Ferg

I will take some pics and post them this evening. ferg

If you have a drill press use a piece of steel 1/4" thick or aluminum about 3/8" thick on top of the printing block. Lower whatever you have chucked into the drill press in the center of the printing block. It will take steady and ample pressure but it will work. ferg

No, they don't have handles. Some have a block of wood attached to the metal printing plate. ferg

We browse antique shops in the summer when we have nothing better to do on a Sunday afternoon. A number of them have old Printing Press advertisements etc. many of them would be in the Public Domain. These are lead, brass, steel, copper, aluminum, some with wood tops. I have found images of cars, tractors, heavy equipment, Christmas images, you name it. I place them on leather wrist bands and other items. Antique the leather. The various images are beautiful and I don't know of any leather shop that carries them in stock. I place a clean heavy piece of material on the drill press table, lay the leather on that, place the icon where I want it, lay a hard piece of wood on top and press down with a character stamp handle chucked in the drill. Some of you might like to try it. ferg

If you have a drill press of at least 1/2" capacity you can "soft chuck" most any of the stamps into it and just move the handle to bring the chuck with the tool down to the leather pressing reasonably hard, Presto you have a stamp machine. BTW: Don't turn the drill press on while doing this. ferg

I like to find info that folks say they can't find. Value appears to be all over the place topping out at about $900. Here is the manual for it. Description: singer144WSV36_WSV37_WSV38.pdf

That nasty old flakey paint can get into soft places in the leather, I would clean that off first. Anything you use to cut leather can benefit from a stropping. Make sure you hold the tools so the cutting end is away from you, pulling towards you. Roll the punches in your fingers as you dress them. ferg

Could be mould. Since you wish to use what you may have in the house...... Is there a bottle of white vinegar? If so mix a solution that is one part vinegar to 3 parts water. BTW: I am giving you these instructions with the idea the leather probably isn't usable anyway so trying this cannot hurt. Dampen the leather with a little warm water in a sponge or soft wash cloth. Use the sponge with the solution and rub lightly on the entire piece. May remove it and may only remove part of it, be patient. It may take several applications. When finished rinse with warm water and allow to dry to workable shade of your leather before anything else. ferg

I am guessing it might be a upholstery/canvas machine. Doesn't look like a leather sewer. If there is a model number on it anywhere GOOGLE. There are literally millions of Singers out there and lots of information on them. ferg

Before I tell you what I have used I want to inform the many professional sewing machine people that I have tried this and in two weeks I see no buildup of dirt etc. There is a product called "Motor Kote". It was formulated for use in Semi Tractors and most anything that turns or has a motor. I put it in everything I own PU truck, cars, sliding table saw carriage, etc. They now have the product in a spray can. The feet on my machine began "Hanging Up" when I pushed on the knee lift. Determined it might be the foot lift rod. I oiled it regularly with little result, lightly sprayed it with Motor-Kote, it has been working perfectly ever since. BTW: The product is available at Meijer's if you have one and a number of truck stops. They have a web site: https://www.motorkote.com/ with free shipping. ferg

Please reduce the size of your photos so we can actually see what the entire machine looks like. ferg

I have bought an old splitter. Unfortunately it hasn't been delivered yet so I am at a loss as to good information for you. This is a crank splitter and from what I have found out, you don't want a "Hand Pull through" splitter if you intend to do much splitting. My splitter was intended for splitting shoe sole leather but "Wiz" has checked it for me and it does a great job of other leathers also. Will post when I receive it and try it out. ferg

How 'bout using Pig Skin? That is the pattern/texture on a football. ferg

As has been said, "Read all posts on this site that pertain to what you are interested in." This site is very much like an Encyclopedia of Leathercraft. Also: If you have a Tandy store near you, visit and ask the folks working there many questions, check out the many information books they have. If you don't have a Tandy store close to you by all means visit their Web Site. There are many retailers that advertise on this site also. Tandy is a great place to begin. ferg

Very nice. Nice design and tooling. ferg

I remove the brush inside the can as soon as I get the glue. Haven't noticed any problem with a little rust, it does discolor the glue a little. ferg

Visit this web site: http://www.warner-criv.com/ Search for black patina on copper. If they don't have it there are other Stained Glass companies, just GOOGLE. ferg

Hi Mary, You need the 135 x 16 needles for leather. I am enclosing a chart for needle sizes in reference to thread. Your machine will handle #207 thread but makes it work hard, #138 is really the largest unless you modify your machine and/or stitch one stitch at a time. ferg

First stop? A Tandy store if you have one close by. They will instruct you and have classes. You can buy a starter set of needed tools. Please do not get the idea that leather crafting is a cheap craft to get into. Once the leather bug has bitten you, all brevity is off. If you are married, brace yourself for an uphill climb when you see a tool or book you simply must have. Al Stohlman books are fantastic for beginners. "Tech Tips" and "How to carve leather" are just two of them. ferg

Shelly, We manufacture an item, not leather, in our family business. We sell strictly wholesale and have for 35 years. I take every movement made to make the product, time it. Every item of leather plus a percentage for waste, electricity for lighting, insurance, absolutely everything. Total those costs and realistically figure the number of items you can make in say, 8 hours. Being a family business we figure $25.00 per hour. Now you know how much it costs for each pair of straps. Take one half of the total costs, add it to the cost, add 10 percent of that total for profit. That is the way we do it. There are definitely other methods. This has worked for us for 35 years. We are living our fruits of the labor in our beautiful Log Home for the last 16 years and I hope a lot more. ferg

Now, you see you have your method and I have mine. Yours works for you and mine for me. I have tied off the thread and I have glued the tips with super glue. Some folks burn the ends. For you to say that tying off by hand is the correct practice simply is not necessarily true. I will continue to use the leather needles no matter if I reverse or not. I agree that you can sew leather with a round point IF you use an oversize needle. Personally I don't like a thread hole that I can drive a truck through. Simply like what I get with a leather needle. I am glad you like the round point but don't try to convince me that your way is the best, it just works for you. ferg

One of my daughters is a Caregiver. None of our family would have thought she would be one to do this, she loves it. We are proud of her. ferg

I think you done a very good job on the edge, especially since you hand stitched. Nice color choice on the leather and thread. ferg

Curious to know what the financial damage is on the machine you have. ferg

Go to this site: http://www.thethreadexchange.com/miva/merchant.mv?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=TTE&Category_Code=nylon-thread-information to get much information on thread. A must read for many sewing machine beginners. ferg