TomG

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?

I just picked up red and pearl. Played with it a couple of days ago and as long as I mixed it very well, it seems OK. If I added too much and didn't mix well, I did see a little splotching in a couple of places. I think I did about 1 part pearl to 2 parts dye.

Maybe it's the pieces that are missing from your original :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

I guess we're lucky here in the Atlanta area. The Tandy staff is friendly, knowledgeable and honest. I can't tell you how many times they have bent over backwards to help a customer.. And no, I don't work for Tandy.. But if the staff is crappy, I'd raise hell with Ft. Worth.

Yeah.. That's garbage. Call them or email them. They are usually pretty good at making this stuff right. If the shipping label shows which store it came from, call them direct and speak to the manager. Usually Tandy distributes orders to the store closest to you... Or at least they used to. Make them pay all shipping back and forth....

There are lots of threads here about how to achieve the same thing. Here's one: http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=26419&hl=%2Bcarve+%2Bease

It's really not hard. You have no pattern hat you have to follow. It's totally up to you. ENC mentioned the E294 series of tools and I can see some of those patterns in the collar, but it looks like there is more there. I could be wrong and it would not be the first time <g> Experiment. Later

I was gonna back out of this and leave it alone, but I'm a blabber-mouth and can't help myself. 1) Since I know of few hardware suppliers who carry the depth and volume of our kind of hardware that OTB does, it's hard to go elsewhere for a lot of stuff. So where do I buy that buckle that no one else seems to carry - at least in the quantities I can afford to purchase in? 2) Has anyone complained to OTB about their handling fees? 3) Are you asking for the most economical shipping on your order with them? I just went back through my last 3 orders from OTB. 1 probably weighed 1 pound - small USPS flat rate Priority box. Charged me $7.75 S&H. Probably cost them $5.05 in postage. Second order was about 2 pounds. Same small USPS box. $7.79. Not sure what the extra 4 cents in handling was. Third order I checked. 19 line items. Many solid brass. USPS Priority box. $8.89 S&H. I really can't complain about $2 - $3 in fixed costs above actual postage. And anyway, who can I buy from that won't charge above actual shipping costs, either as a shipping charge or rolled into the product? Oh. As a comparison, I use a lot of aluminum side release buckles in my products. My cost at OTB is $3.40 ea. I DO have another supplier who actually lists their prices to include shipping. (the product quality is inferior to the OTB product) My cost for 1 is $6.15 ea shipped. OTB would cost me over $10 for 1. Obviously, I don't order 1 at a time.

Lay it on a rough surface like a concrete block grain side down and hit it with a mallet up and down the length, move hit again, until at the end. How much effect is up to you. You can actually use anything rough to indent the surface with. Chunk of granite or marble's rough end, brick, etc. Those look like they have had some light finish like Leather Balm or Resolene applied and when dry, antiquing gel laid on thick and wiped off to color the holes and speckles. Pretty easy effect to get.