medsar

Query of the experts: #1) what is a good used price for a Consew 223 or 227 with reverse and walking foot, table and motor? #2) many threads talk about how big of a thread the machine can handle. I wonder how small a thread it can handle? I would like the machine to do light-med leather (max combined thickness of leather:14oz, max thread size 138, larger thread would only be for aesthetics) and thin sil-nylon or momentum 90 for making sleeping bags, down jackets etc (thread size V30 or V46). Those fabrics are slippery and require a walking foot. From what I can tell, those consew models would do the leather, but will they do the small threads? Thanks a ton

I would use the universal tool rest (SVD-110) to get a consistent angle. You just have to be careful when rotating the punch. If you're really anal, you could make a half-round out of wood or plastic (radius equal to the distance from the handle to outer edge of the punch). then you rest the tool flat on the SVD-110 and when you want to do the edge of the punch, you have a 'rest' while you turn it 180 degrees (the half-round would support the handle as you rotate the punch). upon re-reading...that doesn't sound very clear. Maybe I need a picture.

I second the idea of using a chisel point. Check your leather -- I noticed blowout on my test leather that was old and dry. When I used new (well...newer) leather, it didn't happen. Also, I am a little neurotic and sharpened my chisel point needles. It made beautiful cuts on the older, dry leather.

+1 for granite surface plates. If you are really on the cheap....go to the local (if you have one) tombstone or granite signage place. They usually have 3" slabs in their trash pile for free. They aren't very big (8x18 or 10x18 ish)...but it's free and 3" granite.

+1 for Beary's and Ed's craftsmanship in all of the gear they have on leatherburnishers.com I have been happy with my maul and burnisher from them. They are a definite buy. They will help you with the proper weight of maul.

I am not a mask maker, but have watched others do the wet forming..... by wetting, we mean to submerge a bucket of water for a while, say 20-30 minutes.

sale pending funds

Sale Pending Funds

email sent

yep, still available. PM sent

I recently purchased an entire collection of tools from a retired saddle repair shop and cobbler shop owner. The 5in1 was a part of the package deal. I'm not a cobbler and so I am selling the 5in1. It says that it is made in denmark and appears to be sturdy. There are no cracks and the green powdercoat is intact. There is some surface rust on the skiving blade, but it doesn't affect function -- I tested it on some 12oz leather and it worked very well. Price: $600 I don't know what to do about shipping. I am in the Seattle, WA area and I am definitely open to local pickup. However, the machine is heavy and I would think it would be expensive to ship. I can have a crate made if needed, but that will drive the shipping costs up (in addition to the cost of a crate). If anyone has suggestions about shipping -- I am open to them. As always, PM with questions. Thanks

I recently upgraded to a hand-crank splitter and thus I am selling my craftool 8" splitter. It is Tandy's professional series and a clone of the Osborne 84. I am not a professional leatherworker and I have only used it about 20 times. I have not had any troubles with the handle as some have had with the Osborne 84. Price: $300 http://www.tandyleat...rs/3792-00.aspx https://www.osbornel...ils.php?pid=539 Please PM with any questions Thanks.

Another quick tip in addition to theirs is to use appropriately sized rivets. I find that rivets that are really long are easier to bend as your are describing. If you are using the tandy style rivet setter and and you start to go diagonal...stop. Angle the rivet setter such that the setter lines up with post of the rivet (i.e. they are lined up in a diagonal direction). Then when you tap down, the rivet post is usually pushed down straight. Man, that is hard to describe. Does that make any sense at all?

When I think of a charging handle on a shotgun, I think of this: (attached image) Is that what you mean? I have to agree with the above posters -- stainless steel in 18 to 20g will work well and hold up to the elements. You don't need to go to a metal shop if you don't want to. Make a mold of the channel out of wood and then use auto body dollies to form the metal. (see attached picture). Aluminum is alluring to have because it is light, but it is not as easy to work with without more specialized metal shop tools. If you need light as well as easy to form at home, think titanium (expensive) or Kydex. Kydex will also work well (.8 or .92) but Kydex does have the problem that it gets brittle at cold temperatures. That does not mean Kydex is a bad choice, rather it means that you should use caution if you want to use the charging handle as a retention point in the scabard (didn't sound you wanted to anyway). If you have troubles or questions about forming Kydex, give me a PM. I might even have scrap around. One piece of advice that I learned the hard way from making holsters for people who abuse them: flare out the end of the charging channel holder. When the user throws the gun into the holster/scabard (literally) the charging handle gets guided into the channel.

