Northmount

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

Very nice Tom

Here are a few webpages with some helpful information. In general, don't apply any conditioners. Clean with a very soft bristle brush. http://www.cci-icc.gc.ca/publications/notes/8-2-eng.aspx http://www.cr.nps.gov/museum/publications/conserveogram/09-01.pdf http://www.leatherconservation.org/ You have a very beautiful piece of leather art work. Treasure it. Tom

Thanks for the post Tom

It will work. Make sure there are no feet on it, else hammering on it will eventually crack and break it. Bottom should rest flat on your work bench. If there are feet that can't be removed, you can cut a wood base to fit it. Tom

The top of the swivel knife should feel comfortable in to your finger. The cheap piece of flat curved steel is not comfortable as after a period of use, it feels like it's cutting into your fingers. I also find a larger diameter barrel is easier for me to use. Height should be adjustable, unless you know the height you need, and can buy that specific length. If you go into Tandy, look at the cheap versus more expensive and check how they feel in your hand. It's almost like trying on a glove, some obviously fit well, while others don't. And as above, need a good sharp blade, and strop often to keep it sharp to minimize drag while carving. Different suppliers and grades of leather make a huge difference in how the knife cuts and how it feels while working with it. Better quality leather is a pleasure to carve. Tandy has cheap leather, and some nice import leather. If you are dealing with Tandy, get the nice stuff. You will enjoy it so much more. Tom

Welcome. I've always wanted to build a saddle (used to have a horse from about 1961 to 1966 and he was the reason I took up leather work, was going to fix up an old broken-down saddle). Not likely to do it though now. Too many other things and not enough time. Great work you are doing. Keep it up. Tom

Leather as you well know doesn't melt. It has to burn, else will just shrivel up due to the heat. RavenAus is right about different power levels, speed, etc. affecting how clean the cut (burn) will be. Shielding gas to keep oxygen away will result in no cut, just a shrivelled line. Tom