Art

I have used Murphy's Oil Soap to clean some pretty grungy leather. I've also used the Montana Pitchblend Oil Soap to do the same. I think the Montana Pitchblend might be a little better with leather that hasn't had any treatment, but for a really nasty saddle or other piece of tack, Murphy's is my go to cleaner. Grease it with Pecard's. For Motorcycle Seats and lubing lace, I use Pecard's, for anything else, I use Montana Pitchblend oil or paste. I could maybe get by with MP for everything, but I started with Pecard's way way way back. Art

Plastic Jars tend to bounce when they hit the floor; Glass Jars, not always. Better price and shipping from Chicago Medical if you are buying more than one or two. Art

I've been around the block with adhesive pots etc. I've got expensive teflon ones, and expensive colored plastic ones, and some I don't even remember. The ones that have worked best are the Plastic Cement Jars from Springfield Leather in 16 oz when they have them. Art

Go to a good discount music store like Guitar Center and look at drummer thrones. Art

I would expect the same effect. You put the resist where you don't want the dye/stain to take. Normally I accomplish the resist part with RTC as that's what I have and it works. I wipe it on, hitting the high spots so that the Antique hits the tooling (low spots) giving a higher contrast between the two. If you have neat-lac/Wyosheen, or Resolene, you should tool-up a couple of pieces of scrap and try them on it. Experimenting is how we learn all this stuff. Art

Eventually, all this stuff needs thinner, the Renia less so than others. Art

I use the Renia Colle de Cologne now as the warehouse apes would just see Master on the pick list and ignored the Max Bond. It's the same stuff, same smell; a lot less smell than the old Master (still have an unopened gallon of that). Colle de Cologne and Ortec are available at most ortho suppliers; you can use either one, just a little difference in open time. Atlas Ortho is one of the suppliers I use. Also, the thinner for the Renia glues is called Schnellkleber verdünner which is "fast adhesive thinner" in German. My cans don't have any English on them, this might be different now. These are good products. Art

Pretty old thread. Since then, things in the adhesive world have changed a little but not a lot. Renia has been around a while and I've been using it for a few years. I had no idea at first that Master Max-Bond was Renia Colle de Cologne, but that didn't matter, because it smells better and works better. It is in all however, what you get used to. Art

Unfortunately Bob, you can't buy tool "collections" without one of those damned things being in there. When you buy collections (better to call them bunches) of tools you tend to get a few. So, if I have to buy a worthless gouge to get a set of Christensen Bulldogs, or really good set of Swedish Pattern Lasting Pliers, I'm on board for that. I just won't sell them on to some newby leatherworker, hence, I have a few. If you are even the average tool nut, these gouges really do seem to multiply like lemmings. Unlike Bob, It didn't take hitting me in the head with a 2x4 for me to realize that I never should ever buy one at a Tandy!!!!! Art

If you have the time, go for it. If you end up with a tool that does what you want it to, then you are ahead, if not, you are out your time. Art

Russian Sable. Art

I'd like to say I don't, but I have three or more of these things dating back to the '60s. Seem like they always end up in tool collections for some reason. I have never got the block type to work at all, and the hand tool type is only a little better. It is not terribly hard to ruin a decent piece of leather with one of these things. I don't think anything short of redesigning a new cutting blade would work to correct the problem of how poorly it is made. There is hope from TLF. There new stitching groover is little better than worthless IMO, but it seems the problems are all in manufacture sloppiness and quality control. A recut with the Foredom can make-up for a lot of the functional problems, and then it will cut a respectable groove for stitching. Once that is accomplished, a French Edger can be used to widen the groove. Personally, Ron Edmonds (Ron's Tools) used to make three sizes of freehand stitch groovers that I was lucky enough to purchase in a moment of relative flushness. The largest of them will cut a groove that you could lay a piece of parachute cord in. This large size is the perfect groover, and if you need something wider, a French Edger will do the trick and if it needs to be deeper, run the groover through again. Art

The swivel knives are nothing special, $10 each or so. Craftool without letters $5 to $9 each (condition and what tool are important) Craftool with Letters $3 to $5 depending Note, prices can go down to $1 or less depending on what tool it is and where it falls in the Craftool saga. Art

Call 909-800-1429. Art

The IFoLG meeting is this weekend, I suspect they are on the road. That doesn't mean they can't read their email on the road. What about service problems? When you only sell leatherworking machines, with low margins AND low volume, things can get a little tight. If you sell a broad spectrum of machines, you are going to be in a lot better shape. Loss leaders are a sales tactic, see them for what they are. Art

