mlapaglia

Thanks Ken and Busted for the information. Michael.

Hi, I make belts, holsters, some soft cases, sheaths, guitar straps etc. I will soon have $2000.00 to purchase a machine. Is the Boss worth it for me. I doubt I will get above 2-3 items a week. Its a hobby not a business. Power or lack of power is not an issue. Machine size is an issue. The Boss is a great size for my area. I do not have enough room for a separate machine table. From what I can see I can get the Boss and the needed accessories and supplies for the money I have. Is this a good idea or is there a better machine I should look at. Thanks Michael

I am looking for a Tan die/stain. One that is tan and not brown with a red cast Feibings dye British Tan and Tan. Not Brown with a Yellow tine, Eco-flo dye Range Tan. Not a brown that would be a nice tan if it was lighter, Eco-flo professional stain Tan. I have not tried Saddle Tan but it looks too dark to me. I can get an acceptable tan color with a single pass of a sponge filled with Range tan but have to watch the edges of the pass as they get too dark if you go over them twice. I took Feibings Tan and cut it 1:1 with alcohol and it wasnt too bad but had a slight yellow look to it. I was able to fix most of the yellow issue with a rubbing the leather down with a sponge and denatured alcohol but it was a lot of work. Should I give up until I get an air brush? Is there a way to get a simple tan color by hand? The picture is an example of what I am looking for. Id even settle for a little darker if there was no red tint. I hope this is a problem with my learning and a lack of understanding. Id hate to find out it cant be done without an airbrush. Thanks for any suggestions. Michael

Mine is a very dark Tea color. I made up a gallon and put most of it in beer bottles and then topped them off with CO2 and capped them. Hopefully it will help them keep. It helps to have old beer making tools around when it comes to storing liquids. Michael

What kind of holster are you thinking of?

Probably because the post is 3 1/2 years old. Chances are the account has been closed/moved.

Thank you, Thats a great looking saddle. I love the inlaid seat and the rest just looks like good craftsmanship. Nice job. Michael

On the M&P rig is the mag release up against any leather, the belt of the holster? If it is you have a chance to pop the mag out if it gets bumped wrong or the user bends the wrong way. I cant see the back so I cant tell if the mag release is open or covered. Other than that and the trigger guard it looks really great. Michael

any chance we can see a larger picture? It looks great but its hard to see any detail.

The white saddle soap has no added colors. It has the same conditioning characteristics as the yellow. As for the Lexol I meant the conditioner.

Neither am I, I hope it didnt come out that way. Michael

I just got my first shipment ever in of Herman Oak 8/9 oz Leather. Its the Grade B but I have never seen leather like this. No blemishs, clean, burnishes like nothing I have ever seen. I got a back, because I wanted to do some long belts, and I can not believe the quality vs Tandy. There should be a law that ever new person should get a square foot of HO as part of the newbie kit. I can not believe the difference. I cant wait to try molding it. Anyway look for some, hopefully, better holsters coming up. Ill be more careful just to make the work worthy of the leather. Michael

You might want to try some saddle soap and if that doesn't remove it I personally would use some Lexol on the whole bag It might make it a little darker but it should cover up the stain. Dont do anything until someone that really knows what they are doing makes a suggestion. I could be totally wrong. Michael

In the next 30 days I will need 3 belts sewn. Single line of stitching all the way around for 2 and double line for the gun belt (Maybe). All will be 1 1/2" wide in the 65" length. 2 will be 8/9 lined with 3/4 and one will be a gun belt with two pieces of 8/9. All will be Hermann Oaks B grade leather. Belts well be sent glued, dyed and ready to sew. I'd like to find someone in the Denver area if possible but will ship them if needed. If you are interested let me know what you would charge per belt. Send me a PM or email me at m_lapaglia at msn dot com. Thank you. Michael

