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Every stamp maker I have researched says custom stamps. To me your spoon stamp falls into that category, but to be 100% sure, give the suppliers a call and they can tell you if they can do it or not. My guess is that it would be pretty easy for them to do, and since you are not going to use it after this project, I would think a Derlin stamp would be much cheaper, and I would only use Infinity stamps for something that I plan to use from here on out. Karina

My husband has a pair and that is my thought also. Horween Chromexcel Karina

Great idea. I have been meaning to sit down to come up with a way to do this but just haven't found the time. I think this will make it super easy. I can put this on the router table and have it knocked out in minutes. Thanks for sharing, Karina

He never showed the finished photos. I PM'd him and asked did he ever finish the bag but he never replied. I would have loved to see how that bag turned out. Karina

Don't have a pattern to share with you but there are 100's of instructional videos on YouTube for making these bags, they are done with fabric but the technique still applies when making it out of leather. I watched several then put my own spin on mine, but it was fairly straight forward to make. Karina

Thank you! Thank You! Thank You all! I got the binder off the notebook with the spacers intact. I got it installed on the leather spine piece using long arm rivets, and it is now ready to be sewn onto the lining material. So that I wouldn't risk bending the mechanism again when installing the rivets, I installed them using the arbor press. Easier than I thought! Wow I have learned a lot with this project. Thank you all again for your help. Karina

I have the rivet out of one side with the riser (or spacer) still in tack. That spacer is the key. This ring binder is 1/2" which is really tiny, and I have drilled all the way through and it is still giving me fits. (Why the customer requested it to be so small is beyond me) I am working on getting the other side off now. I went back and re-read the instructions and on the actual diagram for installing the mechanism it clearly states to use long arm rivets. I missed that and I think I used medium rivets and it did just as described, It "smooshed" things too close together and the mechanism would not work properly. I prefer to use rivets, and with the riser still in tack, the Chicago screws I have on hand are too large in diameter and won't fit. Conchos are out of the question as I do not want anything showing on the outside of the case. I will keep at it and thank you all for your very helpful replies. Karina

Thank you King's X for your response, a leather spacer did come to mind. I will give your technique a try. Thanks again, Karina

I am currently working on a three ring binder with zipper case. I am following the instructions from the Stohlman Vol.2 cases book. I am trying to install the three ring binder and I am running into all kinds of issues. First from searching the forums, I learned that it is easier if you just take the three ring mechanism from a regular notebook to use in your project. I did that, but I obviously didn't do it correctly as my three ring mechanism no longer functions properly. What is the best way to remove these from notebooks without damaging them? Secondly, In the Stohlman book it states to attach the three ring mechanism with rivets. This simply bent the mechanism. I then read here to use Chicago screws. That didn't work for me either as the mechanism still won't open. (Well it will open if I pull the rings apart by hand, but not when using the tabs on each end. ) So I went back to the store to get another binder as clearly I have damaged this one, and I see that there is a slight gap between the three ring mechanism and the case.(See photo) I am thinking this is why the first one did not work because it was flat up against the case. Now what I need help with is ideas on how to install the three ring mechanism so that it works once installed. Maybe a post of some sort that I am not familiar with, IDK, ideas on how to remove the three ring mechanism from the notebook without damaging it would be a big help as well. Thanks in advance, Karina

I was pretty ambitious and made a cross body bag. I dived in head first, eyes closed, with my arms tied behind my back. :) That was in November 2012 so I have only been at this a little over a year. Now the cross body bags I make are night and day from that very first one. I learned basic leather working back in the Summer of 82' while in Vacation Bible School. I had completely forgot all about that time. Loved it! Then one day my niece was making a bag out of duck tape from a YouTube video she was watching and I got the idea for her to make it out of leather. Working on that project with her had me hooked all over again. Karina

