JPThomas

Great Job!

Are all of the Singer 29 series leather needles the same, specifically can I use a Singer 29-4 in a Singer 29K10? Thanks, James

Besides the store in Essex, MD (Baltimore) your local store may be Tandy Leather #03 - HARRISBURG-03 Manager: Monica Grieco Harrisburg003@tandyleather.com 1818 N Cameron Street Harrisburg, PA 17103-1020 USA Phone: 717-236-8142 Fax: 717-236-0752 Toll Free: 800-233-7155 Store Hours: Monday-Friday: 9am - 6pm Saturday: 9am - 4pm Sunday: Closed Depending on which is closer to you; plus there are the tolls on I-95N in Baltimore that total 6 or 8 dollars round trip.

I have spoken with the folks at http://www.hatshapers.com/ and their plastic forms hold up to the steaming used to make felt hats; another of their clients uses one to make leather baseball caps. I haven't had the funds to make an order with them but at $28 I do not personally see a downside to such an investment. If I were to use the traditional block method I think that I would make one such as a shoe or dress form and figure out a way to include a size change gear that way all I would have to do is cut wooden shims to slide in the gaps as I increased the size. The hat in your picture has been made in basically two parts (if we ignore the patch at the top) the crown has been stitched to the brim after the brim area was darted and folded up into the crown for gluing and stitching. You can tell this by the way the crown undulates back and forth below the stitching; using this manner requires a sweatband to be added to the hat to keep the glue and the darts from abrading the forehead and scalp. A hatband would hide this, if deemed necessary. If you are using a wooden form that would include a full a full brim for proper "turn up" I would suggest making a 2 part brim ring for proper shaping. This may also reduce leather wrinkling by properly stretching the leather over the crown and then locking in place inside the lower brim form where it would stay until dry.

I may try a deer skin French Edge to pinch the microfiber into place at the top, but a rolled edge may work better to help prevent scratches.

Has anyone ever used microfiber cloth as a liner in cases of touchscreen phones? I want to make a new case for my Samsung Galaxy Note and was contemplating using a microfiber cloth (just like I have for cleaning my eyeglasses) as the liner for the screen side of my case. Since I am stitching this by hand and do not want to use glue on the cloth I was thinking of just tacking it in place using temporary stitches so it would not bunch up, what do you think? Thanks, James

Electrathon - Thanks, but honestly I wouldn't want to be twenty again, twenty seven or twenty eight on some days, but definitely not twenty. As for better looking I am who I am and how people perceive me is on them. RaySouth - Ray we went to a store supply store and purchased mannequin heads for use in molding the leather at $10 a piece and being reusable I think it was a good deal.

Today was a success! Our officers came together and bonded over instructional learning; now we look forward to sharing what we have learned with our students. I am the James Thomas whom Shotgun Willlie referred to above; if you have any questions about the guild or our classes please do not hesitate to ask or drop us a message.

Sam Browne Buttons: http://www.tandyleatherfactory.com/en-usd/home/department/hardware/bag-clasps-closures/1309-057.aspx

In looking at the photos posted by "busted" I deduce that the item is a hand made Brass version of the copper/burr rivet. I would say two heavy brass washers and a brass rod as the post. I have tried my hand at making my own copper rivets this way from copper wiring bought at the hardware store and it is not easy as you are basically using cold forging techniques to reform the wire/rod into the top and bottom of your rivet. Now if I would make a swivel out of this idea I would solder or weld a brass sleeve to the facing washer to make a post through which to push my hand made and cleaned brass rivet then push the back washer on and clip and cold forge the back of the pin to lock everything in place.

Thank you Bill! This is James Thomas, acting President of the Mid-Atlantic Leather Guild, and I am happy to announce that the By-Laws have been accepted by our members; one of which was the official name change of the site on Facebook to Mid-Atlantic Leather Guild. I hope to be posting more of our activities soon. Happy Crafting!!!

Thank you for the information Johanna. A few friends and have started and are in the process of formalizing Guild (the DelMarVa Leather Workers/Crafters Guild) and as acting President I have been looking for help on founding a Guild. Our members are from Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia; thus our moniker; and we have members of many experience levels, though most of us are beginners. James

Sarah, I have found that "The Leather Crafters & Saddlers Journal" has been a help to me in expanding my leather working knowledge, maybe a subscription will be of help to you. http://www.leathercraftersjournal.com/