Northmount

Very nice and neat work. Tom

I have noticed that during casing, if the color is inconsistent, it will be when finished too. So I often treat Tandy leather with oxalic acid to even out the colour. I decided recently to do it early, as part of the casing process. It doesn't fix all the evils, but certainly helps. Tom

Yup, the leather flap reminds you there is something under it that you need to watch out for.

Here are the pics. So if the blade sticks out, either cover it to protect your fingers, or do as Bruce says and snap off the excess so it will be buried below the top of the bar. Tom

The blade is just slightly over 1", maybe a 64th if I could read it! When set to cut a 3 to 4 oz strip and with the blade flush with the bottom side, the top of the blade is proud by 1/8". When adjusting for thinner leather, if you accidentally place your finger or thumb above the blade (when the end is buried, not visible) and squeeze, you suddenly have a nice clean cut when the blade rises above the surface. Possibly the newer models have thicker guide bars, then there would be less chance of cutting yourself since the blade would be fully buried. Any how, it hasn't got me since adding the little leather flaps! Tom

And be careful how you handle your strap cutter. The exposed ends of the blade are hard on your fingers. I glued a small leather flap across both ends of the blade. Can still replace or move the blade by folding the flaps back. A little less blood on the strap too! Tom

Agree with Particle. You need greater depth of field so the object is in focus from front edge to back edge. So with a tripod, you should have no trouble using an f-stop f16 to f22 and slow your shutter way down to what ever it takes to get enough light. Nothing wrong with using shutter speeds from 1 sec to 1/15 sec. See also this thread for more related comments and links. http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=45745&hl=+tent%20+camera%20+light#entry287926 Tom

Check you needle is in the right direction. The scarf (thinned spot) should be on the hook side. Tom

For edge burnishing, see http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=18101 Check out the forum, "how do I do that" Tom

Cute! And you better watch out for the vegans. Tom

As above, and your reach is not limited by the depth of the jaws. Rotary punch is good for a few holes just as convenience. And you can buy several drive punches for the cost of a good rotary. Tom

I'd burnish the edges after assembly so the pieces look like a single entity after burnishing. No misaligned edges. Helps to cut a little oversized as well so you have room to trim the edges even before burnishing. Tom

Looks like some pretty good guessing. Very nice cap. Tom

The $5 to $10 rotary punches aren't any good. Handles are just thin material stamped out to look like a handle. They collapse under any amount of strain. You need solid steel drop forged type handles, good and heavy. Look at $30 and up. Try this http://www.tandyleatherfactory.com/en-usd/search/searchresults/3230-00.aspx or Osbourne. Tom

I suspect you pulled the top thread out and didn't get it back in the same way. Don't start pulling everything else apart to fix the problem. If you take a real close look at the side of the needle, you may find some numbers that identify the needle and size. Go back and ask what thread was being used in the machine. As above, get a PDF manual. It will give you more info about the needle and the proper thread path. There are a number of threads here about needle size and thread sizes. Seems to me cowboy bob has a table of needle and thread sizes. Tom

Belts shrinking or stretching are all about health. At least if you are overweight, you know what to do. When your belt stretches 3 notches, and you have lost all your energy, dropped 1/3 of your weight for no apparent reason, then you get concerned. Neither situation is great, but I know which one I'd sooner cope with. Back to stiffening your belt. Add a stiffener between the layers, something like Kydex, or poly type sheet. Tom

Use it for stuffing toy animals. Can use some of your leather scraps to make the animals. Tom

General comment for any machine: Check the bobbin is threaded correctly and seated correctly. If that is all right, then reduce the bobbin tension. There are several threads here about how to set the bobbin tension. When you get the bobbin tension down, you can reduce the top tension. Tom

See http://www.tandyleatherfactory.com/en-usd/search/searchresults/6015-01.aspx Includes several patterns and types. Once you get what you want working, ask blackriver laser to make a template set based on your drawings and spec. Tom

There's an old saying ... Great minds think alike, but fools seldom differ! I'd have to say we have great minds. Hard to change schedule, we're in the same timezone, and not that far apart. Tom

Different spots, different conchos, different stamps, different order, your choice of colours. Putting stuff on a belt or collar is nothing new. Whether you use hearts, butterflies or elephants, have at it and arrange things the way that suits your mood. Now if you copied the exact layouts, colours, etc., then you would be copying what they have done. And yes, some of your conchos, spots, Tandy 3D stamps may be the same as some of theirs, but it is your arrangement and interpretation. What they have done is not new or completely unique. It's done all over the place. If you copied Lightingale's unique pattern, that would be infringing on her art and expression. There is a difference. Tom

Thank you for posting it. Tom

One use for some wood carving tools is to use a wide gouge to cut nice round inside or outside corners. Straight chisels also for cutting slits. Tom

Yes, glue it together first. Tom

To get greater depth of field (in focus from the front edge to the back edge) you need to use a smaller lens apeture (f/22 for example) and a slow shutter speed, maybe 1/8 second, all depending on your lighting. Bracket you shots with longer and shorter exposure times so you can pick the best exposure. After some practise with the same setup, you will not need to bracket with as many shots and of course will save a little time. Here are a few links that you may find useful. There are many places on the web with great information. Aperture http://digital-photography-school.com/aperture Seamless background product shots http://digital-photography-school.com/how-to-create-simple-seamless-background-product-shots Inexpensive Light Tent http://digital-photography-school.com/how-to-make-a-inexpensive-light-tent Seamless White Background http://digital-photography-school.com/diy-seamless-white-background-for-product-shots Get your White Balance Correct http://digital-photography-school.com/get-your-white-balance-right-in-seconds-using-grey-card You can build a portable light tent out of some tubing and a flat white bed sheet. You can build it to any size needed for your products. For starters, build something that will fit on your table top. It is much easier to work around than crawling around on the floor. Tripods for camera and lights make it easier to arrange and setup. A boom type tripod is handy for your camera so you can position it above the product if you want to. Photography can be nearly as addictive as leatherwork, so watch out. You may have two addictions to deal with now! Tom