Art

Nice seats, ridiculous price, especially for the custom work. On the bags; make sure you get it straight how he wants them hung. With your past experience, make him supply the hangers (if not already there), and Get the money up front. Bags go anywhere from Pony Express to full blown dresser, so get everything in writing up front. Art

Your collars look very good. I would suggest you also make Orange covers for them for wear during hunting season (that's about 3 months down here). You can make them out of two pieces of Orange BioThane somewhat wider than the collar sewn together. The BioThane wears pretty well and is something any good hunter recognizes. You will sell more of these than you sell collars. Art

Ok guys, all this is but a scratch compared to the havoc one can reek with power tools; not to mention real limb removing machinery. Art

You all are talking about a Band Splitter, not a Bell splitter, right? Bell knives are only really good for skiving and other edge modification. Even a well used band knife splitter will be North of $4k. Don't know why the price on the 14 went up, the Renminbi has been recently devalued, so the dollar buys more in China. Art

I would suggest having a go with a class 14 at a show, or get them to give you the name and number of someone who has one in your area, then call them and try it out. The class 14 really works best on vegetable tanned leathers. I generally buy chrome tan in the thickness I need which usually is in the 4oz range. The 14 works ok for veg tan, a good stiff chrome tan might work ok too. Art

Don't overlook the Singer 153w102-3-4 machines. these are basically 111s with a riser that has a cylinder arm. You won't find reverse, but that was overcome for years by little tricks to back tack. These machines are still copied today by many manufacturers (although they do put reverse on them now) and they are still a favorite. Art

SLC is fine. If you have any concerns (about product selection) call them on the phone and discuss them. The only problem I have had is when I have let THEM make selection decisions; of course that is because I am a finicky bastard . Kevin is great to call if you have problems or just a leather question. I can't say there is a lot wrong with SLC. Art

Probably. I prefer tape used for shielding electric guitars. $10 worth is enough for a dozen wallets. Art

Jeff, You know darned well that only a "head" knife can be used to make the strap-point ends. You have to use a "round" knife for them round strap ends. Before everyone pulls the trigger on me, this is a joke son. Art

B.S. Pure unadulterated B.S.; the pitting is all the way up to the scales. And two minutes? Give me a break, nobody has acid powerful enough to pit something in two minutes. My suggestion is to let us know how to avoid this guy. There is an old machinist/knifemakers tale that O1 will rust from looking at it. It will however, get surface rust overnight if not protected (oiled etc). If left that way, without intervention, pitting will start (that means no longer surface rust) in a day or two more. This type of pitting looks remarkable similar to what we see here. Any competent knifemaker can polish that out in a short time. For really severe cases (this is not one of them) a minor regrind may be in order. I guess what everyone is saying (except maybe the "knifemaker"), is that you didn't cause this. Art

Campbell, $4k Used to $6k New with accessories. Union Locks are all over the place (price wise) depending on condition. Unions are nice machines, but more of a factory item where there is a maintenance staff. Wiz knows the UL pretty well, but there is no substitute for hands on experience. Campbells are a little less of a maintenance problem, but you would be wise to leave them setup for whatever you do the most of and not fiddle with them. Art

Don't buy all that stuff. Check out the Nigel Armitage Video on Wallets and buy ONLY the tools you need to do the job. As the jobs get bigger, you continue to buy tools. Art

It IS just a matter of what you get used to. I came up with glues that would get you high, or catch fire, usually both. You use ventilation to cure problem one, and take precautions to cure problem two. Laws in states like California have caused a big change in glues over the years, and not always for the better. They changed Barge, and I didn't like it. I've used Master for years and recently (I'm old, Viet Nam was recently), they came out with Master Max Bond, and I just knew for sure it was going to be crap. Well it isn't, and it is possibly better than the "old" Master Multi Purpose. The only problem is the apes in the warehouse just think Master is Master, same old white can, and they keep shipping "old" Master. I found out at a show that Master Max Bond is actually Renia Colle de Cologne. Seems some corporate buying outs caused it. Now I use the Renia products exclusively and like them, and there's no mistaking the green can. The Renia is also supposed to be safer if you have pregnant women in the shop, and truth be told, we have had no birth defects since we started using it, you still have to ventilate, but there's no toluene in it. The white aliphatic resin type glues are ok but slow, and this isn't a woodworking shop, so clamping and waiting aren't words we recognize here. I do use the Fiebing's white glue when I teach leatherworking to the Boy Scouts, it is easier to "deconstruct". Most leatherworkers find a glue they like and stick with it. Art

My personal favorite is the Highlead GA2688-1 from Keystone Industrial with the big servo motor (brush type) and a speed reducer (those are extra cost items but really necessary for leatherwork). The CowBoy CB3500 or CB4500 from Bob Kovar at Toledo Industrial are also very good machines and for the $200 difference, I would get the CB4500. Both dealers are great to work with and fair. Try to buy from a dealer as opposed to eBay etc. as there really is a difference in how the machines are set-up and what equipment and parts are included. Art

