Northmount

The gusset needs about 2" extra length on both ends (4" total). Mark the gusset at the mid point on each side. Unzip it. Mark the mid point on each side of the case. Use seem tape or contact cement and start attaching the gusset at the mid point on each side of the case. Work towards both ends. If your case is going to be 1.5" thick at the spine, keep that space clear on the case material, and bring your gusset/zipper down inside the case. Don't sew or glue the piece that goes down inside the spine. All glued in place, punch and lace, or sew it together. Don't sew the gusset piece in the spine. Tom edit ... thicker cases require longer gusset/zipper to be able to open flat.

Old singers will sew lightweight leather. May leave marks on the back due to the feed dogs. If you are serious about sewing leather, get a walking foot machine. Look at the dealer ads at the top of the page here. Each time you refresh the page you will see new ads, so you can flip through and see who is who. Tom

No problem here right now. Sometimes the site seems a little overloaded, sometimes it is your ISP that is slow. Tom

Get "The Art of Hand Sewing Leather" by Al Stohlman. Lots of good information. Available at Tandy and other places. Tom

8 oz is too thick for small items like wallet and iPhone case that will be folded. For larger items like iPad case, depending on your design, the fold should be gouged on the flesh side to make it easier to fold. For a lot of small things, not subject to lots of wear and tear, 3/4 or 4/5 oz is easier to work with and not so bulky. Tom

Lookin pretty good. Keep it up! Tom

How about the latest voice controlled system? Put a hand crank on the machine and conscript the closest "volunteer". Then train the system. Stop, needle up. Stop, needle down. Slow. Medium. Fast. Get me a coffee ... Should be able to do it for about $20. Tom

For 10 minutes of very slow speed stitching every hour or so! Definitely not for production. If you put a large pulley on to get the machine speed up, you lose all the high torque that came with the low speed. At $100 or a little less for a good 18 V 3 Ah battery, better off financially to get a servo motor. Reminds me of my dad telling me I would go to an awful lot of work or effort to avoid 5 minutes of work. Sounds about the same here! Tom

Reduce presser foot pressure? Lower feed dogs? Grind the teeth down? Wizcrafts has made many comments on reducing marks on top and bottom. Search his posts. He has provided a great wealth on knowledge and helps here. I see you are a fellow Calgarian too! Tom

Use lubricated thread, easier to pull the needle back out without lifting the leather. Hard and soft temper leather also behave differently. Your leather may have changed, different batch, different supplier? Tom

Interesting idea. Final product looks quite nice. Tom

Since the back side has glue on it, water won't soak through from the back either. Where the flesh side was accessible, have done just as you suggested, and it works. Takes longer to dry out after! Best do like Benlilly says. Acetone might remove the resolene but you may have trouble getting a nice finish again. Try it on some of the same scrap leather first so you can see the results before you inflict more damage. Tom

Gas torch, often acetylene, maybe butane. Bronze rod with flux coating to limit oxidation and get a nice joint. Check your local welding supply shop. Tom

Love it! Tom

I started leather work in 1961, so would have spent a lot of time looking at that catalog. PM me if you would like to scan and send me the whole catalog. Thanks again for posting. Tom

Thanks. What year? I'm wishing I had kept a couple old catalogs. Tom

Regular diagonal cutters work. The end nippers work nice too! Get longer handles if they are giving you problems with #12. Tom

And having the kozzie or sheepskin removable will help in case of slops or spills. Easier to clean up. Tom

If you logged out, or cleared your cookies, or started using another computer, or another browser, you will have to log in again. Tom

The graphic is off Tandy's site. http://www.tandyleatherfactory.ca/en-cad/home/infoandservices/leatherguide/leatherguide.aspx It has been posted here, but it's great to have it refreshed for those that haven't seen it. Someday, maybe it will all be metric. I work in an engineering company where I have to switch back and forth frequently. Tom

Light coat of neatsfoot oil should not bother you. Some finishes will do strange things. The hotter the iron, the shorter the time required to burn the brand. I'd go with a cooler iron and hold it longer. Also, make a templet out of pressed hardboard or similar to use as a guide, so you can position the brand carefully. Hold or clamp it down. Then you can lift your iron off, see if it needs more time, or if one side is too light. Then place your iron back in the guide to adjust time, pressure, or correct for being less than square while holding it. Cooler iron will not tend to shrivel up thin leather as easily too. Tom

What are you using for a mallet? If it is a steel hammer, it's knocking little flakes of metal off your stamps. Make sure to use a mallet made of the right materials to avoid damaging your tools. Any filing, sharpening, sanding, wire brushing or similar activities involving iron based material could spread fine bits of iron over various surfaces. Need to keep the leather, tools, and work surfaces clean. Keep anything rusty away. Another source is iron in your water. Try distilled or deionized or reverse osmosis treated water. Do you have rust stains in your sink where your water drips? Another is contaminants in the leather that reacted when dampened, but not likely as it should have shown up in the tanning and finishing processes. Phosphoric acid is fairly strong, so could do more than you wish. Should be rinsed off and neutralized. Tom

Oil is a conditioner, not a finish. Too much makes the leather soggy, and it bleeds on what ever rests against it. Tom

Leave some folded paper towel under the presser foot to pickup excess oil, then wipe the feet and stuff above when you are ready to start sewing next time. Tom

Mildew overnight is rather unusual. Chances are some specs of iron got onto the surface and reacted with the tannin in the leather to produce the black spots. As Sylvia says, use oxalic acid to bleach it out. About a teaspoon per pint of water is usually strong enough. In a pinch, use lemon juice. Iron and tannin is the process for using vinegaroon to dye vegtan leather black. You will find it interesting to look up and read about it. Lots of threads here on how to make and how to use. Tom