Northmount

Depending on how much you dilute the oxalic as to whether it is stronger or weaker than vinegar.

Leather too wet?

Picture? ??

Hitting much harder could be dangerous ... hurt your elbow, or miss, break the handle or something like that. Hurts like the dickens when you smash your thumb! If you are not concerned about leaving some marks on the top of the tool, you could go with a good ball-peen hammer or even a claw hammer. As you have already been doing some practice swings, do the same with the hammer and work up to the force needed. Just did a test with a 1" oblong punch on old 8 oz leather. 8 swats with a small rawhide mallet (maybe 4 oz), 8 swats with a 2 lb deadblow hammer with hard rubber face, 4 swats with an 8 oz ball-peen, and 6 swats with about a 6 oz poly mallet. All tests with a poly cutting board on top of a piece of granite. Definitely need the hard face and some weight behind it.

Don't see any US locations yet, but here is a link to their catalogs. Almost as good as browsing the store itself! Lee Valley

There is a lot more leather to cut with the oblong punch than a 3/8" round. Work out the circumference of each and you will see the difference. So that is how much harder you will have to hit the punch. A rubber mallet (at least most of them) are too soft, so you are using up a lot of the impact in the mallet face before it even gets to the leather. You need a lot harder faced mallet to get through the leather. A heavy head would help too.

If you do grind out the inside, then you need to knock out the cutting after each hole because it will wedge inside, inside the taper. So probably is better to use STD wall 1" pipe and do the taper on the outside like the typical drive punch. If you have a lathe, then you can do a better job and be properly sized. Otherwise, your best deal is Harbor Freight like Kevin says. Depends on how many times you are going to use it, and how long you have to wait to be able to finish your job.

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.