Northmount

I tried using a spray bottle to apply some finish. I doesn't go on evenly, splatters big drops frequently ... So I would not attempt to use with dye. At least with the finish, I was able to use some sheep's wool to even it out. You can try trial runs of different spray applicators on a sheet of cardboard. Doesn't mess up good leather. Let's you see how even the results are. Also good for practising and adjusting your spray pattern before you hit the leather. Tom

Airbrush is the easiest way. Oil dye is alcohol based, and includes some amount of oil. There are lots of examples on this site. Try searching for dye and airbrush, then figure out how to limit the results to be what you are looking for. Look for work done by AndyL1, Blackthorn Leather. Has really nice work. Tom

Nice work! Tom

The cardboard papery stuff is just a filler. No strength so thicker leather can look after that. And like you have found, the ends need to be skived to reduce their thickness a little. Dampen the bends before you bend them. If you are using vegetable tanned leather, and thicker leather, you don't need to fold the edges of the leather over like the originals. The edges should be beveled with an edge beveller and then you can burnish them. See http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=18101&hl=+burnish%20+hidepounder&page=1 for how to. Tom

Yes a servo motor should make it easier for you to control the speed. Make sure you get one with a small - about 2" - pulley. SewPro are good, have built-in gear reduction so have more punching power at low speeds. You will find a number of comments on them from Wiz if you do a little searching. Good luck. Tom

When you resew using existing holes, you have to reduce the top tension a lot to keep the knot from rising to the top. I've had to do the same a few times. Tom

Often takes several applications to build up the color and cover the streaks. Make sure the leather is clean first, might need a deglazer if the leather has any contaminants on the surface. Oxalic acid or lemon juice will bleach the leather and remove some contaminants. Use overlapping circular motion whether you are using a dauber, sponge, or what ever. If you want a very light color change, dilute the dye first. Build up in layers, let it dry for a couple hours between applications. Some dampen the leather slightly before applying dye. Takes lots of experimentation to develop what works best for you, then practise and be consistent. There are lots of threads here about dyes and stains, take a few hours to see what others are doing, as well as reviewing questions asked and problems. Tom

There are a few different types of rubber cement around. Use the cheap stuff from the stationery store. Tom

Perhaps you could share your findings so others could benefit as well? Tom

A lot depends on how your knees behave, and how often you have get up and down for things you left on the counter or where ever. Need to of course protect the floor if it is a finished floor, else you may have another job that will have you on your knees fixing it. Knee pads help with the knees but are a bother too. Also want to watch for splashes on the front of any cabinets, but that is really nothing new! Tom

I see some differences in what posters are calling an hourly rate. There is an hourly rate for the worker, and a shop hourly rate. If you are a hobbiest or a one man shop, then your hourly rate and the shop rate are (most likely) the same. If you employ someone, then there needs to be a markup on top of the wage hourly rate to get to the shop hourly rate. That might be around 35%. As various posters have commented, one wide brush doesn't define all situations. Just like your auto service garage, you need to include all that goes into the work you are selling, including all the overheads like heat, electricity, other utilities, insurance, taxes, ... Tom

Depends on the motor design. Check the name plate for what the dual ratings really are. The motors I have are 1hp whether run on 220 or 110 VAC. Follow the wiring diagram on the name plate. 220 has an advantage in that there is lower voltage drop in the supply wiring since it is drawing only half the current (amperes) that 110 VAC draws. So it may perform better depending on how long the supply cable is and what size wire the cable is.Tom

Dilute the dye down to 50% or less, then build up in layers. Hard to get dye on smoothly using daubers or sponge, etc. Air brush works much more nicely. Lots of posts about how to apply dye here. So try a few searches. Everyone has their favorite methods. Tom

In the first picture, there is a little tab on the bobbin basket that should be trapped in a slot under the needle plate. It the basket is not kept in the right position, it won't sew properly, sounds awful, and breaks the top thread. The tab is in the 7:30 position, should be in the 9:00 o'clock position. This is similar to my machine even though different make/style. Tom

There was a post some time ago about utility knife blades. Someone said to use the black blades as they are sharper and last longer than the SS blades. You might find it by searching for the post so you can see what their comment included. Tom

Located near the section for nuts and bolts. Have all thread, bar stock, extrusions, angle iron, round bar, etc. all in a couple racks. And I got your Mex Tire too, made me chuckle! Tom

Bury it in some cornstarch for a few days to absorb the excess oil. Cat litter and floor dry are supposed to work too. Tom

Sharpen the blade. There are lots of posts about sharpening swivel knives here and the amount of difference it makes to ease of cutting. You can always buy additional blades later from whomever you want; different widths, angled. But you really need to learn to sharpen and hone and strop your blade, regardless of the manufacturer. Yes some do come sharp, and some stay sharp longer, but not forever. If the rest of the knife fits your hand and is comfortable, doesn't cut into your finger, then it is good and no need to return it. Tom

PM Johanna

Constabulary's post reminds me of a related problem. If you lift the presser foot too far when making turns, you lose the top tension. Tom

Or braided buttons? See Bruce Grant's book for braided, also for toggles as shown by Camano. Tom

Looks pretty nice! Too nice for the dogs I used to have. Tom

Did you make any changes to thread (including colour) between the successful run and the new run? Was the machine re-threaded? Part of you trouble shooting procedure should be to look at all the changes that occurred between the 2 runs, not just that the leather was changed. "15-20% of stitches either had the top or bottom thread pulled out of the opposite side of the strap." This tends to say that both the top and bottom tensions need to be increased. And as the previous post mentioned, needle size affects the tension behaviour too. Tom

Maybe move the flowers a little higher on the flap on your next one. Then the spacing will be closer to what the bottom half is. Maybe shorten the latch strap so it doesn't hang below the purse. Looks pretty nice! Tom

Corner punch http://www.tandyleatherfactory.com/en-usd/search/searchresults/3780-00.aspx Tom