Ferg

I certainly agree with you on sewing "Wet/Damp Leather". With my couple years of sewing with two different machines I have no idea why you would want to unless the leather being sewn was/is very hard. The feet make marks on dry leather I can remember what it looks like when damp. If the OP's video was placed on You Tube, shame on you. Bob and Bobby do everything asked of them and then some, they know what they are doing. An individual not having sufficient expertise to run a new machine should not be trying to put someone out of business with the reputation of these folks. Hope everything is working for you. ferg

Comments I found about the Radiata Pine: Common Uses: Veneer, plywood, paper (pulpwood), boxes/crates, and construction lumber. Comments: In the southern hemisphere, where pines are to a large extent absent, Radiata Pine is the most commonly planted and cultivated pine. It is valued on plantations for its fast growth and utility as both a source of construction lumber as well as wood pulp in the paper industry. I would suppose it was readily available where ever the units were made while the Oak wasn't plus difference in cost of the material. ferg

They use a folding machine to do their rolled edges. It has a piece of metal with a semi-sharp edge. Pressure applied with the machine indents the leather. Same technique with the little decorative groove above and below the slots. Now for the simplistic way of doing this: If you do not do metal work, have a machine shop make a piece of stainless steel bar with a "V" formed on one edge. The point should be slightly rounded, you do not want to cut the leather. You can place this piece of metal onto the leather and strike with a heavy mallet. There are numerous other ways to do this, but this is the simplest. ferg

I think you are attempting to use the wrong product in the wrong way When using the oil it should be applied to the outside of the item. You will need to apply a "finish" product that seals as well as finishing the leather. You may have some problems with your selection of color product either way. Some testing on a piece of scrap would be well advised. ferg

Skiving machine is an invaluable unit in your shop. Fairly high learning curve in using them but well worth the time and effort to learn to use them properly. Buy the best machine you can afford. Just about every clone, made in China, is the same machine with a different name attached. Some have very poor machining on some very important surfaces. I have a top and bottom feed and wouldn't consider only bottom feed. My top feed mechanism leaves considerable to be desired. I intend to rebuild that myself making it an excellent piece of equipment. ferg

Almost sixty years ago I started tooling leather just as you are doing. I did watch a man tooling once or twice but the majority of my education has come from text and simply practicing what the photographs and text tell me. Al Stohlman books are some of the best available. You are striking the tools way too hard. Ease up a bit and try not making your impressions so deep. When you do some tooling on bodies of figures use the modeling tools and follow same procedure, light touch is better. ferg

Holes for your thread are too big. Thread looks "funky". Did you wax it? End stitching by "back stitching" in same holes. Don't make a "knot" of thread on top when you end a stitch line. Bevel edges of work and burnish. Use an edge tool to mark the groove for stitches, making the lines of the stitch nice and even. Cut your fingernails as short as you can stand, they make those "scratchy" marks on your work. Practice, practice, practice. You will hear that a lot. ferg

I will try to do this as discretely as possible. Your tooling needs a lot of work. Desiring rough is one thing but lets get to some basic procedures of tooling leather. You desperately need to buy some books or video tutorials. Beveling should be a smooth transition from one impression to another. Study Al Stohlman techniques for use of tools. Don't take my dialog as picking on you. I only convey what I see. ferg

We used a very large hot stamping machine in our business at one time. Air operated, automatic feed, with 8" x 6" stamping capacity. $6,000. Be aware that I have no experience with this company or the machine in any way. Draw a rectangle on a piece of paper 2 3/8" x 3 1/2". That is maximum outline of your stamping area. More than likely it would stamp an area at least 1/4" TO 3/8" LESS ALL THE WAY AROUND. Now you have a machine that will stamp less than 2" x 3". Also, I doubt you could do much book cover stamping since the throat of the machine is very shallow. Don't go by the photos they include in their web site. My most disconcerting aspect of this? They cannot translate to English very well which tells me it isn't much. I have seen machines similar in size that were essentially made in the USA for about the same money. Recommendation from myself would be, save your pennies and get one of much better quality. ferg

A follow up: The sign on the delivery door done the trick. The regular driver is a lady who has been driving for them quite awhile, she is very good. I would have given a $100 to see the look on the person's face when they read the sign. They have delivered several large packages since, all were brought into the building. LOL ferg

We normally have very little problem with FedEx or UPS delivery personnel, BUT! This year they have put items in the rain, (Cases of Copy Paper). Last couple weeks in the snow. Machinery repair parts, etc. We have a sign on the front most door, not delivery door, for them to take items to far door after the overhead doors. They haven't opened or attempted to open the door. Don't know if this is partly due to our "Fabulous" educational system or what! Decided to place an additional sign on the delivery door, it reads as follows. UPS AND FEDEX DELIVERY GRASP DOOR KNOB TURN IT OPEN DOOR PLACE ITEMS INSIDE I bet they don't even read it!!!!! ferg

