Northmount

I ocassionally buy kits to get a pattern for cutting out more of the same style. Also if the sale price is really good, and sometimes when there is a great interior or one I want to copy. I rarely buy any of the pre-punched kits cause I don't like round holes for my lacing, or big round holes for sewing. Cost wise, it's usually better to buy some leather and cut and assemble your own stuff. You can decide on the quality of the leather and cut around defects. Tom

Somebody here used rawhide dog chews as a source for rawhide for a maul he was making. Soak and pull, stretch out, nail down and dry flat. You might be able to find his post if you do some searching here. Tom

The fake stuff will melt if you hold a small flame against it. If the middle of the coloured leather looks blue or grey, it is likely chrome tanned. You can test casing and stamping to see if it willc ase, and it it will burnish and retain the samping. That will help tell you if it is veg tanned. Tom

Several grades of loctite. Some are quite permanent, others will let you unscrew the nut if needed, but won't work its way off by itself. In a pinch, fingernail polish or other plastic glues work too, but loctite is best. Tom

Adding some elbow grease will get more shine. Take a nice soft cotton cloth (old tee-shirt) and buff it lots. That will add some shine, but still may not match the original. If you look at the original cushions, you will see some difference between where clothes have "buffed" the surface, versus the areas not touched. Hopefully your new cushion will come close to the un-touched areas of the old cushions. Tom

I had to do a little fix on an item that was already finished. I dampened the leather from the back and left it sit for a while until I could see moisture showing through, left it dry for a while, then stamped it. Worked a lot better than I thought it would. Take your time, don't saturate the leather. Tom

Supporting a 1" or there abouts thick piece of granite, marble or quartz at only the 4 corners will eventually result in a crack and breaking the piece. So I would use the piece of carpet idea. Stone masons mark a line by chiseling lightly across the surface where they want to "cut", then rap the mark sharply several times along the mark. And it falls apart. Sometimes internal cracks cause it to break where not wanted. So hidden internal cracks in an unsupported area of a thin slab will eventually break. The 3 or 4 inch thick stuff will take a lot of pounding with no problems. Tom

Order a 1 ton arbor press from Busybee. Closest store to you is Ottawa, but you can order online. http://www.busybeetools.com/categories/Metalworking/Arbor-Press/ Using a maul (or mallet) on large stamps results in a bounce that gives double impressions. You can get a dead blow hammer that doesn't bounce. Check Busybee or other tool stores near you. Tom

See what your seller recommends, in case any warranty issues come up. Otherwise, Fiebing's 4 Way Care Leather Conditioner. May darken light colours. Use sparingly and follow the directions. Tom

And black speckles are not due to the mop n glow. It is iron and tannic acid in the leather that produces the black specks. It can be bleached out with oxalic acid or even lemon juice. Tom

Maybe a description of the specific problem you are having might help. Is it the gradient in the text that is bothering you? For it, I would suggest masking it off and using an airbrush. Tom

Thin leather doesn't need to case as long as thicker leather. It dries out faster too, so may need additional misting before you finish. If the leather isn't burnishing (turning darker) when you stamp it, needs more moisture. Some will wipe with a wet, not drippy, sponge to add more moisture, then wait for the colour to return to near the same as it was before wetting or casing it. Tom

Great job. Keep tapping! Tom

Two comments: Looks like your leather is too dry while stamping. Light weight leather can dry out fairly quickly. There is a pinned topic here on how to properly case the leather. If it dries before you get done, mist the leather some. Tip your veiner more so the impression stops before the edge of the leaf. And the veins curve upward (toward the tip of the leaf) on leaves, not downward. Examine pictures of leaves (real ones) that you are trying to produce. You'll get other comments too, but I won't run on. Practise doing the same pattern a few times and you'll see improvement in each one as you learn what works best. Tom

If you type the search items you are looking for (in google) followed by site:leatherworker.net, the search will be restricted to leatherworker.net. Helpful for eliminating all the other stuff that often crops up. Tom

Search other threads for how to apply antique. Misapplication will result in a mess. The article needs to be sealed with a good and compatible resist so you will be able to wipe off the main surface, leaving the antique in the cuts and depressions. Another thread this past week discussed the right stuff for a resist. Tom

