Northmount

For the things you are interested in sewing, 3/8" should be good. That's 24 oz thickness, 3 layers of 8 oz. For many of these items you don't want a heavy thick seam anyhow. So for the most part, you should skive the edges to reduce the thickness of bulky seams. My 2700 does great. If you aren't building heavy harness tack, you don't need to go to larger machines. If you have researched LW, then you already know there aren't many 'one size fits all machines' out there. Pay attention to comments by Wiz, Steve, Ronnie, Sewmun and the other top notch sewing machine people that support us. You will probably settle in to using a couple different thread and needle sizes. And have to adjust tension for each and to accommodate different thicknesses. CTG

FoxChapel Publishing did a couple special issue magazines, one in 2012 and one in 2011. Both have some info on using leather. Seems to me they suggested not using chrome tanned leather due to the chemical fumes. Issues available here I found them both to be quite interesting. Lots of info on techniques, tools, and interesting history and examples/gallery. CTG

The soaking overnight was for old leather that had really dried out. Soak only as long as there are bubbles rising. Soaking too long will take much longer to return to normal color before you can start working with it. Bagging it overnight right after soaking lets the moisture penetrate to the core. If the leather is light weight, less than say 6 oz, it doesn't take very long to get saturated. Heavier leather of course takes longer to soak up the water. After sitting in a bag overnight, take the leather out and let it dry until its natural (original) color starts to return. Then it is ready to work with. Bag it between work sessions to keep it from drying out completely. For large pieces that you can't tool in one session, cover with plastic wrap or other except for the area you are working on. Then bag it till your next work session. If it is getting too dry so it doesn't burnish well (darken when you are stamping it), then mist lightly with water. If it gets too wet, the crisp tooling swells and you lose definition. Hotter climates need refrigerated between tooling sessions to stop mold and mildew. Listerine and other antibacterials can reduce the tendency to mold and mildew. I don't have that problem here except for a couple weeks in the summer. Since I do most of my work in my basement, the temperature doesn't get over 70 F most of the time. Hope this helps. Go back and re-read the thread now, keeping these points in mind. Happy tooling! CTG Edit: Just saw this post too. moistening while tooling

Faces are the hardest parts to do. The eyes make a huge difference too. I think you have done a really great job. Figure carving takes more of an artistic bent in my opinion. Much of the floral, steam punk and other types can be done with a mechanical approach by someone with little artistic skill if they are careful and follow an established pattern and routine. Figure carving needs someone with an artistic eye. CTG

What about trying something just a little different? Cut a number of rings (or ovals or rectangles) about 3 to 4" across with a hole about 1.5" in the middle. Sew alternating outside and inside layers to make an accordion. Flip alternate pieces so the grain side shows on the outside, flesh side hidden inside. You can make any number of layers, shift the size from large at the floor boards, to smaller at the top against the stick. Could start with rectangular at the bottom, to smaller and round at the top. Burnish all the outside edges, dye what ever color and show it off. Might start a new fad! CTG

This isn't needle, hook, shuttle timing. It is needle and foot, feed related. So don't fix what ain't broke. Look at what positions the feed. CTG

A recent post on another thread said to cut the post shorter and use a simple awl to reshape the post so it can be beaded properly with out bending. CTG

MarineThread seems to be a dead link for me, but I found Maine Thread CTG

I have heard the comment a number of times that if something isn't selling, raise the price. Seems to hold true for crafts, arts, antiques ... Try it and see. CTG

Great videos. I would definitely like to see additional ones on Mexican Round Braid and Two-Tone. I've been thnink of doing both one of these days. I was surprised by the number of photos people have posted where the lace was twisted, uneven and no attempt made to close the start and finish. I would have thought that it was obvious to keep the lace from twisting and showing the backside of the lace. I do realize it is hard for the first couple projects to figure out how to close. It is good practice to always pull out the first 3 to 6 loops from the start so the angle of the lace is consistent at the join. It may be obvious to you and I that you should always start the lacing in an area where the ends can be buried between layers of leather (as you have done). If you do some edits, maybe add that comment. I have been using the perma-loc lacing needle for 50 years (same one, never replaced, just misplaced a few times). I have a nice slim one, curved. I use it for both 3/32 and 1/8 lace. I wouldn't buy the larger diameter needle. It's too big. The ones Tandy has now may need the pointed end filed down and reshaped a little. In your video, the contrast and brightness ratios make it hard to see the difference in color of the dark brown lace and the lighter brown of the leather. Often they both look black so you can't see what you are trying to show us. So take your desk lamp (or other lamp with a reflector that you can position) and set it above left so the camera peeks inbetween your shoulder and the lamp. The brighter light on the subject will improve the contrast and brightness, and the color rendition as well. Since we are not concerned with exact color, you don't have to worry about special daylight lights. Fluorescent or tungsten will work fine. The auto color balance on the camera will take care of some of the color shift anyhow. Again ... great job. It will help a lot of people improve their lacing skills and their project quality. CTG

I think the strap looks great. Don't try to fix it, just do some testing for future work so you can figure out what exactly happened. CTG

