$$hobby

Hi again. Well after getting let go from work again i decided to get a serious leather machine. what better way to find a job then to buy somethng expensive and then not be able to use it. I got the mach 3 (Juki 441 clone) and all i can say is "what took me sooooooooooo long". it took me about 2 weeks to finally get it up and running since i did some mods to the table, like put some locking casters on the table an then having to modify the linkages to operate it. im also making a table for the free arm. i will tell you that are looking for a machine. try to get a good/real leather machine and one that will do what you want and then some. in any case, like i figured would happen, i was called back to work so now i dont have alot of time to work on the table and less time to use it. the way things are going here in the US i should be out of work by the end of the year, but i will have my new machine to use. on the sad new front. i was watching the local news and IIRC one of the last domestic family run tannerys is closing and they were in my backyard. i knew we had some, but didnt belive they were still operational. i also didnt realize it took months to tan hids, but i guess the old fashing way is time consuming. Have a great Memorial day too all. Thank you all that have, will and are serving. and watch out for all of the drunk drivers out there on the road.

before you spend any $$$ on a sewing machine, spend some time looking and thinking at what youre going to sew now and maybe in the future. i sew alot of corura on my machine and was asked to make some Taiko drum bags. They were 1/2" foam lined with Cordura on one side and Rip Stop nylon on the inside and nylon webbing for handles and such. I had to talk them into 1/4" foam to get under my machine. I spent way too much $$ on the machines i bought in the past and i settled for what i thougth would do, but i always ended up needed that 1/8"~1/4" more pressor foot height. also, whatever brand/model you choose, contact the nearest distributor/dealer in your area and try to test drive it. If not, ask for any persons that have purchased one in your area and ask to get a contact number. i would see if you can see and maybe try the machine before you buy.

I would love to learn to make saddles. But i do alot of tack repair/mods for people. mostly halters, bridles, reins and whatever comes in the tack shop.

if you can, try convering the hides and or place them hair side down.

do have have any books on leatherwork/craft? it seems like youre putting the cart before the horse here with more questions during your building process? its not to say that you shouldnt ask, but i would do some more research/reading before you go too far and end up in a corner. what type of NF oil are you using? the solid kind? LOL. NF oil shouldnt requre any elbow grease to apply other then wiping on. Unless youre using really thick leather, it should be fairly easy to form it. you can try wetting the leather and or if youre dyeing the leather, doing some forming when the dye is drying. if youre doing some really sharp corners, you may have to groove the inside/outside depending on your situation. FYI. NF oil will darken the leather at first and then fade with time.

i use BARGE for bonding my leather projects. However, with the denim being more or less porus, i would to a test sample to verify the barge wounldnt soak thru the denim. btw, have you thought about how rough the denim would be for the contents of the brief case? just a thought

I just took some extra ones and cut them down to the length i wanted and then reground the point.

Im not sure if this would be the best route to go, but what ive done in the past is use something that fits, rip it apart and use it as a pattern. what is a vest, but a jacket w/o the sleeves? If you can use a old jacket, then you can iron it out to flatten it and make your patter from that. as far as assbembly hints goes, look at one of your jackets/vests. lining it will take some time and some practice. if you have some extra material, try making a smaller version so you can work out the bugs. either that, the first one with all of the boo-boos will be yours.

I have Leather brading by Grant and. "Leathercraft - Lacing and Saddle Stitching" Book 3 by Gick Pictorial instruction books "How to Lace", New revised edition, by E.U. Drake they are both magazine type books. not alot of heavy reading material and both are old.

If youre going to plug the scabbard, may i suggest you put some/couple large holes in the plug. maybe something like 3/8" dia for debris to fall thru. I used some really thick leather to make the plug in my holster. i think it was some sole leather. Its really difficult to cut too and more so to run an awl thru. also, when you make your stitching groove on the side of the scabbard, i would try to eye how far from the edge you will make it so that the thread/needle goes tru some meat in the plug. you can use a overstitch wheel to mark the spacing on the plug, but for the holes in the scabbard, you either have to divide the no. of holes, or eye it along the length of the groove. if you check out Stohlmans book "How to make Holster" theres a page on doing plugs. the hardest part for me was to figure out how to space the holes along the scabbard.

sell the extra you dont want.

glad you got it okay and hope the kids like it.

i would be interested in knowing how long the lacing and felt lasts especially on a motorcycle seat. I re-upholstred my last car seats in Pendleton Wool. I used the same materiaial they used in their wool coats. it was nice, but they only lasted about 2+ years before the high spots began to show wear from the behinds/backs rubbing/sliding over them.

wildrose, i have some tools that were given to me, but i dont do any carving. theres about 11 stamps 2 mallets (wood type. i havent seen these before) 1 mallet w/leather head 1 straight swivel knife 1 angled swivel knife i also have 3 purse/bag kits. contets dont list any tool, other then lacing needles. the kits look like something out of the 70s. only condition is. if you dont want to use them, pass them on for free. its also all or nothing.

