Art

Jeff Mosby, Grey Ghost Graphics http://www.greyghostgraphics.com/ Art

Any good conditioning oil will help with the evenness of the stain. I will usually oil before starting the project and let the leather set for a day to even out the oil. I deglaze with DEA or Isopropyl before staining. I have a ton of old leather in storage from when I bought out a Tandy when they were closing their stores and I always cut a piece and oil that a day or two before I start something. I have harness and bridle leather that never needs that, it is also drum dyed and doesn't need that either. I don't use the water based dyes much most Fiebing's pro dyes and I feel that using oil right before dying with these may be a little counter productive, but don't take my word for it. I have had a drop of oil get on a piece and I just oiled the whole thing and waited an hour or so and deglazed and dyed with pro oil dye and everything was ok. Art

Hi Ed, According to another importer I know, Sailrite pretty much buys the castings and builds those machines themselves. They're not a 111 and don't pretend to be, Sailrite actually sells the Tachony 111 (I think it is called Tacksew) which is very Singer like (don't know if all the parts interchange). The Little portables are meant to ride in a truck or on an ocean going yacht and are probably the best things for that function. They're as portable a light leather machine as you are going to find. Art

Hi Colin, In between is the 618 SC-1 which I also have. The 797 is a lot faster and lighter machine than the 618 or the 3000. How about telling us what you want to sew so we can recommend what to look at. First thing you need to think about is if you sew anything that will be a real PIA on a flat bed. Art

Hi Randy, I would just say to radius any sharp corners, they just look better, and don't hang-up on things and get dog-eared after a while. Art

Hi Ed, As most bobbins are symmetrical, that doesn't make any difference. However counter clockwise is faster when you figure in the rotation of the earth. Art

Hi Tiffany, What do you consider medium to heavy leather? Are you planning on stamping or carving? Will you use vegetable or chrome tanned leather? I think all most of us can tell you without knowing a little more is: 1. Good pair of knife edge scissors, preferably lightly serrated, 2. Surgical Scalpel (eBay handle plus a lot of blades should be $10) 3. Utility knife and good blades 4. Cutting surface 5. Tandy catalog 6. Leather Handbag book, can't find it now, but I'll let you know the title and author. We have to know if you want to sew or lace and what hardware you want to recommend tools for that. For lacing, Rene Berends did a DVD on a hunting bag that would be good for you to watch, it has a pattern in it also. Check with Hidecrafter for that one. Art

Hi Spider, I wouldn't consider the 555 a "leather" sewing machine. Lightweight industrial machine suitable for fabric or garment leather with the right needle and thread. Remember that these things come out of industrial locations so: 1. It might have a ton of mileage on it 2. It might have a 3450rpm or industrial voltage motor on it and no speed reducer, which means if the voltage is usable, it might go like a scalded bunny, not great for leatherwork. Even with a 1750rpm motor it will sew fast. Now, for about $500, you can get a good Singer 111 or 211, stand and motor. A Pfaff 545 is also a good machine. Look on Craig's List for your area. I assume you are looking for a medium duty machine for sewing no more than 3/8 inch leather. If you want to go heavier, there are other machines for that. Art

Hi Mike, The idea was that Leather Factory stores would retain more of a "wholesale" flavor and Tandy stores would cater to the retail/hobbiest trade. In fact, The Leather Factory bought out a dieing Tandy for literally pennies on the dollar (around $2M I think) and incorporated the Tandy name/logo into theirs, immediately catapulting them from wholesale/retail into full blown retail. However, the philosophy is classic Leather Factory, which is interestingly Classic Tandy Leather of pre Tandy-everything days. Tandy's other ventures were built on the back of their leather business which was an excellent cash cow. TLF current runs under that type plan which has been successful over the years. Their one problem is controlling expenses (or NOT controlling expenses), and occasionally biting off more than they can chew. The reason the stock has declined some 50%, is I think an oversold market having to do with a ton of stock that came quickly to market in what I would consider not the greatest economic times, and maybe a slap on the hands for the Ron and Shannon show not having the foresight to control expenses. All this can be gleaned from TLF SEC filings and public statements by Officers. Of course, this is just my opinion. If you can look at TLF as a business of retailing goods and not as a leatherworker, TLF could be a good career move. But then you would have to deal with customers like me. Art

Hi Steve, The belts prior to 1956 were called m1910 and were used up through the 50s. In the mid 50s the went to the LCE system which still attached to the m1910, and in the 70s they went to ALICE and things still interchanged. In the late 90s they changed to MOLLE which is not backward compatible. Why the history? If you go to the surplus store and you get the run of the mill clerk instead of the owner, they won't know dates at all, and their parents and maybe grandparents probably wern't around for WWII, but they might know what MOLLE and ALICE are, might. To get the clips just buy ammo pouches for ALICE and cut the clips out and incorporate in your gear. However, a lot of guys (and gals?) like to wear their knives on their suspenders and noise free is absolutely essential, no velcro or snaps, use a Sam Brown button for knife retainer strap and hard action snaps (from DOT) on the belt loop. I would put an eyelet or grommet on the top or botton of a sheath or holster you could get a piece of parachute cord through, also, darken the eyelets with cold blue or cat piss. Most of my knives went to AF and NAV pilots and their safety division would usually rework anything I gave them sheath wise. Ground pounders modify their own gear. Also if for active duty, don't use your makers mark on anything. And don't make it too pretty, it won't come home that way. Art

