silverwingit

Thank you very much for that link, Trox! I'm an engineer by training and am very much a R.T.F.M person (Read The Frigging Manual) from my early days in computing. As I said, I've searched high and low on the internet for that manual. Never even came close to finding it. Again, Many Thanks! Michelle

I prefer Bag-Kote over Gum Trag by far. It yields a smoother, tougher, more moisture-resistant seal, especially if I give it a good rubdown with a glass slicker or length of polished antler. It holds pretty well even after wetting my unmolded holsters. That gives me a head start towards final sealing even before I stitch one closed. It's then easy to reapply Bag-Kote and re-slick those inner areas that are accessible after forming. Those that are unreachable are still 75% slicked from the pre-wetting application. One thing you don't want inside your holster is anything that will attract or hold moisture.

Here is a valuable tip for leatherworkers or other craftsmen -- get a State DBA (Doing Business As) License. A DBA is an affordable alternative to incorporating, enabling a small, often one-person endeavor to operate as any other company with accordant benefits and responsibilities. Simply stated, having a DBA means that you have the ability/responsibility of collecting taxes and reporting related income. It also enables you to access discounts at many local and online suppliers and order from wholesale-only companies. In my State of Colorado, one can register a DBA for one year (or more than one DBA for that matter) online for $25 (each). Having my Colorado State DBA gives me access to an average discount of 10%-15% from Springfield, for example, but more importantly to me, it also enables me to do business at wholesale-only companies like Weaver Leather or Ohio Travel Bag. Further, I can deduct expenses related to the production of my goods (tools, equipment, not expendables like leather) on my State and Federal income tax returns. Of course you should carefully check your own State's tax regulations or a lawyer if need be. Collecting sales tax seems like a huge step, but it is eased considerably with the computer program, Quicken, which automates much of the process. Only In-State sales need be taxed. Reporting income and tax reporting occurs under your personal Social Security number, under your personal income tax filing. There are no special "Company" record keeping or reporting beyond that. Long and short, obtaining a DBA is easy and inexpensive, and it allows significant savings and access to companies that only deal with other companies. There is little negative offset, especially since, with only a small investment in the software and time learning Quicken, tax reporting is a breeze. Works for me! Thanks, Michelle

My "small-to-medium" starter's set cost me $400. Highly recommended! It's listed on his "Recommended size List" page, along with the other "Larger Work" size package: http://www.barrykingtools.com/sizelist.htm

Cyberthrasher, Barry King tools do have detailed sizing and photographic comparisons. Just click on the pictures below the "Add to Cart" button to reveal them as I did for their Thumbprints: http://www.barrykingtools.com/images/thumbprint_horizontal_lg.jpg

Trox, you mention a Juki 441 manual? I've searched high and low online. Do you know where to get one? Thanks, Michelle

WScott, that is my thinking, but there is no discoloration on the metal or the pigskin where contact was made. Maybe it is just this type of pigskin? Springfield does say that it is commonly used to line shoes... http://springfieldleather.com/33214/Lining%2CSuperiorPig%2CBrn%2C2oz%2CSqF/

You might be able to "countersink" your snaps deep enough to avoid contact with the blade using a French skiver. Put one "leg" of the skiver in the hole and rotate your work as you gouge a circular hole. You may have to make more than one pass to get the depth you need. If you are clever and good with your knives, you may just be able to make a little filler "puck" that would cover the resulting hole completely.

Here's a trick sometimes used to break in leather pistol holsters. Instead of plastic bags, use waxed paper. It has a slight "lube" effect that it deposits on the leather. This in addition to the main purpose of slightly enlarging the object being forced into the pouch, whether it be the phone itself or better yet, as someone suggested a wooden "dummy" of the appropriate size.

Boriqua, member Richard Black has a detailed video on this very subject which might be of some help.

I'd avoid direct contact between pigskin and human skin. There are many unknown chemicals still residual from the tanning process. I'd try linng it with some heavy felt or similar absorbent material. Good Luck, MIchelle

Good thread, Schpacko. Here's a little tip, an Easy Bench Anvil. I'm always pounding on something. I dislike setting snaps, punching holes, pounding pricking irons, etc., on my granite surface place, which I try to reserve for stamping. I have small work surface and need every inch of flat space I can muster for its many uses. I stow my surface plate to the back of my bench until I am ready to do some stamping. Instead of having to move the granite in and out in front of me (it's heavy!) and potentially damaging it with a punch, I've made an "anvil" out of an 18" length of 1"x3" steel bar stock. The bar is much easier to move in front of me if need be for extended pounding, but often I find it convenient to just leave it stowed at the edge of my workspace where it's easy to lean over and set a snap or the like. I've cut a 3" wide length off my 12"x12" Poundo board to protect my punches. For setting snaps and such I usually use the bar laid on its 3" side. But it's also handy set on it's one inch side and even and hung out over the edge of my bench to get into small nooks and crannies. There's enough mass in its 18" length to keep it steady for lighter pounding, but if I really want to whack away I just clamp it to my workbench. Saved me and my back a lot of time and work. Thanks, Michelle

You could go ahead and skive the two pieces to matching bevels and cement them together. You could then run a line of stitches along the length of the joint. Could look very nice and the stitching would greatly strengthen the joint.

