Ferg

Moody, This is off topic but I need to tell you I spent five fantastic days in your country some 57 years ago. Our carrier dropped anchor in the bay. I went on the "beach" every day. Lisbon was the port. We visited Nazarae, the seven hills area, many shops, ate in an outdoor cafe, bought a set of drawing instruments in a shop, I still use them all the time, visited the grounds of "The Miracle of Fatima". Have often wondered if Lisbon is as beautiful today as it was then. Thanks for bringing back some great memories to an old man. ferg

I am always interested in new items, to me any way. The clicker knives have piqued my interest ever since I watched a video of an Italian craftsman cutting leather with one. I sent an e-mail to an Italian company for some info on their knives but never heard back from them. I like the Solid brass idea, don't really care if it has a scribe on one end. Since I have an ample supply of different species of wood, thought I would just make a handle to my liking for an Osborne clicker blade I have. Bought the Osborne Clicker with the handle awhile back. Sorry, those of you that like the Osborne tools but this is a terrible handle for a cutting knife. Cheap Junk pretty much describes it. This is my handle, made of Cherry Wood and oiled for a finish. and another view. Not perfect, but it works and is comfortable in the hand. ferg

What type stamping machine are you using? We had one several years ago, moved to smaller shop with no place to put it. Sold the unit to a company that employs handicapped folks at half what we paid for it. Good cause but I wish we had it now.

Top and bottom feed? ferg

Bill, I have a aluminum drywall "T" square four foot long. I hook the "T" end over the edge of my cutting table end, move the leather under it, cut with the rotary cutter. Works real well most of the time. ferg

I want you to go to Peter Main website: http://petermain.com/ Prepare to be amazed and know that Peter's coloring/stain work is done with solvent based stain. ferg

Seen one on-line, supposedly in good working order for $590 ferg

If you wet the leather before sewing the feet will mark your leather pretty bad. It should dry I think, at least that is the way I do it. ferg

No, I am talking about the binding you put on the top edge of the purse. Shoe lace for a welt is a new one on me, never tried that. If you need some expertise on making a welt, check videos on You Tube or buy, if you don't already have, Al Stohlman's "Art of making Leather Cases" Volume Two. That said, I believe you may have been wanting to incorporate "Piping" into the purse. That is another story. This is what piping looks like: http://leatherimpact.com/495-4777/Piping_-_Half_Inch. Only an instance, it can be made from many types of material. Until upholstery and un-carved purses, wallets, etc. came into vogue the piping joint and welt were used a lot. Now the French seam has taken over and is much easier to do. To sew the top of your purse with a machine, you need one with a cylinder arm. You can attach a table to this type machine and use as a flat bed. ferg

Wiz or Bob will probably post the fix but..... It seems to me that you need to loosen the screw in the clamp on the foot, move the foot slightly so it can clear the needle, tighten clamp. I assume you have changed the needle, made sure the needle is installed correctly, etc. Slightly disfigured needles cause a multitude of problems. ferg

Did you ask for a critique? Your welts are pretty good, just need some practice. Binding is too wide and too thick. I assume you made your own. It needs to be skived to less than 1mm. That will help going around corners etc. The thin material bends and stretches, makes it easier to manipulate. When the binding is too wide it "bunches up" as yours did on inside cornering. Everything in leather work takes practice so just keep working at it. ferg

I think Johanna said something to do to speed up the loading of the LW site. I am sitting in front of any of my computers (5). I can go out to lunch while the site is loading. Don't have time for that. Thanks ferg Name: Marion Ferguson UserName: 50 years leather IP Address: 64.56.112.51 Email Address: marion@donet.com

We gave up on companies very far away from us including On-Line. Most every town of any size has at least one company that provides/makes boxes and has stock. Check your local listings first. ferg

I have two of them. One is nearing 60 years old the other is probably about 45. I file the anvil now and then, otherwise I have never done anything to them. Obviously cannot say that for the new ones but........ Don't bother with the cheapies. ferg

Mike, My plan of attack is based on what I have in my head. When I decide to design something I really get into it. My wife says,"next time will you please do something you can have fun with?" I usually make several designs on scrap even if the item isn't going to be carved. I am just finishing a purse for my wife. The design is very complicated for me. I have torn part of it out several times and started over. I don't sell much of what I do anymore, at almost eighty years young, I try to have as much fun as possible. :)Hands don't work as well as they once did but I have my mind and I see things in other folks work that need fixing. You have a good beginning, don't stop asking questions and as I said before, PRACTICE! ferg

Your design is okay if you do not want any pattern to it. You have fifteen directions going on with most not being finished. Holes aren't necessarily what I meant by being in a hurry. Your carry through of the design indicates you didn't give a whole lot of thought to what you wanted/needed to accomplish. Simply comes with practice and paying close attention to what you do each successive time. Don't get upset with me for critiquing your work a little harshly. My intentions are strictly to help you get better. ferg

Welcome to the forum. Appears you made your holes with a drill or similar, too big. Second effort. I would say you got in a hurry to do something and I'm sorry, you screwed up. Doesn't seem you had a definite design in mind or someone interrupted your train of thought. You know this, don't know why I am telling you what you already know. Just sit back, take a deep breath and study some carving by some of the folks on this forum. If you don't have any of the Al Stohlman books get some, they are encyclopedias of the leather craft. Practice is the one thing that is required of this craft, and patience, lots of it, LOL ferg

I hate to sound like a broken record but, call Bob Kovar ferg

Normally, you may need to depress the peddle slightly to allow the hand wheeling. Remember, I have a servo motor. ferg[ quote name=Ian1783' timestamp='1346983770' post='263473'] Thank you all for the input and information! There was a little bit of everything, and much to digest. I did check out the Consew site for an online manual for my machine, and indeed, there was one for the 206RB-5, which appears to be just what came with my machine, but the pictures were a bit clearer, so that's a plus. I rewired the light to plug into a power strip instead of the motor. And I then threaded the machine for a test sew: scared the hell out of me. I'll be looking into a servo motor for sure. The thread broke a couple of times, but for the most part, it sewed well. I'll need to slow it down to see just what I'm doing. Also, with the power on, the machine won't turn by hand without using the pedal, so I can't advance or reverse a half stitch or two as I'm used to with domestic machines. I'm hoping a servo motor will allow for a more familiar feel and action. I posted a photo on my blog: http://imcinnis.blogspot.com/ Thanks again for the help! I'll have more questions down the road, I'm sure. Hopefully they'll include one or two about a new servo motor. I see I've double posted my original post. Still learning Ian SF Bay Area http://imcinnis.blogspot.com/

I forgot to mention, I bought the entire set from GoodsJapan. Use them on cased leather while the leather is just a little more damp than when you tool. They won't hold up very well on dry leather. ferg

Phew! Lot's of questions. LOL Enjoy your machine, I think you got a bargain even if it does have a clutch motor. LOL ferg

GoodsJapan ferg

Probably a personal preference: Try next time to keep your design inside the boundaries. That is: don't make the design look as though it is bleeding into your edge wrap. Mark the piece with dividers so the design will stay inside a swivel knife cut. ferg

I realize what you are attempting here but I have a problem with "dinged up" pieces of one of the world's finest leathers. Do you intend to sell first rate also? ferg

I have used Horween Cordovan Shell for many years. Bought some last year, just haven't gotten around to using it for those special items. I went to their Tannery Row site and to say the least, there isn't much there. No way to see cost, size of hides, weight availability. Sent Eric an e-mail, maybe will know more if I get an answer. Wondering if anyone has ordered from them lately. ferg