Ferg

If you are asking if I would sell just one letter, the answer is no. Ferg

Thank you

Will be eighty eight years old in January. Two months ago I had both knees replaced at the same time. Doing fine with that. Arthritis in hands, feet, lower spine, as well as Lumbar region. Not much fun getting old. Lol I have an extensive set of stamps, some leather I would like to sell, many pieces of hardware such as zipper pulls, zippers, etc. Hundreds of needles and quite a lot of thread for machine sewing. Let me know what you may be interested in so I can take some photos of same. Ferg

I would guess I bought this set in the 50's as in 1954. Used very little and not for many years. I need to unload a bunch of tools etc. that my arthritis won't allow me to use. $25 plus shipping. I would recommend UPS unless you are in no hurry. USPS is running 10 to 15 days. Haven't weighed it yet. Ferg

I hate to bring this up.... To fix this correctly you need to dig up the old tank and install a new one. Old tank may have leaked otherwise for a long time without any consequences. New tank with reshaped placement hole in the ground and maybe some gravel/stone fill under it to stabilize. Sorry, Jane. Would have liked to give you better advice. We managed homes for many years with septic tanks, always something...... Ferg

A welded die isn't formidable? Come on, I have some welded dies, heavy, that I didn't make and they will last a lifetime if taken care of and not misused with a steel hammer. Ferg

Didn't spend loads of money, already had the machinery. I repeat, "If you want quality out, put quality in". The band sawn block works if it isn't complicated. Ferg

I have made a number of dies with steel rule. I have a CNC router and router bits sized to fit different gauge/thickness of rule. I make my dies from 3/4" Apple Ply or Baltic Birch Plywood. I also do my own G-Coding. If anyone wishes to make an accurate die with steel rule there are a number of things you have to do correctly. Depth of the groove you router is very important. You can make the dies of small pieces. Ends that meet another have to be perfectly square. The joints have to be welded, a wire welder will work. I try to make my dies with as few joints as possible. Now you don't just "Pound" the steel rule into the routed slot. You have to use a mallet that is not so hard that it will damage the sharp edge. Go at it easy and wear leather gloves, this stuff is really sharp. All of the rule has to be the same height above the board it is mounted in. When the rule is installed drill a half inch hole in each of the spots the material may "stick". Use a wooden dowel to lightly force the material off the rule through those holes. A mallet to pound the die over the material will work if the die isn't very large, in a hydraulic press of some kind is much easer and better. So many folks advise careless ways of making dies. I want mine perfect and a hack job will not accomplish anything but junk. BTW: I have a Laser and I cannot imagine making a good steel rule die with it. Ferg

IMHO machine stitching is better for wallet interiors. If you have a machine might as well do the exterior also. Ferg

You should look on that little plate under the round one for the model number. Makes it easier for someone to help you. Ferg

I have dealt with AmeriKen, very nice people. I bought my "Manual" bender off eBay, it will help build muscles in your arms. I own several dies for the bender, they are expensive and you do not need a complete set of them to do what most of us intend for leather craft. I use the lightest weight steel rule since it is very difficult to bend the heavy material manually. You need one more very important piece of equipment, a small wire feed welder. Another expensive piece that will save you time and stress? A cutter made for cutting the rule. I have a modified hydraulic press with a composite plastic about one inch in thickness when new, for under the leather you are cutting. You will have no problem cutting leather that isn't above 5 or 6 oz. Obviously leather that is thinnner is easiest. When cutting thicker pieces temper the leather as you would for carving. Chrome tanned is tough and doesn't absorb water quickly. Wet the backside first then the front. Allow the leather to dry until it looks almost as it did without wetting. Baltic Birch plywood 3/4" (it is actually about 16mm or 17 mm). You will need a router setup to cut the grooves for the steel rule. Very important to have the correct size groove or the die will fall out of the cheater board. I buy special bits that are made for using with steel rule. I have a very large commercial CNC router for making my grooves. I am going to stop at this point of explanations since most folks begin looking at how much this set up will end up costing and say forget it. Any pieces I hope to die cut many of, I buy a shop made die. They are heavy steel, will cut thousands of pieces before sharpening, and are economical. Ferg

Jane, I bought mine several years ago and gave $600 for the head. It had been redone to a certain extent. Refinished anyway. I actually got 7 spi out of it. Thread size is critical, #92 is max. There are a few parts available for them. If it sews without bumping and banging around it is probably okay for its age. BTW: that is the year date of mine. There are new decals available which I have just never got around to putting them on. If I had the option of electrified or treadle, I would take the treadle although I can sew as slow as you wish with mine. My next thought is they are "Fiddly" to use. Takes some practice to use them well. You are never going to use it for Horse Tack. I just like to look at mine. My wife thinks I am nuts anyway. lol I think of it as a working machine that was built in 1910 which makes it 111 years old. How many machines of any kind do we have option of buying that still work at that age? BTW: Singer needles of today work fine in them. Would I buy it? YES! And I still say if it actually works that is a good buy at $550 Keep us posted. Should be an interesting visit for you. If I was closer I would be delighted to go with you to see it. LOL I would sell you mine for a good price including the stand and Servo if you want to drive down here again. Ferg

