Northmount

Iron or steel nails will leave black marks due to reacting with the tannin in the leather. Brass or stainless steel nails (or screws) shouldn't react with the tannin. So if you are going to hide the holes in a line of stitches, be careful what metals you use. Wet forming often leaves irregular edges, so generally need to be trimmed to fit nicely. I prefer to cut oversize and trim to fit and tidy up during assembly. Tom

Here are a number of links to Woodcarving Gouges http://woodcarvers.com/Flexpalm.htm, http://woodcarvers.com/drakegouges.htm, http://www.chippingaway.com/WoodCarving/TwoCherriesCarvingTools/TwoCherries-PalmSizeStraight.htm, http://www.sugarpinewoodcarving.com/index.php/cPath/1929?osCsid=3686b34d59fb606cce739b0716391800, http://www.mdiwoodcarvers.com/productslist.aspx?categoryID=15 There are lots of suppliers, you can do a google search for more. Tom

Start by cutting your pieces oversize, do your forming, cut of the oversize parts containing the nail holes, and throw them away. Tom

Thanks. Good ideas Tom

If it works with your leather interiors now with the treadle, it will work with a servo too. Just need the servo, mounting bolts (if not supplied with the servo) and a belt to fit. So first thing I would do is see if you are happy with the stitching job it does now. If it is doing a good job, then go for the servo. Or do like my mom did. When she wasn't well, I ran the treadle while she did the sewing. Find a neighbor kid willing to work for cookies. Tom

A combination of possibilities. 1. Too thin leather 2. Leather too wet 3. Too much force (too much pounding) On thin leather you may not be able to get some of the detail to show before you have cut the main outline. Thicker leather will let you see any detail that may be inside the main outline of the letters. Tom

Thanks Chancey Tom

I see a number of negative comments on some very good videos. There are some people out there that have nothing better to do than pull others down and make negative comments. Don't let them get to you. There are a lot of people that appreciate your instruction and comments. I hope you keep helping everyone. I appreciate your work and comments. Tom

Hey Chief, where did the videos go? Tom

Try a google search for leather book binding conservation. A number of libraries have posted their procedures for fixing bindings. Tom

You will nearly always get some marks with soft leather. Try reducing the presser foot pressure some more. If the needle lifts the leather as it is being pulled out, and lifts the presser foot, add a little pressure back. Dyeing before assembly lets you work with flat surfaces and is easier. You can touch up a little after assembly if needed and if careful. After assembly, you can trim edges to match, dye and burnish. Tom

Great looking saddlebags. Tough, durable, looks like they will serve you a long time. Tom

Reduce the presser foot pressure, but not so much that the foot lifts when the needle is pulling out. Lower pressure, less marking. Don't use wet leather. Use a spoon to smooth out the tracks, or a flat faced hammer to tap them flat. Tom

Don't lift the presser foot too high else you lose the top tension, but you know that I'm sure. The other thing is to not turn the leather while the loop is forming for the hook to pick it up. I saw another thread a while ago and it told at what point in the needle stroke to make the turn. And I see that Eric has just given the detail I was missing while I was typing this. Good luck Tom

Might have to let it dry for a couple more days until the glue is fully set. Tom

Why don't you add your info to the original post instead of starting a new thread? Would make a lot more sense and reduce the confusion for everybody. Tom

Good project for kids to do too. Great ideas Tom

As JustKate says, and include all your steps, what was used for antique, etc. drying times, buffing, ... Tom

Oil dye is mostly spirit dye Tom

Check this link if you haven't already seen it. http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=29323&hl= Tom

A number of people are really unhappy with the quality of the stamps supplied in the kits. They are lower quality than the stamps Tandy sells individually. So you may be best off the take a second look at the stamps you are most likely to use and skip the kit. As mentioned previously, look at some patterns the style you want to carve, and get those stamps first, plus maybe some larger and smaller bevellers. So as soon as you get into the Tandy store ... go look at the patterns and pattern books, see what tools are used, and get those ones. And buy a few patterns too. Also some scrap pieces. The books and patterns by Stohlman reference some tools no longer made, so you need to cross reference to something that is close to the original stamp. Tom

You need to first off decide what thick leather is. To you, it might be 1/4" total thickness counting all layers. For someone else, it is 3/4" total thickness. There is a lot of difference between the machines you would use to handle this. So first, what is your total thickness? What thread size do you intend to use? How hard is the leather? Do you need a cylinder or a flat bed machine? You need to define these types of parameters first. Then a dealer (see the ads at the top of the page) can help you find the machine you need for your work. Most often, the first machine a new to the art person buys is not suitable for the job they are working on. Put your money into a machine that is capable. Tom

Acetone (fingernail polish remover) will dissolve many finishes. Fiebing's dye thinner removes some. Deglazer also. Toluene (contact cement thinner) is another. Look at what is recommended for thinners and try that one first. They may remove some of the dye as well. They will dry out the leather so it needs to be conditioned again. Most water-based dyes are very sensitive to being dissolved by the stronger chemical thinners used in non-water based finishes. Even alcohol dyes can be lifted too, but not quite as easily. Hence the instructions to always buff the dye off the surface before putting anything on top of it. Your dye started out in a dissolved form when you used it. Any solvent stronger than water is likely to lift it. Of course water can lift water based dyes too. Tom

Bottom side will never look as good as the top side of the stitch. Needle and thread size chart at Toledo Industrial (and other places too) http://www.tolindsewmach.com/thread-chart.html Tom

Hello from Calgary. You'll find a number of Canadians here too. Welcome Tom