Northmount

Most motors with a knob for speed control have a potentiometer under the knob. That is a wire wound resistor with a metal wiper that rubs against the resistor wire, giving you a variable resistor. The speed control arm adjusts another potentiometer. All analog electronics, no digital stuff. No optical sensors. Usually good heavy duty stuff. CTG

An additional piece of info, denatured alcohol is dry, no oils added. Rubbing alcohol has oils added. So for leather, the bit of oil shouldn't be a problem since we need to add some back after dying. For some other applications, oil is a problem so they say to use denatured alcohol. Methal hydrate can be used too. From Wikipedia Methanol, also known as methyl alcohol, wood alcohol, wood naphtha or wood spirits, is a chemical with the formula CH3OH (often abbreviated MeOH). It is the simplest alcohol, and is a light, volatile, colorless, flammable liquid with a distinctive odor very similar to, but slightly sweeter than, ethanol (drinking alcohol).[4] At room temperature, it is a polar liquid, and is used as an antifreeze, solvent, fuel, and as a denaturant for ethanol. Also from wikipedia Denatured alcohol or methylated spirits is ethanol that has additives to make it undrinkable (poisonous), to prevent human consumption. In some cases it is also dyed. Denatured alcohol is used as a solvent and as fuel for spirit burners and camping stoves. Because of the diversity of industrial uses for denatured alcohol, hundreds of additives and denaturing methods have been used. The main additive has traditionally been 10% methanol, giving rise to the term "methylated spirit." Other typical additives include isopropyl alcohol, acetone, methyl ethyl ketone,methyl isobutyl ketone, and denatonium.[1] CTG

Slightly warm water softens blood stains better than cold. Think about your body temperature. I'd moisten it with a spray mister, blot and repeat to get the worst out, then follow up with peroxide and oxalic acid. And of course, always the sooner the better. I've had a lot of practice, used to have lots of nose bleeds, and the occasional cut! CTG

It is a very nice job regardless of a couple little gotchas. And you will know for any other purses - any type - that you may do in the future. Great job. Kepp it up. CTG

Or stick it on with an old fashioned 8" long hat pin Seriously, though, very nice hat. Just don't get caught in the dark with some dogs chasing you! Carry super-soaker with some nasty stuff in it. CTG

Generally ... Many locals have a statement that the name is not currently in use ... When you go to register a trade name. A company name or trade name is different from a trademark. A trade mark is generally registered to a company, that has registered its trade name. The trademark may or may not include all or part of the company name. The trade mark can be a simple graphic image with no company name displayed. For example, "System 1" is a trademark owned by "Bently Nevada" who was purchased by "GE Energy Services" owned by "GE". You have all seen GE in a circle, that is a trademark. To protect a business name, it needs to be registered. If you have a trademark, it needs to be registered. That will protect the name and trademark only in the state or province it is registered in. If you have deep enough pockets, you can sue others in other states for infringing, but you need more money to beat them. Makes for a nice legal game that only the lawyers win, on both sides. CTG

The tubular portion is too small in diameter to fit the rolls, and too close to the flanged potion. Side cutters (wire cutter, diagonal cutter) to cut the excess off. This pinches the end flat, so need to open it back up with a metal scribe (or awl, or fat sharp needle or such) and shape it round again. Tubular steel rivets are set with a die that splits the tube into 4 parts, and rolls the segments down. So today when setting a snap, I tried using a Phillips screw driver to split the tubular section. Split it too far and had to break off the excess strips before I could rivet it. So next time I think I'll try just barely starting the split and see if it will roll over easier and keep a nicer shape inside. The one I did set flat and looks okay, just not perfection. CTG

Wood burners work with some of these foils as well. Sign your name! CTG

Really great job. Can't ask for anything nicer. CTG

Make sure to print actual size. Don't let your software scale to fit the page/printer. Most printers take up to .25" off the margins, so letting your s/w shrink to fit scales it smaller. And I totally agree, cut the prototype to fit on paper or other cheap material before cutting any leather. CTG

