Tree Reaper

I've been running the needle to the top but I'll experiment with this, thanks Rick. What do you do when the bobbin runs out of thread, I suspect you try and stitch over, of course not running out and making sure the bobbin is full prior to starting is better.

Beveling the edges after you dye also helps.

I find a straight edge is a must in order to get a straight line. I've mastered putting edges on a round curve but any letter work requires set up time to get it right. This is how I normally set up when words require even spacing.

If you take some soft material and bunch it up to get the ripples then wet form your leather over that you might get the desired results.

Your right, my large letter set is easy to see but I need magnification to see the marks on the smaller letter set. Thanks for pointing that out.

I like it, how many eyes will it hold?

If you aren't aware of the different tolerances in Tandy letter stamps then your work will look as crappy as the poor tolerances. I started stamping the "T " to be followed by an "I " and you can really see the difference where the "I " stamped higher than the T. I turned the stamp around and it lined up much better with the T and you can see how much lower the second "I " is from the first. So if you aren't getting good results it could very well be the crappy tools being supplied by our suppliers and NOT you.

Does Barry make half basket weave stamps? I'm always going over the border trying to tip the full stamp.

It looks like a leather belt that has been split down the middle and braided.

I bought two disposable spray units and couldn't get either one to spray even after thinning the water based dye.

I just started sewing with a machine and the most difficult thing I found was making a corner or a turn, trying to judge the distance from the edge of the leather, I'm getting better but it isn't perfect. Straight lines are a walk in the park.

Foam applicator is better than a dauber for that purpose.

I'd be tempted to pressure wash them, carefully.

You can install snaps if the belt isn't stitched.

If you were using dividers and the leather varied in width, that would throw your marks off center.

Ron, that's excellent. Thanks for that. I missed running the thread around the wheel and that's probably where I lost some tension causing the birds nests. I find the written instructions very brief and vague for someone that has never operated a machine before.

Ok, two birds nests later I have the bobbin loaded. I had to keep tension on the thread with my fingers and it loaded up. The instructions say to raise the presser foot by the hand lifter, I'm not sure why because the foot started coming down when I started the machine so I released the lever and lowered the foot. My question now is can you damage the machine by running it with the lever raised?

I usually measure it side to side to get center then poke it with an awl to mark it. The last belt I made I could still see the divider line down the center and used that.

That's something else I didn't know. I'm winding a spare bobbin so can I leave a loaded bobbin in the holder and leave the needle threaded?

I'm at the point where you wind the bobbin a few turns, is that clockwise or counter clockwise? The illustration shows the thread coming off the bottom of the spindle on the bobbin, is this correct? Wind it a few times then put the end through the hole in the bobbin? This is where I'm at now, does this look correct? Does the sewing machine need to be running, I think it does but do you disengage something to keep the needle from going up and down? My only complaint is with the instructions, the machine is operating better than the operator. Bobs video on threading the machine is great and I was hoping there was one on winding the bobbin.

Is there a video of this somewhere? Thanks. Kevin

I had to remove metal from the back of my super skiver to get it to cut. It would take a little leather off and then stop cutting. Now I can just vary the pressure and it works much better.

I'm using a press and getting decent results. For a better quality impression you might have to go to another source but the cost is going to be higher.

Hey Nat, any way of making another stamp, cutting it out and gluing it over the other stamp?

Very nice!