I haven't tried anything larger than 6" wide in the American Splitter, but it worked great with that. The handle locks on my tandy splitter --- I haven't had any issues with the handle. But like I said, I've only used 15-20 times. I'm a hobbiest leatherworker...for now....probably for a while since I'm not that good. PM will be sent about the sale price. I'll even make a blade protector for the shipping.

I have the Tandy version of the Osborne 84 -- it works pretty well. I find that the "8 inch capacity" is a little misleading because even with a razor sharp edge, I can't split more than 3-4" wide straps. But the system works very well for belts and skiving. I haven't had any troubles with the handle. I upgraded to an old American 8" hand crank splitter and a 5in1. Soo...If you want a used one that was only 15-20 times, I will sell ya one.

I might be mistaken, but I think this is the commercial: BTW -- amazing work. Very nice work.

have you tried running a groove using a stitching groover to mark the stitch line and using a stitching chisel (those diamond shaped 4-6 prong chisels)? I have found those to give a very consistent stitch length and consistent stitch margin. By '1/4" gauge needle' do you mean a 1/4" hole???

Ok, I have a quick question for those who dip dye their veg-tanned leather using fiebings oil dye. I have done a search and come up empty. I am strongly considering dip dying my leather because I have found that daubers, sponges, cotton, cloth, etc all give blotchy results on large pieces of leather. The recommendation that has been given to me is to either spray dye the leather with a spray gun or dip dye the leather. I don't have the space for a spray setup, so I am diving into dip dying the leather. I am experimenting with using 5-gallon buckets vs large surface area vats (so I don't have to bend the leather on large pieces). My question: How long do you leave the leather in the dye? I am assuming that if you leave the leather in the dye long enough, you won't get any runs when you pull it out. Thanks a ton.

I guess I'm reviving an old thread....but I finally can contribute to this place. Most tanneries in the US don't do small batches anymore. Even the small Mom & Pop ones have limited the small batch tanning to hair-on skins. I have veg-tanned deer hides before and it is doable. Most of the books and instructional videos will show you how to make buckskins which are suede (great book is 'turning deerskins into buckskins'). You won't want that for tooling. When you are bucking the hide (the lime bath), you will want to leave it in there for longer than the regular 3-5 days. I would say 5-8 days. The hair on the hide should just come off with minimal effort. I would use the back side of a draw knife. That way you will have a full-grain leather for tooling. Then continue the tanning process as usual, rinsing/acidifying/membraning/oiling/tanning. Oh yeah, I would skip the softening step that is done in most buckskin suede tanning -- I think you want the fibers of the leather to remain stiff and close together to allow for tooling.

cord = thread (pretty much). Maine thread puts on their website that what they call cord is what most people call thread. I seem to remember that the distinction is that cord is strands of thread spiral'd or woven together....but that is a little distant (since technically thread does the same thing)

This is late in the thread....but Beary makes quality stuff. When I get more into stamping, I'm gonna buy at least one (if not a few) of his mauls. I'm probably going to buy another burnisher.

I hope I put this in the right sub-forum.... I am looking into getting a new workbench using industrial metal legs (6k lb rating) and I am curious about y'alls thoughts on the surface/top for the bench. I have the option for pressboard, 'hardwood' and butcher block maple (I nixed the plastic and metal surface). My first thought is to get the butcher block maple, but is that necessary? BTW, I have a 7.5x20x3" thick slab o granite for tooling. So what do y'all think?

I just bought a burnisher from Beary at leatherburnishers.com -- they are top notch products. I would buy from them. But in answer to your question.... www.leathertools4u.com is no longer there.... The fanastic edge burnisher is for big, table mounted devices I think -- http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=26791 Hope this helps..

The words to google are 'slip stone'. Norton makes some good stones that are relatively cheap. Dan's Whestones are a cheaper alternative to Norton. If you do a lot of sharpening (like me) then you might want to invest in a set of soft/hard arkansas slip stones. I would avoid india stones because most leatherworkers keep the edges on their blades/tools and don't need to reshape a cutting edge. On files -- I have used jeweler's files for edges and such. Unless you are creating a delicate or intricate edge from scratch, then I find that stones are faster. I think of files for shaping an edge and stones for sharpening an edge. +1 for DMT Diamond Stones and Ceramic Stones. If you have the money, you will be happy.