TomG

I have had 1 or 2 sides from them that had a core which was hard as fiberglass and even looked like it. I could barely cut one of them with a saw Try it with a box knife and new blade. If that has a problem take it back.

The rod you get at the hardware store should be more than ample. You are talking about kids and either wood or Poly mallets I would assume. You never hit any of these with a steel hammer anyway. Yes, you mix the 2 parts in equal amounts. And only what you'll use in about 1/3 - 1/2 of the setting time. I would not suggest putting the 2 part is and mixing there. You need to premix it until it's grey. If I was going to do a bunch of these, I would take a piece of wood, drill holes that would just hold the rods, with enough space between them for the stamp to clear. Put a rod in each hole. Mix up the JB (I use Popsicle sticks) and put a small amount on the end of the rod. Then, slide the stamp on. I would work fairly quickly so that I could put something on top of the assembly and weigh it or clamp it down a bit. Just so you don't loose the adhesion from expansion. A couple of things,,, The rods need to be pretty straight out of the stamp. As close to a right angle as possible. if the rod is a tight fit, don't put hardly JB in the bottom. It is thick and a tight fit won't allow it to spread up the shaft. This is fine as you will put more around the outside where the rod and stamp meet. You just don't want a slug of JB in the bottom of the hole and almost no rod in the hole <g>... Make sure you wipe the tstamp hole and rod down with something to remove any oil or grease before assembly. Good luck

Take a stamp of each size to Home Depot ot Lowes or other hardware store and find the proper steel rod to fit. Cut it to lengths that match the "real" handles. Grind off any rough or sharp edges on the top end. You may be able to get a small machine shop to donate time to do the cutting and grinding. Or a parent who has the appropriate tools at home Use JB Weld to put a SMALL dab in the hole. Then spread some around the junction of the shaft and the top of the stamp. Once dry, it's not coming apart. Oh.. Be sure to use the regular stuff. It takes longer to set, but it gives you more working time. Even still, don't mix more than you can apply in about 3 or 4 minutes.

I've used OTB for years and never felt gouged. They now offer USPS flat rates, so lighter items should be less. I ordered a bunch of brass buckles and Dee rings a while back and I think it cost around $11 in a flat rate. Yeah.. Buckle guy has some good stuff, but I balk at a $5 handling fee. I usually have a $1 handling fee added in automatically, but that's just to cover my direct envelope and "label" costs. I don;t feel that I should make a profit on the shipping. Oh.. try cdw plus.. They don't carry a whole lot but are a good source for low quantities and prices include S&H. Mainly they have snap swivels, Dee's round rings and such. Plus they have some plastic stuff. http://cdwplus.com/

I think it's the Leatherworkers Manual, or the Leather Tools book, they show how to cut down longer rivets to size. I'm out of town right now but maybe someone else has a copy and can confirm which one and maybe even post the picture.

Oh yeah. That's why I'm so puzzled. The only thing I can figure out is that I am putting a hell.of a lot of torque on them screwing them in so maybe when they stripped out.

Not shrinkage. He said they are coming out. He resells them, so...

Yeah.. I've done th e Loctite Blue and the superglue, but this customer says they keep coming loose. I think he's not being 100 percent straight with me, so Red it is. If he still loses screws, then he's fired. I've already done that once but he can't find anyone else stupid enough to do these so I took o e more order from him. Already regretting it

That's the one. I think I got mine for around $20 on sale

After Fredk's suggestion, put it in a room with an Ozone generator for a few hours. Make sure no one is around to breathe the ozone

Oh yeah.. He's paying for the change. Damn near as much as new leashes. But, if I can remove the screws relatively quickly, it will be the easier method for me.

Tried that. It gets so hot it starts to burn the leather. But.. I think I found a solution, but haven't tried it in the shop yet. I clamped the screw as tight as I could get it in the Weaver tool, held a heavy flat blade screwdriver between my legs and engaged the screw head. Used a 5/16" drill bit in my small cordless and was able to drill through he smooth side and it popped off. Now to rig a table vise to hold the bit, And use the drill press. I don't like a spinning drill that close to the jewels or femoral artery.... Thought of that, but it's a proprietary design, complete with a gold logo, so I'd still have to unscrew one end at least to modify it away from his design.

