Art

I was wondering what Wiz did on those long cold nights up in Michigan. Art

I seldom get hides struck all the way through in heavier leathers without asking for it. On ten sides, you can order struck all the way through as 10 sides is about how many sides they put in a drum. Striking through is seldom necessary as you generally dye/paint the edges. If you buy heavier leather and then split it down to thinner stuff, striking through may be somewhat more important. You should send the leather back, as you got a really crappy piece if the whole thing looks like that. Who did you buy it from? Art

The round head and flat head Brass #9 and #12 rivets I get from Weaver work fine, but they are harder to set than the copper ones. I get Copper Rivets from Leahy, a good consistent product. Art

You can get a Tax id (employer id) from the IRS and a retail sales and use tax license, and a business name from the state in about 15 minutes online. Cost is about $20 or so. I ain't holding your hand, this is EZ. Art

Stretch your hands out over the leather, on second thought, stretch out your left hand and grab a jar of Pecard's, Montana Pitchblend, or Dr. Jackson's, and rub on a coat, if it drys-up in an hour or two, put on another coat, then let it sink in overnight in a dry place. Usually this will bring most things back from the dead. Art

I like a good needle positioner or a smaller machine, but is it necessary? No. I haven't used a laser guide, like all things, nice to have, necessary? No. Good lighting is a very great help. If I was buying it, I'd probably get the laser guide just to see if it is any good, then I would be biased forever. You can get to very much depend on a good needle positioning motor, when you tell them to stop, it is like right now. Just make sure that your machine can go slow, slow is good with leatherwork; if you sew all day, then eventually fast isn't fast enough, but slow can never be slow enough, especially sewing up to a dee or buckle. Art

That and you lose 1/2 inch in arm length. But on closer examination, it is a little different machine, and without it in front of me, I can't figure the clone base or manufacturer. If you change stitch lengths a lot, the 2750 will be able to set faster and somewhat more repeatable. Is it worth $300 more, you're the only one who can determine that. Art

Contact Springfield Leather as they will cut small pieces of leather for you as reasonable ish prices. Traditionally, the bells are held on with brass sleigh bell pins which make life a little easier. Art

If you have ever been to an Asian foundry, it is comparable to monkeys with machine guns; they get the job done, but there are a lot of casualties on both sides. OTB has good jiffy rivets, made in Belgium, and I have used a fair amount of their buckles and rings over the last few years, and they are good quality (the SS ones). Anyone's tubular rivets are just fine, I use Weaver, probably Asian. Always buy burr rivets (technically belt rivets) from the same source or be careful not to mix sources as they vary widely in spec, I use R.J. Leahy and they may be U.S. but you would have to ask. Anymore, it is hard to find sourcing for U.S. made hardware. Find what works and stick with it, that's what is important. Art

The most dangerous tree in the forest is a leaner, chop that puppy down and order the Techsew, you'll love it. Art

Marie, Yes, Yes. No. Art

A larger bobbin comes with a correspondingly larger arm (diameter); not an advantage/disadvantage in my kind of work, but in some things it can be. If a dealer has a bunch of Consew 227s, he probably bought a factory closedown or changeover. Unless the dealer has a track record for good refurbs, inspect VERY carefully. Give preference to the dealer you are close to. Art

It is curious that Singer made machines that you could work on with just a screwdriver, ok maybe a large and a small screwdriver, and in a few cases a Very large screwdriver. However, they may have never produced a screw that you could purchase at a real hardware store (as opposed to the bubble packed retail establishments of today). My grandad was a NCR cash register routeman (mechanic and sales) who had about half of the West as his route. I inherited his tools, and 85% of them were screwdrivers and 10% pliers, the rest were files, hammers, and a few really specialty things. So even cash registers were made so the common guy could get in there and muck things up without ever needing to go buy a wrench. Art

Update, I just looked harder at the two pieces of W&C English Bridle I pulled apart. Well, indeed, one side of leather was still glued to the other. So the leather failed, not the Renia Aquilim 315. Like Bullwinkle used to say when he pulled the Rhinoceros out of the hat, "Gee, guess I don't know my own strength". There were a few very small spots where the leather tearing went the other way. Art

Gunsmith influence. JB Weld is your friend. Art

Block of Steel Drill Hole bigger than cap about 1/2" or more deep Optional -- mill 4 to 8 channels 1/4" long radially from hole Fill hole (and channels if you did that) with JB Weld Coat cap or head that you want to support with release agent, (Johnson's Paste Wax, Vaseline, WD-40, PAM, Silicone) Press whatever you are making the anvil for into to JB Weld to where it will be flush Let Dry Pop out the Stud, or Button, or Rivet head or whatever Touch up with Sandpaper, File, Whatever. Use this (leave the JB Weld in the steel block) as your new anvil. Art

Use the Renia Thinner on the Master MaxBond, or just get Colle de Cologne (or Ortec for longer open time) with the same thinner and go all Renia. You have to use a lot of glue to not have thinner around. Art

