Northmount

Here is another link, more detailed, no front seam http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=103523 Tom

Here is a video with a pattern near the end. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTJCi63O6Uw There is also some good hat making info in this thread http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=40162&pid=249679&st=0entry249679 Tom

You generally don't want to put a light looking straight down onto the article since the shiny spots will bounce straight back to the camera. If you place it shining across the article, from the top or the bottom, it would give deeper shadows for any depressions. On carved/tooled work, would show the textures off much more. For the holster, it may show off the molding a bit more. One thing about digital cameras is, can do lots of experimentation and see the results right away, no cost or delay for processing film. So experiment some more. Good luck. Tom

The picture is quite good. There is not a lot of hot spot reflection, and most people wouldn't notice what little there is. Can see the molding quite well. (Better on my PC than on my iPad. Lots of web photos don't show well on it.) So photo wise, you're doing a great job too. And the holster looks pretty great too. Kept the white thread white! Sometimes very hard to do. Tom Edit: Just saw David's comment, the right side light needs to move down on the right a little so the whole vertical length is covered. I think you are using just one light from the right? Hard to tell. Use 1 from each side at roughly 45 degrees up from the center of the holster. You might have been casting a shadow from the ambient light that dimmed the forward edge. So many things to look out for. Maybe your diffuser over your light needs to be bigger, so the light appears to be a larger circle covering all the holster.

Pretty neat setup. Tom

Decided I better test IE. Looks like IE doesn't work for me either. So it really appears to be browser related. I just tried something that works with IE. Each character has a decimal (or hexadecimal) code that the computer uses. 013 is the code for CR (carriage return). So if you hold the alt key down and type 013 on the keypad (has to be on the keypad), then release the alt key, you get a return. That is how each return has been done in this post using IE 10 in Windows Pro 7. I need to figure out why the Enter (return) key doesn't work here. Must be some setting in IE itself. Tom

Shiny materials will almost always have "hot spots" where the light is reflected into the camera lens. Try to use diffused light where ever possible. Take outdoor shots in the shade or on cloudy days. For indoor shots, you need to collect a few items of equipment to help out. Thin paper, muslin cloth, fiberglass cloth over light sources will diffuse the light and get away from a pin-point source reflections. Reflected light from a flash/strobe bounced off the ceiling will give you diffused scattered light that will help, and will eliminate some shadows. Here are a number of links that may provide you some useful tips. http://digital-photography-school.com/how-to-make-a-inexpensive-light-tent DIY light tent, notice there is still hot spots on some of the examples, it didn't get rid of all the problem. http://digital-photography-school.com/forum/lighting/93930-do-you-have-any-tips-using-light-box.html You'll see some comments here about not using a light tent! http://digital-photography-school.com/forum/how-i-took/39101-my-first-diy-light-box-tent-shots.html http://strobist.blogspot.ca/2006/07/how-to-diy-10-macro-photo-studio.html http://digital-photography-school.com/forum/other-digital-photography-technique-discussion/203536-how-achieve-look-product-photography.html some highly reflective metal Some where in an old book around here, there was a comment about dusting a powder (same colour) over the item to reduce the amount of reflection. Maybe a simple cure might be (depending on the order of your assembly and work) would be to take the photos before the holster is all buffed up and shiny. Hope you find something useful here. Tom

I use Windows 7 pro and Firefox most of the time with no problem. Try it or try IE and see if there is a difference for you. Tom

Really neat idea and great operation. Thanks. Tom

I use Firefox, Internet Explorer, and an iPad. Have no problems with either of them. What operating system, what browser, what type of computer, what version of each? With that type of info, someone may be able to help you. On Facebook, I have to press shift plus enter to start a new paragraph. Try that and see what it does for you. To troubleshoot something, you need to provide enough information for others to see what is happening. Statements like it doesn't work won't get the help you desire. This applies to all aspects of life and work. So a note to all people here, give adequate background, how did you do it, what did you use? Give the details of what you did and what you expected. We don't have a crystal ball that we can use to observe you! Tom Edit. PS. Does your enter key work in other software? Is it a hardware problem like stuck keys?

Very interesting and unique design. Great job. Tom

Easier to turn the tablet! Looks very good. Tom

Ferg is right on the money. Tom

Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) doesn't darken leather as much as neatsfoot oil. As you already likely know, oil conditions, isn't really a finish. Lacquers work. I kind of like waxes since it can be reapplied and buffed easily. Kind of feeds the leather to help keep it supple. Tom

You don't want to put the larger pulley on the motor. It will make the machine go faster and reduce the torque you need to punch through the leather. If you can't get leather under the presser foot, the machine is not right for your job. Tom

Really great work, and cute kid too! Tom

Look up saddle stitching. Don't need a machine for small runs like this. There is currently a thread http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=47365#entry300617 here about it. Several more too if you search for them Tom

At these low concentrations, the leather basically neutralizes the acid. You can rinse off if you wish. Chief's mix works well. Tom

I bought a Techsew 2700 from Ron at Raphael Sewing, see ads at top of page or http://shop.raphaelsewing.com/ about 1.5 years ago. They are located in Montreal. Shipping was about $300 to my door (Calgary). Several other heavier machines are available. Prices and shipping are online so you can check them out and see what the machine you need costs, plus the shipping cost. Buying in Canada, there is no exchange, customs duties, or brokerage charge. Ron's support is great too. Machine was well packed, easy to setup and ready to run. Tom

Welcome. There are a number of Albertans here. Tom

200 C for 20 minutes sounds like your leather will be a shriveled up blob. Leather gets hard with heat, and the longer it is heated and higher temperature, it loses its moisture and oils. Try an experiment, just put a piece of leather scrap in the oven and see what happens! Tom

There is a video for a clutch on a Singer 111W155. Yours may be somewhat similar. It is in post #90 in this thread http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=43582&st=90. It has some good info for those that really want or have to delve into the insides. You may find the whole thread interesting too. Tom

Pretty nice. I like the 2 tone. Lots of stitching there, hard for me to tell if it was machine or hand. In either case, really nice job. Tom

Follow Cheryl's link above and refine the search to line drawings. Under the bing search bar, there is "Type". Pick it and select line drawing. Then you can use the line drawing for the pattern, and reference the photos while tooling it. Tom

The logo may be hot stamped, burned into the leather. Tom