Andrew Chee

Hello all. This is a bag I just finished. It's based on a postman's bag. I made it out of W&C bridle leather this time. I did this one in two halves and then stitched the two halves together instead of turning the bag. I don't think I could've turned this leather without seriously bending and wrinkling it. I also used a wood handle as well which I think is kinda cool. Andrew

Hi chief, do you have any problems with inconsistent penetration of the finish when applying with a heat gun? I make my own finish as well but I suspend it in a solvent so it's liquid until it's applied. I'm afraid if I don't do that, the finish would penetrate unevenly when heat is applied and I would get streaks. Andrew

The lighter color in the creases suggests it might be some type of pull-up leather which I believe (although not sure of) is usually chrome tanned. Andrew

Hi Wiz, Thanks for the suggestion. I bought a Neva clog on eBay and tried it out on a bag gusset corner. Worked like a charm. A real time and headache saver. Thanks for the tip. Andrew

If you ever decided to make jeans, it would come in very handy to bartack the belt loops and pocket openings. Andrew

Any pictures if what kind of stitch the 72w12 makes? Andrew

Is it lined? If not, what did you do to finish the raw edges of the fabric? Andrew

3 ply construction with 8-9oz leather is awfully heavy for kitchen knife sheaths. It would be too heavy to make knife rolls either. 8-9oz is like hunting knife sheath territory. If you're gonna go that think, get a 441 clone. Needle and awl machines are great but they're much more expensive and temperamental. I wouldn't suggest one of those until you really know what you're doing. Andrew

Drop down edge guide. Look up kwokhing.com. The only issue is that I'm not sure which one would fit your machine. Someone else may know. Andrew

Make sure Steve is in town though. I called a few days ago and they were off at a trade show in Texas or something Andrew

Any tips on getting a consistent angle? Do you guys just do it by eye? I have a tormek so I can use guides which work we'll for the flat areas but don't work for the curved parts. Andrew

Hello all. I was wonder if people sewing their edges first or burnish their edges first. I was making a strap and I burnished the edges. I got a decent edge on it. But then I sewed the edges and I found that the edge guide (even though round and smooth) on my 441 clone marks up the leather a bit. Is it always better to sew and then burnish? What do you guys do? Andrew

I'm looking for good tools in the larger sizes. 1-1/4" and up. I have a few weaver in the smaller sizes and they're ok. I have one of theirs in 1" size and it takes a few whacks to punch through. I'm afraid to get anything larger from them. I tried a craftool at 1-1/2" but those are crap. Won't cut anything. Are Osborne punches any good? I'm looking for ones that will punch out of the box and don't require me to sharpen before first use. Any suggestions? Thanks. Andrew

Do you have a wholesale license? The lower price from weaver is wholesale and the higher is retail. If you have a resale license you should be able to set up an account with them and get the lower price. Andrew

Sold!

Rons edgers are very nice. I hear nice things about Barry king tools as well but have never used them. Horse shoe brand are also very nice but they're designed for saddle work and the toes are long enough that they interfere when you try to edge thing leathers. Andrew

Size one beveler from whom? Using a small size Ron's tool beveler I can do leather that thin. Horse shoe brand ones won't. They're designed for thicker leather. With that said, neither will do soft leather. The leather will drag and look horrible. You really need relatively firm leather to be able to edge them. Skiving and turning is a good alternative. Andrew

Hi Itch, that machine is bottom roller only right? Do you have any feeding problems on it? Any problems with heavier leather? Andrew

Varnish? What type of varnish would one use? Andrew

Hi all. I've been doing some research on a straight stitch machine that I want to use on lighter weight stuff from fabric for liners up to thin leathers. I would like a machine that can take standard presser feet so I can swap in a roller foot sometimes as well to sew decorative stitches on leather. There are a lot of machines that can do this but the thing is that I'd like the machine to be capable to handle (occasionally) 138 thread to sew into about 8oz total of veg tan. The only machine that is often mentioned that comes close seems to the singer 31-15 but I would prefer a reverse (zig zag would be great too but I could live without that). What machines out there would people suggest for this? Thanks. Andrew

That's a really nice edge. Those edges I've seen on very high end hand made japanese stuff. I think it's basically mechanical burnishing like what's done by most folks here but done to a high degree of craftsmanship. The different colors looks like it comes from the different colored layers of leather glued together. Andrew

Interesting. I'm on the lookout for a garment weight machine that I would like to be able to use for some decorative stitching in lighter leathers. There are a lot of drop feed straight stitch machine available around here for cheap (juki 5550s and machines like that). I wonder if I should hold out for a needle feed machine? Andrew

Check out Kwokhing.com. They have a rubber roller that might work?... Andrew

She has different types of leather. The one they consider traditional box calf only comes in black and a different bunch of browns. She also has other types of French calf and those come in all sorts of colors. Just depends on what you're looking for I guess. Andrew

Do a search in the forums for a lady named Amelia Corey. You can get it from her. Expensive stuff though. I just purchase a hide from her and I should be getting it tomorrow. Andrew