Ferg

Dave, I like your design because I like anything and all things Bob Park does. LOL I think you have most paths good. I don't see any reverse circles, that is first thing I look for. ferg

Thanks Ben, I e-mailed Cathy. ferg

whinewine, Their entire site is outdated What a jumble. I sent an e-mail with questions. Regards, ferg

Those rail cars are going to be awfully small guys. Even on a 2" belt the cars, track, and wheels could only be a total of 1 3/4" tall max. ferg

I can't even get anything from their website. I see nothing to send an e-mail or a telephone number. If you have same thanks ferg

Overnight at least. ferg

I am not bashing Barry's knives in the slightest, simply need more than one source for an 1/8" bead blade, preferably fit a Tandy knife. ferg

My first thought was a railroad track. Unless he has a particular font in mind for his name, use one of the "Railroad" fonts. Google for the font. I have used some of those. ferg

That may be better answered by your googling for leather sites. Quite a few of the leather companies sell the tools also. What you feel is cheap/economical may be different with another person, okay? BTW: Cheap is not always the best choice. Many of us on the forum buy from a number of the companies advertising here. ferg

I know you probably wish to make the handle, in case you decide an easier way, access this page: http://www.ohiotravelbag.com/FlipBook/hardware%20catalog%20p210/index.html?pageNumber=136 ferg

Ellen, I appreciate your due diligence but you have disqualified yourself from almost any self employed endeavor. Think about what you have stated as a "No-No". Is there anything left with exception of selling pencils and keyfobs on the corner? ferg

I have changed my feet to smooth with no problem and it definitely reduces the impressions in the leather. Decided not to grind the feet that came with the machine, may need them for some other type of material. The amount you change the pressure definitely makes a difference. You need to make sure the leather isn't raised on each stitch. BTW: I didn't change the pressure on the inside foot, only the outside. ferg

Thinking about this I imagine it would work to some extent. The glass slicker smooths as you push/pull it across the leather. The rolling pin would probably just "mash" the leather which could work, partially anyway. Don't forget to clean the "dough" off the rolling pin. LOL ferg

You can get smooth presser feet. Try on-line or call Bob Kovar. You may need to back off the pressure on you presser feet also. Mostly trial and error. ferg

Begore we get someone into a real mess here, let's start over. You need to "Case" the leather before you can tool. That means you emerse the leather in warm water plus some other concoctions that folks use, for your purposes just use plain warm water in a pan. Hold the leather under water until you see no bubbles rising from it. Remove and place between two old T shirts. If the room you have it in isn't extrememly dry and warm you can leave it over night. The leather shoudl begin to look almost the same color it did before placing in the water. Trace the design and use your swivel knife to cut the lines followed by tooling and stamping. That is an over simplification but it will give you the idea. There are as many ways to case leather as there are folks doing leather work. Try a simple way as I have outlined then get carried away:) Personally, I have never put a piece of leather in a fridge and I do not like to place it under glass. I have done the T shirt method for many years, it works for me ferg

The "Wiz" has information you should listen to. You are going to be hardpressed with your budget but can probably get a used machine if you are carefull. Bob Kovar and several others have used machines and can help you select one for your purposes. There is no one machine that will do everything. I bought a walking foot machine because of recommendations of Wiz. Read his and other posts very carefully, ask questions. ferg

If you have the money to spare or maybe hidden somewhere, buy the best. I think that is the SK-3. If you want one to try your hand at carving then by all means buy one of the inexpensive Tandy knives. I would also have at least one 1/2" straight blade, one 1/4" straight blade, and a 1/4" angle blade. To be less expensive, just buy one knife handle and a couple seperate blades. Blades are $8.00 with no club membership, good knife, $20.00 no membership. I have the cheaper club fee for Tandy. This year I should have gotten the big one. Tandy has got to be your starting point. They have classes, reasonably good leather, inexpensive stamps, some not so hot but it is a starting point. Educational material out the wazoo and many of the finishes etc. folks like to use. When you get bitten by the "Leather Bug" for sure, you can buy some nicer, albeit expensive, tools. Tandy has several beginner sets that are priced right. Obviously there are other tools you will need to get started. Plan on spending $250 to $300 if you start at Tandy with some starter pieces of leather plus tools. $500 to $1000 if you want to pick and choose on professional tools, no leather. ferg

It wouldn't do you any good to know my Insurance agency, you are 800+ miles from me. Just kidding. This is very much like getting a company to insure a log home, we live in one. They have no idea how safe a log home is in comparison to a frame house and don't care. You need to contact Insurance company home offices first then get an agent. No one can help you with that. ferg

Thanks folks, much appreciated. ferg

To make the needle easier to hold in yor hand when tracing, tap the end of the needle with the eye, into a piece of dowel. You may need to drill a very small hole to get the needle started. ferg

As I have said before, you are an amazing artist and have the ability to transfer your talent to leather. ferg

I do a combination of hand and machine stitching. I agree that renactment product should be hand stitched. I do not agree that everything hand stitched is better. I love to hand stitch. After a very long piece of stitching on my machine my fingers do not hurt nearly as bad just my .02 ferg

Frisket is odd ball stuff to use at best. You might have a problem with it adhering to wet/dampened leather. We used to use it a lot but not for leather. ferg