Studio-N

You can use the Fiebings dye reducer. Same stuff.

I'll field the laser engraving machine question. I answered a lot of these same questions before the crash, but since it is all gone, I'll add my 2 cents worth again. When looking at lasers, there are 3 considerations: POWER, speed and table space (including clearance). Leather does not require a lot of power. You can get a good engraving with as low as 20 watts. A good engraving is a dark burn with about a 1 - 1.5 oz. of depth. Cutting the leather all the way through requires 30-35 watts but it will char the edges, so at least with my work I use the laser to mark the leather pattern on the surface but still cut it with a knife to avoid the burned edges. Speed is a consideration and is tightly related to power. You can run the machine faster the more power you have. If it is small machine with a 15 -20 watt max, you'll have to run it slower. Doing an 8x10 photograph with my 45 watt machine at 100 % speed will take 20-30 minutes max. Doing the same work on a 20 watt machine may take 3-4 times longer. This is a worse case scenerio since when doing pictures you use raster drawings and every inch of the leather is scanned whether the beam is actaully turned on or not. Table space and clearance are the final consideration. There have been many small machines introduced since I bought mine. These small machines are targeted at the trophy industry (i.e. FLAT PLAQUES) which only require minimal clearance. Small machines usually only provide 3 - 4 inches of clearance. This is sufficient for engraving the parts before construction, but it is tough to work with on finished goods. Larger machines give you about 9 inches of clearance. The table space dictates your engraving area. These small machines only give you about 12 x 12 inches of space. Great for a wooden plaque, but tough to shove a saddle fender under it. The industry standard is a minimum of 12 x 24 inches. All these machines are driven by something like stepper motors on a parallel beam, so the largest reliable sizes are no bigger than 18x36 inches. Prices go up exponentially on anything bigger. Ok, I'm sure you want to know about pricing. There are some cheap Pacific rim (read crap into this) models out there for about 4K. These are the 12x12 trophy models. Lots of luck is all I have to say. Support is zero and I hope you can read chinese. The two largest and best makers of laser engraving machines are either EPILOG or my personal favorite Universal Laser Systems (ULSINC.COM). These machines have gotten bigger, more powerful, faster and cheaper since I bought mine. Mine is a 45 watt ULS machine with a 12x24 table and 9" clearance. At the time, it was $16k. Since then, the newer models allow up to 100 watts, are 30% faster and come in 12x36 or 18x36 models. Pricing usually starts in the $12k range. The smaller 12x12 models from these guys are in the 4k range. Support from both of these manufactures and their dealers are beyond reproach. Excellent. Top notch. Primo. And they are both made in the USA. There are other costs involved as well such as Software. Most US models will run with Corel Draw. That adds about $500. Venting is a necessity both for safety and because burning materials like leather usually stink to high heaven. The venting can be quite elaborate using HVOC filters and the like or as simple as what I use which is a woodworking dust collector vented to the outside. Last thoughts - lasers have indeed made a foot hold in the leather business. I can name at least 2 large saddle manufactures who are using laser engravers to lay out the patterns for carving some of their production saddles. It is not for everyone and they are certainly not toys (except for idiots like me who had a few bucks to spare at the time). They are a major part of the trophy business on leather items since you can get a level of detail unrivaled by the mechanical means. They are becoming more and more a part of the craft business as the price drops. I myself, probably engraved over 2000 leather wristbands for client running a home craft business. (I never want to see another wrist band again). I see more and more laser engraved items when I attend craft shows. That's all I got for now. If you have any other questions I'll be happy to share my 2 pennies. peace.

I have to agree with Gremlin, these really help holding things when the arthritis was bothering me. I've only had mine a week and I used it in the store to help a customer change out the concho in his cell phone case. The plier helped to push the concho post through the double layer of the flap and held it in place nicely while I tightend the screw. Quick and comfortable. peace. There is a nice rubber tip on the concho face side, so it doesn't mar the surface. peace.

Was it the 2 oz tube of barge or the Quart can or better that you used? It wasn't advertised, but Barge did reformulate their glue. You have to shake up the cans to mix the two major components up. peace.

I have just dropped my eBay store mostly because the increase in the Final valuation fee to 12%. I will probably still sale an occasional auction but not very often. I still find it a decent place to find old items for various of my hobbies so I will still buy there. peace.

