Art

Ron's Tools. Art

Well, I was not impressed by the voting type of contest. I think results in the Novice class were wacko. Other classes were ok to disapointing. I was joined in this by others. But the vendor area was great. Art

+1 the Cobra, $1950 is head only, $2250 gets you the motorized version on an adjustable caster stand. Art

I have used both CO2 and N2 as propellants. The Nitrogen seems to cause the paint (acrylic or urethane) to dry a little faster. Make sure you have an open area as the N2 displaces the O2 in air as does the CO2, the N2 being a little tricky as the symptoms are harder to detect. I am an Iwata user, from one end to the other. However, I had a project where I needed some airbrushes to spray something I didn't want to put through the Iwatas. I found this airbrush manufacturer in Hong Kong who makes really fantastic product. I bought six airbrushes for what I pay for one of my Iwatas, and I don't buy the most expensive ones. When you can get a excellent gravity feed detail brush for $33 including extra parts and shipping, and a similarly equipped side siphon for a few dollars less, this is a good deal as long as the manufacturing quality prevails. The name is VEDA available here. Art

Yes, there is a "Mark Community Read" link at the bottom of the page in the Brown banner. This will give you a dropdown menu with different choices. Art

Can't say I've ever had luck with Saderma, they don't put up pictures or bother on a description. I tried to look up Lincoln Wax, just a page full of nothing. Seems like it is pretty much the same for everything. I'll stick with Southern. Art

I unlined it for you. If you hit the S with a line through it and you have the text highlited, it will show line This. Art

You can airbrush or hairbrush stain and get a little longer life, but even that is not long for the world if you really ride. My old pan was like sitting on a sander, the evo is a lot better. If it's for a show bike, there won't be a lot of wear, but for a go bike, everything wears out. Ain't it Grand! Art

Burten distribution in LA carries those Vibram 1375s. Check Southern first. Art

Have you tried Panhandle or Southern Leather? I started using both of these years ago and was a pretty meager orderer. I now have an account bet started small with both of them. Some of the West Coast Suppliers are snooty and short with answers, but Southern carries more than all of them put togeather. I still use Panhandle some because they are nice people. Art

The best way to find these is to get ahold of a pair that you want to into and deconstruct them to the point that you can find a maker of the soles. If you can't do that, call the maker of the shoes and tell them you are a cobbler and need to find a source for outsoles for their shoes. Sometimes this works and sometimes not. If they are expensive shoes, they may ask you to send the shoes back for repair, this is a big part of the high end shoe business. Last (or maybe the first) option is to call around to older shoe repair places and see what they would use. Art

Get a 31-15 or 31-20 until you can get something better. You can get one in reasonable shape with a real motor (most probably a clutch) for $200 or less. Art

Kevin is correct, 1 iron = 1/48 inch 1oz = 1/64 inch. Are you planning on gluing the sole or stitching? Using a welt? This all makes a difference in selection of midsole, insole, and outsole. Most things I make don't have a midsole, these are used if you are going to glue the outsole, but it just depends on what you are trying to make. You might want to get some instruction from a maker who does the type of work you are contemplating, or try to get some time with a well experienced (not someone in a mall) cobbler. Art

Paul, I get the impression he is trying to make shoes on more of a production basis. I don't think he understands the relationship between a custom maker and his customer. I may be wrong. Art

For boots, 12 iron oak shoulder if I can get it. For shoes, 8 iron. Art

E'TAC has good product for TNT (Teeshirts and Tagging). You might also want to explore urethane paint which is solvent based and a lot more durable for things like auto and bike apps. I use Xotic out of Minneapolis, but there are other brands. But first, look into stains. Look at some of Peter Main's work, he has proven there is no need for paint. Art

Weaver or OTB for the zippers. They make a polyester felt (oxymoron) that Weaver and others sell by the yard. It gives the scabbard a lot more strength than duck alone. You could use a piece of leather in between, flannel for the inside. Polyfill (like for quilting) could also be used if you have enough rigidity in the duck. There are many ways to go. Art

I have done a couple with a shearling liner, and some doubled and stitched ones. The liner allows you to hide the zipper between the layers. If you are affixing rings or a handle, you can reinforce with another layer inside at the attach points, then cover it with the liner. Six oz should be sufficient for that kind of rig. If it is going to be an outdoors rig (by that I mean it will be outdoors or the gun will be in it for a couple of days), don't do shearling and make sure there are drain holes at the lowest point. Art

Hi Jim, I can agree with the part on altering the foot. I have never experienced problems with marking as you describe. I have modified feet for particular operations and have not had trouble with them even though I took the chrome off. When I approched this with Steve (Cobra) he started manufacturing those feet and including them in his accessory package. They produced what I required. Art

You are taking the never ending path of bespoke shoemaking. Good Luck. +1 to Kayak's recommendation for J&V. You need to get their catalog and then measure your foot. You will need your measurements to match up to the J&V catalog. For instance, I wear a 11 1/2 D or E shoe, the J&V last for my foot is a 12C. Having a good set of measurements will allow you to pick the last that fits your foot closest a little over in some measurements or (hopefully) exactly, you can build up or grind down the last for any anomalies, but not much. Lisa Sorrell did a bunch of boot making videos on YouTube, one of them was about measuring the foot. Art

Go to the Leather Sewing Machine forum and read some of the pinned posts, especially one by Wiz. You were on target to get a recommendation for a meduim weight walking foot needle feed machine, but when you mentioned shoes, that is a different story ranging from recommendations of a Singer 110, 153, 31, and any number of post machines. So, go read up and post some questions in that forum, we can help, but it is a good idea to better define your work and match the machine to that. Art

As far as I can tell from my machines, the other brands than Cowboy have hard chromed feet. Chrome is the anti rust component of stainless steel (around 20%). The part of the chromed feet (not Cowboy) that is in contact with the leather is approx 99% chrome (maybe 100%). Given that, I have never had a problem with modern feet or plates staining the leather. It can happen with older machines that were used in the shoe and other leather trades years ago. I have never seen staining on any leather that I run through my Cobra machines. Art

They are both (Steve Tayrien -- Cobra, and Bob Kovar -- Cowboy) are fine gentlemen and their machines are very good. You would have no problem buying from either. You might see if you can take delivery at a show such as Pendelton Oregon. You will save yourself a couple of hundred dollars that way and get a personal test drive from Steve. I would call them both and talk with them, but you sound like you know what you want. Art

Coats DaBond Bonded Polyester S0352 Peasant Beige SAAT 630090. I used to get it from Ferdco. Art

Friday and Saturday, October 5-6. Art