johnv474

There used to be a site. Grandpas pastime or something. However the site was down last I looked, unfortunately.

Be aware that linen is much less strong than polyester. I would use 5 cord linen for 5-6 spi. In Tiger thread I like 1.0 mm for 5 spi, 0.8 for 6 spi, or 0.6 mm for 7 spi. If you have to pick one all-purpose size, I would suggest 6 spi and 0.8 mm. You can get away with it for small items like wallets, or still sew a backpack without it taking for-e-ver.

Thank you for sharing this. I continue to sew by hand and would like to become extremely proficient at it. Your post reassures me that this is a good path to pursue.

Thank you for these details. Surely others, like me, find magnets interesting but do not yet know enough to select them appropriately.

in general, wallets are sewn at 6-8 stitches per inch (spi), except for some extra-distressed or rugged styles that may be 4-5 spi. At 8 spi I suggest thread around 0.02" or 0.5 mm. For 7 spi I recommend something around 0.6mm. For 6 spi, 0.30" or 0.8mm. For 5 spi, I suggest 0.04" or 1.0 mm. For 4.spi, I suggest 0.05" or 1.2mm.

They will probably be the cheapest source. That is a specialty blade made to last a very long time, so the money will be well-spent, FWIW.

The Landis 30 is primarily for shoe repair. As such, it works best with firm soling and veg tan. This is not the splitter for leather with much stretch. Blades are hard to come by and run about $200. A bell skiver can be used on soft leathers but isn't a splitter per se. The Cowboy, I understand, has 3 models: a top feed, a bottom feed, and a combination. The last one, which is the priciest, is capable of being used on almost anything. I am not an expert but IIRC it was something like that.

There is always a consequence of piercing thread. Except in static artwork or items on display, the thread moves as the leather flexes through use. If you hate hand sewing there are chespo leather patcher sewing machines for $120 on Ebay, that can sew up to 3/8 inch thick. It might be easier to sew down and back but is not faster. Also, if you are not careful to keep the thread above or below the other thread, then you will have a crooked stitch line that gives the impression that the maker doesnt know how to do it better. It's possible to sew 1-2 stitches per inch if everything is set up correctly. you may like watching the intro video on Youtube for Hand & Sew Leather. He inserts two needles at once through prepunched holes, with nice results. Otherwise, Armitage Leather's saddle stitch tutorials on Yoitube or Vimeo are top notch.

Can you share some of the resources you have found? Some of us may not be familiar with mica but possibly could help piece together the info you need. For starters, are you starting with undyed/unsealed veg tan kangaroo lace?

I think they only make the fold/crease a little over halfway up the panel, then kind of let it ease back to unpleated at the top. You are definitely moving in the right direction. Frodo, this illustrates it very well. Thanks

If you are asking, then I would suggest buying Angelus paint and sealer. They arw formulated to work together, and Angelus guarantees it won't peel or flake if you follow their directions. These are the paints used by the sneakerheads for restoring leather athletic shoes. There are lots of good products on the market, but theirs have so much support and tutorials via Youtube, etc., that they are very friendly to use.

Here is a link to a thread about this. Look for the photos in that thread for a downloadable schematic posted by Possumbreath. You can see the triangles I referred to. here you go.

I have made several of those bags. They are one of my favorite designs. The front panel is wider at the bottom than the top. From the centerline of your template for the front panel, along the bottom go about 2/3 of the way to the side and make a mark. (for a 17inch bag, each pleat will be about 4.5 in hes from the centerline. Draw a line straight up from this point to the top of the panel. This will be the beginning of the pleat and you will bend it backwards. This becomes the edge you see after folding. Then another mark 1/4" further (to accomodate for the bend), then another mark 1 inch further, then another mark 1/4" further. That will be the end of the pleat. The 1/4" sections are where you will actually fold/crease/sharply bend... but in opposite directions. Here is the key: draw a line from the end of the pleat mark to the SAME point at the top of the panel where you drew straight up from the beginning of your pleat. In other words, you should have drawn a right triangle, 2-1/2" wide at the bottom, vertical side towards the center of the panel, diagonal toward the outside edges of the panel. When you mark your stitches on the left pleat, the holes in each of the 1" sections are to line up. put a special mark for the first and last holes in each 1 inch section so they do line up. Go ahead and poke a small hole where the the first/last stitches are in each of the 1 inch sections. To form folds, dampen leather throughout. Fold along the beginning of the pleat (vertical) over the edge of a table, board, etc., or just back on itself (grain side out). Optional: press for a crisp crease with a bone folder, slicker, etc. I fold mine over a ruler. Then, unfold the vertical and go about folding halfway between the vertical and diagonal. In other words, fold the 1/4" section. which is folded grain side to grain side, leaving the flesh side visible. again, use a table edge plus a bone folder. With the 1 inch sections folded and the holes aligned, stick a needle in the first hole and last hole in the 1 inch sections, for a total of four needles. Clamp and let dry with needles in place. If you dont have a clamp, theead the needle and loop it through those holes many times to hold them in place. The ide is that the front panel, with those pleats, should end up the exact size as the back panel (the one that will rest against your hip). Typical might by 17 x 13 or so, or a similar proportion When you go to stitch, if the leather is stiff, apply a little conditioner to the stitch line in the pleats so the holes will be easier to keep aligned. This is a long description but a simple process. Once you get it right once, you'll have it down. Side note: the gussets in these are narrower (4" or so) at the top and wider (8") at the bottom. The idea is that the bag will have a bit of a pot belly due to pleats, and increasing volume as you go lower. The gusset stops tapering about 1/3 up from the bottom of the bag, and is then a steady 8" or whatever along the entire bottom. It's easier to make the gusset symmetrical, tapering front and back. Now that I think of it, the taper of the gusset and the taper of the pleated panel before folding might line up almost perfectly, to minimize waste. Hope this helps!