Ditto. I've expanded that to mostly keeping my mouth shut on internet boards. Yes, I work for TLF and that's all I'm saying. peace.

I might just have what you need. I found some LARGE oval saddle punches at the shop. These were old MIDAS punches. I'm sending you a PM with contact info.

Greetings from Wichita KS, I'm finally back on the web. Loving it here in Wichita and the store is going like gangbusters. More than that, I can finally get back to my favorite websites. Anyway, jUst sayting HI and getting caught up. Cheers!

Greetings, TLF no longer carries the Fiebings Institutional products as a catalog item. However, most of the EcoFlo products will meet that criteria. As for glue, TLF LeatherWeld has always been a non-toxic product. It works very well, except for having to wait for it to dry. peace.

Remember the Leatherworkers motto: "You can always dye it black".

Well I made it. Only 18 hours on the road. The UHAUL handled like a pig. I think I'm gonna like it here. The store is HUGE by comparison ot the 1300 sq ft shop we had in Monty. Now I get to fly back to pick up MY truck and do the drive all over again. -NIck

Hi Regis, Thanks for the kind words. Yep, Don Cash is taking over and is already in place. Give him a call and give him a test drive. I'm outta here today. -Nick

I'm moving there permanent effective Monday.

I'll be off the board for the short term. I'm heading north to take over the TLF store in Wichita, KS. YEHAA!!!!! This is such a great move for me. I should be there by Monday. Hopefully the hotel will have WiFi so I can keep up with everyone. Ya'll stop by, I'll have coffee ready. -Nick

Howdy. These sets fall into 2 categories: Workshop or Decoration. The workshop kits include the tools for cutting leather, punching holes, setting fastners like snaps or rivets. This is leather working. The other kits are intended to teaching carving and stamping. This is decoration. The pro leatherworkers kit on sale is a pretty good start for the former. Wanna cut belts - it contains a strap cutter. Wanna cut holsters it contains shears for cutting, a knife for cutting, groover and punches for stitching, beveler, and tools for setting fastners. What it doesn't contain is stamps - which are for decoration. These you can find in a lot of places. I don't think you'd go wrong with this set. That will still leave you with money for buying leather. peace!

Hello. It only appears that there are no instructions because of the Canadian laws that insist that labels be in both English and French. If you look closely, you will see a peel away flap. All the directions are underneath. peace.

Here is mine. This was usually engraved in via the laser engraver. Nice thing about, I can resize it to any size. peace.

I know how you feel.... Woodland Scenics list Hobby Lobby as one of thier dealers.

I'm adding a positive vote too. Loved the color combination and design. Simple but eye-catching. peace.

All TLF stores are participating. Best to phone it in if you didn't get the card in time. peace.

I have exactly done the above when making multiples. The question that often arises is whether the laser can 'replace' the swivel knife. The short answer is no. The cut is simply too thin. Very tough to bevel, and because it is not a wide channel to start, you don't get much of a shadow line. But as a replacement for the pattern transfer phase, it is a very useful tool. I can get cutting very quickly. I have heard rumors that there are indeed saddle shops are using it to transfer patterns on production saddles. peace.

Greetings, well the picture of my avatar is one example of what can be done on leather. Mostly, it is an easy fast way to do silohuette drawing, fancy lettering, or cutting through as in filigree. Primarily, material is removed by burning it away and leaving a recess on par with a backgrounded area. Coloration will always be dark brown. Any other questions, I'd be happy to help. peace.

Anytime you order online it will go to the same store based on your zippy code. If you're unhappy order directly by phone from another store. At any rate, forward your concerns and problems to: tlfhelp@leatherfactory.com and they'll make it right, even if means they never send an order to that store again.

The blade you use for your cuts will also make a difference. I get a lot of people wanting to use the 1/4" angled blade, just becuase it is angled. I try to tell them that in reality this is a filigre blade for cutting through the leather. The end result is that it makes a very skinny channel. Personally, I use a hollow ground blade most of the time. This gives a nice wide channel that when beveled, gives a deeper shadow. Just my 2 pennies worth. peace.

Hello. If you have the thickness set and it is not splitting evenly it may be the sharpness of the blade. YES - I know it's new, but remember these blades are 'factory' sharp. Spend a little time honing and polishing the blade as you would with any blade. It makes a world of difference. As to setting the thickness, save a piece split the thickness you want so that you can just set it in and match the gap. I just use a piece of cardboard that seems about right. peace.