Matt T

Yes, it is a sub-species of Boolsheetorium.

After two months of not being moved or handled, leather develops and harbours bacteria called lesipharunious, which will begin to eat away at the leather; slowly, but surely. If you need to make your products ahead of time, just be sure to go through your inventory on a monthly basis and rub the leather with your hand for a few minutes on each piece!

Several thousand. It didn't take me long to realize that buying cheap tools was a waste of time and money. Now I stick with the best: Vergez Blanchard hand tools, Fil Au Chinois thread, Cowboy 227rb, Skiving machine (essential), and fine leathers. I should add that my income is not from leather, and if it were, I might have a different story.

David, do you see the image in my earlier response in this thread? The black thread is 432 at 10 SPI. I usually use 532 with 10spi though.

Your pricing is way too low. If it is just a practice piece and you don't feel comfortable selling it for what it should sell for based on materials and labor (2-5x, depending on your business model), then maybe you should give it to a friend as a gift to test out and give you feedback.

I have ritza thread also; I use it when I need a thick thread, but it is flat right off the spool and I have to be careful when sewing or it will twist and look funny. The Fil Au Chinois is only flat in the picture because i hammered it down after I sewed. By the way, this is 432 size (second largest out of 5 sizes), and 10 spi.

Also, you can't finish chrome tanned leather the same way as veg tan, and edge paint becomes necessary.

You either need to punch through all the way with the iron, consistently punch straight through with the awl, or use the inverse irons.

Good work on the gussets. One thing I just remembered, which might make it easier for you, is that you could skive along the edges where they go together, to make it more workable. This makes a lot more sense if you have a skiving machine of course.

I bought some thread from RoyalWood after reading this thread, and figured I'd give it a try; it's only money, right? Turns out it is not a real competitor to Fil Au Chinois. From a quick test, I found it to be less consistent in width and not dyed as well. It also has a waxier feel, and seems to be waxed with parafin; not beeswax like Fil Au Chinois. Here is my test: RoyalWood is pink.

Good idea. Thanks!

Yeah, it will show on outside curves unless you bind the edge.

I've been buying ancient bronze buckles from ebay, and using them for dog collars. They are expensive, but sure are unique! The problem I am finding is that they are often dirty and oxidized, and the rustoleum just flakes off in certain areas. Does anyone here know of a good way to clean the grime off of these things before painting?

Accidentally double posted.. can a mod remove this

Definitely weaker, but it doesn't matter most of the time, unless they are a strong puller.

David, I've been having the same problems with the backside of the stitching. I recently discovered that there are pricking irons that are inversed, with the teeth going a different direction. With this, you can prick on the back side of thicker leather to match up with the other side. I have some on order from fineleatherworking.com

Yeah, sand and glue on the very edge of the joint, and put some muscle into it.

For that price range, I suggest YKK zippers.

Interesting, I like the advertisements in those. Snake oil for asthma

Latigo is more durable for a dog collar, but it can't be tooled. So, you have to think about what is more important for your product. It takes more time to properly sew around the buckles, keeps, and d-rings on the collars, so most producers will pop a few rivets on there, call it a day, and pump out more product. You also need to be aware when you sew a strap, that if you sew across the width, you are creating perforations which will weaken the strap. This is especially bad for a dog collar which is pulled. Think about what happens when you pull on a perforated page of paper vs one that isn't.

Yes, in my experience the chrome tan is more resistant to teeth marks from the machine.

http://www.maverickleathercompany.com/horween/horween-seconds/

I have the 2/3oz kip from waterhouse; it's not stiff. Not garment, but not stiff

Goat skin works great