If you want a case that opens like a binder or portfolio, take a look at iPad. Magnetic Screen on/off switchIf you put a magnet in the case (for ipad2) centered 6.5" from the bottom right and .25" in from the right (iPad held in portrait mode, home switch at the bottom), it will automatically turn the screen off when you slide it in the cover, and turn it back on when you remove it from the cover. The iPad and many other devices like BB phone have little magnetic reed switches embedded in them to look after the screen. You just have to find out where it is. An old case with this feature is a good reference. CTG

Welcome to the forum. Your belt and journal case are interesting and look great. Keep it up, and keep coming back here. CTG

I often cut a "U" shaped notch in the bottom edge of the interior at the fold to allow for a little differential movement between the interior and the wallet back. Makes sewing (or lacing) much easier. The depth of the (U) just needs to miss the stitch line. CTG

Let the iron cool before putting it in the bag. Hot iron may damage the electrical cord too, so another reason to just be patient and let it cool. CTG

I guess you already know that the closer the holes are, the weaker the leather becomes. Too close and the leather rips when strained. And you already know that with thicker leather, the holes should be further apart. CTG

Try this link Tools CTG

Welcome to this great addiction. If you post your list, I think people will reply with comments adding or subtracting items from the list. Else there are some lists of tools suggested for various types of work already posted here. Try a few searches to see if you can find them. CTG

Wish I was a lot closer. Sounds like an interesting event to attend. I guess it would be a good event for those that are just starting out, or think they might be interested in leather. It's really a good idea to be pro-active in promoting your business and sharing information with others. Hope the fair is a great success. CTG

Sure sounds like Trox and bdt46 are right. Makes better sense, so it looks like you are using a clutch motor. The more info a person can give when asking a question, the sooner you get the right answer. Good luck getting your machine sorted out. CTG

For the motor to continue to run, the switch must still be closed (in the on position). Sticky or worn brushes will not supply power to make the motor run if the switch is off. Most brush problems result in intermittent operation, arcing and sparking inside the motor (sometimes a smell due to the arcing) , low power output, and noise. Motor will often fail to start when brushes are worn and stuck, so then beating on the motor may get it running again temporarily. So check out the switch and the linkage to the switch. Since holding the wheel/pulley seems to stop the machine, it sounds like the motor mounting is somewhat loose so that when you stop the wheel, it rocks the motor a little, so the switch linkage gets bumped far enough to open the switch. CTG

see dirtclod's post for how to access PMs

Sending you a PM

Most of the Leather Sewming Machine Vendors in US and Canada have a speed reducer pulley of some sort. Check the vendors at the top of the page. Here is a link to a smaller operation near my location pulley John Leighton sells them for 150 $CAN plus shipping. Others here are priced similarly. Farm and Factory equipment/hardware suppliers near you should have pulleys, bearings and shaft material available if you want to make your own. Takes time, patience, and a lot of fiddling around to rig up your own. Auto supply stores have vee belts. If you are in a busy shop, then it pays to buy it already built instead of spending time doing it yourself, especially if you don't have skills or equipment to build your own. There are a few other recent posts about building your own speed reducer. CTG

An hour or so south of Vancouver is PSLAC. They seem to have a lot of interest and are really involved in their organization. CTG

I got a SEWPRO from Bob and put on my machine. It was still to fast for me, and couldn't punch through 2 layers of 8 oz without assistance at minimum speed. Today, a put a speed reduction set of pulleys on it as well. I had a 7.5" pulley and got a 2" with the same bore size, a couple pillow block type bearings, and piece of 3/4" shaft I had around. Made a frame for it and put it on my machine. Needs a couple little adjsutments yet but it works great. It will punch through 2 layers of 8 oz leather at the slowest speed with no assistance. I turned the max speed up to maximum, so I have the full range of speed available, and fast is slightly more than fast enough for me. (A little slow winding bobbins, but that's okay with me.) Now I can backstitch at the start without needing 3 hands (1 on the leather, 1 on the reverse lever, and 1 on the wheel to help it get started, and hope it didn't run away on me. Didn't relish the thought of trying to hold the reverse lever down with my forehead since I don't have that thrid hand.) So if you want to keep your costs down a bit, get the SEWPRO and a pulley reduction set. I've seen the pulley reduction set listed at $150 to 175. CTG