Northmount

deleted your duplicated posts

Photos so we can see? Grey or bluish? If tends toward blue, then there is some iron contamination in the leather or due to a rack it was laid on. You can bleach out with oxalic acid. The colour is due to the same reaction as vinegaroon process. Tom

From the IP address, he appears to be in the Arcadia, California, 91006 area. Tom

3/4 oz and thinner are thin. Tom

Try this link Ohio Travel Bag. https://ohiotravelbag.com/shop/search.aspx?term=key plate#f=&p=1&s= Tom

Many will say 50%. Thinner leather may not be able to go that deep. You have to test, trial and error to get the feel and look that you like the best and hopefully your client likes too. Tom

Definitely iron contamination. Keep all iron fillings, etc. out of your leatherwork area. Oxalic acid will remove the spots. There are a number of threads about these spots if you want to search out more information. I would recommend that you be careful trying to bleach out small spots as that spot may now become lighter than the rest of the piece you are working with. I would do a quick bleach of the whole surface to try to maintain consistent colour across the item. Tom

If you warm it up, does the white residue work back in? It would likely be the fat. Need to warm it up and buff the extra back off. Maybe 2 or 3 times. Tom

The ones I tried were pretty cheap too. Princess Auto here in Canada. About $15 for a set of about 10 drive punches. Really thick edges with a steep taper. Tom

Some are pretty hard so may not cut even with a high end bandsaw. I tried touching up a set on a lathe using a carbide tool. No luck. Tom

His works, photos he has posted, can be copyrighted. How he braids, unless he can prove it is totally new, can not be copyrighted. Totally new type of braiding could be patented. If he makes an instruction manual, he could copyright it. Tom

When you let the smoke out, it quits working! And off topic, electronics are nothing but smoke and mirrors. So when you let the smoke out ... Tom

In my early days, I used to use a piece of 1/4" Masonite hardboard about 8" x 8". Placed on a sturdy table works well. Makes some racket, not as good as a marble slab, but works and is more portable. Tom

Check out this FB page, join it. They have photos and a database for Craftaids. Tandy Craftaid Template Database https://www.facebook.com/groups/1373586829381487/ Tom

Just type tandyleather.ca into your browser. Tom

Use a coarse sandpaper to really roughen the surfaces that are being glued together. Gives a "tooth" for the glue/contact cement to get into. Smooth is an enemy in this case. Follow the directions. Apply cement to both surfaces. Let it dry to hardly tacky at all. Then press together. Roll it with a roller, or tap it with a smooth faced hammer to help bond it. Some have more success with heating it a little. Tom

Thanks DQ. Here it is. Tom CHM 30.PDF

Make sure the piece stays flat, don't accidentally lift the left side up higher than the right side where you are stitching. Causes the needle holes to be slanted so the back stitch is skewed compared to the top side. Also watch how it is feeding. If the feet don't sit squarely on the throat plate, it will drag the item to one side of the other. If you are using contact cement properly, it should not be able to skew the top and bottom pieces. Double sided tape is generally not as secure as contact cement. When sewing close to the edge like this, the leather is trapped between the outside foot and the throat plate on the left, but only trapped by the feet and the feed dog on the right side, so will tend to drive you off sewing in a straight line. Not sure if this is what you having trouble with, but hope it helps. You'll probably get some better answers from @Wizcrafts or others yet. Tom

Please share! Tom

Reduce your picture size to about 800 x 600 and you'll have room for many photos. Please also follow the Marketplace rules. State condition of machines, price in US$, location, shipping, etc. Tom

Please read and follow the "market place" rules. http://leatherworker.net/forum/forum/70-announcements/ Tom

Cornstarch works too. Tom

Try this https://www.amazon.com/Leather-Secrets-F-Baird/dp/091828001X Tom

First off, have you done your research? There is lots of good advice available here in figuring out what you need for a sewing machine. Look for pinned threads in the sewing machine forum. Tom

Heat depending on temperature will cause the leather to harden and shrivel up. Too much oil is a big problem. Try placing in a pan of cornstarch or kitty litter for a few days to absorb the oil. Stir it around every few hours to put dry media in contact with the oil. NFO usually darkens leather. Sometime much darker than you expect. Always do test pieces to see what works and doesn't work before hitting a project you have put a lot of time and effort into. Use leather from the same hide as they don't all behave the same. Tom