Northmount

The latex water based contact cements are all good for leather. Do a search, there are other threads on this subject. Ordinary PVA glues are okay. White glue is flexible after it sets. Yellow glue used for woodwork is not flexible when sets. So when you bend the item, you will hear it cracking. Still holds the leather together. Won't be as strong a joint, and is a bit disconcerting to hear the cracking sound. After several bends, most of the noise stops. But, just use white glue and avoid the issue. Tom

The longer brown stitches are probably what are called basting stitches. They are put in first. Long stitch length means easier to pull out if you need to make adjustments. Once it is basted together, then the finish sewing is done. The jacket is assembled in sections, not all basted together first before final sewing. Most are not glued before sewing. Super glue may be used so you can assemble pieces since you can't always clamp or use pins like tailors do. Where you can get away with it, you can use a stapler to "pin" pieces together. Put them a little ways away from your stitch line, on the hidden edge, so you won't have staple holes showing. I did a leather coat many years ago on a home sewing machine. Used lamb skin glove leather. Wasn't fancy but was nice and warm with a quilted lining. Tom

Here's a thread you should read http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=50439&hl=%2Bwashable+%2Bleather Tom

Bonded doesn't mean lubricated. It means the fibers are bonded together to reduce fraying of the thread. Bob Kovar at Toledo Industrial Sewing Machines http://www.tolindsewmach.com/thread.html has pre-lubricated nylon thread. Tandy has (or had) some too. I have a couple spools of white lubricated thread I got from them some time ago. It is lubricated with a silcone based lubricant. Bob (cowboy bob) may have polyester too. Give him a call. Tom

Read post 127, and any of the subsequent posts listing the url for the patterns. Always a good idea to go to the end of a thread to see the latest info. Tom

Pretty nice. Tom

For his full post here on LW, go to http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=23901 Tom

http://elfitakorea.blogspot.ae/ This link works better.

Had a look at the new printing by Tandy. It is a large book, will cover a lot of your coffee table. Screw post binding on the long side. Portrait printed for the single sheets. About an inch thick. Some sheets fold out 4 times, so need the be taken out of the book to work with. It's more than I want to pay for. But would make a good present for a leatherworker! I made a suggestion, now see what happens at Christmas! Tom

Some contact cements can be removed by letting a puddle of cement dry in a cup or some disposable dish, then using the solidified wad to press against and pull off the errant cement on your leather. You keep pressing and pulling it off, move to a new surface on your wad, and keep repeating. If you are familiar with using tape to pull of adhesive residue from left price tags, you already know the process. Just keep repeating until the job is done. Using a solvent spreads the stuff around and gets more of it into the leather surface. Tom

If the white stuff happens to be wax ... You can test for wax by warming it up some. If it melts easily, it's wax. Can probably rub it with your fingers to work it into the leather, or buff off the excess. There was another thread a few months ago about wax forming on the surface after doing some finishing work. Try a search for it. Tom

A couple spots look like they are undercut. Hold the knife so the blade is always perpendicular to the leather, so it doesn't slide under the edge of the cut. I think you cuts are really pretty good. Mine are getting worse due to medical problems, so yours are much better than mine are now. Tom

I use transparency film on a laser printer. Works well. Tom

Very nice! Tom

Make a small platform that clips over the bottom cross braces at the height you want. Chances are a chain will work for your speed pedal. Then when not in use, move it up to the top braces. Using chains, you won't have to disconnect anything. Tom

Had a Tandy email today where they are clearing out the key posts. So try the Tandy site. Tom

As mentioned above, reduce the top tension. It is too tight and pulling the knot right through. If the tension disks are loose, remove a wrap from around a guide post too. Make sure the thread is pulling off the spool and not getting hung up. Tom

If the iPhone has a magnetic switch in it (like the iPad) to blank the screen when the cover is closed, that is the only effect that magnets will have on modern solid state devices. Does not affect memory, etc. as magnetism is not used for storing information. It is easy to test, just move a magnet around the front and back surfaces to see if it triggers any switches. Some models of Blackberry phones use a magnet in the case to switch the screen off automatically when the phone is holstered. The one thing to watch for with phone cases is that they are not so tight as to hold push bottom switches in the depressed position. Software can get mixed up with the "unusual" condition and require a hard re-boot, taking the battery out and replacing it, to restart the phone. Some after market cases were being blamed for these software problems, blamed on the magnets, but really was the case was too tight. Tom

Try reducing the time you have the stamp on the leather. Just want to burn the impression, not cook all the leather under the stamp. Tom

You need to buff off all the "loose" pigment on the top of the leather after it dries. That's the stuff that didn't soak in. That will reduce the amount that gets spread around when applying a finish on top of it. Water based dyes dissolve easily with water based or alcohol/acetone or other strong solvents. So as you say, air brushing is you best answer to avoid mixing it up again. But really buffing the surface stuff off will help reduce the spread. A waxy finish is really a conditioner, not necessarily a sealer. But might be adequate for what you want. Mop n Glow is just an acrylic floor wax/polish used for vinyl tiles and such. Should find many other brands that you could use. There are some additives in the acrylic floor wax that helps to clean the floor. So rubbing it around on your dyed surface will lift the dye as well. You may be able to find an atomizer spray bottle that will work for you to spray the finish on with. It needs to emit a fine mist. Any droplets will leave marks on the leather. Windex window cleaner spray bottles are supposed to be good. The misting type for plants or ironing that I picked up are not fine enough. Tom

Read post number 127! Tom

Look at post 18 in this thread. http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=46554&st=15 Rest of the thread has some good and interesting discussion about saddle fit. Tom

8 oz leather needs at least 1/4" additional for each bend. Cut a strap and test it. Tom

Here is another option I just found http://www.allimageprinting.com/corner_cutter.html corner cutting press and pliers type with dies. Tom

Another source for small bearings is the guide bearings for router bits. Go to your local power tool store. Tom