Northmount

If you are thinking about a Boss, you need to realize that you can only use one hand to guide your sewing. The other has to be on the lever to make the stitch. So the more finicky the project, the harder it is going to be. One machine to sew from say 3/16" to 5/8" inches thick material without having to do a bunch of re-adjusting between projects just isn't going to happen, especially for a new user. Tom

Snip: One thing I will do in the future is the same thing but put a removable extension piece so when I dont want an extra 2 feet I put it away on a shelf. Or make a hinged drop leaf so it is self storing. Tom

Merged your 2 posts into 1 thread. Tom

First photo shows a saddle where the swell was tooled before molding, versus part of the skirt that doesn't require molding. See the difference in the crispness? Second photo shows a swell that was stamped in place after molding. So which do you figure is better? Tom

And it squashed your stamping. You'll need to do your stamping after forming like this. To do that, you will need something solid to place inside the holster to provide the solid backing you need for stamping. Tom

You will probably get a better response if you list this separately in a new thread. Tom

Go back to Joyce, work with her to help her understand what you want, and from what I have seen in other posts here, she should be able to help you. Tom

Did you wet form after stamping? If so that softens the edges, losses crispness and definition. Need to minimize how wet you get it when wet forming. Else, as above, stamp harder, make sure the leather has the proper moisture level. Too wet, not good, too dry, doesn't leave a good impression. Tom

Leather point and glovers needles will cut the canvas threads instead of just piercing the canvas. Leads to fraying and a weakened product. You should be using round point needles (typical for fabrics) whether by hand or by machine. Tom

When you size photos for here, 800 x 600 pixels is a good size. Even 1024 x 768 is good. Small photos don't show the detail you are trying to display. Too large and it takes a long time to download when you are on the fringes of the internet with a slow connection. Tom

Stamping is done on cased (moistened) vegetable tanned leather. The leather needs to nearly return to its natural colour before stamping. The stamping burnishes the leather turning it a darker shade. Most add any oil or conditioner after dyeing to replace oils lost during the stamping and dyeing process. Over oiling will leave you with a soggy mess, so use oil very sparingly. If the article has the softness/flexibility you want after it has dried, you can skip oiling it. Tom

They are both soft metals. For hardness see https://www.tedpella.com/company_html/hardness.htm Aluminum 2 to 2.9, Brass 3 to 4. So supposedly, brass would wear better. But rugged applications need wider zippers, regardless. Tom

Grain side of leather is the nice side, show side, hair side. Opposite is the flesh side, originally against the meat and fat. Tom

OP appears to be from Brooklyn New York according to the IP address. Tom

Do a search here. 30 results for paisley, patterns to examples. Tom

You can cut a slot in the front of the presser foot, round off the edges and polish a bit. Easy fix. Tom

Merged your posts and deleted redundant multiple posts. Please allow time for the server to respond when posting. The server may be very busy for a moment at times, or you may be on a slow network connection. So after hitting post, relax for a minute! Tom

A photo would provide a lot of help with identifying what this machine might be based on. Front, rear, left end, close up of the needle and presser feet and feed dogs, right end, badges, numbers, underside, bobbin. Tom

Was this from a starter set from Tandy? If so, they are lower quality material than their regular line. Tandy will replace stamps that bend or fall apart or easily damaged through normal use. They replace starter kit stamps with their regular line according to other posts on the forum. Take it back. Tom

Copper rivets, wire, etc. sizes are defined as AWG, American Wire Gauge. There is more info than you ever want to know here. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_wire_gauge. Scroll down and you will find a table cross referencing # and diameters. I tend to use #9 for heavy stuff, #12, and rarely #14. You can look up availability at your local Tandy Leather I you are so inclined. Nice to be able to pick it up today instead of waiting several days for shipment. Also make sure you know how to install the rivets. My first attempt was a disaster! So practice on a couple pieces of scrap first. Also do a search here and you will find lots of suggestions. The minimum tools are a punch, an angle cutters (side cutters or nippers), an anvil or other hard solid surface, and a ball peen hammer. Not recommended to use your granite or marble slab as an anvil. Tom

Includes a hand pump. Notice it is a Canadian company, located in the Toronto area. Price I see is $70 Can. So with the exchange rate, In US$ will be around 30% less. Tom

Moved to Leather Sewing Machines.

Original link fixed. For as long as the page stays active! Tom

Seems no response so I am locking the thread and moving it to Old/Sold. Tom

Neatsfoot oil darkens leather. Don't expect it to return to its original colour. As it is absorbed, it might lighten some. Also, note that sunlight naturally darkens leather. Many craftsmen lightly oil the leather and let it sit in the sun for a time to produce a naturally darkened (sun tanned) leather. Tom