I have used Deerskin and suede on my holster. the only problems is that it has a tendency to "stick" to the gun when holster/unholstering. i forgot where i read it, but theres a well known leatherworker that would only use smooth hide for holster linings. his reasoning was that little particles like unburnt powder, dirt and such wouldnt hangup in the knap and keep scratching to a minimum. to me it sounds good. in any case, its not a good idea to store any metallic tool in leather since leather is acidic and will eventually cause some corrosion. also, it would hold moisture too.

if you cant find a large format copier, just piecemeal it using copies as large as you can find.

what ive found to apply dye to large projects is to use a large SS pan. you can find them at you local outlets. we have a place here that gets alot of surplus, excess stuff and i found them there. i just pour the dye into the pan and if possilbe dunk the whole piece in it and then remove it and let it drip the excess. i just finished 2 gun belts for my friend and they were the British tan color. they turned out fine too.

Whenever i need to make a pattern i usually try to get an idea on the thickness of the leather im going to be using. like your cylinderical holster, i would take into account the thickness of the tube so when i calculate the width (circumference). If im not sure, i would make a quick sample out of some scrap material and use that for my dimensions. also, when cutting patterns, its always easier to REMOVE material then to ADD.

Stohlman's "the art of making leather cases #3" has a guitar case, but its a case in itself, not a "cover". although you can get some ideas on how to build it. I would say, it would be an choice how you want to build it as to the corners you want to use, square or mitered. The only issue i would be concerned with is the lacing. It would look really nice, but would most likely not last too long under real use, IMO. also, for an existing box, there maybe an issue with top/bottom. there maynot be enough space between the top/bottom for the leather. If you have the guitar case, i would use it as a pattern. you can get a compas to add whatever material on the sides for stitching. also, what i would do is to make a sample stitching of the corners you want. the sample would also allow you to take measuremes to see how much allowance is needed for the corners.

hows that old cowboy saying go? You get good judgement by doing alot of bad judgement. or something like that. alot of things are like that. you try and if it works out great. if not it goes into the scrap bin. when i first started, i was lucky enough to do it in JrHS. after that i was on my own. Another thing that college taught me is knowing where to go for the answers. theres a really large new/used book store in town and im always there 2, 3x/month looking for books and that inducdes leather craft books. other then that, if im not sure about how the project is suppose to work out, i will usually get some scrap leather and try it. carving is one area i avoid since i foundout early in my leather work experience, i dont have the "eye" for the carving. i guess i can do alot of learning/practicing, but for me, im happy doing my leatherwork w/o the carving. dont give up either. keep on trying. just think about the people/person that first started leather carving/work. they didnt have ANYONE to ask for help. you do.

the are the same punch. Osborne makes the 7/8". you will have to find someeone that stocks osborne. weaver has some of their own brand of punches also. More expenisve then osborne, but also better built. J. Watt makes some punches, but dont know if he makes any bag punches. edit: btw. if youre going to do this leatherwork for any amout of time, invest in good quality tools. they will last you longer. there are some bag punches made from conduit. they are so-so and can work in a pinch, but i would opt for a better made punch.

hi, i dont use colored zippers other then black, but i bought my bulk zipper stock from seattle fabrics. they have alot of outdoors stuff and they have an online cat. www.seattlefabrics.com other then that i go to my local fabric outlets, like Millend and/or Fabric Depot.

im surprised there wasnt any hits from japan. from my leather mags, there are some leatherworkers over there.

personally, i think it covers all of it. of course, it will depend on what youre going to build and how one want the holsters. fyi. there are some good books out there too. i made my first holster using Stohlmans book. It more or less covers what you have posted.

Hi and welcome. hope you have some fun with your leatherwork.