It's not barbours that much I know. I got an email back from the vender and they are a sending replacement. They did say that the break strenght on this was only 12.75 lbs. I think that is a little light. It was prewaxed cord so I didnt wax it before I used it. Any idea what the diameter of the barbours is? I have the best luck with 0.7mm or smaller thread. At least when it comes to threading the needle on a #0 harness. I know about using a blade to thin it out. Maybe I need more practice at larger threads. Thanks for the info. Michael

Since it happened during the same stitching session it was the same needle. It only broke on the needle that once. But I am thinking the same way you are. I am going to set that one aside and see if a replacement helps. Thanks for confirming what I was thinking. I should have waited to mention the cord, since what I really wanted was comments on the color combination of the stitching I did send a letter to the vender to see what they say. Michael

I just got some linen cord 4 ply Black and White 0.62 thickness. I grabbed a piece of scrap and made a long pocket, like a giant comb holder. Since I wanted to try the cords and I didn't feel like making 2 different stitch lines I put half black and half white in a saddle stitch. Starting with white on one side and black on the other. Its an interesting effect. Maybe not for a holster but I can see it on a sheath. The photos are of the front, which is gouged. The back with is not. Also a closeup of the corner and a closeup of the gouged area in the middle. The stitching could be better. It was a fast test, not intended for use. The surprising thing is I broke the white thread 3 times. twice at the second to the last hole and once as I made the back stitch at the needle. The breaks at the hole happened right at the surface of the leather. It was only about a 12 inch stitch total with a decent awl and a #0 harness needle. I got some brown from the same people, same type of cord, and it broke at the surface once on me too. Either Im pulling too hard which I do not believe I am, or the thread is wearing out as its pulled from hole to hole. The breaks are always near the needle or at the needle so its the area that gets the most use. It could be thread rot but I don't think so. Anyway I like the black and white effect in the saddle stitch. Michael

Thanks Cheryl, I appriceate the effort to talk to them. It does sounds like an interesting design. It would be nice to know if there is a set price or if its just going to be sold on ebay at auction. Michael

some one is making a new version of the wooden strap cutter Tandy and others sell. Its plastic. Has a handle shaped like the Osborn draw gauge and uses several types of replacement blades including the utility knife blade. You can see it here on ebay. Looks interesting. I dont like that you cant lower the top bar to help hold the leather but the fact that it uses at least 5 different replacement blades looks good. Opinions? Michael

There are many ways to do things. I have to say that in my opinion a rivet has no place on a knife sheath. THey can dull the blade and just seem cheap. Yes they are fast but some times fast seems cheap. When you hand sew a sheath, or even machine sew it looks better and has that hand crafted look that a rivet will never have. Below is the second sheath I did. I am proud because it was good for where I was in my skill level. The only rivet is the one that holds the strap to the sheath. its 8oz with an 8oz welt. It's not a purchased kit although it looks similar to the Tandy kit. I noticed that after it was finished. If you look at the pattern you will see part C&D is the top piece and also the welt. The welt is only 3/8th of an inch. you just need enough to be wider than your stitch line. If you use rivets its your decision. I just feel it will look better without them and look more professional. This was not meant to put down anyone that does use rivets. It is just my personal opinion.

Bruce, With the Australian Strander can I cut lace from a circle either starting on the outside or inside like I can do with the Tandy wand? jpstees, I found the link, $8.95? thats amazing. I am almost afraid to buy it at that price. its like $20 cheaper than anywhere else. Have you bought from them before? Michael

Is the Australian Strander Lace Cutter any good. I will not be doing a lot of braiding. Just need some lace every once in a while. Is it worth the approximately $30 bucks? What about the Craftool Lace maker? Does that work? I cant afford anything other than something cheap. I know I can cut it with a sharp knife and my thumb but I want something a little better than that. Michael

Yes they should. Nice guitar. Im saving for a D35 but Im at least a year away from getting it. Michael

Great stuff. Things for the chance to see it. I'm still learning and it helped a lot. Michael

Masonite is a brand name for Tempered Hardboard. Home Dept normally has it in stock. 1/8" 4'x8' sheet goes for $8.48 in Denver. YMMV Which Model Martin did you get? Is it new or an older model? Michael