whinewine

Ed: It does darken, somewhat, but not as dark as straight NF oil. Their non-darkening Lexol is 'Lexol-NF Neatsfoot formula', which the company states ..."Lubricates without saturating, to give leather an elegant finish without darkening...". I use the regular mostly, because I like the mellow darkening effect it gives to the leather. Customers love the silky feel, also. It is not as intense in darkening as pure NF oil, nor as greasy. I have been told that it is a lanolin base (but I really don't know for absolute certainty), which softens hands, too (I rarely use gloves to apply Lexol). I don't use any NF oil compounds, which, I've been told, are petroleum based. I do use straight, pure NF oil on occasion, but I don't like the greasiness, so I use the Lexol more often.

Tractor Supply ( www.tractorsupply.com ) also carries horsey/tack/farm 'stuff'. I generally get my Lexol there (both regular & non-darkening): they also carry NF oil, NF oil compound, Care4 (Fiebings 4 way care), various saddle soaps, mink oil, Lexol cleaners, etc.

LBum: you might try to call Kevin at www.Springfieldleather.com or talk to the folks at www.Brettunsvillage.com. They may possibly be able to help???

Pella: try Springfield leather (www.springfieldleather.com) or call Kevin Hopkins (the owner) at 1-800-668-8518. Springfield specifies that they have many fur types not listed in their catalogue. I don't know if they have european badger fur or not, but they do have badger (of some sort, anyway). They have many unusual leathers & other items. Kevin may have what you are looking for if you call & ask . I hope this helps you. Russ

the link appears to be invalid... "this page cannot be displayed..." message shows when I click on the link fixed~Johanna

Other than finding what works for you, why don't you call the company & speak to someone who actually knows these machines inside & out (no pun intended)? There certainly should be experts there who can help you with your questions.

I would not use chrome at all, as you need something to absorb the rouge/oil (some people use a light base of oil & apply the rouge heavily over top of that; others just rub the rouge over the leather, but ultimately the pores on the leather need to be open to take in the rouge & I don't think the structure of chrome is quite the same).

Also, glue the sandpaper down with rubber cement, rather than contact cement, so it can be removed & replaced when it is worn out.

I've used a little bit of Lexol in water; it works also.

Ed: I do have the flier handy, but it's long gone on pdf. If you would tell me the items, I can give you the prices & page numbers from that particular flier. Russ

On non-porous surfaces, I've used a product named PEC-12. It is made to remove seemingly un-removable non water-soluble stains like permanent marker from film slides and negatives. It is rather pricey ($11.00 for 4 oz- the price I paid several years ago) & is often hard to find, even at most camera shops, but it does work when other stuff doesn't. Their # is 1-508-759-2322. It probably won't work on leather (veg-tan), but it might work on impervious surfaces like chrome tanned. I used it this morning to remove permanent marker from some plastic boxes that I inadvertently mislabled, and it should work on porcelain washer surfaces- it may work on linoleum- or not.

Years ago (30+), I used to purchase curried double shoulders from Howe's Tannery in Curwensville, PA for $1.75/sq. ft & I would go there & select my own shoulders. It certainly was an experience, as the smells one encountered inside were out of this world (no, not heavenly, quite the opposite...) They went out of business there, but Wickett & Craig are now in the same town. I haven't been up there yet, but I plan to at some point. Tandy's prices were, at that time, about twice, perhaps triple for comparable leather, and perhaps somewhat easier to carve than Howes, but, for the price, I went with Howes. Since Tandy closed their stores, their current quality doesn't seem to be anywhere of that avalable years ago, btw.

My son has used foam heads that he purchased from a beauty supply house (the places that sell stuff to beauty shops & beauty schools). He's then cut off the backs of the heads to make them lie flat so he could do his molding.. Also, Cheryl Smeja does have a website (I think it's www.csmeja.com - if it isn't, do a google search for Cheryl Smeja, & something should come up to link to her site). She does have the molds & they are not too expensive (but what they would cost in Canada, with shipping & possible duty, I don't know). Patrice: I'm not sure what you want to do: do you want to make a wearable mask, or do you want to fill up a mold with leather powder to make a positive image that is non- wearable (sort of like an embossing plug)? If you fill up a negative mold with leather powder, you won't be able to wear it; however, if you want to use a negative mold to make a positive image that can be worn, go ahead & use the wet leather & ball modeler. Once dry, the mask will retain its shape.

Bruce: Implora Snakeskin is offering some shark on ebay through their ebay store. The # is 260052604399 & it is rather pricey (Buy it now for $232.00), but it is the only shark on ebay (well, no, there are many sharks on ebay, but this is the only fish-type shark on ebay).

Great, Patrice! I'm happy that everything turned out well! Russ

K-man: my machine is an aluminam one & I love it at this point, as I've said before. BTW, I'm NOT looking to buy a 2nd machine, JUST some of the accessories (i.e., the edge guide, and/or the sewing table, and perhaps the stirrup sewing option. Nothing more. Thanks. Russ

A stupid question about suede. My wife has a suede bag, (nice, light blue color). At this point, today,(although I hadn't thought about it,) the bag has gotten dirty & she wanted to clean it. It came with the obligatory brass brush & suede eraser & I showed her how to use them. Now for the stoopid questions: Is there a suede cleaner out there that really works? Could a product like "Scotchgard" be used on suede without totally screwing it up 1): color; 2): softness; 3):durability? Has anyone used this or some other product on suede? I do know that standard dyes & finishes will NOT work on suede without screwing up the above 3 factors. Results? [My honey just told me to insist it is a 'COACH' brand - as though any of us here REALLY care...like $$$ = quality??]

