cgleathercraft

Seems that the Tandy leather is the issue. I got some 8/9 oz that I've had less than 3 months and is cracking when bent after dying. I oil after dying and condition after the finishes but it doesn't prevent all the cracks (does help significantly). I'll put a humidifier in my shop to see if it helps. Otherwise, when this stuff is gone I'm going elsewhere for leather as well.

I'm no expert but I'll go out on a limb and say that any dye should be safe as long as the dog doesn't have allergies to it. I go by the rule of: If I don't want it to get on my skin then it had better have a very good reason to be put on an animal.

Thanks for the picture! I saw a post from you before about making your own punches with conduit and wondered what they looked like.

Me as well please

Sounds like 3 coats of Resolene then snowseal to me. Inside and out. Will post pic of it finished.

I recently got a request for a can koosie. I've been thinking of some way to seal it to prevent the condensation from seeping into the leather. It will be dyed black using Fiebing Pro oil dye. after that i thought about seeing if I could get beeswax to soak in before a topcoat of Resolene (inside and out). Looking for any suggestions or ideas. Thanks!

I'll verify the size of the needle and thread as soon as I can. I don't have the machine where I can use it because of the issues I've had with it. I had always asked for the largest needle when I went to buy more but it still may not have been big enough. The thread always broke at the needle so I would assume that the needle isn't correct. Otherwise the thread seemed to run through fine.

Many thanks for the pattern!! I just realized that Monday is a holiday so I have some time to make one of these!

I've read that reducing the size of the pulley on the motor would help. I need to try that before I drop the money to get a servo motor. Also, thought that servo motors would be 2 or 3 times that price. Thanks for the advice! I'll see if I can find a different pulley before I take the dive for a servo motor.

I have an old Singer 336K that I picked up at an auction from a guy who did upholstery work. I got a steal on it ($50). I've had it gone over and it was sent back to me with a piece of triple layered denim that had been sewn quite a bit so I knew the had it working. However whenever I try to sew on it the darn thing races and ends up either breaking the thread or needle, which is not very fun when the shrapnel hits at high speed. I feather it the best I can but no matter how much i try it takes off on me. I put a new belt on to keep it from dragging till it catches but that didn't solve the problem. They told me I could do a couple layers of suede with it but my experiences says otherwise. It's not a walking foot but I'm only sewing 2 layers layers together and not looking to make cases, holster, or belts with it. Any help would be much appreciated, otherwise it'll find its way back to another auction lol.

Sounds like some of my first experiences with leather! I'm sure everyone can say they have been there at some point. I wore the first cell phone case I stamped (very poorly) for 3 years to remind myself where I started at. My skills are still nowhere near where I hoped I would be at this point. I see improvements with each project! Keep Practicing!!

Last weekend I went through two large totes of scrap and threw away enough small non-usable pieces to nearly fill up one of them. It's the first time I've went through my scrap box since I started a couple of years ago. I try to be as efficient as possible! I have a limited space otherwise I would have kept it to try out the putty idea!

+1 for Weldwood if your ever need a permanent bond. I was very impressed when I first tried it. Now I use it almost exclusively. Otherwise some form of rubber cement. I've used Tanners Bond Rubber Cement from Tandy. Not a huge fan of it due to making everything sticky even after several hours (up to 24+) of drying time before stitching. I sometimes get in a hurry so the glue may not be tacky enough when I slap the leather together. Someone else who has used more than one brand will have to give a better response. Just my experience here. If all else fails buy a small bottle of something that looks interesting and try it out on some scrap!

Just my two cent's. I've noticed the same issue when I started leather working a couple years ago. I looked around the bottom side of the bottle and noticed it has a lot of settling material in the bottom. Think like Italian dressing. Need to shake it till everything is all mixed up again. Made a huge difference in using it as a resist. I -always- shake a bottle to mix it good before opening it up. Note: Some products recommend to stir instead of shaking. It's to keep from air bubbles forming in the liquid.

Tried Weldwood after reading a lot of posts about it and it holds stronger than anything else I've worked with. Just make sure not to over-apply.

These must be rather popular! I picked one up about 3 weeks ago and it had made my life much easier. I didn't really have a proper work bench before so it has been a real benefit to me. Took about 2hrs by myself to assemble get it into position and stuff the drawers full.

Awesome idea! I think I have an extra blender somewhere. Might have to give this a try! ^^^ I about spit coffee everywhere

I wet formed a large case for my mag light. I left it the natural color and put several coats of neatsfoot oil on it. After I gave it plenty of time to penetrate i threw it in the back of my car and its been rolling around in there for quite a while. Its a little darker than what is in your picture but it has the natural feel to it. Haven't tried mink oil on anything other than my work boots before I got into leatherworking, but I imagine it would work.

They would most likely make excellent bracelets! Could also use them in knife sheaths to keep the blade from cutting the stitches. Just cut them into strips. Unless the pieces have glue/stain on them I always throw my scraps into a large box and go there first for smaller items.

^^^ I found this out the hard way. Luckily on my own belt!

Yes, but not too hard. Neatsfoot oil will help extend the life by adding some oils back in and make it softer to the touch. and I have made a couple of formed cases, one for my leatherman that I carry every chance i get, and another for a holster. both keep their shape very well. The leatherman case keeps its shape so well that I crush the case frequently when under a vehicle and it it pops right back into place when put my leatherman away.

just like you would slick an edge. little bit of water and a bone folder. so far has worked well for me

I've had a similar issue before and used Gum Tragacanth for the slicking process. it seemed to be working as a resist to the dye. When I went to apply the finish to the slicked back and edges some of the stain rubbed off, revealing the natural color below. Live and learn I guess.

Thanks for the replies! I'm always looking to improve and have discovered a lot of better ways of work with leather. I always like constructive criticism!