Studio-N

Hello. I know some beginners have problems keeping their letters aligned. This is an overlay lettering guide for 1" letters onto a 1 1/2" belt or strap that will hold the letters straight. It's constructed of 1/4" aluminum with a 1.52" channel that goes over the belt and the cutout can accommodate 12 letters. I did this for my final machining project. I learned a lot while cutting it. Mostly I learned I DON"T want to make another. It's difficult to hold and chattered and warped a bunch! Anyway, the Dallas Maker Space leather SIG is having a belt making class this weekend so I thought I'd donate it to them. Cheers!

that is likely constructed from a finished chromium tanned deerhide. Chrometan does not redye well. It will likely end up blotchy as the chromium salts push out the dye. So, I don't know if there is a good solution for this.

That is great! I've had an interest in making some steel rule dies but it's just one of the many things on the list of things to learn. I hope we can compare notes someday. -nick

oh sure, but do you have to buy $1200 worth to get it wholesale?

excellent variations. I like the one you chose with the F916.

thank you

Don't forget that these days you can go the CrowdFunding route or a Kickstarter progam to produce it yourself. however, you would have to disclose it. You can always do like Glowforge laser and collect millions of dollars for a product that has yet to ship.

You said the evil empire wouldn't consider it. Have you tried Springfield Leather as a possible patron?

I did the reverse of that. I used an 1/8" mill bit to rough cut it. then the 22 degree to do the final cut. I did mine as a 3d model and even with a 1/32" end mill the simulation said it wouldn't fit between the letters on everything, guess I'll experiment (some day when I have a few hours and it's not 100 degrees in the garage). you might try a toothbrush to get the fuzz off.

looks good. I've done some on the CNC. finding the right bit to get between the letters was the challenge. I finally settled on a 20 degree v-bit which seems to work but I can only fit about 13 letters in each arch. what was the size of this one?

thank you builder

Here's a sharper picture.

Texas custom Dies has a banner right at the top of the page.

my latest stamp. sorry I couldn't get my phone to focus any better for some reason. cheers!

I think I know what it is. I just laid out a drawing to machine one to donate to my local maker space. I'm sure I saw a picture on another forum or ebay so the cat may be out of the bag. you certainly would need one for each letter set. best of luck.

I would expect so. cheap leather is usually dry. A good leather has a healthy dose of 'fat licquor' added during the tanning process. the result being a very flexible, supple leather.

dryness is probably the largest cause.

thank you

thank you

here is a recent stamp made for a customer of mine. Apparently the only other person making a passport cover stamp for sale on ebay was from Russia. Can't have that now can we? his was made out of a cheap acrylic. this should be more substantial. USA! USA! USA!

I find the skulls refreshing. there is a lot of color and creativity that goes into a lot of them. Its a great change from holsters and knife sheaths which some people think is the do-all and end-all of leatherworking. (Hint: it's not). As for the potty mouth - no. Be civil. this ain't the ghetto.

the evil empire's hilighter is an acrylic based stain so you want to use something that will stick to the acrylic. make sure you buff any excess off and either use an acrylic sealer (super sheen, satin sheen) or a wax based sealer such as fiebings leather balm.

I went in to the Leather Factory in Mesquite, TX to look at those 8-9 oz hides on sale for $100. Well they had a stack of single bends at $2/sq foot. No, that's not a typo. most were 9 1/2 to 10 sq feet. It's been years since I've seen leather that cheap. Was it good leather? Yes. Was it great leather? -No. but it was sufficient for my needs. If I still made belts it would be good for regular sized belts. Needless to say, I loaded up on 8 bends which should hold me for the remainder of the year. Considering they want $21 business cost for their crap bellies I think I made out pretty good. Now, this was probably a special purchase meaning it's limited in quantity. Corp. tends to give these purchases only to their big stores so I'm lucky I live in the vicinity of corporate. Still, the next time you walk into your local Tandy you should ask "Why can't you get those kind of specials?". There were still some left, so if you have to mail order anyway give the Mesquite store a call. Keep in mind I took a lot of the best ones, so be specific on the quality you want. Of course, corp. doesn't like stores selling out of their area, so you may bump up against that noise. If that happens call corp and yell at them. cheers!

excellent tip. I didn't care for a lockstitch (what a sewing machine makes) but would often use the boss to make/space my holes so that I could come back and do a saddle stitch.

and that is why they will lose accounts. One little recession and they'll be begging for that wholesale business.