Urshag

I'm collecting quite a number of bottle of Dyes and Finishes. How is everyone else storing their Dye bottles? Shelves? Drawers? Ideally I'd like to have some kind of tackle box big enough to hold the dye bottles that I could keep under my desk. Any thoughts? Dennis Green

That is amazing work! Unfortunately I am not an artist. I'm great with Photoshop so I was hoping to find a way to create a design on the computer and transfer it to the leather. I think I found a thread that shows how it may be done. This method talks about using laser printers and transferring with acetone or neat-lac. Here is the thread: http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=30822&st=0&p=192777&hl=tracing&fromsearch=1entry192777 Dennis

I'm assuming that the equipment needed to do that is pretty expensive. Sigh. I was hoping there was a way to do that without having to spend a fortune. lol Thanks for the replies. Dennis Green

I've been looking at your work on Etsy and I am really impressed! Can I ask how you get the images/type on your leather? My fiance suggested it may be a rubber stamp with a special kind of ink that will not rub off, but one of your kindle cases is covered with type and I've never seen a stamp that big. Any help would be appreciated! Dennis

Just finished this, I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.

Thanks Guys! For the lining I just used contact cement to fold over each top edge (it's just one piece folded like the outside) once that was done I used contact cement on the wrong side of the cover and the lining and pressed them together. Once set I grooved the tops of the cover, ran the stitching wheel and hand sewed the tops. Then I glued the edges (One thing I did was cut the lining just short of the sides so the lining was not between the edges of the side)and hand sewed the edges. I had a lot of fun making it and I'm happy with how it turned out. I really love the skin on the kindle. It's from Amazon by a merchant called "Decal Girl". Here's the link: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0040GJIOO Dennis

I tried my hand at making a kindle case last week and I finally got around to taking some pictures. It's my first time using a lining on something. I also experimented with a sort of reverse-stencil dyeing technique. I wanted to do sort of a "Steampunk" bent for it.

I just discovered this on eBay. It's a jacob's chuck with strong magnets for attaching to the underside of the ram on an arbor press! http://cgi.ebay.com/...=item3cb8ad0f0f It's a bit pricey, but damn it would make it easy to quick change tools. Maybe someday I'll drop the coin for it. But at least it's an easy option. Buy an arbor press, buy this and you're set. Of course you'd probably have to shorten some tools for the clearance issue. Just thought some people would want to know about it.

Yep! It also works really well on setting rivets, eyelets, grommets and snaps as well. I've even tried it to punch holes (When my rotary hand punch can't be used) and it works great for that as well. I couldn't be happier with it. Dennis

Thanks to everyone who replied! I found a good solution. I got an arbor press. I found a local shop that sells used and new machine tools. I bought a used 1 ton arbor press for $50.00. I made a post about it here at: http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=32112&st=0&gopid=201797entry201797 With photos of my new tool/toy. It works great and I couldn't be happier with it! Thanks again everyone! Dennis

Well I got an arbor press. I found a local shop that sells used and new machine tools. I bought a used 1 ton arbor press for $50.00. Next door was a machine shop and he did the following for me. Drilled a 1/2 inch hole into the bottom of the crank. Drilled and tapped a 3/8 inch set screw hole. Made 2 bushings for me. All for $25 bucks! He was a really nice guy and it was fun to watch him work. Here are some pictures of the Arbor Press and it in use. Thanks again for all those that responded and offered advice! Dennis

Well I appreciate the advice but I was really just looking for some tips on how to do what I do a little quieter, but I'm more than happy to share (read as VENT) about my experiences with her. I've told her over the years that I make money from doing this and her reply was to sarcastically comment "I didn't realize this residential area had been rezoned for industry." She has asked me to be quiet in person several times but she's just decided that banging on the ceiling is now the best way to communicate with me. I've done everything I can to reduce the noise and to make sure that WHEN I do my hammering it's during acceptable hours but there is no pleasing some people. I truly believe she thinks she has the right to expect the kind of silence and solitude of living alone in the woods while living in an old apartment complex. Sorry, it's just not going to happen. To give you an example she once complained that my fan (I'll repeat that, my $25 Wal Mart Window #@$^@! FAN) was too LOUD! Thanks for letting me vent. LOL Dennis

Does anyone have a line on where I could get a white belt blank, 72 inches long and 2 inches wide? I need it to make a knights belt for a friend in the SCA (Society for Creative Anachronism. It's a medieval recreationist group. Knights in the SCA are signified by their white belts) Thanks! Dennis

