Longview

I've been searching for a drawing that was in a "Make It WIth Leather" magazine in the 70's or 80's. I believe it was in an article by Alan Dale. The drawing was of a stylized buffalo or bison. If anyone could provide a copy of the drawing or the issue that it was in, it would be appreciated. Thanks, Don

Welcome! There is a lot to learn on this site. We're located near Longview...stop by for a coffee if you're in the area. Don

NickOSew is selling an embossing machine and solid brass embossing rolls. I'm not sure if the rolls will fit the Tandy machine but they do have a 1" hole with a keyway. The outside diameter may be too large for the Tandy machine. http://www.nickosew.com/whats-new.php

Devanet, There are a couple of embossing machines available. Campbell Randall in Yokum, Texas makes an industrial quality powered machine. http://www.campbell-randall.com/machines/leather-goods-machines/embossing-machine/model-r-32-rotary-embossing-machine/ They can also supply roller embossing wheels. I’m not sure of the pricing but have seen the machines operating. Very high end machine for production work. There is a hand operated machine being sold by Millers Wholesale Harness. I haven’t seen it but I’ve seen pictures and it looks like it is well made. They also have solid brass embossing rolls. We have a few of their rolls, they are very high quality. They are Amish and do not have a website or a telephone. I think the only way that they can be contacted is by mail. There address is: 350 Spruce Pine Road, Columbia KY 42728. We originally had one of the Tandy machines. It was hard to get a decent impression. The embossing rolls had a small outside diameter 1-1/4” to 1-1/2”. We weren’t happy with the results and sold it. We eventually found a 100 year old hand powered machine made by F.K. Russell with several old embossing rolls. Machines and embossing rolls were made by Russell, as well as McMillen and C.S. Osborne many years ago. If you can come across one of these, they are great machines. It’s very hard to find the old embossing rolls but the rolls from Miller Harness will work in the old machines. We’ve tried the composite rollers but find the steel and brass rollers give a much deeper impression.

Great work! It's hard to believe you've only been working with leather for a couple of months. Very nice. Welcome to the site. There's a wealth of information here.

They are called 1144 collar fasteners. http://www.longviewleather.com/collar-fastener-sets-1144/

The leather price increases are the result of the US/Canadian dollar exchange rate and price increases that were introduced on January 1st by several of the major US tanneries. We sell Wickett & Craig, Hermann Oak and a variety of chrome tanned leathers as well as tools, finishes and other leatherworking products from our shop in Alberta. Both W&C and Hermann implemented price increases the first of the year. Ninety nine percent of the products we sell are brought in from the USA and are purchased in US dollars. The exchange rate affects not only the price of the products we purchase but the freight to bring the products to Canada as well. As Northmount stated, the Canadian dollar is trading around $.80 US. The weak Canadian dollar will not only affect the price of leather but on all products that are coming from the United States. Don

Alexis, We have a 4x8 table with a plastic (puckboard) top that we use for cutting sides. We use a aluminum straight edge and a razor (box cutter) blade to get a straight edge. It would be difficult with out the correct cutting surface!

The Weaver will cut 14 ounce without a problem. It is an 8" strap cutter and comes with 7 blades and 1" spacers. Additional spacers can be purchased in several widths. You can add remove blades and cut as many or as few straps as you want. It is a hand crank machine...the more blades, the harder it is to turn. Although it has high & low torque handle positions. Yes, you need a straight edge to start the cuts. We use one in our shop every day.

The strap is very nice. Great work! I would like to try to make one, where do you get the buckles?

Amazing work!!! Great video. Please keep posting.

Bob, Very nice.

Very nice!

Becky, I really like your work. The headstall is great! Don

Welcome aboard! These forums are great...a wealth of ideas and information... Don

Rastus, I have purchased a few items from Keith over the years. He can be very hard to get ahold of. Keep trying...Bruce is right, Keith is a great source of equipment. We MAY have our 18" Randall blade type splitter available this spring. It's in great shape...we use it daily. It depends on whether or not we obtain a band knife splitter.

Very nice work...I really like them. Don

Beautiful work! Don

We're looking for a band knife splitter in good condition. Prefer a Camoga o Fortuna Would like to be able to split at least 16". We've located in Alberta.

We generally sew briefcases with our Cobra 4. We first glue the seams with Barge. I'll attempt to post an image of a briefcase that was machine sewn.

I assume you are looking for liquid stitching wax for thread. I know Warkov Safeer in Winnipeg, Manitoba sells a variety of stitching wax. I'm not sure where it would be available in the USA. Look for a company that supplies products to the shoe repair trade. I use a silicone based product in all of our wax pots. I find the silicone works as well (if not better) than the wax based products. Silicone products are available from Weaver or Campbell Randall.

I purchased a newer used Fipi AF20 (20 Ton) earlier this year for $4500. It was purchased from a machinery dealer in Ontario. It has been reconditioned. An older USM clicker was sold at auction in Alberta late last year for $2500 including several dies for making saddles. The age and condition of the USM machine was questionable. New clicker dies can be purchased for around $1.85 per inch. Would you be interested in selling the dies without the clicker?

Kenny, Great work...I love them! Don

I would try Dan at Campbell Randall in Yokam Texas. www.campbell-randall.com They carry quite a few Italian machines and they have a lot of knowledge on all leather working machines. Good Luck!

Ian, I haven't had to sharpen the blades so far. I will probably replace them when they become dull. A slight variance in thickness (10 going to 12 ounce) isn't a problem with either of the strap cutters. On both machines the blades slightly cut into the nylon bottom roller and seem to cut whatever thickness you put in. The blade pressure on both units is adjustable. If you're referring to the Heritage Dye Box II edge painter...it's a godsend. I purchased one last year...it saves hundreds of hours. Don