whinewine

there is a neat gizmo that one can get at a sewing shop- it's like a diamond shaped wire that has metal on the other end where you hold it- you run the wire through the eye of the needle (once through, it'll expand to its diamond shape), run the thread through the wire diamond & pull the threader back out. ta-dah! the thread is through the eye... I don't know why no one brought this up before... russ

One of the major brands is "Gulf Wax", made by Gulf Oil

Beautiful! russ

The current ones are much worse than the older tools, in general. if you can get the pre-letter tools or the ones that say 'craftool co.', they tend to be of sharper definition & higher quality as these were made, for the most part, by professional machinists. Higher quality stamps by top makers of today, such as Barry King, Robert Beard, Ellis Barnes (recently deceased), are rather pricy, but if that's what you want, you gotta pay for that quality.

Ray, there are bobbin winders out there that fit into the chuck of an electric/cordless drill. I know Tippmann sells them & I'm sure there are others out there, and they're not very expensive. [1] Before you thread your machine, fill up a bunch of bobbins. [2] Or buy an extra spool of thread so everything needn't not be unthreaded just to fill one single bobbin.

Not sure, but the color could come from: 1] use, or 2] aging/sun struck, or 3] treated with oil or fats- or all of the above... Regardless, vegtan goat has very tight grain, very flexible... Even softer & more flexible would be vegtan sheep. You can get it from about 2oz - 3-1/2 oz. I'd call Siegel's- they could certainly give a good recommendation as what would be better to use. I'd also suggest you treat it with something- Skidmore's, Pecards, Aussie- whatever. Really, what you want to do with it depends on what you plan for the bellows. If it is to be a truly museum restoration, then you should contact a museum conservator to get recommendations from him/her; if you just want it to be a functional, working piece, approximating the original material, then you have a greater flexibility when it comes to the restoration.

Actually (& unfortunately), it's the R tool that's messed up, but I do appreciate the offer anyway. Thank you. Sincerely, russ

You might try veg tan goat & treat it to remain soft, or use a soft chrome.

Ott Lite & Verilux. Both purchased on sale - $25 for Ott (was originally $150, but was store display) & about the same for the Verilux (at Ollies Discount Merchandise). russ

Actually i don't Ray, but Suze has described it perfectly. The middle of the ruler is 0 & on either side is an equal set of marks: 1", 2", etc, along with fractional " marks. Basically, if you put it so that the marks are equal on both sides, your zero is your center mark. My son is looking for one also & I just have mine, that I got years ago. Perhaps a store that specializes in drafting equipment, of a specialty woodworking online store might carry them. Actually, I just googled it & you can find them at http://www.dickblick.com among other places russ

This a question for Bruce Johnson, or Wyoming Slick or any others who are familiar with these three tools;... I picked up a set of the 3 swivel knife cut tools (Z999, Z999L & Z999R) & found out that have been sharpened. My question is: are they supposed to be sharpened? I have another set & they are NOT sharpened, and I don't think they were meant to be sharpened, simply because they would cut through thinner leather too easily. However, it looks like some bonehead tried to sharpen them & did a pi$$ poor job on at least one of them. Thank you for any helpful information. Sincerely, russ

I was told that Springfield's goof-proof was formulated to be similar to X-1. I have both & I like the goof-proof more. However, if you can get quarts of X-1 for $5, go for it- stock up.

Some time ago, someone was offering a Henley blade in trade for a ceramic blade. I started to offer him both my blades for the entire knife, but he misconstrued & thought I was trying to rip him off with a choice of 1 blade for the whole knife & cut off all communication- Oh well, his loss. Anyway, I have for sale or trade, BOTH ceramic blades- a filigree blade & the double line blade. I hate them, I don't use them, they have too much drag for my tastes. Make an offer or suggest a trade- preferably even up- Henley knife, good tool(s) or whatever. I'd rather give them a good home than let them lie around unused. Send a PM. Thanks. russ

If you also happen to have a center-finding ruler, that will make very quick work of it. russ

Hi, Alex: the first one could be done with a leatherburning/woodburning pen; the second looks like only 2 tools were used: a beveler & a backrounder (& then just some dye in the backgrounded area). If you don't have those tools, you could probably get away with just a modeling spoon (although the definition wouldn't be as defined- but it could work. Good luck russ

Brettuns Village had carried camo leather- whether they still do. you'd have to check with them (and I don't know if this was chap or other leather, either). russ

Yes- this is what I was talking about in my post about this. Nice job. (although skiving isn't necessary, just a lot of wetting/stretching/molding).

There was a post on here a long time ago that showed a one-piece leather ring (or circle) with the grain side out & flesh side in- & it was one piece of leather, no splices. The gist of the post was 'can you figure out how it's done?' Everyone had to guess how to do it, I think . Search the posts. It's in there somewhere.

I second what Luke says. russ

Actually all-in-ones are between dyes & antiques, including the original tandy dark brown & mahogany all-in-ones (which have been discontinued); they don't penetrate as deeply as dyes, nor do they sit as high on the surface as do antiques, but they certainly do have their place in the scheme of things. I do find them versatile, but I wouldn't use them on a motorcycle seat- for that you'd definitely use dyes (and I'd use spirit, NOT water-based, for that). russ

Once he goes through the triple by-pass, it'll be months till he builds up his strength & it'll be a year till the split breastbone heals thoroughly, but the alternate is unacceptable. Stents are not used if the blockages are too significant, and this appears to be the case. He is in our prayers. russ

Veg-tan sheep is VERY stretchy when wet. You might try that.

UN-Freakin-believable, Clay! Beautiful! I love it!!! russ

I know Springfield does some manufacturing & could probably hook one up quickly & efficiently; however, it is suggested he call & speak either to Kevin or Emma, rather than try to go through the website (it's ALWAYS better to speak to a human). russ

Darryn: I guess you could say that hi-liter 'high-lights' an application when used over dyes. Antique can give a similar effect (although the colors tend to be darker & they are sometimes used after a finish has already been applied or a resist has been used). Now I have never used the ecoflo antiques, so I can't say how they perform: I'm used to the OLD (turpentine-based) Fiebings antiques and & detest the newer waxed-based Fiebings antiques (you might as well use cheap shoe polish instead). Again, dyes are dyes & sink in, paints, on the other hand, tend to remain on the surface & hi-liters & antiques & all-in-ones tend to fall somewhere between the two. The biggest thing is to experiment, Good luck. russ