that works.

Check Rio Grande Jewelry: Look for End Cap Findings. I have used the solid sterling round ones and locked them in place with E-6000 glue.

I saw the photo and it looks like you might have rigged up a lawnmower throttle cable to the motor. I like having both hands free, as I'm sure you do. I sat down at my machine and was thinking that if you could somehow rig that assembly up so that you could use your forearm or elbow to press it, you could still use your hands to guide the leather in. With Wiz's setup, I'm not sure if he gets a lot of speed control range between off and the 1 stitch per second, or not. I know I have set my Singer up to do about 3 SPS and it's still a tad touchy at startup. I need to go in and set the acceleration on the motor. I use a Consew 500 I think. And I've put in the speed control improvement mod that you can find on the web and even here somewhere. Good luck with it. You're in the right spot for help!

I've only used black and brown on those colored shoes. From what I understand, neutral is for those other colors....

You should polish shoes before they even get close to looking disheveled. Take a rag and get a dab of polish on it. Put your other hand in the shoe to hold it. Rub that dab into the leather in a circular motion. Get another dab and rub it in, overlapping the first. Continue all over the shoe, then go back and start all over and repeat 2 or 3 or 5 times. You sort of want to slowly fill the pores. Let it dry for a while and then use a soft cloth to buff the hell out of it. In the service, we used a piece of nylon hose (pantyhose), and spit on the shoe, then polished.. hence the term "spit polish". It takes a lot of work to get a mirror shine, but looks great. The spit polish is optional, but once you have put on your initial coats of polish, usually a single coat rubbed in, dried and buffed will keep them looking new.

Or.. If you really want to make a career of it, a stitch spacing wheel and an awl Also, I've known people to use a drill press and a very small bit after the spacing wheel.

Same experience as Bill. Horrible smell and terrible coverage. I don't know this for sure, but I believe the only application for this crap would be to touch up factory dyed leather items, like the old style white Nurses shoes. But, maybe one of the more experienced folks will know for sure.

I've gone through a few of the kitchen style cutting boards. I finally settled on one of the black rubber type mats from Tandy. It holds up pretty well. One issue to watch out for on the kitchen cutting boards is that many have a texture to them. If you do anything forceful --- like setting rivets -- the leather will pick up that texture. Same with cuts on the black mat. The leather can pick up those cuts as impressions.

Hmm...are you referring to glove snaps or Segma's? I know Segmas come in those 2 sizes. These glove snaps are labeled as 10 mm I went by my local Tandy today to make sure I was using the right tools, which I am. The kit for the Segma's uses the same male snap setter for both. But I also have a deluxe set with a male setter that is a much longer and larger diameter. Same size hole though. I have an older set a friend gave me that has a plate with 2 holes on it. One for Segma and one for the glove. That worked much better. I still don't know why I am suddenly having issues after 2 years of using these for this item. Weird... But at least I have a work-around.

I use the Tandy SS keeper staples. 1 to 2 per keeper depending on size. Quick, easy and secure.

What thickness of leather are these intended for? I've been using them on 4 oz, but recently, I've been having problems with the male parts coming loose from the post. The post just doesn't seem to form properly inside the male piece. I messed around with some today and had to set it so hard it cut the leather on one edge. Any tips or advise?

I mounted a piece of 2mm (think that was the size) round lace to my stropping board with glue. Applied rouge and drag my #126 edgers down it every so often. I've never sharpened them, but that stropping makes a world of difference in how they cut. Tandy has an excellent book on use, care and sharpening on most tools.

You might also find it by searching like this... http://www.tandyleatherfactory.com/en-usd/home/department/hardware/11386-00.aspx

I do straps up to 1-1/2" and generally use a size 3 in that same model. For smaller and thinner leather I have a size 2 that I sue, but I found with the thinner stuff, if I lay it on top of a piece of scrap strap and flush up the edges, it cuts much easier and smoother.

Yeah, they are all that way from what I've read here. the only one from ANYONE that has been reported as sharp out of the box, is the one from Weaver, I believe. There was a thread about it recently.

How about 1:4 and dip dye?