Northmount

You need to resize your photos to fit the space allocations here. See this link for some helps. Tom

@Elloco You need to reduce the file sizes. See this thread for various methods and helps to be able to do that. Tom

A little information from a reddit post about chrome tanned leathers and chromium salts possibly causing corrosion. Copied the text below in case the post disappears or is otherwise inaccessible. Use at your own risk as there is no chemical information to back up the statement, but was made in good faith by the OP based on his research and conversations with a person that should know. Tom https://www.reddit.com/r/Leathercraft/comments/4y005l/solved_can_chrome_tanned_leathers_be_used_for/ Posted byu/B_Geisler Old Testament Mod 4 years ago [SOLVED] Can chrome tanned leathers be used for knife rolls/ sheaths, holsters, etc.? OR Are residual chromium salts/ alum/ iron salts in tanned leather corrosive, and if so, to what metals and to what degree? Tips & Tricks Can chrome tanned leathers be used for knife rolls/ sheaths, holsters, etc.? OR Are residual chromium salts/ alum/ iron salts in tanned leather corrosive, and if so, to what metals and to what degree? This question gets asked here with considerable frequency, especially when it comes to making items that will come in direct contact with metals-- sheaths, knife rolls, holsters, &etc. Barrels and blades, folks. Conventional wisdom says that we don't make these items from chrome tanned leather, supposedly due to the corrosive nature of residual chromium salts in the leather. I'm guilty of this one. I've said it, I've heard old timers say it, and you can't swing a cat without hitting an internet 'expert' that will agree. Chrome tanned leather is bad for barrels and blades. Right? I've asked chemists, leatherworkers, wholesalers, and retailers and the most common answer by far is "Chrome tan is supposed to be bad for barrels and blades, but I've never SEEN it." I've researched this topic extensively and, until now, have yet to find a definitive answer on the topic. I made a few calls and ended up on the phone with Tim Howes. Tim has worked in the leather industry for decades and has, at one time or another, worked for about every major tannery in the business. Tim currently works a technical sales consultant for Tannin Corp, a manufacturer and supplier of oils, waxes, fillers, slip agents and syntans for leather tanning, processing and finishing applications-- these are the guys that sell tanning liquors to essentially everyone in the business and Tim's the one answering the technical questions that make that possible. Per my conversation with Tim, there's a short answer and a long answer to the question. The short answer according to Tim, is no. Chrome tanned leathers from any of the big-name tanneries use such advanced tanning processes that the risk of corrosion or blueing from residual chromium salts is essentially none. The long answer is, no. The reason that so much gear was originally made with veg tan leather was due to animals (especially horses) and humans experiencing adverse skin reactions to the chromium salts-- and not a corrosion issue at all. While the salts ARE corrosive, they don't appear in high enough concentrations in tanned leather to pose any risk except possibly as a skin irritant. He said that he couldn't recall having corrosion issues arise with ferrous metals, brass, nickel plates, etc. and that copper is going to corrode anyway. After a thorough discussion with him about modern tanning processes, it became clear pretty quickly that the likelihood of residual chromium being an issue is very, very low. That said, he did caution that the same doesn't go for leathers tanned in non-commercial settings and tannages from less developed countries that don't follow modern tanning processes. The reason for this is that "you just don't know what these guys are doing, there's some, uh, pretty funky stuff out there. I mean chemically its all backwards, but it works somehow." Any corrosion risk comes from storing the gun/knife/etc. in leather-- the leather absorbs moisture from the surrounding air and creates a damp environment. Damp environments and metals don't mix. That's it. TLDR; For practical purposes, as long as you're buying your leather from a reputable tannery, feel free to make knife rolls/sheaths/holsters from whatever tickles your fancy-- chrome tan, veg tan, oiltan, etc. are all safe for use. EDIT: We're talking about this in the context of typical leather applications from reputable tanneries.

Right on! Tom

need to back stitch over the finish end to lock it. You have already stitched over the start end so it is good to go. Tom

See these links for several comments. https://leatherworker.net/forum/topic/38710-can-i-use-resolene-or-tan-kote-on-leather-jacket/?tab=comments#comment-240467 https://leatherworker.net/forum/topic/57765-dyeing-a-light-brown-jacket-dark-brown/?tab=comments#comment-372914 Tom

I would use a scratch awl instead of a groover to mark out the cut lines. I think the groover gives too wide a line and lets you wobble back and forth a bit within the groove. Then cut with a very sharp knife. Don't attempt to cut all the way through in one pass. The more you try to cut through in one pass, the harder it is to keep a straight line. Use a stainless steel ruler with some cork on the back as a guide. I see from your IP address you are in Okotoks. Not too far south of me! Tom

