Northmount

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

Have you checked this thread? http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=14948 It might have something useful for you. Send him a request for the pattern. Tom

Laser only cuts by burning. No burn, no cut, just that simple. No other magic rays that cut. Tom

Do a test, see if warming up the leather melts the white residue. If it does, it is wax. Warming it up and buffing it will remove the excess wax. Do a search, there are other threads about wax rising to the surface. Tom

Take a look at http://www.rodnikkel.com/content/building-a-saddle-tree/ to see how a tree is built. Rod and Denise are members here. Tom

Here is the current link on eBay. http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_trksid=p2050601.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0.H0.XBlack+240yd+Flat+Heavy+Duty+waxed+thread+for+leather+tent+fabric+hand+sewing+Ne&_nkw=Black+240yd+Flat+Heavy+Duty+waxed+thread+for+leather+tent+fabric+hand+sewing+New&_sacat=0&_from=R40 Tom

Sold http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=55937&hl=

Just add a post to the thread saying "sold" Tom Edit - I see it is locked so that would stop you adding a new post. Added sold to the thread for you.

Done a while ago this morning, now it is under Leatherworker.net → Fabrication → Leather Sewing Machines Left a link at its original location. Tom