Mikexd40, you didn't mention just how you are stitching. Lightningale's suggestion is great if you are hand-stitching using the classic two-needle saddler stitch. If you are using one of those "Awl-for-all" or similar tools with the integral spool of thread, all bets are off. Any knot will hang out in the breeze and be prone to loosen up over time. Just don't use an overhand knot. At least use a square knot. Better yet, get some harness needles, a good diamond cross-section awl, a stitch marking wheel or pricking chisel, Al Stohlman's book on hand stitching leather and watch Nigel Armitage's videos a dozen times. Your stitching will look much better and be far stronger, and last much longer than the lockstitch that results from using an Awl-for-all. Sorry, there is no shortcut when it comes to hand stitching.

Careful with the pigskin. I make leather harmonica cases. I made a beautiful one out of bridle leather, all hand-stitched, for a "Chromatic" harmonica, the large ones with the button. Carefully lined it with some very nice and expensive smooth pigskin. After a few weeks my client complained about the pigskin imparting a taste and odor onto his instrument that irritated his lips. What a blow! Such a nice case. Anyway, obviously there was some kind of chemical left over from the tanning process that had somehow transferred from the leather lining onto the harmonica. If I were you, I'd be wary of direct skin contact with pigskin and look into some sort of heavy felt or similar absorbent, pliable material that could be cemented/stitched in as a liner.

Jockey, that is some detailed work very nicely done! I'm most impressed, of al things, with your rope stamping. That is very difficult to do. Do you have any tips? Thanks, Michelle

Try armitageleather@armitageleather.com. Say hey from Michelle.

All I can tell you is that blade sharpness is paramount for smooth, accurate splits. A dull blade will lead to nothing but a lot of frustration and ruined leather. I hone mine using a granite surface plate and a set of wet 3M polishing papers with lots of patience and a figure 8 motion. I hone both sides to a mirror finish. Takes a day or two, depending on the condition of the blade you start with. I don't know what splitter you are using, but it is also critical to set the blade up exactly parallel to the roller. If the blade is razor sharp and set up properly, I don't think you would have the problems you describe. It should cut like it's going through butter and leave a smooth surface on a perfectly leveled piece of leather.

"English" Bridle leather makes excellent belts as well as many other leather items. I buy mine by the side. That way I can cut very long straps the full length of the side, maybe 8 feet or more. That way I can make very long dog leads in one piece and of course belts at any length. I cut other smaller projects from the belly side on up to the long strip section I save for long straps and belts. A side lasts me a good long time. As to lining, my reference standard for Bridle Leather belts is our own Nigel Armitage. Here is his "Handmade Lined Belt" video. He uses smooth (not sueded) pigskin to line his belts. He cements the liner to the belt strap, cuts it to size and hand-stitches it to the belt. After that, he uses a regular edger to edge both the leather and the lined sides. The edger creates a very nice, smooth transition between the belt and liner. I know because I asked him. He's very knowledgeable, an excellent teacher and willing to answer questions. "Dangerous Beans" on this forum. http://youtu.be/YU1ihT-rHTA

Sooper Jake, 21" lowest, 27" at the highest position.

+1 with the office stool. I also have a Cobra 4 that I have in the lowest position with the table attachment. I have it located at 90 degrees right next to my workbench which is table-height (even in its lowest position the Cobra's table is still a good foot higher than my workbench). I needed a swiveling stool that has a height adjustment to accommodate both workstations. I found this "Boss medical office stool" online at a number of outlets, but Walmart was the least expensive and the free "Ship-to-store" option was convenient for me. The Boss stool is sturdy and it has a back that give me nice lumbar support (albeit with very limited adjustment). It rolls on its casters and swivels nicely and raises and lowers with a lever under the seat. It's ideal for me as I swivel 90 degrees and raise/lower the seat to accommodate my workshop layout. http://www.walmart.com/ip/8246509?wmlspartner=wlpa&adid=22222222227001195236&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=13683697510&wl4=&wl5=pla&wl6=34439965030&veh=sem

Sunning is the word... Only thing, that case is far nicer and probably worth much more than that $570 (list) Sigma Guitars DR28H. Thanks for sharing!

Since you asked... With a logo, you want to tell a story or convey a feeling as simply as absolutely possible. Your example is confusing. What is the story you want to tell? What is the feeling you want to invoke in the observer? How do the elements of the logo relate to the name of your company? These are the questions you need to ask yourself when you design a logo. Moreover, you need to ask these questions from the perspective of a person who knows nothing about what you are trying to say. You must be your own harshest critic. With these thoughts in mind, take a hard look at your current version. Then remove anything that doesn't contribute to telling your story in as few "words" as possible.

My biggest problem with my new Cobra 4 is that sometimes the thread gets ripped out of my hand when starting stitching. That has lead to timing issues which Steve promptly walked me through, even though it's described I his video. I've learned to "waste" a little more thread at the beginning so that I can wrap the needle and bobbin threads around a finger to help me keep ahold of them. It's pretty much smooth sailing so long as I keep hold on those threads...

+1 with Matt S. In case you don't know what he means by "casting" stitches, Nige explains all the why's, where's and how's in detail quite well here, from 5:55 - 11:30 - http://youtu.be/TGuiha5S2oE Especially effective on thin leather.