Northmount

Try industrial, mechanical, automotive tool supply for gasket cutting punches if you don't want to make one yourself. Standard wall (schedule 40) 1" pipe has an ID of 1.049". OD of all North American 1" pipe is 1.315". The ID changes with different wall thickness (different schedule numbers). Applies to SS, black pipe or galvanized pipe. European pipe has different dimensions. 3/4" pipe has an OD of 1.050", so would be a better choice for 1" holes. File the taper on the inside using a round file, or use a Dremel grinder. You can cut a slot in the side to drop out the cuttings just like a drive punch. Screw a pipe cap on the top if you wish to close the end.

Great job. Keep it up! Happy New Year!

Hog rings are also used on the bottom of chain-link fences to tie the "mesh" to a #9 or so wire next to the ground. The wire is stretched tight between corme posts and keeps the bottom of the chain-link straight (and helps to keep kids and animals from squeezing under). I've used them on car seat covers too since most don't fit or stay in place properly. There are still a few hiding around here somewhere.

Some glues destroy the foam. Tandy kits also say not to glue the foam. I did an item a short time ago, and was wishing afterwards that I had removed the foam. Looks bulky, not so neat and trim.

Depending on size, I would do like a number of wall hangings that have a rod through both the top and bottom. The bottom rod will help keep it flat against the wall. I think you will probably get some curl on the sides. With thin material, depending on the type and amount of stamping, you will need to be careful to prevent any stretching so the leather will lay flat when finished. I have seen a photo of a large leather wall hanging done with pyrography where it was stretched and supported by lacing to a rustic frame like a dream catcher style, only much larger. Happy New Year

Try http://www.abebooks.com (a network of used book stores.) They have a lot of old books available. Some very good prices, some high. Depends on the individual seller.

When you cut the thread, does the end begin to unravel, especially if you roll it between your fingers a little? If so, it's unbonded. Usually says on the spool label (if it's still there).

Did you use bonded thread? Thread that is not bonded tends to fray and unravel easier. I recently (accidentally) purchased a pound of unbonded thread, so I have lots to practice with now!

From some old stuff in a bin, wallet/billfold: Back 3-1/2" x 9-5/16" Interior 3-1/8" x 8-15/16" Merry Christmas

These are the same instructions with my servo ... however someone was kind enough to drop the "with" so it says "press up button 2 times" ... Merry Christmas

You can cut a slot in a short length of 8-32 screw with a narrow hacksaw. The slot will be a little wide but works as long as you don't reef down like a muscleman.

If you replace a 3" motor pulley with a 2" pulley, the speed is reduced to 2/3. See the natural mechanical relationship?

Go back to see your friend. Examine the cover closely, make some notes and sketch how it appears to be put together. Different book sizes will require alterations to the pattern, so it is best to start with your rough sketch and adapt to fit. Recording a few measurements would be helpful if your friend agrees to it. Then file the info where you can find it later! Then you will have the info when there is a demand (or desire) to make one similar to it.

Works fine on my Firefox 8.0 in Windows XP. I have adblock and a bunch of other stuff, but none of it interfered with my test just now.

Great work. I enjoy looking at your designs. Tooling, color, everything is great.

Here is another link that might help http://www.tandyleatherfactory.ca/en-cad/home/infoandservices/leatherguide/leatherguide.aspx

I had a small item to tool a short time ago and decided it would be a good idea to glue it to a piece of hardboard to make it easier to handle. I used rubber cement ... used to the kind that stationery stores sell, and peels off nicely. Well, I used Tandy Rubber Cement by Barge! (Craftsman #S-5274) It does not peel off easily. I had to slice it off the board when I was finished. A couple drips on my desk didn't peel or roll off nicely either. So if anyone is intending to use rubber cement for a temporary application, get the stationery store kind.

Both UPS and Fedex charge brokerage fees on items shipped from the US to Canada. The lowest charge with UPS is about $47. You get hit with this charge at the door. The fee may be larger as it is also based on the declared value. People should be able to clear the items through CBSA (Canadian Border Services Agency) according to all the rules and regulations, but UPS really doesn't like to give up their fat fee for doing next to nothing. If you are interested in people's experieinces, take a look at http://trueler.com/2...ating-avoid-it/ You will find others too if you Google for brokerage fees. I don't like paying the fee, but my time is worth more to me than driving out to the airport and standing in line arguing with a CBSA agent (or UPS). If you ship via USPS, then Canada Post does the customs clearance for you. They charge a $5 (now $8.50 according to Denise, thanks Denise) transaction fee plus any federal and provincial sales taxes that are applicable depending on the province the importer is in. Many times Canada Post just goes ahead and delivers with no fees; nice when that happens. I have had free or next to free items delivered by Canada Post and still charged transaction fee plus a few cents GST (Goods & Services Tax (Federal Government)). After being stung a few times recently by UPS, I try to remember to always ask for shipment to be by USPS and preferably Express. I much prefer the lower cost for brokerage and if I miss the postman, the local office is just a few blocks away.

I can convert most files to PDF if that makes it easier to post. Just let me know and hopefully the file size will fit in an email. If not, there are otherways to move it.

Easier to replace when it gets all scuffed up or yellow if you just slide it in. Glued in is a job to get out without damaging the leather.

Dye penetrates into the leather so you would have to grind a lot away. I think a better approach is to clean the surface of the letters with a suitable thinner, then dye with a brown dye to cover the original. Or get Cova color (or any craft acrylic paint) that is close to the color you want, then thin it and keep adding a thin wash to build the color depth you want. Paint does hide the subtle shades of tooling and fills in cuts. Won't ever get you back to natural. Good luck.

An additional piece of info: To see what wire you have (varnished or bright), scrape a 1/4" or so at the end to see if there is a coating. Some newer plastic coatings might be difficult to see a difference. In this case, use a match to heat the end of the wire up. If the finish bubbles and chars, it is coated and no worry about corrosion. Coatings/varnish come in different colors too. Probably related to the maximum temperature the coating is rated for, or different manufacturer. So getting a color match between different batches or sources could be difficult. Just make sure you have enough for the job at hand first.

All is forgiven

Try a piece of dowel sharpened like a pencil, or a sylus or modeler to gently rub back and forth along the kink to work it back out. If the kink is already in a stich, then use a stylus to pull back a little room to play with so you can work out the kink. Be careful pulling it back as you could make a new sharp bend or kink. I think a sharpened wood dowel is more likely to work to smooth out the kink than metal tools. You may have noticed too that if you pull the wire too tight, it does a nice job of cutting the leather between holes. Like you say, small lenghths are going to be much easier to handle.

Matt ... you can straighten the wire by taking a partial loop around a wood dowel and draw it back and forth under a little tension. It will have quite a curl, but the kinks will be gone. Then pull it tight to straighten it. For sharp kinks or snarls, time to start over. Wire is worse to work with than lace is. At least with lace, you can recover from most snarls without any real damage.