I have made a half dozen specialized leashes for a customer and they decided that they now want nickle hardware instead of brass. Unfortunately, I used Red Loctite instead of blue because on a couple of previous orders, he had "claimed" that some of the screws came loose. I personally find this a but hard to believe because they all had the blue Loctite and were installed using a Weaver screw clamp and a power screwdriver. So my question is how do I remove the brass screws? I've tried using a 3/8 drill in my drill press, but part way into the head, it spins. I tried a cutting chisel, but the leather layers(3) are so tight I can't get the chisel in and even if I did, the bottom edge of the leather would probably cushion it so much the chisel would not work. My next attempt is using a dremel grinder, but that seems sort of doomed to fail, but what do I have to loose. Oh, yeah... No, I can't just cut the ends off and redo it. The leash would be way too short.

I make these all the time. Go on eBay and look for this: slotted straight flat tip punch. They are Chinese made tools. you'll probably have to sharpen and stop them, but they do the job Tom

Thanks all. I expected as much. And Wiz, I know you are one of the sewing Gurus, so I was hoping that you'd chime in I'm very happy with the 227 and I don;t have a whole lot of call for the 207 and up sizes, but it would be nice to do it once in a while. I had a job recently restitching some leather furniture, and it used 386, I think, and I had to hand stitch everything. Took about 20 hours. LOTS of stitching... Anyway, thanks for the input. Later

I'm sorry if this has been covered (probably has ) and I just couldn't find it. What determines the largest thread a particular machine can handle? I have a Consew 227R-2 and 138 top and bottom is about it. I'd like to be able to sew 207 or 277 but not sure if there is a trick or a mod that will allow it. Thanks

This is a 24" US Robotics Laserpoint 1. The blue tape is great for all kinds of stuff. I've never had it leave any residue either. The only problem I've ever had using it on leather is if I apply it to the flesh side to say, keep antiquing off the back, when I pull i off it really fluffs up the flesh side fibers on a lot of pieces. I also am using a thin plastic sheet with the spray adhesive. But since the cutter uses a pretty good amount of force as it cuts and the vinyl cutter is designed for the vinyl to drape over the cutting bed, the leather tends to peel loose unless it's taped down. and cut Sloooooooooowwwwwwww

Denatured Alcohol. About $10 a gallon at the hardware store

I've cut a couple of things with a vinyl cutter. 1) You're limited to thin leather.. about 3oz max. 2) You cut very slowly 3) You need to make multiple passes 4) Leather need to be securely attached to a carrier sheet. 5) Blade needs to be extended to slightly longer than the thickness of the leather Here's a link to my video of the cut.

I bought some leather and tools as part of an estate and everything was exposed to mold and mildew. I took the shearling, veg-tan and upholstery hides and used a brush to get the loose stuff off. I then used a 50-50 lemon juice/water mix and a sponge to wash the leather, front and back, followed by a sponge rinse (except the shearling which was the back only). I didn't soak it, just lightly to kill the loose stuff that might be left. After they had dried very well, I laid them all out so air could get to both sides and turned on an Ozone generator for about 3-4 hours. 6 months later I still can not see or smell any mildew. Be very careful to do all of this except the ozzone treatment, outside and wear gloves and a mask.

That was it, Wild Bill. Thanks...

Nope.. It's not a Mystery Braid. I've heard it called a Slotted Plait, Slotted Braid and a few others. But nothing shows up on any of those search phrases

I am trying to do a flat braid, plait or whatever. I really don't know the proper name for it. I need some instructions or direction please. I've tried a bunch of different slot and connector length combinations, but just can't seem to get the proper combination to make it look right. Thanks in advance

Do you have a cut pattern or directions for this? I've been looking all over for it.

None of the above... Always cut the dye 50/50 with alcohol. Denatured is preferred but 90% rubbing alcohol will work too. Tom