Sorry about that, I thought I had already filled in my profile information! I live in Lisbon Falls, Maine. I appreciate the offer to do the machining for me though, that was a very nice offer! If it comes to it in the future where I need some machining done I would be willing to pay to ship the item to you, pay you for your time and the return shipping. Thanks for the info about the bushings! That was exactly the kind of information I was looking for! I will probably try a few of your suggestions and see what works best with the arbor press I am getting. Thanks again! Dennis

Well I found a shop that sells used equipment. They have an old arbor press they will sell me and they will drill the main hole and the set screw hole and the whole thing will cost me $65.00. As for the bushings, let me ask a few noobish questions. should the bushings be steel or what kind of material? How does the set screw hold the tool in place if it's in a bushing? Is there a hold in the bushing that the set screw goes through to the tool? Any ideas for where to get the bushings? Is there anything ready made, or will I need to cut and or drill something? I measured my tools, it seems the most popular sizes are 1/2 inch, 1 cm, and 1/4 inch. Does that sound about right? Thanks for all the help guys. I new to owning/operating machinery like this. Dennis

I was told that the rack/arm of the arbor press (http://www.harborfre...press-3552.html) was solid. Is there a round hole in the arm as it comes from Harbor Freight? Dennis

I have read the forum post: http://leatherworker...20%20press&st=0 I have a question. Does anyone know of someone who can adapt the rack on the arbor press to accept 1/2 inch to 1/4 inch tools for a fee? Most of the machine shops around here have closed and the nearest one want to charge me $100.00 to do it. Any suggestions would be welcome! Thanks! Dennis

Well I found a rotary hole punch I like and I dug out my black and decker workmate bench. I did see those posts you mentioned and in one of them someone mentioned using the horse stall rubber matting you can get from Tractor Supply Co. A couple of layers of that matting on top of the workmate with my granite slab on top of that seems to work out OK. It's not perfect but it's better than it was. One thing I am still curious about are handpresses. Has anyone found a cheaper alternative than the tandy version? Thanks for all the replies everyone! Dennis

Hmmm. I know when it comes to tools you get what you pay for, and I'm sure the Tandy Pro is worth every penny, but at $60 it's out of my price range at the moment. Does anyone have any experience with this: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280567873751 or this: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=350461432137 Thanks! Dennis

Thanks for the reply! The bed idea is good, I might try that. But the outside thing is just not feasible sadly. There isn't really anyplace on the property except the driveway and climbing down and then back up two flights of stairs every single time I need to use a maul would probably get tiresome very quickly. I'm also hoping for to hear some thoughts on the punches I linked or the Homepro I linked as well. They may help as well to eliminate the noise from hole punching and simple settings. Dennis

I live in a 3 floor house built in the 1800's that was converted into 3 apartments each floor a separate apartment. I live on the third floor and below me on the second floor lives the stereotypical old lady who bangs on her ceiling with a broom whenever I start hammering to tool some leather, set a rivet, punch a hole, etc etc. I TRY to do everything I can to accommodate her delusion that she can expect to have total silence 24/7 as if she lived in a house on the edge of nowhere instead of in a very old building with walls and floors that are still intact only by the grace of God, bailing wire and spit. I only do any hammering between 9am and 9pm but still, if I hammer more than a few minutes here and there she makes a grab for her broom and she starts poking holes in her ceiling with it. So to get to the meat of my question, I want to find a quieter way to punch holes, set rivets, eyelets etc. Now I have a slab of granite on a folding table for my work like that. (Sorry, I live in an apartment and I have no resources for a proper workbench.) I have heard that putting a layer of closed cell foam under the slab can lessen the impact but I am not sure if that's true. So my questions are: Will putting a layer of closed cell foam (AKA Tandy's "Poundo Board) under my granite slap help? How about using a hand press? Tandy's is too expensive, but how about something like the Homepro? http://www.amazon.com/Homepro-Lr-Inch-Reach-Tool/dp/B003LVLYCS As for a hand punch, I have a cheapo rotary one that never seems to line up with the anvil properly. How about a more expensive one such as: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=310318187942 or http://cgi.ebay.com/8-3-4-Professional-Leather-Punch-Plier-Stainless-Steel-/140497083123 ? Any other suggestions are welcome. Anything to stop her complaining! lol Thanks! Dennis

I've never put a lining on anything before. Are there any good tutorials about what kind of material to use and how to put a lining on something? Dennis

I like that idea, the brass wire would match the embellishment. My only concern would be the underside. The only way I can think of fastening the wire would be to twist the wire then fold it down against the flap. But I wonder if it would scratch the finish of the leather on the front of the pouch. Dennis

Thanks! I appreciate the encouragement!

The dimensions are: 4 1/2 inch wide across the front 4 1/4 inches tall 3 inches wide across the side Thanks for the compliment! Dennis