Cyberthrasher

Here you go. I grabbed a couple. They do take some practice and they're not the best for overall beveling, but they're great on long lines. http://springfieldleather.com/29287/Blade%2CPlastic%2CBeveler/

Kind of a "different tools for different conditions" approach. I have a cheap adjustable creaser, I believe it's a Tandy. I'm not real happy with the line it makes due to the profile. So, I've been contemplating either modifying it or just getting some fixed ones of known brands. Most of the time I use my wing dividers, followed by a light touch of the swivel knife and a plastic swivel beveler held at a shallow angle to give it more definition. I'm trying to train myself to use the adjustable creaser more though.

Depends on how much you work it. But it will smooth out the grain and get rid of a lot of imperfections. You'll want to damped the leather and rub the glass slicker over those spots to work them out and then let it dry. Doing that over the entire surface will give you that smooth appearance you seem to be looking for. Those are perfectly normal tannery marks and nothing to be upset about. As for dirty leather - first step is to ALWAYS wash your hands before handling the leather. It will suck up the oils in your skin in order to replenish its own. It's usually best to complete all color and finishing prior to assembly as well.

no need to dilute. I actually use regular old Isopropyl a lot as well, for both cleaning and reducing my dyes. Denatured is just a little stronger, but also a little more expensive.

There's a motorcycle section down below that has a few things. Your best bet would be to go make a pattern off of your bike for what suits it best. You can also go find a cheap set somewhere - perhaps craigslist or thrift stores. Walmart actually carries a couple of things. There's also a lot of really cheap and poorly constructed stuff on ebay.

It's that OCD thing

The main product that's available is from Woodland Scenics. It's made for model train folks. I only use it to "resist" DYE since most finishes won't block dye at all. When antiquing or staining - Resolene, ClearLac, or RTC work well.

NEVER. It will make it look incomplete. The whole point of the border is to contain everything and make it look tidy. By having a section without a border, it looks unfinished. It's a good idea in thought, but in the end it will only make things look like they were part of a mass production run. Once you get your process down, it really doesn't take long to do. Bob, I used to do all my edging last until I started noticing a few spots on my straps that weren't PERFECT when looking at the spacing from the bead to the "perceived" edge of the leather (keep in mind, I'm EXTREMELY OCD and notice if a line is even the slightest bit off). I say perceived because our eyes look at the grain of the leather as the "edge" and not the actual edge where it's been rounded and polished. So, i experimented and started realizing that I can get a much more consistent bead on my work by doing it after I have the edge beveling done. Sanding doesn't effect it so much, but that little bit of grain can throw it off a lot if you change the angle of your edger even a little bit. Take that picture I referenced above for example. The actual edge is perfectly spaced all the way around, but in that corner I had tipped my edger just a hair and removed too much grain, which makes it look like it's all crooked and out of balance.

I've found that if I crease before I bevel and completely burnish my edge, I end up with a crease that's not equal all the way around. This is because sometimes my beveler gets a little off, or I end up having to remove material to make things even in different spots. So, I always try to get my edge the way it's going to be forever before I add the crease/border. View the bottom of the card on the right here (bottom left to be exact). I forgot to edge before I added my bead and this was the result. It's really the only "major" problem overall on this piece and it really makes me sad because I know I'm better than that!!!

Adding to what Tree Reaper said, you'll also find it helpful to move the leather through the tool instead of moving the tool around the leather when going around corners. Go slow and keep your tool planted in one spot while the leather pivots through it.

You can slick stuff like that out with a glass burnisher. Those are normal handling scuffs and not really bad marks. also, the cleanliness of your leather from the tannery will depend on the "grade" you bought.

Check with Springfield Leather and see if they have any in stock. They're usually willing to cut off what you need, and may even have some remnants available.

just put a LIGHT coat of your favorite finish on it and send it out. Lately I've been using RTC Sheridan Resist for pocket items. That will protect it, leave a very mild satin glow, and still allow you to apply a conditioner such as Montana Pitch Blend over the top.