It seems you can get gold ink pens/markers. It would have to be sealed of course just like the rest of the piece. It certainly wouldn't be as "Fiddly" as gold foil and cheaper. Ferg

Jane, That machine in decent working order is well worth the $550. I have seen one of the legs on the base for over $100. I have one, it is motorized with a digital. I really have very little use for it but it is restored and on a wooden pedestal stand I built. If you can get the head off the base it weighs probably between 80 and 90 pounds, the base would be close to that also. Don't try to haul it with the base attached. Ferg

If using a low power, 3000Mw to 6000Mw Diode Laser it would be very slow and likely similar to Ray's situation. My 60W CO2 laser would probably take a few minutes Ferg

Love 'em! Ferg

Yes it is. Interested? Ferg

I have a two head CNC router. Large industrial machine weighing 5000 #. I also have a "Drag Knife" that attaches into the collets of the heads. The knife is actually either a Exacto blade or simply a Utility knife blade. I can program it with the same G-codes used for CNC, the motors do not turn, you lock the router so it cannot free turn. Obviously everyone isn't fortunate enough to have a $120,000 CNC to play with since we retired. The drag knife attachment cost about $200. Uwe, you would love this thing! Lol Ferg

You could cut 3 to 4 oz. leather with a small inexpensive diode laser, it would be slow. If you are thinking Chrome Tanned leather forget the laser. CO2 laser of 40W of power would cut about anything you want to cut in leather. It will stink and it will burn the edges black. Some manipulation of air assist, power, speed of cut, will lighten the edges somewhat, it will still stink. Think a dead animal being incinerated. On a budget? Go to Harbor Freight, buy a hydraulic press that has a jack with air assist, either do a little self build or have a friend with a welder provide the surface you need. There are hundreds of posts regarding buying and modifying these presses on this forum. Slower than a dedicated $5000 dollar clicker. With good dies you can cut a large amount in a relatively short time. I have two lasers, self built hydraulic press, and many knives. Believe me, you don't want to cut leather with a water jet. Laser cutting leather is messy at best. Ferg

Easiest method for a one off: Use masking tape on your laser base. You didn't say what laser you have. Diode, CO2? Ferg

2" x 2"

I should have named it, "New stamp for leather. LOL Ferg

The image was done in Solid Hickory wood with a 60W Omtech Laser. I am not fond of Chinese equipment but I will recommend this one 'til the cows come home. I have had it for little over a month with "0" problems. It has done everything I wanted with perfection. Second photo is an impression in dampened leather made by the wooden engraving. I am not advocating everyone to make "stamps" from wood. I simply thought it to be pretty neat. Ferg

I did not buy a GlowForge. They are highly advertised and look nice but I didn't wish to have to go through a company to get anything I want to use for additional money. That said: I bought a 3000Mw diode laser to practice on. Sufficient for that purpose, biggest problem is the low power and they are very slow. Dove into the big boys. Orion 60W CO2, Chinese Laser. With the crate it had a delivery weight of 400#. It is a floor model. Out of the crate it worked perfectly and has continued to do so. I simply could not afford an American made with nearly the same specs. I use LightBurn software and wouldn't be without it. Also use Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop. Have a daughter who is a professional graphic artist. I intend to do some leather engraving, have been so busy with other items I haven't had time. My laser will do leather, wood, glass, anodized aluminum, cork, fabric, plastic, ceramic tile, marble, etc. Enclosing pics of a couple items I have made. Second one is on 1/4" Baltic Birch, first, is a vintage photo on 3/4" Hickory Ferg

I know there are some of you that may like to venture into Laser Engraving Leather I have bought a larger commercial Laser and wish to sell this one. I have it's original box. Will take it apart and ship anywhere in the USA. I have extra laser controllers I bought to make sure I wouldn't need to wait on shipping if I needed to change plus a 13" HP LapTop computer that was refurbished by certified company. It has Windows 10 Pro installed. Works perfectly. The software for the laser is PC based. I did not build a box/enclosure, you would probably want to do that or have someone build it for you. USB cable and power supply included. Priced to sell! Both the computer and the laser included for $700 plus shipping. I am listing on a Laser site also. Any questions just let me know. Ferg