Art

Well, good luck with that. Notice that the ones you desire are the X variety, meaning they weren't a staple of Bill's production, there are not many of those around. The XV variety are Verlane Desgrange designs, with altogether maybe 40 produced in two patterns. You might look for the knives with bigger handles and have them modified by a competent knifemaker or even re-handled as Bill produced handles in Walnut and Walnut, you choose. Now that he is gone, they won't come cheap, a tribute to his workmanship. Art

Well, as much as anything can be plug and play in the industrial sewing machine world. They seem to have standardized the motor footprint a long time ago and motors are the most often replaced part on an industrial machine. That being said, this is a 300 watt motor and should be fine for the medium and small machines, but for a 441 or the like for leather, I want a 500 watt or 750 watt motor. Even though it costs more to use larger motors and speed reducers, the current crop of leather machine distributors have not tried to reduce cost by using these small motors. I have seen some machines with DC motors and Silicone Controlled Rectifiers for speed control which looks promising, but they are quite pricey right now and the service life is not clearly understood. Art

Sorry I got to this so late, You need to go to a Bookbinder's supply like Talas http://www.talasonline.com look under sheepskin Art

Oh well, you get what you pay for. Take it back and buy from Springfield Leather, everything I have bought from them is A OK, the roo lace is excellent. If by chance something slips through the cracks, Kevin will make it right. 50 yards of deer is about $66 50 yards of the best beveled calf is about $48 50 yards of roo is about $36 50 yards of quality calf is about $27 50 yards of imported calf around $22 If you are paying anything less than the above, I would question the quality. If you are paying $7.20 for 50 yards, well you know what you've got. Art

Texas Custom Dies may have some old stock. http://www.texascustomdies.com/ Art

American or Canadian (not sure) Bridle they call English Bridle (I wouldn't sell it as that, it's like saying Spanish rice is from Spain) you can get at WC, about $7.5-$8/foot. Art

Hi Wiz, Not a problem, J&E Sedgwick English Bridle Backs are around $320ea in 3.5-4mm from Siegel of California, and advertiser here (link rotates on top of page). They come in about 4 or 5 colors, of course black. Art

Hi Troy, Unfortunately no, Bill's knives are unique. Another maker I like is Bob Dozier, although his knives are pricier (over twice what Bill's knives were), they cut very well and have a little more steel behind the edge. My son likes the Dozier, I'll keep my Buchman's. I have a couple of Gomph knives that Ellis Barnes made or had made, they are a good value for the money. Art

It is Vandy at Sheridan, she is a good person to work with. Art

As I posted before, both Kevin at Springfield and Vandy at Sheridan handle a replacement for Neat Lac, it is the same product from LCI with different labeling. I know Kevin has the thinner for it, I will check to see if Vandy does too, but I would suspect so. LCI (formerly DYO Chemical) has been making products for the leatherworker for years, usually under a supplier's label, but they sell direct also. They make very good products for spray application, which is their real market. Leatherworkers are a funny bunch, never ones to try new things (even when they are old things). Most of us won't find out that Neat Lac is gone until we go out and try to buy another can. Tandy will try to push us into the ECO crap and maybe we try but it is not the same. So some of the independent leather stores go out and find us something that works, demand drives supply. So, hats off to Kevin at Springfield Leather, and Vandy and Luke at Sheridan Leather Outfitters for going out and getting leatherworkers the products they need. Thanks guys, Art

Hi Allen, Call Kevin at Springfield Leather, I don't know if he has the size you need, but he does sell cuts. Art

Hi Allen, When Crystal said they would split their bridle leather to whatever weight, she meant that they will reduce the thickness, you would still have to buy a whole hide (or side). Bridle leather is generally hot stuffed and will hold up better in weather. I know a few harness makers and have done repairs at a local track and I can't remember ever seeing any leather less than 9oz, and quite a bit of 12-14oz, they may occasionally double 6-7oz, that said, I'm sure some 3-4oz exists. Call WC and see what they can do for you, they're as close to a custom tanner as exists here is the US. Art

