SteelheadFineGoods

Which Horween leather is it? I work with Horween Chromexcel fqhh and frequently line my pieces with pigskin. CXL is fairly waxy stuff and I have never had a problem adhering the pigskin lining to CXL with just Barge. It does help to scuff up the CXL a bit for a better bond.

I am also looking for the same part. It seems to be a pretty typical break with these machines. Probably due to poor handling during shipping or transport. Has anybody got a spare depth adjuster or know where to get a replacement?

I recently acquired a D.B. Die Works No. 39 kick press. It is currently without a stand. Before I go ahead and build my own stand for it, do any of you out there have the original stand for this kick press for sale? Also, can you suggest a good source to purchase dies for this machine? I will be looking for dies for Line 20 and Line 24 snaps. I appreciate any help I can get. Thanks!

http://www.crownandbuckle.com is worth looking into.

Texas Custom Dies also accepts thick card stock paper cut outs of your shape and they can create a very accurate die from that.

Looks great. Grey Ghost is probably your best bet. I've used Infinity Stamps in the past but they can be pretty expensive. Can I ask where you are getting the Chicago screws for this project?

I suggest that you order from Tannery Row or Maverick. Maverick's stock can be somewhat limited but they are really helpful and have different sides coming in pretty frequently. Tannery Row can have a significant wait time but as long as you can wait you'll get exactly what you're looking for. I have not had much luck finding thinner CXL from Springfield and I think their colors might be somewhat limited.

goodsjapan has several Japanese leathercraft books. They're pretty helpful if you don't already have experience making wallets. Even if you don't read Japanese, the photos in these books pretty much tell it all. Also, get used to measuring and cutting in metric, if you don't already.

Well, my order of Bulldog Brand Latex Cement came in the mail a few days ago and I put it to work right away. I cut six 1.5" squares of 2-3oz CXL front quarter horsehide and conducted a test comparing Barge, Bulldog, and Fiebing's Leathercraft Cement. I adhered flesh side to flesh side and followed normal protocol for each adhesive. I did not do any prep work to the leather before the glue up such as scoring or scuffing up the leather. I left everything in its normal state so that I could simply compare the effectiveness of each adhesive. Bulldog smells awful and it tacks up very quickly. The instructions call for application with a brush which, in my experience, was a mistake because it just gummed up my brush bristles. The bottle says that it washes out with water but that's not exactly what I found to be true. I allowed all three samples to dry for over 30 hours clamped with binder clips. After removing the clips I attempted to pull the pieces of leather apart from one another at the corners. By far, straight up Barge had the best adhesion power. Though the results were close the Fiebing's Leathercraft Cement (the normal white glue) seemed to outperform the Bulldog Latex Cement. Clearly my experiment is not accurately controlled, but it was clear that the Bulldog and Fiebing's did not have the adhesion power that Barge does with CXL. The Barge holds to itself really well and generally sticks to the CXL without tearing up the leather when pulling pieces apart. When pulling apart the Bulldog and Fiebing's pieces the adhesive seemed to rip the leather away from the top layer similar to how layers of cardboard might come apart. I'll give Bulldog another chance in the shop, but I feel most confident in my normal routine gluing CXL which is to scuff the leather, apply a thin layer of Barge, let it dry completely, apply another thin layer of Barge, let it dry to a tack, then adhere the pieces together. Please let me know if you have better strategies or different experiences with any of these adhesives.

Springfield leather Company carries Yankee Wax

Springfield Leather now carries Bulldog Brand Latex Cement and claims that it's great for gluing Chromexcel and other oil tan leathers. I think I'll pick up a bottle to see how it does. Anybody else have experience with this glue yet? http://springfieldleather.com/37043/Cement%2CContact%2CLatex%2C8oz/

Has anybody gotten a response from bisonmade? I'm hoping to grab some shells but have not gotten a response yet.

PM sent. Hoping to grab a few from you if they haven't been snatched up yet.

You've probably already seen them at http://www.goodsjapan.jp/ or x-kaijin-x on eBay. I don't know of any American suppliers. It wouldn't be cheap but you could design your own and have them cast. Good luck!

I find two products/strategies to work fairly well when adhering two pieces of Chromexcel, flesh side to flesh side. What seems to be strongest in my experience is to give each piece a light application of Barge contact cement and let them dry completely. Then when they are completely dry give each piece a second light application of Barge contact cement and when the cement has begun to lose its tack you can press both pieces of leather together and they should stay very well adhered. One application of Barge just doesn't cut it. Alternately, I've had pretty good experiences using Fiebings Leathercraft Cement (the white stuff). Apply the glue to both pieces, press them together and keep them pressed tightly until the glue dries completely. I like to use binder clips all along the edges to help press the leather together - just keep the jaws of the clips over where you plan to stitch because they will leave a light impression on the leather. This stuff works pretty well, but not quite as strong as Barge in my experience. If anybody else knows of better ways to adhere Chromexcel I'd also love to know.