Bdaz, you are obviously more skilled than I am because I too have that arbor press form harbor Freight, and if I have to put a name on an item, unless I line them up with something, the letters will still go askew. The ram is not large enough to do say a five letter last name at once, and if I do one letter at a time, if not for a ruler or guide, things would get wacky quick. I agree you get a much better impressions, but simply using the arbor press does not automatically fix the problems the poster is having. I have still managed to stamp a letter slightly higher than the next when just eyeballing it with the press. Maybe with more practice perhaps, but until then, a guide is a must for me whether doing it with the press or by hand. Karina

I pretty much do the same thing Tree reaper does but I use a wooden ruler and tape it to the bench. I lay the leather on the bench, place the ruler across the leather in the spot I need it then tape the ends to the bench so that it won't move. I then make sure each stamp is butted up against the ruler to ensure they are all level. The only thing I don't do is leave the first stamp in place when I move to the second. The spacing is slightly too big for my taste that way, so I gauge the spacing by eye, but using the ruler keeps the letters inline. You can use pretty much anything, I have even used cardboard before. Karina

I honestly don't think it is as simple as one being better than the other, rather which one your customer prefers. It's a preference plain and simple. I have customers that prefer messenger bags, and I have customers that prefer totes. I never really get into the why's, because my job is to make it and sell them what they want. I am curious though, what made you ask this question? Karina

The stone oil tanned leather will bleed onto vegetable tanned leather. I made the mistake of leaving a piece sitting on a project overnight and when I walked in the shop the next morning, I was in for a surprise. I ended up having to dye that project black to cover it up but since then, all veg tan leather is stored on the opposite side of the shop to prevent this from happening again. Here is a link where I posted what happened http://leatherworker...showtopic=47410 After that happened I performed an experiment. I left a piece of the oil tanned leather on a few items for a week to see what would happen. I used a baby onesie, business cards, a sheet of notebook paper, veg tan leather that had been sealed/finished, unfinished veg tan, and money. The only thing that stained was the unfinished veg tan. I was really glad of that because I made a friend a cross body bag from that leather, and if it would have stained her clothes or the items she carried inside, she would have been upset. I happen to like this leather, and ever since I have been buying it, it has been called "Stone Oiled". I liked it better when I got it for $69 a side back before Tandy changed the pricing structure from sq.ft to one price, but this leather works well for my projects which is mostly bags. As for what I do to keep it fresh, nothing special! I still have a few sides I got back in early 2013 and all I did was roll it up and put it on the shelf. Karina

Simply gorgeous! Karina

The picture you posted of Hermes is hot foil stamped. Done with a hot foil machine, type, and hot foil. Now I am guessing it can be done by hand with acrylic paints but I have never done it. Maybe someone that has will chime in. Karina

Here is a link where a member used his 3D printer to make stamps to transfer his designs to leather. http://leatherworker...showtopic=46129 Use the search feature in the top right and search for "3D printer" and I think there is a couple more threads on it. Karina

I get my Angelus paints from Turtle Feathers and yes they ship to Canada. Not sure if there is a supplier already in Canada. Karina

Have you tried John James needles? Nigel Armitage suggested the John James harness needles when I contacted him once through his Youtube channel long before I found this forum. Don't know how they compare to others as this is all I have ever used. Karina

That is not a single shoulder but a single bend which is much larger than the single shoulder. Even larger than the double shoulder. For reference D or E vesus B and C. To the poster - I purchased that same one and it worked great. I got one a year ago but I think the price was $119 then. It was a very clean piece with no range marks, fat wrinkles, bug bites, or nicks and the backside was very smooth. Karina

The grain. Karina

Very nice bag! Karina

I usually use Fiebings chocolate but last week when I was at Tandy they only had a Fiebings dark brown on the shelf and surprisingly it did not give that "orangey" tan color as my customers call it. Karina

That would be my guess that it was custom made That too would me my guess, that it is a custom made item. Karina

Wow now that's some good thinking. Glad you figured away around your situation. Karina