The 8810 is made in only one factory in China. Everyone gets them from them. I have one and it is a dead on replica of the Pfaff 491 or 591. It is so much like the Pfaff inside, it is uncanny. I love it although I think V-138 thread is pushing it a little. I run V-69 all the time, but have used 138/92 and it worked very well. The post machine can fit in very easily in the shop. It can do a lot of repair work and any closing operations on uppers. For handbag repair, nothing beats it, and unlike patchers, the bobbin holds a lot of thread. Like most Pfaff machines, it uses the vertical shaft on the bobbin (bobbin lays flat). I've actually seen folks build flat beds (usually out of plexiglas) for them, really just a box that goes over the post. Be careful, the 8810 will sew pretty high stitch counts and actually weaken the stitch line or if you go too far, cut the leather. Great machine. Art

LJR, Knowing where you are located would be a help. Unless you know sewing machines, and have been working with them for a while, do not buy off of eBay. I've seen a lot of machines off of eBay and Craigs List, and not one was set-up for leather. All I can recommend is that you buy from a dealer. For the class of machine you require, a cylinder arm is recommended, like the CB277R from Toledo Industrial or the Highlead GC22618-8B From Keystone Industrial. Make sure that either brand has a speed reducer, servo motor (brush type preferred), and set-up for sewing leather with a leather point needle (TRI point). Both of the above dealers know how to set these machines up and will stand behind their product. If you are in Canada, Ron at Raphael Sewing also has machines to fill the bill. Art

Just something to try; take a round punch and crush it into an oval. A press is handy, but if the metal is soft enough, a pair of pliers can do it on small punches. It depends on the punch, the stainless steel ones don't work as well as a mild steel punch. The oval punches are kind of a harnessmaker thing; you need to find a supplier that serves the traditional communities if you want one of those. I don't think anyone is making them for the Little Wonder, so deforming a standard punch might be your only choice. Art

Friedlander Sewing is the Highlead specialist in the US. They will have any parts you need. Artisan in SF might also have the parts. As far as sewing parts. that thing uses 111 feet which are pretty common and as a starting point try CutEx Sewing Supplies. Art

That's good. It was a popularity contest before. He with the most friends won. Art

A lot of times, breaking a needle is a result of crashing it into a feed dog or needle plate. Like Wiz says, easy to do when sewing a rounded corner. When you break a needle, you should recover ALL if it. There is some chance it can get down into the bobbin and/or hook and score-up the race. Get a little magnet (all sorts of that stuff from Harbor Freight) pen or pointer thingy, might be called a part retriever. Also, when sewing-in welts around a corner, make sure the welt foot has the back cut out to the left (or whatever way you are sewing) or the cord will make it want to go straight (and possibly push the needle into the dog). On tiny cords it is not much of a problem, but on the big stuff, if the back of the foot is not cut, it's like riding the monorail at Disney World. Also, if you are going to be doing boating canvaswork (not much canvas anymore, sunbrella now), Use Tenara thread or something else you can get in clear, that way you don't have to stock a bunch of colors; and yes Tenara is THAT expensive, so learn to sew and use your machine first. Art

The easiest method (Kiss) on a flat bed machine is a magnetic edge or seam guide, about $6 or so. If you want it semi permanent, drill and tap a couple of holes and get some thumb screws and washers from the hardware store. Most of the dealers on here should have them. Art

25b and others with tension problems, Try reducing the bobbin tension a little and then readjusting the top tension for the lock to be in the center of the leather. I have seen machines where the top tension is so tight that you can play high C on it. The problem with the tight tension is that the tighter it gets, the less variance it takes to make big moves in the tension. In other words, less tension allows for more variance in the thread and other sewing factors. Now keep in mind that you need enough tension to keep a tight stitch, especially on the smaller thread you use. Art

You need to cut or sand the glue off the edges and bring them down to a 300-400 finish before applying edge coat. Glue can be made thin with solvent so that it goes on in a thin coat and is not in such excess that it squeezes out. Care should be exercised in application so as to avoid putting glue on the edges. Art

With patterns, you can always tweak them, you don't always, but you can. Once you get it built, then you can see where you might have went wrong. Take a good long critical look and adjust. By the time you have the second one in leather, you should have little to mess with, but we're all human and a third might be necessary. Once you've ordered the clicker die, well, you're pretty much finished. OTOH, there are some new designs, that devolve into design fests where you just have a problem beating out a design, but try to get most of the problems out before the modeling stage. Mock-ups can be a cheaper intermediate solution, but with leather goods there won't be much difference between a mock-up, a muck-up, a f--k-up, and a prototype. Then again, with leatherwork and design, you do get better as you get more experience. Art

Encapsulate it in Acrylic. Make sure horse doesn't move so it won't crack. Or, Use Montana Pitchblend, or Pecard's, both paste, not just the MP oil. Leather gets wet, dry it out, preferably NOT in a musty tack room, but in fresh air, under an eve to protect from a lot of sun. Art