WolfteverGunleather

Tandy 3900 pro embossing machine with electric motor drive. Includes basket weave and rope edge embossing rolls, various spacers, tool pack, original packaging. $600 plus shipping, or pick up in southeast Tennessee. Very lightly used. Will upload pictures as soon as I can figure out how to get past the Leatherworker restrictions on picture size.

One correction to my previous comment. The Horween website lists Chromexcel as full grain leather, so I was wrong in stating that it is not. I'm obviously not privy to their proprietary processes, so I can't explain the reason, but in my opinion the Essex line has more of an aniline full grain appearance than Chromexcel does. Chromexcel, Essex, Dublin, Derby are all great leathers that can be used to make beautiful products, so I'm not implying that one is better than another. They are just different leathers designed for different purposes. Hope that helps.

Very nice

Essex is straight veg tan, using the same veg tan liquors used by Horween in tanning shell cordovan. Although it's straight veg, it's not a firm tannage for carving like Wickett and Craig or Hermann Oak. It's more of a medium temper. Dublin is Essex that has been heavily fat-liquored with fats, waxes, and oils to give it a nice pull-up effect. Derby is Dublin that has been tumbled in a drum to give a more rustic look and a softer temper. The entire Essex line is full grain non corrected leather. Chromexcel is combination tanned. Chrome is the primary tannage followed by a heavy vegetable retannage. That gives it some properties of both tannages. Heat resistance of chrome, ability to hold stamping similar to straight veg, and the edges will burnish nicely. It is hot stuffed with waxes, greases, and oils to give it a slick, classic look, and a firmer temper than fat-liquored leather. It is also a corrected grain leather, so the character is not quite as pronounced as the Essex line. On a side note, in my personal opinion, the Essex line has more of a classic leather smell that is really nice.

It sounds like you're interested in buying pieces (less than a full side) Correct? Your location states you are in TN. I'm also in TN, in the SE corner close to Chattanooga, so we might be close enough to help each other out. I buy Horween from The Tannery Row for my own use and have a few sides in stock. I don't currently have any Dublin natural. I think I have some Dublin brown nut, Derby natural, Essex chestnut, Essex black, CXL Carolina brown, CXL navy, and CXL burgundy. I wouldn't be opposed to buying a side of Dublin natural with my next order and sharing it with you. Happy to help if we can arrange something that works for both of us. Let me know. Phil

Very well done!

RockyAussie and SolarLeatherMachines Thanks so much for your helpful replies. I appreciate it.

I’m considering the purchase of a bell skiver, and have a couple of questions. My primary usage would be to skive a sloping or bevel edge so that the skived area goes from full thickness to feather thin, using exotics that have irregular thickness due to the nature of the grain. (Genuine ostrich with the quills, alligator, crocodile, elephant, etc.) Do you think a bell skiver would be suitable for this type of application? Bottom feed only or top and bottom feed? Feed wheel preference? Any special cautions or limitations I need to keep in mind? Anything else from your experience? I would appreciate any advice. Thanks.

Thanks to all for the ideas and suggestions!

Does anyone know where I can buy a 3d stamp of an ancient woolly mammoth with the long tusks? I have a special request from a customer for a project. I know I can have one custom made, but that's an expense I'd like to avoid, and would likely drive the cost out of my customer's budget.

PM sent

Just purchased a Cobra Class 14 splitter, and received it last Friday. It was easy to assemble and start operating. So far I've split 8/9 and 6/7 W & C skirting down as thin as 2/3; HO heavy skirting down to 3/4, Calf skin 3/4 down to 2/3, chrome/veg bison down to 3/4. When splitting the heavy stuff super thin, you need to do it in multiple passes rather than try to go all the way in one split. I've also leveled 8/10 down to 8/9 where I was only shaving a thin layer in some spots. All scenarios have produced excellent results: clean split level across from edge to edge. If you try to go super thin (1/2 oz), the grooved feed roller prints from the flesh side through to the grain side so I would not recommend it, but the machine actually split firm leather that thin. The thickness gauge on the front of the machine shows thickness in irons instead of oz, so you have to convert and/or run a test piece to measure and then readjust, but that's a minor thing. Don't have enough experience with it yet to know how long the blade will hold its edge. or how difficult it will be to get set back up when reinstalling a sharpened blade, so I can't advise on either of those questions. Machine was packaged well, and had been setup and tested by Steve and crew before shipment. I'm very pleased so far. Phil

Beautiful workmanship, as usual.

You'll need to cement and/or stitch the alligator to some veg tan in order to properly wet form it. If I'm making a holster with alligator on the outside, I use contact cement and stitching to attach the alligator and 6/7 oz or 8/9 oz veg tan (depending on the holster size and design) flesh to flesh, then wet form it as I normally would.

Earned and not given.....I love it. Enjoy!

Beautiful work! Very well done!

I've made holsters exclusively out of cowhide for years, but I'm wanting to try some horsehide. I understand some of the differences in horsehide being denser, more resistant to moisture, and not dyeing as evenly as cowhide. My question is whether I should expect an equivalent thickness in horsehide to have similar working characteristics as the same thickness in cowhide. I've gotten pricing and ordering information from The Tannery Row, and they offer the russet horsehide strips in 5/7 oz or 7/9 oz. Should I expect the 7/9 oz horsehide to mold, bone, and hold it's shape pretty much the same as 7/9 oz Hermann Oak or Wickett and Craig, or is there a noticeable difference in temper, stiffness, or moldability oz for oz?

Very well done!

Very attractive design and top notch workmanship.

Thanks, Sofaspud.

Thank you George.

A little creative design for a Ruger Bisley Vaquero.

Thank you Sceaden!