Northmount

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

Looks like you need a drop down edge guide. It can ride on top your bottom layer with the bearing guide against the top layer. Allows fairly sharp turns. Tom

You may have a mold problem in your house that is spreading spores. Wet cold walls, bathroom tub/shower area, basement, etc. get it checked out. Some molds are a serious health hazard. Your relative humidity at 72 F should be 50% or less. High humidity contributes to mold growth. You can use oxalic acid in place of lemon juice. Available at lumber, hardware, paint stores, or can be ordered through your pharmacy. There are other threads about mold and about oxalic acid here. Check them out. Tom

Pretty nice! Welcome Tom

The cold doesn't harm the neatsfoot oil or olive oil. Just warm it up a little and it is back to normal. Olive oil doesn't store well for extended periods at warm temperatures. Tends to go rancid. So for long term storage, good idea to keep it cool. Tom

Maybe your bank, or another local bank has the same offering. They should be interested in selling you that series of check book. Tom

Thanks, pass it along, Happy New Year to all. Have a safe, healthy and prosperous New Year. Tom

American check sizes are standard (binding is on the top edge of the book). So you can measure your own, or a friends unless she is using something totally different. Tom

Try working some neatsfoot oil into them, but not too much at once. Tom

Very nice work, both sheath and knife. Tom

Too nice to sit on! Tom

Very nice straps. Where do you get your buckles from? Tom

When you are stamping letters, write it out first and maybe even check the dictionary. Then stamp it following a rule or lightly scribed line. When stamping an item for a customer, especially names with some of the strange spellings today, get the customer to print out the letters, or type up, or email, and keep a copy. Then a miss spelling is his mistake, not yours ... if you followed his script. Tom

Photos would help members comment on how to solve the problem. Tom

Welcome from another Calgarian. Enjoy your stay. Tom