chapelstone

I let them dry over night before each step. They look very good when finished but after a month of use they get cloudy (kind of a white film)

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I have started making some coasters. I finish them just like my other work. I oil, let it dry; rub in bic conditioner, let it dry, finish with tan kote. I like the way they look when they are finished but after some use they get a white cloudiness that is hard to rub off. Do they need to be water proofed.

I will take it if it isn't sold yet.

How long is it?

It will not allow me to send you an PM. Please let me know if this is a full double bend or has it been cut? I am interested..

What is the minimum boarder I should leave from the edge of the leather to the stitch line and still get a good bevel on the edges? In other words how close to the edge should I get before I mess it up? This is on flat double layers of 5/6oz.

I have been making 4" round and 3.5" square coasters. I am using 6-7oz veg tan HO. I am having trouble with the edges curling up after tooling. I wet them and weight them down while that dry and that fixes it until they get damp in use. Then they curl again. Will it help to sew a backing on them or is there an easier way make them lay flat?

Thanks, these are all good suggestions. I will give them a try.

I am hand stitching my first belt. I did fine with the diamond punch, doing fine with the awl, and the needles are even working good. My question is; it is getting tough to pull the needle through the hole. Is there any kind of rubber covers that will go over the finger tips to give me a better grip. It would not take much. I wiggle the awl to make the holes bigger but I don't want to make it much bigger. I just need a little help pulling the needle through and I am tired of using pliers.

Call Matt at American Leather Direct: Toll Free: 800-624-7642 or Locally: 270-526-3835

Looks like with all the demand there is out there, someone could develop a heavy medium weight or a light heavy weight machine to accommodate that market. Am I understanding correctly that a medium weight machine will top out at about 207 thread and a heavy machine will bottom out at around #138. And that there is not a machine that is good on a range from 69 to 277? I am just new and trying to figure it out. And thanks for all the input. I appreciate this site because people are so generous with their experience and it is very helpful to others. Not many industries work that way.

Like a lot of people on here, I am struggling with which machine to get. I have not been able to find a chart that correlates thread size with leather thickness. My question is; how light of thread and needle size do I need to sew two layers of 4 oz veg tan? How heavy of thread and needle do I need to sew two layers of 10oz? Some of the heavy machines say they will sew as light as 69 thread size. Is that realistic? I appreciate the time the experienced craftsmen spend answering rookie questions. Thanks in advance.

What weight leather will it sew? Does it have a reverse? What is the thread size range?

Looking for a new or used sewing machine to sew medium (4oz) to heavy (10/11oz) leather. Needs to be reliable and easy to use. Can pick up if it is a reasonable distance from Western NC>

I rarely chime in on one of these type conversations but I had to post my experience. I use Springfield for most of my basic supplies. My high end supplies I get from custom makers. I order two or more times per month. I have never had a bad experience. On most orders where there is a back order, they will call and ask if I want to wait for the back order to come in or should they go ahead and ship. They have always communicated quickly and honestly. I appreciate when they call and make suggestions on items of better quality or items where I can save money. They respond quickly when I have a question about products or technique. I am sure with a business of that size in addition to being mostly mail and internet orders there will be some mistakes, but I have never had an issue that they did not fix in a pleasant and professional manner. If you can find a business that does everything perfect with no mistakes and one that can please the most had to please customers, let me know.

I know this is a very basic question but I have always used double shoulders which came pretty square. I am now using more sides. Is there an easy, dependable and accurate way to square up the edges on a new hide.

I am about to make a cover for a spiral bound journal with light weight card board cover. What weight leather would be best. I have a 4oz and 10 oz side on hand?? Should I order another weight?

Where are you located?

Thanks, I will not be far from there. I found them online.

Thanks for all your comments.

I need a ranger belt pattern. I ordered a kit from Tandy but it is useless. I have taken apart my belts but could not get a good template from it. Looking for suggestions.

Is there an organization of leather workers in Western NC?

What part of SC are you in? I am moving to Western NC in the summer and will be looking for people to get ideas from.

Thanks, that made sense to me. I couldn't figure out how to use it the same way as I used the straight ones.