Hi Navy, I sit sometimes when working on a low table, however, I built my benches rather high and at what I consider a perfect height for standing. You have a much greater usable reach while standing. I prefer my benches to be a little above waist height and my work tables at waist height, of course it makes them uncomfortable for 98% of the population, which is ok with me, the kids and wife never used them, except son who is now 3" taller than me. Art

Hi Navy, I am not fond of this video as his knife use is of a style I don't recommend. The style he uses is to actually hold the blade and apply pressure to the blade to move the knife forward. With today's leather, you often (even with HO and WC) encounter "hard" spots. Using the method in this video, it is easy for the hand to slide up on the blade and a finger or two to get under it where it is meeting the leather, instant red leather (not an attractive red either). Note in the video how close the third and ring fingers are to the cutting point on the edge. The better method is the one Knut and Al Stohlman describe where the butt of the handle rests in the palm of the hand and the fingers are along the center of the blade. If you hit a hard spot, you tend to push with your palm and the fingers don't slide forward so easily. This is also the way I was taught by Verlane. Control is very good with this method. Bill Buchman would put what he used to call "ladies handles" on the knives I ordered from him after he saw what I had done to one of his handles with the belt grinder. Bill is no longer with us (he passed last Saturday), I will miss him, great knifemaker and even better person. Art

Hi Charlie, What is more amazing is that there were 3 others bidding it up right along. Possibly a family of sharks? Art

Hi Clair, I have a Vergez Blanchard, and the blade is sharpened almost flat on the side away from the strap you are cutting off and a teardrop bevel on the side toward the strap. Here is a picture from the VB website, ignore the prices as they are years old and nowhere near reality. http://www.vergez-blanchard.fr/boutique_us/fiche_produit.cfm?ref=3_602BIS_20L2&type=31&code_lg=lg_us&num=2 Sorry, I don't have a Dixon, but I wanted to clue you in to the edge geometry, they don't cut correctly if edged wrong. Art

3/16 is smallest in ss #2100 (Weaver), but they have 1/8 in NB and in CB, numbers 200 and 230 respectively. They're on the same page as the 3/16. Art

I was blasting through the photos and read the dock stuffing machine as duck stuffing machine and immediately thought of pate de faus gras, although that machine was not the original design, it might work. Art

Tandy does not produce (or have produced) Neat-Lac anymore. However LCI makes an identical product called Clear Lac, Kevin has it at Springfield, and Vandy has it at Sheridan Leather Outfitters. There is also a thinner for it called LCI Thinner (imagine that). When you use the thinner, it will reduce the gloss some. Prices? Clear Lac $16.99 quart Thinner $13.99 quart Those are usual retail. Art

Hi Ed, I've never tried to put a huge long post on a piece of paper, but within reason I haven't had a problem. If you are changing dies all the time, you do have to set the setting depth every time you change dies. It's easy and quick. Art

Hi Joel, Put leather in a drum, Add stuffing oils, tallows, greases, waxes, ........... whatever. Probably hot. Spin the drum. The centripetal force forces the "stuff" into the leather. Usually yields a water resistant leather, latigo, etc. Usually veg-tanned leather is stuffed, I guess you could do it to chrome-tan. There is also curried leather (cold stuffed??) where the stuffing is forced into (or worked into) the leather by hand. Art

Hi Jim, You want a 16x2 in somewhere around 110/18 size. It may also be called canu 12:05MF1. Schmetz makes it in a TRI point so call it a 16x2TRI. Bob Kovar has a lot of needles (I think he really collects them) so I would call him first. This is one of the Singers you won't have trouble finding needles to fit. Art

Hi Ed, I used to use them for ss snaps all the time, mostly for marine stuff, but they do leather also, most of the time without punching a hole for the snap. I have two because I'm a lazy dog and have one with dies for each side of the equation. If you use them around water, tie a lanyard on the tool and to your belt, saves tears. Art

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Hi Ed, I have the Pres-n-Snap (actually I have two). Check out the Sailrite video here: http://www.sailrite.com/Pres-N-Snap-Fastener-Tool;jsessionid=0a01074d1f430d8b9dff886b4dc89291d50e408f2ae3.e3eTaxaQbxmTe34Pa38Ta38Qa3r0 Buy it somewhere else, they charge way too much for it, I paid $80 or $90 a few years ago. Art