Northmount

Replacing the badly damaged leather wouldn't leave much of the original back. I would make a pattern from it and make a new one just like it. Then put this one away where it is safe and can be pulled out to look at when you want to revive good old memories. Tom

Do a search for black and white thread, look for comments from Wizcrafts for some explanation and tweaks needed when changing between the two Tom

Very nice. I like the combination beading and leather. Tom

When you are laying out your tooling pattern, try to avoid having a snap in the middle of it. Isn't always possible, but can improve the appearance a little. I like the pouch shape, colour, etc. Good job. Tom

You can use a coat hanger to fashion a top guide to pull the thread off the top of the spool. Tom

Several years ago, a new wallet came back to me. A dog had chewed the corner badly. The liner was still pretty good. I peeled the corner apart, cut the badly damaged piece back, skived the edge, skived and fitted a new corner in, glued, finished and re-laced the corner. This would be close to 30 years ago. The wallet is still being used today! You may be able to carefully do the same on the fold on yours. Tom

No sewing machine does saddle stitch. Just think about a machine being able to transfer the spools of thread from one side to the other at every stitch! A robot may be able to be trained, but what happens when it drops a needle, or has to move the leather further along in the clamp? Would make a good cartoon show! Tom

Lacing is relatively easy to replace as long as the holes haven't been worn through or to badly damaged. Tandy has a book describing lacing types, also a number of online places like Kingsmere crafts. I'd almost make you a bet that your dad's stuff has some lacing instructions. Tom

Some related threads. Searched "how much markup". http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=433&hl=%20how%20%20much%20%20markup&st=0 http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=5139&hl=%2Bhow+%2Bmuch+%2Bmarkup http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=9081&hl=+how%20+much%20+markup#entry1068 Tom

4:1 will give you even slower speed, more torque, easier to punch through hard temper or thick leather. Will of course reduce your top speed too assuming you have a servo, or are good at feathering your clutch. For new sewers, lower speed is nice, easier to control, etc. I have one that is about 6:1 with a servo. At the highest speed setting, I can crawl real slow, or go about 200 stitches per minute. That's on the slow side for many, but fast enough for me. (Slow for winding bobbins, but I'm going to set up a variable speed drill with my bobbin winder on of these days.) You can figure out the speed your machine will run at, so you will have a goo idea if that is right for you. Tom

Looks like you are well on your way to learning more detail ... and getting more practice. You are doing good work. Good to have you here. Tom

3 ton or so arbor press should be able to cut wallet parts. A little 1 ton will cut Rolodex cards out of 3/4 oz veg tan using a steel rule die that was made for card stock. Tom

Very nice colour and tooling. Tom

Caledon is good. Take a look at Longview too. http://www.longviewleather.com/ I haven't ordered from them, will be going out to their shop one of these days. Longview is a member here too. Tom Edit: check posts by Wscott, a member hear, west coast. Or PM him. He has been dealing with someone in Vancouver for various leathers.

You don't say where you are. There are places in Canada besides Tandy that sell leather and supplies. If you identify your city, you may get some additional answers as to what is available near you. UPS and FedEx charge hefty brokerage fees. Like $45 on a $75 item. Most places don't warn you. Tom

Unique! Very good, or should I say excellent! Tom

Nice job. Should grab people's attention! Tom

Possible, however surface is pressed or machined smooth. As long as you don't dig into the surface ... which you should never do, layer of rouge should prevent contact. And the surface is very flat and smooth. Recommended by many woodworkers to get cutting tools scary sharp. So far I haven't experienced any problems with using MDF. Tom

If you are not doing a lot of skiving, take a look at http://www.hewitonline.com/Scharf_Fix_2000_Paring_Machine_and_Spare_Blades_p/tl-091.htm and see if it meets your needs. Do a google search for other UK suppliers too to see if their prices may be better. Another option posters have listed here is to use a carpenter's plane. Takes some practise but should be more consistent. Blade needs to be really sharp. Tom Edit: won't work well on thin soft leathers.

Or use a block of 3/4" MDF cut to what ever size you like to use. Nice flat hard surface. Cheap to replace when you want. Just recharge it when it looks like you need to. The black is iron from your knife. Shows it is doing the job. Tom

Serious hobby. Others spend thousands on cars, cards, booze, boats, ATVs, etc. Just depends whether you can afford it. Credit card interest is not kind. Tom

Cylinder arm walking foot machine, so you can reach inside bags to do some of the seams. Tom

I'd watch how dry the books are that you are storing with silica gel. You don't want to pull all the moisture out of the leather. The silica gel shouldn't have any effect on the oils in the leather, but will have on its moisture content. The alternative might be to spread them out so air can circulate around them. That will take more space! Check the relative humidity in your house. If your house is well sealed, it could be high. Hot water and electric heating systems tend to reduce the natural air exchange, increasing the humidity. All the things we have been doing lately to seal up cracks, direct vented furnaces, etc. lead to higher humidity. Then we have to add increased ventilation! How much do the windows sweat on cold days? If there is a lot of condensation, humidity is too high. Was the shelf you were storing your books in on an outside wall? If there is not enough insulation in the exterior wall, stuff laying against the wall and in closets on outside walls collects moisture due to being colder, and gets moldy or mildew. Hope you get it all sorted out soon. It is very upsetting when our work gets damaged! Tom

Very nice. Looking forward to seeing the rest when completed. Tom

A piece of 3/4" mdf makes a good stropping board. You can cut it to any convenient size. Extremely smooth flat surface. More durable than a business card. Don't need to attach a piece of leather to it. Some posters will tell you that a leather strop is too soft and tends to slightly round your sharp edges. Tom