LNLeather

Try going to Google - images enter arm chaps..... lots of pics there. hope this is a little help

Just threw it together, eeh? right................ WOW - Very Cool Costume!

Bummer........ how did it get too hot? We all make mistakes & live / learn Top photo - Really Nice!

HI I am not sure what Shop Press you have, but I got these instructions from DUCKCREEKTRADERS on how to use a shop press as an emboss press. If you go to their ebay auction, you will see everything they have for sale with samples of what can be done with the emboss plates that they have done with this Shop Press. Seems like this would also work for a cutting die as well. Using the metal plate on the top and the bottom. Then under your leather you would want to have a piece of plastic like a cutting board. This will keep your cutting die from pressing into the bottom metal plate and getting very dull very fast. Tippmann sells a piece of this material fitted for their Clicker presses. You can see the Cutting Bed Material here Cutting bed material Tippmann also makes and sellsl custom cutting dies that are well made for a really good price. Hope this helps

RIP - Swampguy .......... or hopefully just his computer is down

You are Very Welcome Michael. I am happy to help when I can... My Dad used to say "it doesn't hurt to ask" and my experience with Duckcreektraders is that these folks are easy to talk to... They usually have quite an assortment of items up for bid on ebay at --> DUCKCREEKTRADERS and they also have a website at --> BUNKHOUSE TOOLS

I asked DUCKCREEKTRADERS about the New Strap Cutter Design and this is what they said....... "The distance between the two bars is 3/8". Actually the reason for the double bar is twofold. First is for safety reasons because over the years I've had several employees and myself that have been cut by the exposed top blade or if the blade stuck through to the bottom we've cut the back of our index finger on it. The other reason for the double bar is so you could use the thinner blades like we pictured and they wouldn't bend under pressure. Also they are wider to accept the full size utility knife blade. It's hard to explain everything on it about the design in a short paragraph but I should have mentioned the clearance is wide enough to accept the heaviest of saddle leather and really didn't design it to squeeze together onto the leather but to keep the adjustment to a minimum - you just loosen it, select your width, tighten it, and cut your leather."

It is hard to tell what is the space between the top bar & the lower bar... Looks like about 3/4 of an inch to me, but I can't really tell by the photos, but it Looks like a great design to me! It doesn't seem (to me) that it would make that much difference that you can't lower the bar any more than it already is. Especially since there is a top bar connected to the blade. I imagine just changing your hand position with the draw gauge in relationship to holding the leather with your other hand - that with a little practice - it would be easy to hold the leather level....... Also, I Know for a fact that these folks are Super Friendly, Helpful, and have The Absolute BEST Customer Service Possible...

... white shoe polish?

More Really Nice work KT - thought I recognized your work! I love your braiding on this - horizontal & vertical on the edge. Very Nice! ( really too bad about the smudges! ) Hey, thought you said "never again a white one"! Never mind that - I really like what ever you make!

Ditto! I totally agree - I love my Bearman maul!

I love your sense of humor - I laughed till I cried! Great stunt!

Hi Bard Skye Mee too! All good points for sure! *One of the reasons I started this subject up is because there are so many new folks joining every day… I thought it would be good to bring up this subject again & let folks know about the Oxalic Acid Crystals MSDS before they buy it….. and to also discuss the alternatives. The Possibility for Health issues or someone's animals or kids getting into the hazardous chemicals – makes if an easy choice for me. Thank you so much for your comments

Hi 50 years leather Oooooh another good idea! I had not thought about vinegar… I use it to clean windows and wood floors - I just wouldn't have thought of using it to clean leather. But, that sounds like a very good idea. Thank you for mentioning that. You say you dilute the vinegar? By how much, and do you rinse that solution off once the leather is clean? Thank you so much for your comments

Hi Ferret Yes lemon juice does sting - yeoow ….but that can also happen when you are making salad dressing :-) (lemon juice+garlic & EVOO mmmmmmm yum) Soooo, do you use the lemon juice full strength or diluted, and do you rinse the lemon juice off once the leather is clean? Thank you so much for your comments

arthurandersen Posted 23 September 2011 - 04:33 AM Hi Cheryl; I have always used Oxalic Acid in water. I always use disposable gloves whenever I apply dye, finish, Oxalic acid, anything to my leather goods. And am very careful to not breathe the fumes any longer than necessary. Never tried lemon juice so I will give that a try next time I need to cleanup stained leather. BTW you can usually get Oxalic acid crystals at a good pharmacy, and if they don't have them they can usually order them from their supplier for you. Maybe not the larger chain stores but the smaller Mom N Pop drug store that still value customer servic Thanks for the Oxalic Acid info.. Arthur --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hi Arthur You are welcome! I am happy to be able to share the MSDS info. Woopsi - I checked my link for the MSDS sheet for the Oxalic Acid Crystals and that link didn't work, so here is one that will. Oxalic Acid Crystals MSDS As far as where to buy - I live on a small island, and quite often I can't find things I am looking for. Amazon had the best price for the Oxalic Acid Crystals, but Nothing was said about Safety Issues. I had tried to find it here on Vashon, at the local TV hardware store, but no one seemed to have heard of Oxalic Acid Crystals or Wood Bleach crystals. One of the supervisors showed me a can of liquid Wood Bleach but I didn't want to get that because no one here at LW.net had mentioned buying the liquid, so I would have no idea what that dilution ratio would be. I am glad to hear you use the Oxalic Acid Crystals in a safe manner. I know a lot of leather workers use it and I just hope everyone is aware of the Safety Issues... Thanks so much for your comments

As previously mentioned in the Recent Status Updates - I decided to take this question to the forums and see if I could get your professional opinions please...... From what I have read here about cleaning leather – it seems like the majority choice here is to use the Oxalic Acid Crystals (diluted in water). I had some leather with grey stains from an unknown source. My hardware store didn't have Oxalic Acid Crystals, so I ordered it online and while I was waiting, I kept reading (in a search for info here at leatherworker.net) and found that someone had used Lemon juice with very good results. I tried it and also was able to remove grey/black smudges and without any chemicals (Oxalic acid). I googled MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) for the Oxalic Acid Crystals and what it says is a bit disturbing to me. The MSDS is for the crystals and not a diluted solution, but the information seems important for safety and storage purposes. It seems like it should be clearly labeled and kept in a Safe Place to avoid accidents… Here is the link for the MSDS for Oxalic Acid Crystals that I found on line Oxalic Acid Crystals MSDS and some of what it says... Section 4 seems especially important, as does Section 11... Although I do recommend the entire MSDS be read. Section 4 First Aid Measures May be fatal if inhaled, swallowed or absorbed thru the skin Avoid all contact. Use with adequate ventilation. Wash thoroughly after use. Keep container closed. Section 11 Additional Information DANGER!!! This material is very corrisive to the human body. Inhalation of dust or mist may cause irritation or burns to upper respiratory system, nose, mouth or throat. Ingestion may cause irritation or burns to mouth throat or stomach. Contact with skin or eyes may cause irritation or burns. Conditions aggravated/target organs: Persons with pre-existing eye, skin or respiratory conditions may be more susceptible. So my question is what else do you use to clean leather other than Oxalic Acid Crystals? I am wondering if anyone has experience with cleaning leather with lemon juice and how it turned out, and if there were any problems or long term side effects to the leather. I'd love to hear all your thoughts & opinions…

I am self employed, have 2 businesses, and 3 checkbooks needing covers... you might be surprised, but there are still a lot of us out here that use check book covers.