Matt T

Is there a new woman in your life? ...kidding. I suspect that it could be a certain finish or chemical in a specific leather you are using. Try using a different type of leather for a while, as a test?

You can get tips on ebay to put onto a regular soldering iron, FYI. I have a 30 watt iron from radio shack that works just fine; I think it was 12 bucks?

Mart, If you have tried Fenice paint, or are willing to try it out, it would be nice to compare this with Beraud. I use the Fenice paint, rebranded by Tandy, and it's pretty good.

David, I get a straight hole by putting a chunk of beeswax with a flat surface up against the back side of the leather before pushing the awl through. Make sure to hold the awl at the same angle every time. The beeswax also helps me to control how far my awl goes in.

Yeah, call their office and take it up with them. If you leave a passive aggressive note like that, they may just end up throwing your stuff around just to spite you.

Your holes are too big for that size thread, and you need to be consistent with how you stitch every single stitch. If you put the left needle in first, then put the right needle in first on the next stitch, it's going to look weird. If you pull back differently each time, it's going to look weird. Everything you do can affect the look, and you must be consistent at all times.

Yes, it's too low. Do you not value your time?

Try the Fenice edge paint. Tandy sells it under a rebranded name, but the Fenice logo is still on their packaging.

Use a rotary cutter and a straight edge

It's hit or miss with those cheap tools. I wish I didn't waste the little money I did on most of my cheap tools; they just sit - never to be used again.

Wow, how did you do the two color zipper pulls?

Doesn't matter how well you estimate, if this is your first bag you are going to screw pieces up, make bad cuts, and need more than you think.

What kind of leather are you using? It appears that the back side is finished as well?

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I like it! Good work.

you could lift your presser foot and put the needle down exactly where you want it. one of your stitches will be shorter or longer, but it will work

Add another one to the list: http://www.ebay.com/itm/20mm-Handmade-Horween-Leather-Watch-Strap-Chromexcel-/121215051146?pt=US_Watch_Bands&hash=item1c38fae58a

looks like it could be for embossing a belt. Or maybe an ammunition belt.

You know, just because someone is selling something, doesn't mean people are buying. I doubt that many of these will sell.

Anyone here use 3d design software to aid in construction of complicated projects? I have used solidworks in the past, but I don't know if there would be something more appropriate for this type of work. Something where I can design, and then generate printable patterns?

You can get some smaller hides on ebay for around 200 bucks. The guy that sells them is in Israel. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Genuine-Ostrich-Skin-Leather-Grade-4-Hide-Black-9-70-FT-/350921989150?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item51b4949c1e

The edge paint looks very similar to angelus by itself, just that you can smooth it out with the iron since the wax melts. I have problems with it melting too much if I have too many layers.. not sure if that is how it is with the french paint too. As for the iron in a fire, it just seems like more hassle to me, but I haven't tried that. I would go the electric route unless you don't have access to electricity at a craft show or something.

There have been discussions in other threads about electric tools to heat and form the edge of a chrome tanned piece that's been covered in edge paint. Well, those machines seemed too expensive for what you get, in my opinion. I came up with a way to do this on the cheap, and want to share. The tips I used can be found here: http://www.ebay.com/itm/261192091318?var=560190215322&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649 What I did was used a die and tap set to thread the rods on these tips, and attached them to a soldering iron. The soldering iron should be between 15-25 watts. My soldering iron can switch between 15 and 30; 30 practically burns the paint away, and 15 is just enough to do the job. I will probably try a 20 watt iron in the future to see if it is a better temp. Edge paint: I didn't feel comfortable paying the 100 dollar shipping fee to get the Beraud paint from France, so I had to get creative here as well. I noticed there was an expiration date of only 6 mos to a year on their paint, so I figure there must be some organic compounds, or an emulsion that coagulates after some time. I figure it is a carnauba wax emulsion, and possibly some casein What I am doing is creating a carnauba wax emulsion with 50% wax / 50% water, and then mixing it with angelus paint at a ratio of around 9 paint / 1 emulsion. Seems to be working well so far, and the wax enables the paint to melt and form better. If any of you experiment with the paint, please share your results and any other helpful hints you find along the way!

This was happening to me, even with the edge guide. The reason is because the blade is not sharp enough. You need to sharpen it with the grinder and burr tool (and continue to do this on a regular basis). But Ferg is right, you should put the edge guide on also.

Wow, really looking nice! Where did you find such thin leather? And do use a heating tool to finish the edges, as discussed in other threads here?