Michael Sheldon

I've been starting to look at a machine to replace my Cowboy Model 5. The model 5 works fine, but it really was the wrong machine for me due to its feed system. It scores up the back side, and leaves an impression on the front side due to the heavy pressure on the foot (Even with the pressure adjusted all the way out). So I hardly ever use it. What I Need: Must have needle or compound feed that does not mar either side of the leather. Must handle up to #277 thread. Must handle from 6oz total thickness, up to 1/2" material. Thinner would be great, thicker is not needed. Cylinder bed preferred, especially if a table attachment is available. I use #277 quite a bit for belts, leashes and such, but I never use anything heavier. Would be nice, but not required if it could also handle down to #69 thread and thin leather, then I could also ditch my Thompson PW-400. The biggest issue I'm seeing is that there are machines that go up to #207 (135x16 needle) that can handle very light stuff up to low-medium. Then there are the machines that go up to #415 (794 needle) that are designed for mid to heavy. There's nothing I've found that sits between them. A couple of the 135x16 machines claim to go up to #277, but they have to be talking about non-leather material using 315x17 needles, given that the largest 315x16 needles I've found only go to size 23, which is not at all ideal for #277.

I was hoping to avoid the experimenting with the white acrylics, but looks like that's my best option now. Thanks!

Lacing will be plenty strong enough, and looks good too. However, I would not use round lace. Flat lace generally looks better, is stronger, and should wear better.

Years ago, there used to be a "white antique" solution that was used over a dyed item to leave white traces in the depressions, duplicating how very old antique leather can get. Now, not only can I not find it, it's apparently been gone long enough that I can't even find mention of it?

If you live in, or are visiting the Phoenix Arizona area, I recommend a trip to Western Spirit: Scottsdale's Museum of the Southwest. They have a display of saddles, spurs, cuffs, etc that I definitely enjoyed browsing through.

Almost all nubuck I've seen is chrome-tanned. Burnishing probably isn't going to work. Ideal is probably to skive it, turn the edge back and stitch. But, that's a bit of work. I've also edged nubuck with thin strips of veg-tan and burnished that.

I've used one for ten years or so. Works very well for light veg-tan. Works OK for suede and deer, but you have to keep an eye on it. Works very well for latigo, harness, bridle up to around 8oz. I use it for cutting 3 and 5-strand inside braid leashes in latigo/harness/bridle, and for cutting lace from light veg-tan. #1, sharp blades always. #2, keep downward tension on both sides of the material you are cutting. The top bar is pretty much useless. #3, keep a close eye on the edge, make sure the leather stays tight against it and doesn't wander. This is where soft leathers like suede and deer can be troublesome. If you're cutting fringe, a little bit of wander is not too bad, but if you're cutting for braid it's a problem. If you're cutting lace, well, worst case is the outside piece will be waste. I bought mine with enough plates to allow me to keep two setups, I just swap out the stacks.

Definitely, run a fan with a filter. All you need to prove this, is to airbrush a piece with dye, then go blow your nose. That will prove beyond a doubt that the dye mist is going all over.

I'm partial to spraying on surfaces that might smear. Either spray cans of saddle laquer, or an airbrush with water-based sealers. I use cheap $10 airbrushes, so if it gets gummed up eventually, I just replace it.

Built mine with steel rails availble from my local woodworking shop. They can be purchased at various lenghts, etc. Built the top with various lumber in my woodshop and some 3/4 melamine. Lots of junk on it, been "rearranging" the shop.

I use a "Jerry's Stripper" for those. Not sure who sells them anymore. Wasn't very expensive.

As a former police officer, safety straps are a matter of how snug the holster is, and the conditions where it will be worn. If the holster is snug, and unllikely to be upside-down or sideways, and is out of sight (under clothing) or only used around people who know better, then a safety strap may not be needed. OTOH, when I was an officer, not a chance I would use a holster without a strap while in uniform. Even my backup was strapped. Always the possibility of some idiot thinking they can pull it out from you. Straps and good safety holsters slow them down. Plus, never know when you might have to perform "energetic" activities like running, jumping, climbing fences, etc. Disconcerting to have your weapon drop out while you are head-first over a fence.

Oooh, like the card wallet I made for my wife, where I glued the wrong edges. That was a bit embarrasing, since she noticed before I did. Usually I get to bury my mistakes in the bottom of the trash can where nobody sees them.