If you're set on it, I would contact a company like Black River Laser and see if they can work with you on it. I'm just not sure if they can do something like the raised impressions. That said, keep in mind that the best way to speed up the process is to practice. I point this out because quality work depends on KNOWING your design. We KNOW our design by tracing it onto transfer paper, and then going over it again with a stylus. With that method, you'll KNOW exactly what needs to happen at each portion of the design when you're tooling it, which translates to less time stopping to think about the design and better work overall. You can prove this to yourself by doing the same design a few times and taking note of how it improves overall with each attempt.

Most of us just use transfer paper, but many use overhead projector sheets that will last a long time through several uses. Myself, I reuse the piece of tracing paper quite a bit by just putting a piece of clear packing tape on the back of it for protection.

Should be fine. Just be sure that it's applied as light as possible so there's not heavy buildup. If you're losing the texture of the leather, it's too thick. But, my ultimate suggestion would be to find a dye that matches the color you're looking for. Most colors are available through someone, either Fiebing's or Angelus. The only colors that are a real issue are the ones based in white. The reason for this suggestion is because acrylics will only sit on top of the leather, where dye actually penetrates and colors the leather permanently.

My suggestion is to just get what you need right now in order to make some dough with it. As you create and sell things, you can buy more. At first I bought a little of this and a little of that. Now I pretty much only buy what I need for a specific project and get enough to have some left overs.

Have you called them? They'll get you sorted out just right. You just have to be clear on what it is you need/want. I usually email, but that's because I'm pretty much required to keep my phone open all day. I'd check with them on the comparative grade of that "American Single Shoulder", just to be sure it's good stuff. They can/will also cut a shoulder from their B grades.

Check the laws on exporting to Australia. They can be sticklers with a lot of stuff. Also, the USPS website has a lot of information on what can and can't be shipped to different locations. The other possible outcome is that you "fudge" the custom document and it gets through to him, then he gets called on it later. So just be sure you're doing all you can to take care of your customer's interests.

As for the grades, B grade Hermann Oak is pretty good. I only switched to A myself because there were a few marks in the middle that were hard to work around for guitar straps without killing my yield. Craftsman - I try to stay away from it. I've purchased 2 craftsman grade sides. The first had a beautiful grain side, but it was really fleshy and didn't edge that great. The second had a solid flesh side with no stringy flesh, but was pretty hard all the way through and the color was a little off. This one doesn't case well and really sucks to tool, but it does stamp alright. Dying can be tricky on that one. My point is that the Craftsman grade is pretty hit and miss, and even your hits aren't really perfect. For a little more, the B grade is an excellent choice. Also, here's a brief guide on Springfield's site regarding leather. There are actually guides on most supplier sites. http://springfieldle...ing Leather.pdf Another Edit...... I just looked at your kidskin. I just ordered some of that myself for lining. It's a really popular choice and used on a lot of those really expensive designer products

background it or figure out a way to work it into the design. If it's more of a scuff, you may be able to model it out. That's the good thing about art, nobody has to know it was a mistake if you work it into the design.

Any certain reason you're looking for veg-tan for the pockets? Pigskin, kangaroo, and several others are really good for wallet innards. These are usually under the category of lining leathers or sometimes garment. If you're set on Veg-Tan, find someone that sells the 2-3 oz and will skive it for you. I believe Springfield Leather offers that service.

It's gotta be the snaps then. Yeah, using the granite will give an overall flatter appearance, but it still looks good with no horrible deforming. That's how the top two wallets here were done. http://hellhoundkustoms.wordpress.com/gallery/wallets/

I do all of the dye and finish work before lacing, but after everything is molded up with zip ties. Once it's all done, I spray one more coat of Resolene top and bottom, including the lace. Lace is leather too and should have a finish on it if possible. I don't stress it since most lace has a light finish, but if I'm spraying already, I'd like to get that extra piece of mind out of the deal.

I'm a little late to the game here, but I had this same problem when I first started using snaps and rivets and any other hardware. The problem? the anvil on my cheap setter doesn't conform to the shape of the head. When you hammer it down, there's a gap between the head and the concave bottom of the anvil, allowing the post to deform the head as you set it. My solution, ditch the anvil and set it directly on my granite slab. If I'm worried about the finish of the snap, I put a piece of masking tape over the head first. I was having the problem with all kinds of stuff and was convinced I had bad hardware until I just stopped to think about what was happening.