immiketoo

Certain colors are worse than others. Browns and red should be fine. Blue/green/purple are the worst with USMC black being the king of rub off. I use sheep fleece but in bigger sizes to facilitate buffing. As mentioned earlier, letting it dry completely helps tons.

I have two desktop OTT lights on my bench, and they provide more than enough light to work. At 48 years old, my eyes are starting to need the bright light and I like them. My only complaint is that they don't stay where you put them anymore. The heads sag a little, but not so much that I can't use them.

Mmmmm...meat pies. And beer.

Punch the inside curves with a round hole punch and then the rest with your knife. Easy peasy.

The ones you linked are far better looking in my opinion.

I try to be a well rounded leatherworker. I want my construction to stand out as much as I want the decoration and edges and finish to stand out. Recently, I saw a well renowned master post something for an upcoming class where the stitching looked like my first year attempts. I think its imperative that all aspects of your piece are at an acceptable level before I offer something to the public. That being said, there are pieces out there I charged money for that I cringe just thinking about. I guess its the journey, right?

Thanks everyone. This was a fun project.

Agreed. Life changing.

I would be lost without my round knives. While you can get by with almost any sharp knife, there is a reason the round knife has been use in leather for thousands of years. It goes back to ancient Roman or Egyptian times. Cant remember which.

And then break out their cash. There is emulating and there is direct ripoff. EVERYONE starts emulating someone at the start. Picking those you admire is natural. I did it, I still do it. Finding your own style is a nebulous topic. Apparently I have my own style, but I didn't consciously develop it, I arrived at it one piece at a time, until people started recognizing my work as mine just from the look of it. Don't worry, you'll have one of your own at some point.

Yes. What I find interesting is that as time passes, there are folks I look at and STILL can't figure out how they do it. Always someone better at some aspect of the craft.

Cool. That is info I didn't know!

I tried that once, its a lot more complicated due to the precision needed for wet molding. Even the slightest error in the file can make the gun not fit. @Uwe, that is some cool shit right there. I want one of these devices but I worry that the learning curve on the software is too high.

I think the Sieck is probably fine. One thing I'd check is if its a single motor or dual motor, meaning does the bell spin at a constant speed. This makes a big difference in overall performance, but I think its only on the more expensive models. I am in the market for one of these in the next year or so, and I am debating this as well. I would opt for a new high end if the money is there, but if not, I'd opt for a new Chinese made model before I got an old anything.

I see a lot of people concerned that their leatherwork isn't as good as so and so's leather, or that they wish their tooling was better or their stitching, etc...In my travels both electronic and in person, I have seen a LOT of leather by different people. Some is fantastic, some is crap (more on that later) but a wide swath in the middle has the greatest variation and potential. Often, something catches my eye and makes me say WOW! Upon closer inspection, the tooling has flaws, or the stitching isn't perfect. Edges? Rough...but. The totality of the package makes me want to keep looking. The design, or the use of color or some intangible factors that combine to make a product that I would be proud to carry or use. Don't sell yourself short by comparing yourself to anyone else. I guarantee you these wow factors are selling like hotcakes because most people that aren't leatherworkers can't see the flaws anyway. I live in a high tourism country and I see all kinds of crap. Cheaply made, but made to look good. People buy it. Makes me cry, but such is life. I'm not suggesting that we shouldn't try to improve on the areas that need it, but be proud of where you're at. We ALL started somewhere and it usually wasn't good.

Alternatively, you could call Martin Sharnagl at Die Ledermacher. He carries Cobra Leather Machines in Europe, and they have excellent service. http://www.ledermacher.de

If the sieck is in your price range, I'd say go for a new machine. This design has been around for a long time, and I would suppose parts will be available as well. You could always buy some stock of the consumable parts and hope you guessed correctly. However, if you're considering a bell skiver, I'd say buy a good one even if you have to save for a while longer. Tough choice.

There are a lot of easier ways to close these and I suggested all of them. The customer wanted the lacing, so he got the lacing!

For me it depends on the size of the lettering. Larger then half inch, I cut. Smaller I only bevel.

Lol! Hey Bill, that one IS a tree branch. I ordered the very first Leather Wranglers SKV Britt Nantz collaboration knife. its the one that says MD on it in the middle. Paul and Britt sent me this knife as a joke after I ordered the other one. When I opened the box, I laughed my ass off. Surprisingly, it cuts very well, but only in 90 degree corners

You're welcome. Also, feel free to ask me any questions you might have about tooling or whatever. I am happy to help.

Sadly, that's not even all of them. Somehow I keep ending up with more.

One of the first things I learned (the hard way) was patience and letting things dry completely. It sucks to have to wait but then there are no issues down the road.

Thanks man...He does think its cool! I am particularly fond of the padding. Craft foam...who knew!

That is actually a cool idea. The only issue I have is if it will scratch your leather. Sometimes I tool a lined piece so the smooth side would be damaged by the paper. I use the lead weights described above.