A stitching palm has a "thimble" sewn into the palm surface of the thumb, for pushing needles through. If you are breaking eyes, something seems wrong. I can't remember the last time I did that. My guess is that you are flexing the needle in the hole trying to widen/loosen the hole. Or, you're not pulling straight out. Hemostats are useful things, but unless you are clamping in line with the needle from the end, you are definitely torqueing the needle to the side. That's why I like bent-nose pliers, I can keep the handles and the pulling force in-line with the needle. You may also need to use heavier needles.

True enough, though I generally only need it for backstitching. My preference is for a set of bent-nosed, smooth-jawed heavy needle-nose pliers. A thimble or stitching palm can also be useful in such cases. Though I've yet to find a thimble that's actually large enough for me. Only problem with pliers is that they scratch up the surface of the needle, which increases drag, which makes the needle more likely to get stuck, which means you need the pliers.... Which does bring up a point. Use new needles frequently. Just because they aren't bent doesn't mean they aren't worn.

Those look very nice.

Agreed. Plus, your bench must be solid. I got a fairly heavy steel workbench, then glued up two pieces of 3/4 ply on top of the 5/8" MDF top the bench came with. Total thickness is now 2-1/8". It's no point having a good stone block if the entire bench top bounces.

Agreed, definitely loooks like pyrography. Zooming in, you can see the indentation. And if I had legible handwriting, that's how I'd do it.

Yes, there are patterned chrome tans. #1, embossed, not tooled. #2, needs industrial equipment to do it. Massive pressure and likely heat applied. Which comes back around to "can *you* tool it?", and the answer is still "no".

I only buy leather from Tandy if I can go to the shop and paw through the stacks. I swear they only get the stuff the other places turned down. Mostly I pick up one-off oddball stuff, pigskin, lining leather, dye and conchos. Weaver's stuff is good, and the price is reasonable. But sometimes getting the weight you want in the leather you want is problematical. On the plus side, they almost always have it on hand ready to ship. Downside for many folks, you really need a wholesale account to get good pricing. And as of this year, a wholesale account requires a minimum of $1,200/year in purchases. Not a problem for even most small pro shops, but out of reach for a hobbyist. I get most of my suede splits and almost all of my hardware from them. I also got my foot press and better hand-tools from them. Wickett and Craig has great stuff, and the prices are good. But, the lead times can occasionally be long. Not a place to order from if you need it in a hurry. I try to make sure I get my order in before I run too low. I get almost all of my veg-tan, latigo, harness and bridle leather from them.

I've burned suede. If the surface is tight, I got excellent results, the looser/fuzzier the surface, the less crisp the design.

$20 for bellies is NOT a great price. That's around $3-$4/square. Weaver sells strap bellies for $2.67 a square, Wicket and Craig for $13 each. Heck, even my wholesale price on Tandy's bellies is $15, which is still way too high IMO, given Tandy's consistency and quality. Tandy sells their "economy tooling sides" for $119 (5/6 oz), which comes out to around $4.70 a square, and that will be more usable square.

You cannot tool suede. You can, however burn it (pyrography) though I prefer nubuck to suede. Only veg-tan leather will reliably take tooling. Some combination-tans will emboss, but I wouldn't attempt to tool them. Chrome-tanned leathers cannot be tooled or reliably embossed.

I learned with a stitching wheel and awl, and that's what I used for years. But frankly, unless you're going through more than 3/16" to 1/4" total thickness, I'd go for the Japanese-style stitching chisels. Much easier to use, and less blood. And, as is typical, skip the ones Tandy sells. They're not that good, and significantly over-priced. Do a search on Etsy, and you'll find dozens of sellers. Nigel Armitage has a video on using these and pricking irons. I switched to using the chisels, and now only use the awl for very heavy pieces, and where laying the piece down flat is not possible.

I picked up an original McKeever cartridge pouch in my travels, looking at construction techniques. One of the small things I like about it is the button stud. The "acorn" shape of the head makes it easier to push the strap over, without affecting its retaining capability. If I had any metalworking skills, I have a handful of old 1/2" solid brass spikes that could be reshaped. But I don't have those skills, and I don't have many of those spikes left since Weaver discontinued them. Anyone seen anything like these?