Denene, Fiebing's Snow Proof Mink Oil Paste is a conditioner in addition to be water resistive. Put a coat on, and let it dry for a day so the leather can take-up the product. A second coat may be needed if the leather was really dry, but if you put it on and it lays on top for hours you might have too much. Wipe it off, let it dry 24 hours. Anything on top of that like Carnauba or Atom Wax or Bag Kote (NOT Tan Kote) is just there for the shine. If the customer gets it wet, let the leather dry out and inspect it. If it shows signs of drying out (it shouldn't if you did your job right) one coat of Snow Proof should do it, but warn that overuse of the product can hurt more than help. I am a big user of Pecard's, and used to give a trial sample with every leather piece that I had used it on. I had customers come back for more and realized they were conditioning after every use. No matter what you tell them, they think more is better. They go and look at their ride and grab the Pecard's. If you see some M/C guys with big spots on their ass, they are overusing conditioner on their saddles. Art

Denene, They are breathable finishes, not just conditioners, although Pecard's and Montana Pitchblend are used to re-condition leather. Bag Kote is definitely a finish, not a conditioner. I often use Leather Balm with Atom Wax after Pecard's or Montana Pitchblend because it buffs-up pretty good with a decent shine. I very seldom use acrylic finishes as they are just too plastic looking for me. If I want it to look like plastic, I'll use plastic. If I want to see my face in it, I will use any of the waxes and then buff them. In any event, always a breathable product on the backside. For some knife sheaths, an acrylic like Neat-Lac or Wyo-Sheen can be used on the inside to eliminate some of the leather's ability to absorb water and lay against the knife steel. When you get down to it, each case is individual; you do what you have to and use what you have to to accomplish what you want. Art

Denene, Anything will wear off after a while. The finishes I recommended are easy to re-apply and don't look anywhere as bad as acrylics when they start to wear, which look absolutely ratty. You are also going to get flex with collars (especially active animals on a leash) which will put some stress on acrylics. Art

William, Well, the factory part explains removing the button that changes stitch length. My guess is it still can be accomplished via a dowel or pencil. It will sew 3/8 but not much more, period. I did 22oz with one ONCE, could barely get it under the presser. Broke a needle along the way (my fault), so I would say 3/8 is the functional limit. Art

Denene, A working lab? It is definitely going to get wet. Some would say to seal it up with acrylic, but that stuff doesn't breathe, and in my experience isn't totally waterproof, so it may seal the moisture IN. My recommendation is Pecard's, Montana Pitchblend Paste, or Fiebing's Aussie. The Snow Proof might also work, sounds like Aussie with mink oil. I use Montana Pitchblend or Pecard's as a final finish, but after they absorb into the leather, some other breathing finish can be used on top. With doubled and stitched (doubled, glued and stitched also works) the same treatment top and bottom makes sense. Leather Balm with Atom Wax, Carnauba Cream, and Bag Kote are good breathable finishes. Art

William, It sure looks like a 226R, which is kind of a clone of the Singer 211. The button/plunger that SARK9 mentioned should be there, but could be missing. You should check to see that the rest of the mechanism is still there. If you look under the cover over the riser (far right top of machine), there should be a little wheel or something engraved with stitch lengths. You push the button (eyeball and see if you can use a dowel or something) and rotate the balance wheel toward you, when the button drops in, the wheel in the riser should indicate the current stitch length setting. Just to let you know how it SHOULD work. Art

Like I said, better quality machine -- higher price. I've got a hill of machines around here, and the only ones I have changed feet on are the 618s, upholstery machines, because I use welt feet a lot. Three 441s and a Campbell all run double toe feet. You will find that local CAN be darned handy when you are having problems. Do what is comfortable for you. Art

The taiwanese machinery is usually a cut above the Chinese stuff, the price is also higher. Chikon has been making heavy duty and some big long arm stuff (I've seen these in sail lofts) for many years. I don't think you can go wrong with the CK-441 with a speed reducer and a brush type servo motor. Buying from a respected local dealer is also a good choice. Art

It only takes a moment of hurry or just boredom from repetition for stupidity to rear it's ugly head. Like, I don't need to clamp this stainless steel strap down to the drill press table to just drill a 1/4" hole in what ultimately turned into a lawnmower blade. Ever wanted to reach in and save something on the mill when the manure hit the windmill? You'll only do it or see it once to get the message; latter always better. Art

You can get 3" and I think 4" rolls, I've never bought it in sheets. I buy from Beilers, only because my daughter lives up there and can call in an order or pick it up if they have it in stock. I'd give BioThane a call and see if they can ship it to you. Art