The hype about magnets and computers is over stated and exaggerated. Floppy disks were supposed to be sensitive to magnets. I purposely tried to damage the data on floppy disks with magnets in various ways. No problems with reading data after. But electromagnets, especially powered by AC will destroy data on floppy disks and magnetic stripes. AC magnetic fields are used to bulk erase tapes and disks. Funny thing about floppy disks is that after a bulk erase, I couldn't reformat them. Memory chips in general are not affected by magnets. iPads and BlackBerry phones use magnets in the OEM covers and cases to turn the device screen off when the cover is closed or the phone is placed in the holster. Experiment with the covers and you will find out where the magnets are, and can then build that into your covers, just like the OEMs. Keep magnets away from the old CRT type monitors and TVs. Else you will have areas with poor color rendition, and have to have it degaussed to eliminate the residual magnetism around the screen. I have a BIG magnet out of an old hard drive. The drive was the size of a small automatic washing machine. I showed my kids how the magnet distorted the picture on our TV one day. Oops! The lower right quarter of the screen was now magenta colored. Had to rig up a degaussing coil to fix it. Kids learned a lot that day! CTG

Great project. Love it. CTG

You need something (paint) that is not water based or water soluble, or a coat of something like a lacquer over top of it. Any color product that you use that lays on top the gum trag needs to be compatible with it. It needs to dry well between coats, so don't rush the steps. Water based paint is sensitive to the thinners in lacquers and alcohol based finishes, so the finish probably needs to be sprayed on so the color doesn't get spread around by any rubbing action for what ever applicator you use. Multiple light coats are better than single heavy coats. Heavy coats are likely to crack and check. Some one of the posts I read a couple months ago was about applying a hot melted finish on the edge. I think it was related to shoe repair. Anyhow, good luck with your search for a better solution. CTG

I think you are having problems because the dye can't penetrate the gum trag. Should dye first, then apply the gum trag if you are going to continue using it. Cova colors are water soluble, so any color sitting on top of the gum trag is going to get wet from perspiration a and transfer to clothes or skin. Search for Bob Park's method of burnishing edges. It's pinned at the top of on of the groups. CTG

Nice to see the problem resolved to your satisfaction. Many people will not publicly own up to embarrassing mistakes. Pat on the back for that. Resolution may help others to take a second look at their machine problems from a slightly different perspective. CTG

My youngest son worked with me from the time he was 12. Then he did a 2 year engineering technology diploma in a closely related field to the work we were doing. After graduation, he did some work for me for a couple months, then decided it was time to send out resumes. Sent out 3, had 3 offers. The company he went to work for gave him credit for 7 years industry experience (since he included his related work as a teenager on his resume) and started him off at a much higher pay grade than his peers. So any work you can set up for your teenagers, it is a great boost for their resume, getting their first full time job, and a much better pay rate due to their experience. Even volunteer work for local organizations can be a big help. Experience plus references from them helps. Same applies for unemployed while while job hunting. Shows you don't just sit on your backside waiting for a handout. CTG

If you have 2 full time jobs, you need to drop one, or cut it back while you have your health, sanity, and your family. Would be really nice to keep all three. CTG

I filled out their online application about a month ago. Then I saw posts about not being available in Canada, so figured I wouldn't get any trial subscription. Just picked up the mail, and guess what? There is a copy of Shop Talk. I had added a comment on their online form asking about being able to get the trial subscription in Canada, but hadn't heard back. Much appreciated to be able to see what it is like before purchasing a subscription. CTG

Logically, heel down AND needle down would release clutch (applying brake). Heel down would continue sewing until the above are both satisfied (logical AND). He also has a link to lift the presser foot. This is not difficult to do completely mechanically. Just using mechanical rods, levers, bellcrank and cam. Predates fancy electronic positioning. Chances are you could search and find the patent for the system.

This would not be too hard to do mechanically. Just need to have a feedback arm from the hand wheel or a cam that releases the clutch, applying the brake with the needle down. We tend to think nowadays that everything has to be electronic or microprocessor controlled. I used to work on mechanical accounting machines that we programmed mechanically to do things like multiply the mill rate by the assessed value to determine the tax, print it on the ledger card plus statement, plus total up the day's run. There are a lot of mechanical marvels from years gone by that we don't remember and give credit for. Even things like mileage counters used on covered wagons as people moved west 150 odd years ago. CTG

Some models of sewing machines have a needle positioning system on them. As you see in the video, his positioning system is set for needle down. He doesn't have to crank it by hand to stop where he wants it. Search for needle positioning here and in Google. One of the banner ads here advertises needle positioning for their machine. Very nice addition for a high volume production shop. CTG

Take a look at Will Ghormley

Application method makes a big difference too! If you are applying the finish, whether you use an applicator like sheep's wool, or your fingers, to rub the finish into the surface, you will dissolve and spread the dye. Even waterborne finishes can lift waterbourne dyes. Try spraying the finish on in very light coats. Light coats don't crack as easily either. There are many threads on dyeing and application of finishes. Do a search and you will be surprised at the number. Comments include buffing the dyed item 24 hours after applying the dye, so it is really dry, to remove any unabsorbed dye from the surface. Also what finishes to use and how to apply. CTG

There is a post somewhere here that has a number of photos and details where a person was experimenting with making their own rawhide maul. A 1" diameter bolt is expensive overkill. 3/8" should be plenty. Your handle and rawhide will make it plenty rigid. I think they used rawhide dog chews as the source for the rawhide. Since you have nice quiet evenings next to the campfire, I'll let you do the search! I'm lazy. Should be a fun project. I have thought about it too. Have to get a couple other projects done first. CTG