Location? Please review Marketplace Rules. It is taking several posts to get the basic information all buyers will want to know.

According to Marketplace rules, please include pricing and location. Please don't make others ask the most obvious questions.

I don't know if the folks in Northern Ireland can reasonably be expected to know too much about the history of the Southern United States any more than Southerners could be expected to know the history of Ireland. For all the talk of heritage, the people I see wearing and promoting the Confederate flag tend to be willfully ignorant and also racist. southern pride us just another word for enmity... as is all pride in us vs them groups. It's not often I see a black person reminding us of that heritage or even as members of the groups that promote this 'heritage'. I can safely say that people in the south sure deal with a lot of race issues... still... in 2020. In the meantime, MS is busy enough with Confederate Heritage Month. Remember "Mississippi’s never going to be China"? That statement has some funny implications about how others are viewed, and was said by the Governor of MS what, a.month ago? Back to the stamps, the original post is almost five years old. I think we can say it's gone as far as it needs to.

If it takes 3-1/2 years to sell a set of punches on such a big site, I would say the price is too high or the set is not in demand. Lots of these very old posts keep getting brought back up because of people's searches, etc. Maybe we could move them to the old/sold section to keep this section active.

Can you give a more specific idea of what you seek? Hand presses can cost from $30-1000. Clicker presses go from, say, $500-$500k. For hobby use, look up the Harbor Freight shop press people modify.

I use a large sponge, the size of your hand or bigger. Wear gloves, get leather damp, put dye on sponge, then apply in overlapping circles, moving briskly to try to make it even. With each coat, make it more even. Be aware it eill lighten a couple of shades while drying overnight. Also, I suggest Fiebings Pro dye over regular or Eco Flow.

Yes, it's awesome. It leaves something similar to a very thin layer of wax/diluted school paste. It shines up great and leaves a slightly stiffer edge (desirable for edges--hence, burnishing). If you use it on the rest of your product it will leave it slightly stiffer due to that layer. The finish is not terribly durable, though, so you want a sealer over top. This product gets discussed on Reddit in /r/Leathercraft more than here.

If you are using a synthetic thread as opposed to a linen or natural thread, then you don't really need to worry about it changing colors. It can get dirty or have stuff, stick to the wax, but should be able to be cleaned with saddle soap, etc., once done. Synthetic materials don't dye easily, which means they don't stain easily.

I think it takes a lot of dye and a lot of time to dye all the way through. Maybe dowsing the leather in Dye Prep and then dip dyeing? I would skip that and just dye the edge and faces that matter. There is no inherent benefit in dyeing through. If I wanted to imitate that edge, I would skive or pare the edge to the needed thickness. If a bell skiver is not available, very careful sanding with a sponge or sanding block can even the edge. Then I would take a rolling pin, perhaps marble, and wrap a rubber band around it in a few spots. Then, dampen leather with water, spit, or glycerin bar of saddle soap (not the kind in the tin), and use rolling pin to compress the leather. Slick/burnish edge with crease in your finger or flat edge of bone folder. Especially be sure there are no fuzzies at the very edge. Burn em if ya gotta. After that, dye the edge if needed, then glycerin soap or your favorite burnshing and finishing technique. Don't be surprised if it takes several layers of Tokonole and or shoe polish and then a sealer.

Try cleaning with saddle soap after waiting those days to dry and before your diluted Resolene. When dry, buff. It's possible to have small amounts of dye on the surface or just below the surface that are then rehydrated with the wet Resolene. Upon wiping, some rehydrated bits may lift off but others will stick to the drying topcoat. The next layer of Resolene may slightly dissolve the previous coat, loosening and rehydrating again. By cleaning with soap, you may loosen some of those bits and wash them away. That's my hypothesis, anyway. It is an uphill battle to be able to provide an attractive and also completely waterproof belt that is also durable, for a reasonable price. If I step into a puddle wearing white socks under dark boots or expensive dress shoes, I may have colored socks. Customers may need to learn to have realistic expectations for work made by artisans, as compared to mass manufactured items with layers of synthetic stuff. One of the compromises that is often done is the attractieness of the finish (think: painted automotive leather), as opposed to dyes that really let you see the grain.

You may be able to use pliers to squeeze both sides of the zipper slider so it grips the zipper chain better. It sounds like you need locking sliders (the tabs just flip forward and back; they don't dangle freely). Locking sliders are used especially on vertical zippers, e.g. on a jacket, so they don't open on their own.

You probably don't remember hearing that term, but it has been in use for a long time. Stohlman mentioned it in his Leathercraft Tools book way back in the day. That said, it's primarily a regional, dialectical difference based on different leathercrafting traditions. In the US, many people historically used "stitch markers" or "stitch marking wheels" or (what used to be a separate tool, Tandy) "overstitch wheel". These are technically not the same tools, either. The primary difference as it refers to pricking irons is that they are intended to only mark the leather, like stitch marking wheels. All of the other options (stitching chisel, stitching irons, stitching forks, lacing chisels, diamond vs flat, Japanese vs French, etc.) are all intended to be driven all the way through the leather and create the hole, instead of or in addition to using an awl. Of those, the stitch marking wheels/overstitch wheels and the pricking irons are the worst options for beginners, because it takes much longer to get good results.