Hi Maeshin, For upholstery there are several versions available usually in vinyl, for leather you generally make it yourself. You get 2 oz leather in the color you want and wrap piping cord in it. You can get piping cord here: http://www.rochfordsupply.com/product_list...A_ProdID_E_3535 Or a trimmers supply or an upholstery shop. It is handy to have a piping foot (cording foot, welting foot) on your sewing machine but it CAN be done by hand. The welting foot is almost a necessity for installing the welting in the seam. Three different sizes may be necessary as the sandwich gets bigger as you construct the seam. I can do it with one foot, but I've done a lot of cushions, if you have a right foot only, you can use that also (more careful and a lot slower). If you are going around tight corners, you'll need a welting foot with a cut back or you won't be able to turn. This is something you learn in Canvaswork or Auto upholstery 101. Art

You have a specialty machine for doing Moccasin shoe tops. The ones I have seen have a differential feed that causes that crimped up look. These machines can be "deconstructed" into an "about normal" stitcher by removing most of the gear on the top of the flat bed. What you have depends on the state of "deconstruction". The 105-64 is the predecessor to the 205. It is a medium duty sewing machine with capacity of about .5 inch (12mm). Art

I have steel stamps from both Harper and ISI, they are both excellent and will never wear out. However Jeff Mosby is an artist and can pretty much translate what you want to a stamp. Infinity and Harper required camera ready art or one of their stock design. The stamps from Jeff hold up very well for leather and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them for leather. The Harper stamps I have I used to mark steel when I made knives, for leather, they will last beyond forever. I have different stamps in different sizes, some for cowboy gear, others for holsters or belts and two different sized chops (small artist marks) all for what it cost me for a steel makers mark or two. So if one of my stamps falls out of favor with me and I want something different, Jeff doesn't break the bank. Art

I have one of these puppies. It is a good tool more for taking the screws out than putting them in although it works good for that also. Especially if someone put Loctite in one. Now, I use it on belts primarily. Whoever developed this must be a horseman as they only made the jaws one inch deep. No way to use this to get to the center of a 2.5 to 3" cartridge belt. If there was a version with 2 inch jaws I would buy that also. It also works great for installing and removing conchos with Chicago screw attachments, especially the small ones you can't seem to get tight enough not to spin. Art

When you need a COP, they're only 10-20 minutes away. When armed, it is a different matter, that is, if you are found here tonight, you'll be found here in the morning. Criminals know this, they pick on someone who doesn't have a gun. Art's Law

Well if you have to; Bag-Kote, but if properly tanned you shouldn't need anything, depends on the service level I guess. Art

ISI http://www.infinitystamps.com/ But the Jeff Mosby stamps are 1/4 the price, I have three and I haven't worn them out on leather. Art

Hi David, Audaces fortuna iuvat, from the Aeneid by Virgil, a Roman poet. Illiad, Odessey, Aeneid, same genre, just a bunch or Greeks and Trojans running around wuppin' ass and violating the local virgins (male and female). Art

Art, thank you a bunch for this referal.... My only question to you is... how well do these knives hold an edge? Many thanks again for this help. Bob Hi Bob, I usually answer on board for archive and search purposes. Bill Buchman's knives are pretty hard and hold an edge well, hardness probably in the high 50s on the C scale. I use the flesh side of a piece of leather charged with Herb Dunkle's Yellowstone compound (used by woodcarvers mainly) and strop on that often. It is not really stropping, because the yellowstone cuts some but it is kind of like that technique wise. Using this technique, I have never had to re-edge a Buchman knife. Warning, don't lift the knife at the end of your strop stroke. Also, these blades are thin and you need to be careful with big blades not to get too much prying action on them. That said, I have never broken or chipped one. Bill is a great knifemaker and makes more patterns than most. Herb is also a good person, I have his contact info as: Herb Dunkle 1041 Utterback Road Great Falls , Virginia, 22066 703-450-5985. Art

Hi Ed, You can refuse it, the shipper may be hit with a return charge. Keep in mind, it is just going to show up on their dock with no RMA or anything. Art

Hi Bob, Bill Buchman of Bend, Oregon makes very good knives that are thin. Bill Buchman's number direct is 541-382-8851. Order direct from him if you want a smaller handle that is better when you "palm" the knife. Art

I've seen some of that stuff and it was tougher than sole bend, purely have to cut it with a band saw. I wouldn't use it on a high traffic commercial application, however for medium duty home apps it should hold up. Art

Oh yes, Sheridan was a lot more fun when Steve was there. Got Bill Reis a little POed, but then again who cared about that. Even the plane ride was a blast. Steve, please do Sheridan again. Art

You have to know what you are ordering. Shark is usually the spiney dogfish or Squalus and they aren't much bigger than 4x9 for a big one, measure the long side times $2.50, say $22-$23 a skin. So van Amburg's price is ok. They're used for inlays and maybe a knife underwrap. Stingray is way different, got little bumpy things on it and it can go for $100 a skin; I made a wallet out of a piece one time, I could never get it out of my pocket. With the bumps it is hard to sew too. Art

Hi Bill, That is disconcerting, however if you look at the diagram, there is some drawup involved. Maybe it's like those Chinese instruction manuals, something lost in translation. Art