Glendon

I really like the templates from Maker’s Leather Supply. How many cards you can get into a pocket is really going to depend on the thickness and temper of the leather you are using. Thinner softer leather is going to give you more space for cards.

Thanks Bruce. That was kind of where I was leaning. I just needed the push to just spend the money and be done with it. I ended up ordering the Weaver 4 ton Mighty Wonder. I should have it at the beginning of next week. I'll try to write up something on the delivery and set up experience for the people here who are curious.

Ok, I'm finally going to take the plunge and buy a purpose built clicker press. For a number of years I have been making do with a kludged hydraulic bench press setup, but I'm finally well sick of fiddling with it. Now the question is, do I save some money and go with one of the 1 .5 ton Chinese models, spend double on a Tandy Craftool Pro, or open my wallet and get one of the solid manual presses like the Weaver / CB-8360. I know the cheaper options are limited because of the width of leather you can get through their throat, but it's a pretty good price difference. I currently don't have any larger clicker dies that wouldn't fit in the smaller presses. Eventually I'd like to click some larger bag pieces, but that's a ways off. I'm stuck on saving some cash now and possibly trading up later, or going for one of the big names now. What would you all do?

Yep, been there, done that. If you haven't bled on a project, your probably not working enough. Those finger cuts aren't as bad as head wounds, but they can still bleed pretty good. Always take the time to put blades down when not in use. Especially when your in a rush.

HDPE plastic sheets.. Between a 1/ 4th to an inch thick works great.

I've cut up to 6oz with them. Getting up into skirting leather 10+ oz might be too thick to fit under the guard.

PM sent

PM sent

I'll second the recommendation for the Skil rotary cutter or a similar powered rotary tool. I have pretty shaky hands due to Cerebral Palsy, so I have trouble with long straight cuts. You can't do anything fancy with a power cutter, but they are great for zipping through big straight cuts. The combo of clicker dies and a bench top shop press is also a great idea for parts that you cut a lot of. Any part that I plan to make more than a hand full of, I will spend the money to get a cutting die made.

gum trag works. There is also a synthetic gum trag alternative which the Japanese leather site sell. That's great too. The one thing to keep in mind is that if the flesh side of your leather is fuzzy, there is only so much you can do to slick it down. That's one factor which determines what grade of leather you have. Even a decent B grade side should have an ok flesh side.

Depends on the type of tanning. Veg-Tan / tooling leather like Herman Oak will dye. Other types of tannings can have that color and somewhat similar feel, but the glaze / waxes / oils in the leather would prevent dying.

The characteristics of belly leather that people do not like is that it is soft and stretchy. This makes it fine for some styles of bags and pocket items where some give won't hurt. What I love it for is wet molding, possibles pouches, other molded cases, and masks.

Try Waterhouse Leather. They carry 2-3oz veg tan, what they call calfskin kip. www.waterhouseleather.com

Have you tried e-mailing Steve at GoodsJapan. He's been great about getting back to me the few times I've gotten in touch with him. He might be able to give you some info about what's up with the brand. Another option might be Rocky Mountan Leather Supply. They seem to have them in stock sold in full sets. http://www.rmleathersupply.com/products/kyoshin-elle-diamond-punches-sets Though I havn't bought from them before, so I can't vouch for the company. Otherwise, LeatherMob or one of the other Hong Kong suppliers may be your best option. The older distinctive Kyoshin Elle style tools might be out of manufacuring or something though. I'm seeing a lot of tools advertised as Kyoshin Elle, but the pictures look a lot like Seiwa tools to me.

Goods Japan is pretty quick usually. Unfortunately, they are the only English language Seiwa dealer I'm aware of.

I have a Craft Sha set, and have been very happy with it. That being said, Nigel seemed to be of the view that Seiwa had an edge in quality and I'd trust his judgement. I don't think you would be unhappy with either brand, but I might suggest Seiwa.

Honestly, you've got a couple of the best books on bags already. The Art of Making Leather Cases, and the Leathercraft Handbook are about as good as they get for bag construction. If you want some good instructions on bag making, I would suggest checking out the Youtube videos by Ian Atkinson and Nigel Armitage.

For the price, I'll have to give them a try. At a glance I would guess the quality is around what we have been seeing on ebay for awhile, but if the cutting edges are decent may be a deal.

I have an arbor press that I do use for some stamping, but it is slow going. Fine for alphabet or 3D stamps, but I wouldn't try anything too complex with it or the speed will likely drive you crazy.

My set up is a foam and rubber interlocking mat on the floor under a good solid desk, under a poundo board, under my granite. Seems to work well. I also don't stamp late or early.

Here's the real question. Is the design sold as a tooling / craft pattern, a random design off the web, or copyrighted by someone? Sold as a pattern, go for it. Random design, find out who owns the design and ask. Copyrighted? Don't bother. Not worth the trouble.

Let's see if I can remember a couple of my tricks. Large metal washers are great templates for cutting rounded courners. Binder clips are the best for holding gussets together while glue waits to dry. A nice straight flat metal L bar is a nice trick for cutting a straight edge on a side. You can use it with an edge up for a safe handle, or clamped over the edge of your bench. Needle nose pliers are a god send for stuck sewing needles.

Last week I learned that when testing new liquids,eye protection is not optional. Up to now I've been using water and saddle soap for burnishing edges, but just got in some of the synthetic gum trag from Japan to try out. That stuff is slick, and at least with a rotary tool burnisher, will splatter.

The specific animal does not matter as much as the process. If it is vegtan, then you should be able to tool it. I have not used water buffalo before, so I do not know if it will be easier or harder to tool. Some animals do have hides that are denseer then others that will make it harder to work with. An example is horse being harder to tool then cow because you need to put more work into it.