Northmount

Try heating it in an oven. Do a little research and see if you can find the recommended temperature for the foil. I used to have a heated press my son used for making business cards. It was definitely hot enough to burn fingers, but not really hot. Wish I still had it! Less likely to damage the stamp too since you can control the temperature. Tom

I messed up a post a couple days ago. Over 2 hours later, I went back and found the edit button was still active, and it worked. I don't know how long the time-out is, but it is certainly longer than the 15 minutes or so I had understood previously. So if you make a mistake or otherwise need to fix something in a post, you definitely have more than 15 minutes to do it. Hope this helps others that need to go back and fix something. The edit button is light gray text left of the Quote buttons. If you can see it, it is active and you can use it. This is a great forum, has more input, great ideas, better behavior, less vulgar language, etc. than many other forums. Have a great day everyone! Tom

From another thread I read some time ago, chrome tanned is sort of blue in the middle. Veg tanned leather stays quite light when stored away from sunlight. It darkens over time when exposed to the sunlight. Oiling lightly with neatsfoot oil will also darken the leather. Too much will make it soggy! Other oils and conditioners vary how much they darken the leather. Tom

Apple products store info about the camera orientation when the photo was taken. So usually looks okay on another Apple product. Most PC software ignores the orientation info. Look up EXIF (Exchangeable Image File) data. You'll find more than you want to know! So when I take a photo with my iPad, email it and look at it in MS Outlook, chances are it is upside down or sideways in Outlook. Now if I could just remember which way to hold the iPad ... Tom And see what I mean ... Forgot to say great job!

Here are the files resized to 8.5 x 11 and converted to PDF type. Had to split the file to be able to upload it. Leather Conditioners pt1.pdf Leather Conditioners pt2.pdf Tom

As electrathon has said, it really depends what the copper is in contact with. I have an old briefcase I had to reinforce handle and shoulder strap attachment points so used copper rivets. The bag is always dry, the climate is dry, and no contamination from any chemicals. So the rivets have just darkened very slightly. I have harness that is near 100 years old, has been in the mud and everything else, some of the rivets are green, but dry, while others are green and wet with verdigris. Since you have no control over where and how the briefcase will be used and maintained, take electrathon's advice. Tom Edit The rivets you reference are not stainless steel, but rather steel with a plating added on top. How well they will last depends on how well the plating adheres to the base material, and how thick it is. Better rivets cost more.

I miss-read the OP. Some how got a model 227 mixed in there! Sorry for adding some confusion to the mix. To be able to pull the knots higher into the leather, needs more top tension. But there is a practical limit to that. If you have reached that point, the next thing is to use a larger needle to make a little larger hole so it's easier to pull the knot up into the hole. Call Steve. As mentioned, he can get you going very quickly. Tom

The French word for teeth is "dents". Remember the movie "Jaws"? The French title is "Dents de la Mer". "Teeth of the Sea" as a literal translation. I get a laugh out of it every time I see it. That's the language lesson for today! Tom

Can't use 277 in the bobbin on a 227 or Techsew 2700. 138 is the largest size that will work in the bobbin. Anything larger won't fit through the slot leaving the bobbin. Too much drag, even if you reduce the bobbin tension. Can use larger thread in the needle. I'm using 207 on top with no problems. Haven't tried anything larger. Tom

There are wallet patterns around that don't stitch the bridge piece to the side pockets. It has tabs that fit into slots in an extra layer in the side pockets. It adjusts or moves automatically to adjust for the difference in inside length when the wallet is closed and fully open. I saw one of the patterns here, so maybe you can find it with a search for wallet pattern. I'm another guy that would sure like a power skiver, but too expensive for the amount of work I do. There is a paring skiver used by bookbinders that you pull the leather through. Adjustable taper, height, etc. around $400. http://apps.webcreate.com/ecom/catalog/product_specific.cfm?ClientID=15&ProductID=17482 And a link here on LW http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=1216&st=15 Tom

You can edit your own posts for a short time period, about 15 minutes, after you make the post. If you go back to your post during this time period, there is a light grey "edit" just to the left of the quote buttons. Beyond this time period, click the light grey "report" left of the quote buttons. The moderators will be notified of the contents of your report and will act on it. They aren't just sitting around monitoring everybodys' posts. They volunteer their time and mostly have full time jobs. I think you owe them all an apology. Tom

There are banner ads at the top of the page unless you are using an ad-block in your browser. If so, disable the ad-block for LW. Each time you refresh the page, a new set comes up, so refresh until you see all the sewing machine ads that you want to see. Tom

Check the dealers at the top of the page for used machines. Some might even have leads you can follow up on. Tom

Waited 30 seconds and nothing just now. Using Waterfox. Enabled cookies, and it loaded right away. Don't think it is a good idea to require cookies enabled in order to load a page. But cookies may be required for handling direct web sales if you are going to go down that road eventually. At that point, you can tell people they need to enable cookies if your test finds them disabled.. Site looks quite nice (once I got to it!). Tom

I get a blank screen/page

Most new sewing machine users have trouble with controlling speed on a clutch motor, so yes, a servo, and for their cost is the way to go. A VFD on a clutch motor does give you a range of speed control, but not nearly as convenient as a servo with speed control from the pedal. A VFD on an induction motor losses a lot of torque at low speeds, and tends to increase the running temperature of the motor. It's not a fix all! If you need low speed torque, get a servo with internal 3:1 gear reduction. You'll be much happier than with a clutch motor on a VFD for similar amount of money, or less. Toledo Industrial has servo with gear reduction. Tom

If you see the knot on the top side, you need to reduce the top tension a little so the knot is hidden between the top and bottom. (A little hard to do sometimes with thin material.) Tom

OK, who built it? Rod or Denise or both of you? I can only dream of doing such work! Tom

The right way to do business, respect for the customer, straight forward information and discussion, honesty, and the customer developed respect for you. This is what we should all be striving for. I'm impressed. Tom

Always keep your awl at the same angle, in two planes, the angle of the slit and perpendicular to the surface of the leather. If not always perpendicular, the backside will wander. Tom

WOW! That is a huge amount of work, awesome, Tom

Yup! That is the principle of a rotary converter. Good job. Tom

Great work, really nice. Tom

Really great job! Gives me an idea too about making something smaller than a 20 ton hydraulic press ... Gearbox, eccentric, ... Tom

Some so called carpal tunnel is actually nerve problems starting in the shoulder. I know people that have had the surgery a couple times, with no relief. There are clinics that can evaluate the causes and provide exercise and relief for those that are not truly carpal tunnel. Many repetitive strain injuries can be helped with proper exercise, and for those that aren't suffering from RSI yet, do some research to find the exercises and prevention methods to keep your arms and hands healthy. Tom