Also don't lift the foot too high or it will release your top tension. Tom

@MusicCityJen Moved your post to Saddle Identification ... Tom

Just tried this link and it tells me "The administrator has blocked your IP from accessing this website". I assume that he has blocked IP addresses outside of the USA. Tom

@PhillyJay moved your post to leather sewing machines. Tom

Let's stay on topic here. It was about anthrax, not COVID-19. A few posts hidden that were straying well off topic. Tom

@Loquai Moved your post to leather sewing machines. Might get more / faster response here. You should also take a look at this thread. Tom

The deciding factor for you could be who is the closest supplier and who gives the best warranty and followup support. Tom

Another great piece Stewart! Tom

Quoted from a site selling tokenole " Note: Use caution when applying Burnishing Gum on leather that is going to be stained, antiqued, or dyed as it may resist or block penetration." Also take a look at this post. So the best thing is to be careful and avoid contaminating the surface so you don't have to clean it up. You might find that Fiebings Deglazer will work for you where needed to clean up these spots. There are many posts here about burnishing and applying various edge coat treatments here if you want to take a little time to research them. Tom

If you don't get the lemon juice (acid) evenly spread over the leather, you will have blotchy spots where the acid was stronger or left on longer. So are you complaining about the lighter areas, or the dark spot I see in one of the bleached areas? I'm not sure from your description. You can also use oxalic acid to bleach the leather. Mix 1 teaspoon per pint of water. Rinse the surface off after with fresh water. That applies to lemon juice too! Tom

@Choeur Moved your post to Leather Sewing Machines. You'll get more help here than in help wanted. Also every post in Help Wanted has to be approved by a moderator before it can be seen by members. Tom

@ellene Moved your post to leather sewing machines. You'll get more attention from sewing machine guys here. Tom

A servo Motor, but not a digital type. Has brushes to feed the armature. Tom

@Frodo Let's keep false politically biased information out of your posts. This is s leatherworker site, not a political FB page. Tom

Here is a cahrt for sewing machine needles and thread that might help you. https://www.tolindsewmach.com/thread-chart.html Tom

You are fighting the laws of physics. The foot is squeezing the leather out to the side. Cut your projects over-size and trim to required dimensions after sewing. Reduced presser foot pressure may help but if reduced too much, will result in the leather lifting with the needle's up stroke and skipped stitches. Tom

As mentioned, HEPA filters are NOT for gases or vapours, just for dust. Respirators have filters available for organic solvents. If you use the same materials for recirculating air back to your room, you will find that it has to be capped off tight when not in use, otherwise next time you go to use it, its vapour absorbing capability has been used up just on ambient air. Since you are moving more air than what you would with a respirator, it also needs to be much larger than the respirator filter! Activated carbon filters work, but again must be capped off when not in use to save its capabilities. Regardless of what your filter material is, you also need to test the filter to see if it is working. So you put a fume source next to the inlet of the filter, and sniff the air at the outlet. If you can smell the glue/solvent, the filter needs replacement. The best has been mentioned above several times; extract the air and dump it outside. Since you are only doing small jobs from time to time, the heat loss is inconsequential. Not like you are using an auto spray booth with huge volumes of air removal that must be made up with filtered conditioned, heated air. If you want to run something full time for 8 hours per day and are concerned about wasting all that nice warm air, then you should look for a small air to air heat exchanger. Draw fresh air from outside, dump it into the room, exhaust from your gluing station to the outside. Keep about 3 to 6 feet between fresh air inlet and the exhaust outlet to prevent recycling the fumes back to your work space. Many high efficiency homes are now built with air to air heat exchangers, so they are available in many different sizes and different types of control. Unless you are using it a lot, you will find that payback will likely be around 10 years or so at a guess. I have a residential air to air heat exchanger that was built about 30 years ago as a research project. I have it installed in my workshop attic and use it to supply tempered air to a hood/helmet that I use when doing dusty wood work, or applying paint or varnish to projects. It exhausts room air and exchanges heat with the incoming air to the helmet (works winter or summer). Means I am tethered to a hose which is not all that convenient at times. Means no one else can be in the shop at the same time as they have no protection. It sure saves me a lot of headaches and sinus problems. Tom

If you go to the home page and scroll down, you will find the forum names along with descriptions. There is also a search box upper right. When you get into the search you have options as to what search parameters you want to use. You can also do Google searches like this: "site:leatherworker.net finishes top coat" without the quotation marks. The site parameter restricts Google to searching the site specified. Add what ever parameters following that you want to search for. It is a Google search so follows all their standard conventions. Tom