Don't know if you are in the Miami area, but Daddy's Leather Supply is a great place to get Leathercraft goods and tools and most important, all the information you need. Art

Renia Aquilim 315 is pretty good. However, using a screwdriver to start and a bit of tenacity, I can get it apart. It doesn't come apart easily, but doesn't tear the leather too much either. I was using a test piece of W&C English Bridle. There is a lot of oil in English Bridle. I did another test with W&C English Bridle but mixed 5% to 10% (kind of a guesstimate) Aquilim =300= Hardener/Crosslinker in with the Aquilim 315. This combination is pretty solid and maybe I can eventually get it apart with more tools than a screwdriver. I wouldn't use the Crosslinker on everything as the regular bond is plenty tough, even if a very determined guy with a screwdriver can defeat the bond. The 315 doesn't smell so it doesn't need fume extraction in the shop (as if any of us go that route). Being water based, it needs to be left open longer to tack-up, 20 to 30 minutes; and it isn't all that handy with wet leather. When dry it is somewhat water resistant, but for almost waterproof (never say never) I use the =300= Crosslinker. So, am I pitching my can of Colle de Cologne or Master MaxBond (same stuff)? No, but I'll try to use Aquilim 315 wherever I can and probably end up buying smaller cans of Colle de Cologne and bigger bottles of Aquilim 315. A special note on the Aquilim 315. Use silicone brushes. Renia dealers sell them but they are ungodly expensive. The nice thing is you leave the brush in the cement (the T-S Boy German containers are excellent, the Chinese ones leak). The silicone brushes can be left out of the cement and are pretty easily cleaned, you flex the bristles and pick the rubber out with an awl. Once you get it started, it pretty much comes out in a clump. Brushes from Rockler work (they have bigger bristles though) and are way cheaper. The smaller Rockler brushes are great for getting into small or tight places. Art

If you are not making the belts for cc then it is way easier to just order belt blanks from Weaver leather (get a wholesale account). I made a belt out of black dyed belt blank from Weaver that I am still using, almost daily, 10 years later. Now, I won't guarantee what the TLF stuff will be, but the Weaver is excellent. As far as stiffness, you want a belt that way, at least I do, cause I never know when a 649 Smith will be hanging on it. They do get a little more supple as time and a few coats of conditioner (Pecard's) pass over them. For custom and ccw belts, the Wickett & Craig English Bridle or Belt Latigo is the trick. We slit along the back and get excellent quality and yield. The difference between Bridle and "English Bridle" is pretty much zilch. Pick it up and feel it, buy what you want. Some of the harness leather is pretty oily, not something you want in a belt due to staining. Art

Hi Lew, You could use superglue, but practice some before you go with the real thing. Regular (with all the nasty chemicals) contact cement will also work, just spray it on the applique (or brush it on evenly) and apply right away. It will dry gradually over a 1/2 hour. It is not at this point contact cement like the tacky version, so you have to be careful not to move it around. I have never tried this with the water based stuff, it might take a little longer to dry. If you are going to stitch down your applique (as in Cowboy boot tops), there is Renia Aquilim SG which is kind of like sticky notes glue but stronger, you can remove and replace it quite a lot and it still holds pretty well; not enough for a permanent bond but more than enough to stitch it down. Art

Basketweave stamps get hit sometimes as many times as a beveler, but a lot harder. They also have many inward angles in them which could cause stress lines. These tools really need to be made very well to survive heavy use. Hand crafting (or machine) is much more desirable to casting. In my experience, Robert Beard, Barry King, and original Craftool Co. (without letters) are going to be your best bet. An original Craftool Basketweave stamp will cost around $10 to $20 which is excellent value as the other stamps are higher. Craftool Co. basketweave stamps are not easy to find, so Barry King Stamps are very popular even at 3x to 4x the cost of the Craftool Co. stamps. Art

Marie, For "light" duty, a Juki 5550 class of machine, but most "duty" around the leather shop is really medium duty such as is accomplished with the Cowboy CB-227R or the Techsew 2700. These machines will also cover the "heavy" end of the light range of needles and thread; e.g. #14/90 needles and Z-46 thread. Art

I have found that I collect some of each, then some Weaver Master punches too. The Arch punches are what I use when I can. I keep mine sharp and they'll put a hole in hard felt, not to mention leather, also everything up to 2 1/8 or so is forged, all around pretty good punches. I use saddlers punches to do anything where the size has to be small to get into somewhere. The belt punches like we all have some of are cheaper made, but fit into a lot of jigs I have, or get used when clearance is really tight on small holes. Straight walls are important in some applications, and that's where the belt punches come to play. When I bought my arch punches 30 years or so ago, they came out of the box rather dull, as in NOT sharp; that was just the way it was with tools back then. I guess they figured you weren't going to like the way they sharpened them, so why bother.

Ok, but they wouldn't hold up pattern-welded steel payments. With an animal the size of PayPal (aka eBay) you work with them not against them. Damascus really has no meaning anymore anyway. Maybe faux-damascus steel would be a better moniker. Art