Several months ago (when I first joined the forum), I had started a whole other post about the fact that certain dealers would no longer sell the Boss & I wondered why & asked why. . Some refused to tell me & others gave me some song & dance about reliability & service, etc. Bottom line is that I purchased a new (but out of warranty) machine from Ron Ross in St Joe, Indiana & I love it. I've had no problems with it so far. It's a great machine to operate, Ron has been extremely accomodating & helpful & someone from Tippmann has even contacted me... The only downside I can see from this is in its inability to sew backwards (easily) to lock the stitches ( it needs to be done manually). At this point, though, I can't complain...Now, I haven't had to make many adjustments yet, but I still don't forsee any major problems. I'm getting ready to sew two 3oz pieces of upholstery leather together without the use of a sewing table/platform (an optional piece of equipment) & we'll see where this goes. At this point, I do not want electric; I just want to control everything & place every stitch where I want it. I'm also considering buying an edge guide and possibly an optional sewing table for it. BTW: if anyone who hates the Tippmann Boss has any of these items for sale, I might be interested... (this is not a solicitation to buy, but if you have this stuff around & want to get rid of it, quote me a price... thank you.)

Darn it, I should learn to write, walk away for at least an hour, come back & proofread before I post... I meant to say, staples OR kinkos, not staples OF kinkos. In the words of the immortal Bugs Bunny, ..."What a maroon!". (And to think that 30-some years ago I used to write all my articles on a typewriter and had to proofread as I wrote and BEFORE I hit the keys.)

You can also go to a place like staples of kinkos & they have machines that will copy a sheet up to 36" (I believe)- that's how i copy my leathercrafters' journal centerfolds. Then I can spray glue the pages to posterboard & cut them out & you haven't destroyed your pattern pages.

I mean, that, because it is leather, it has certain characteristics that plastic does not... there are brands, there are range markings from the animal scratching itself on brush or barbed wire, the thickness varies, the dye sometimes doesn't take as evenly or as uniformly throughout, etc, etc, it's all natural versus man made... in other words, "...if you want it absolutely the same throughout, go to walmart, buy plastic. If you want the character that leather offers, then by all means stick with leather. Feel it! Smell it! There is absolutely nothing quite like the real thing..."

Brettuns Village did have large quantities of basketball-football type leather (the type with the raised dots). I know this is not what you're looking for, but they may have some baseball glove chrome also. They get some weird leathers in from time to time. (The owner's brother just died, so it may be a week or 2 till he would respond to any inquiries) It's www.brettunsvillage.com

ABN: Oh, yes- absolutely! The dye spread is relatively large, compared to an airbrush, and more coarse, too. Take it into an area outside where it is protected from wind (especially the wind that changes direction & blows back on you), & spray lightly (start OFF the leather & end OFF the leather...). Make several light coats rather than 1 heavy one. You'll find that sometimes some areas may take dye more readily than others, & that's not a bad thing, as you can stress the 'natural' qualities of leather rather than the boring uniformity of plastic or vinyl. I spray both sides of the project & I always do use a dauber to dye up the edges when I'm done spraying. Again, I don't know how they would compare to a spraygun, since I don't have one, but for a quick, nice overall dye job, they are perfectly fine Patrice: I paid $4.98 USD (including Pennsylvania State tax of 6%) for a complete unit just today. Your price quote works out to about $7.042 per each (Canadian $$). I don't know how that compares to the US-Canadian exchange rate of today...[ usually 75-80%]... if the rate is 75%, you'll be paying approximately the equivalent of $5.28 per kit- pretty darn good, if you ask me. Anyway, Patrice: good luck! If you stress the qualities of leather (non- uniformity) he may be very happy with it as is. I always try to stress that we try to get the color match, but there is no guarantee, because of the aforementioned factors involved. Also, you may also want to google "Preval" to see if there are any additional dealers in your area to see if you can get a better deal.

By the way, I should have clarified my post: the preval units are NOT airbrushes. (I do have an airbrush, which I use for close- in dyeing, but they are NOT good for large areas.- so I use the Preval units). I just feel that the dauber puts on too much dye, which, if it is spirit dye, tends to make the leather too hard & stiff because it removes too much of the oils in the leather. I've had customers even complain that the carved, but lightly sprayed leather was 'too hard'- so i worked in lots of lexol for them.

You might try bleaching??? Oxalic acid, which tandy no longer carries, or wood bleach from Lowes or Home Depot, might (or certainly might not) work to lighten it up. I believe there are other posts on this site on using bleach (maybe even one about using lemon juice). Unfortunately, the damage may be already done, and nothing may help at this point, but good luck. (Fiebing dyes tend to be dark, anyway.) I find it better to spray my dyes, rather than use a dauber or a paintbrush. Daubers always streak and one ends up doing more applications of dye to try to even out the color- hence, the very deep colors. Spraying makes the colors go on lighter, uses less dye and you can spray multiple coats till you get the deepness you want. And the coverage seems to be more uniform on today's leathers which (tend to take dyes less evenly). For coverage of a large area, you can use a spraygun (which I don't have), or you can use the Preval units, which consist of a glass container (holding about 8 oz, or so) and a throwaway power unit. Tandy's prices are a little steep for them- i get mine at places that cater to autobody shops exclusively. For the price of what tandy charges for 1 power unit, i can get an entire unit (glass AND power unit) and have some money left over. Suggestion is to buy several complete units, plus extra power units- that way you can have several different dye colors ready, each in their own separate bottles, ready to go.