Access Bob Park's burnishing technique in the archives of this forum. Follow to the letter, you will have no trouble with your edges. ferg

A lotta patience and NO beer is more like it. Read everything you can find about using the skiving machines. ferg

This is a reprint. I have suggested that I need a copy for Christmas. Have to wait and see if Mrs Santa agrees with me. ferg

Well number one, you don't have the edge guide down where it belongs. The edge guide allows you to skive different widths. Your feed roller may be out of adjustment. Do you have a manual with this machine. It will give you the method for adjusting the feed roller. You may have a feed roller that looks like stone/carbarundom, they get full of dust from the leather and need to be cleaned often. Some are metal and have grooves cut into them so they grab the leather. The grooves acquire dust also, not as bad. ferg

Your skiving machine was set at the factory for correct angle etc. You only need to touch the grinding wheel to the bell knife slightly after normal use. I seldom grind for more than 2 or 3 seconds. Take care with the hone to get rid of the burrs. Soft touch for sure. With Chrome tanned leather you should sharpen slightly after every major skiving job. Veg tanned is a little different. Slow your feed speed down if you can, knife turns at high speed. Skiving on the machines takes practice. Read everything you can find about using them. I posted some info on using them some time back. Probably search for Skiving or Skiving Machine. ferg

I have two different mushroom stamps. Will sell one $7.00 plus shipping or both for $12.00 plus shipping. Sorry about the blur on the pieces, done in a hurry LOL ferg

I have worked with sublimation for a number of years, you need to do a lot of home work before you start into this. ferg

I bought this heater before I realized it was for use ON the Floor. I wouldn't recommend using it on anything but concrete. 5600 watt 240 Volt (30 Amp) ckt. required Built-inThermostat 6' cord with plug Will heat 600 sq ft Container has never been opened. It is double boxed. Would ship via UPS, weighs 20 pounds in shipping box. I gave $130.00 plus shipping will sell for $125.00 plus shipping. Located in SW Ohio. Anyone close to me can pick it up if you like. Would need to make arrangements. ferg

Thin skin I guess. Read and go on, no big deal is it? Didn't bother me at all. Sure have been a lot worse things happening. LOL ferg

Yep, It works without heat. Take your time, experiment and don't get taken in by fancy fonts. They look great on paper not so good on leather. If you have a heat press you can transfer colors to the leather. Such as: Single color for each line of type. Hot transfer foil is available. Good foil is expensive and you may have to hunt for small amounts since using it with leather consumes very little if only a line/title or such. Another note: You will get better impressions in the leather if you case the piece first. Hot transfer is best used on Chrome tanned leather. ferg

I tore one down, replaced most all parts that showed wear, painted (not powder coat), greased, adjusted and sold it. The fun for me was the re-build. ferg

The only way you can stitch the seams that have been ripped is to remove the entire covering which BTW, looks like "Faux" Leather to me. That said, being on a tight budget, who isn't these days, you said you have some sewing experience. Go to JoAnn Fabrics or your favorite other fabric store and select some suitable fabric for "Slip Covers". Make one for each end of the couch that has the bad end. You can leave the center section with the original fabric if it is made this way. Other piece can be done the same way. For the worn places, make a slip cover for each section that has been stretched leaving some leather look in areas that are in good shape. I would make no attempt at repairing the old fabric other than so it doesn't interfere with your slip covers. The material is made of "heaven only knows what" but I can make a pretty good guess as to it's origin. ferg

If you think you will do this type of thing fairly often, take some "Notes". No pun intended. The whole and half notes are very small hole punches. Grind or file the sharp edges off. Using a hammer, brass or BallPean, hold the punch on a hard steel surface or some very hard stone. Gently tap the end so it becomes oval. You can make several of different sizes. The eighth, sixteenth, thirty second etc. can be made from nails of varying sizes, by simply using a file to make the oval shape. The little Pennants on the notes can be made from a piece of "Flat Stock", Stainless steel is best. Again file to shape, not difficult if you begin with stock that is close to the size you wish for the different parts. Treble and Bass Clef a little more difficult. Do them last so you have experience making the notes. Use an angled blade in your swivel knife about 1/8" in width to cut the note stems. Be careful to not cut into the other parts of the notes when you do the stems. Most good sized Hardware Stores have displays of small brass, stainless, aluminum, and steel, pieces Most are available 12" in length. This is a fun project and one that anyone handy enough to hold a round file in their hand can do. Also, able to handle a hammer or mallet. ferg

On a small change purse or something similar the two rolled edges sewn together are a very clean and pleasing to the eye addition. I do it all the time. For what it is worth, I seldom do a burnished edge anymore. I got some of my inspiration from how very expensive books are bound. Not for everyone's taste but definitely beautiful when done correctly. ferg