Since you are having the frame cast, consider doing it in two parts that will snap together. Could add some epoxy to ensure the pieces stay together. Tom

The motor tension direction was straight down before, now it has to swing more to the rear so the motor and tension brackets really need to be modified a little. I spent probably around $40. I bought the bearings, small pulley and a short belt. The rest of the stuff I have around here. Do my own welding, etc. Even have the reamer I needed to fit the bushings to the shaft. But I have the time, being semi retired. So I work when health allows and complain the rest of the time. If I was really busy, I'd buy the complete assembly and just have the installation time to worry about. These pillow block bearings are actually bushings. But they last a long time. So I wouldn't be concerned about a reducer using bushings. A good part of your machine head uses bushings. Some of the speed reducers have stepped pulleys, so give you a fairly quick speed change if you need it. With the pulley all machined as one piece, takes less width so makes mounting easier, usually with one bracket on one side. Just have to get 2 belts the right length to go with it. Tom

Here are a couple pictures. The slot in the table had to be lengthened to use the same belt as had been used for the motor. The pillowblock bearings are for a furnace fan that typically runs 900 RPM so I'm not worried about them lasting. Had to shift the motor over a bit, and play with the tensioning adjustments, finally decided to keep it real simple and use a bungee cord for the motor belt tension. For the belt to the head, just slide the jackshaft bracket down to adjust, then tighten the clamp to the leg. Since the leg material is on the light side, there is a block inside to keep the leg from being squashed. Tom

Up to 2 each 8 to 10 oz veg tan. And as low as one 3-4 oz. 3-4 oz was obviously no problem. But 8 oz and up was a problem low speed wise. Tom

Yup. I switched from a standard digital servo to the Sewslow pro, but still needed some help at low speed. So cobbled together a jack shaft with a 6" and a 3" pulley, added a short belt to the motor, and it does what I want now. Mine is a Techsew 2700, same as Cowboy 227, which has about a 4" pulley in the hand wheel. If you are getting a heavy stitcher with a large pulley on the head, you might not need to double up the reduction like I did. See if you can test out the machine first with the heaviest leather you will ever sew, and the lightest you expect to do on the same machine. Tom

If you have a business name, registered, you don't need to buy a membership at Tandy, and you get the elite pricing. Most places, cost less to register a business name than the elite membership costs. You don't need to incorporate a business, you can run as a proprietorship, and work it in with your personal income taxes. Each has their advantages. Even though an incorporated business has limited liability, you, the President, Chairman of the Board, etc. still can be found liable for your errors. A corporation also has a lot more record keeping to be done. So small time business or busy hobby business, you may find it well worth your while to register a business name. Of course if you are doing your business dealings under the table, no taxes, it doesn't make a lot of difference. Tom

Fantastic. Great ideas and really great work. Tom

Motors have reduced torque at low speeds. So when you are trying to go slow through a difficult part, there isn't enough torque to punch through thicker or harder leather. Then you either hand wheel it, so now have only one hand to guide the leather with, or you step on the pedal harder, and ... Whoops, went further and faster than you wanted too! So adding a speed reducer lets the motor run faster, so it has better torque output, plus the torque amplification due to the speed reducer, now you can run heavier leather at low speeds and keep both hands on the job. I have both a speed reducer and a servo with 3:1 gear reduction. Can go as slow as one stitch in three seconds, so can stop at any needle position, and make complicated turns, all without hand wheeling it. My top speed is a little on the slow side, but I'd sooner have it a little slow and have the torque I want at low speeds. Tom

Use neatsfoot oil or extravirgin olive oil (EVOO) to lightly oil the leather after it is dyed. Some people also lightly oil before applying the dye. Don't apply too much. More is not always better. Neatsfoot oil darkens the leather more than EVOO. Let the item sit 12 to 24 hours after oiling so it can soak in evenly and any splotchy areas will even out. Hard to make it look perfect immediately after oiling without getting too much oil on. So don't panic. Uneven or blotches will disappear after sitting. Tom