Buckinger

I just wanted to say a huge thank you to this site and all the contributors. Over the past couple of years I have spent more hours than I can say reading through the wealth of information. It has been hugely helpful. And today, I set up my Etsy store to try to start selling a few bits and pieces. I have sold a few items over the last year and have received some nice feedback so I am now taking the next step. It is all jolly exciting! Anyway, just wanted to say thanks. Best, James

Really enjoyed this thread. Thanks for posting Hunio.

I have a hot stamp - one of those soldiering iron thingies. My problem is when trying to stamp thin chrome-tanned leather, it curls and warps the leather. I have tried different heat settings, but it needs to be hot enough to burn the mark and that then curls the leather. Do I need a different tool?

Thanks for the replies. I am glad it is not just me. I have a Highlead machine. Steve, if the machine is properly set up, should I expect to get perfect stitches in reverse? And should it matter when I press the reverse lever - ie the height of the needle.

When I hit the reverse lever on my machine, it doesn't stitch neatly in the same holes it made going forward. Is there some way to adjust the machine to hit the same holes? Or I was wondering if the needle position makes a difference. I have tried starting the reverse stitch with the needle fully down, fully up and everything in between but it doesn't seem to be consistent.

What type of glue would you recommend using for attaching the fabric pocket lining to the leather? Since the lining is not being stitched under the pockets, the glue has to hold for the life of the wallet.

Looks good. Looking forward to receiving my set. Best, James

Jolly good - you might be my first customer! Should have the site up and taking orders by the end of the month! Unfortunately been very busy with the day job recently. As for the boxes, I will look into uline. Thanks for the tip, Glendon.

I am looking for a supplier of custom boxes to put my wallets in for shipping to customers. Preferably with smallish minimums (less than 100). Appreciate any suggestions. Thanks, James

I also sent an email and never got a reply. I guess they didn't want my business!

I ended up getting a Highlead 0618. Having a lot of fun with it!

Thank you for the info. I did get some #16 needles and it is a definite improvement, but I just checked and they are universal needles, so I will get some leather point ones. Appreciate the help. James

Thank you for your suggestions. I will try putting in a new needle. The needle size in the machine is a 140/22. I am using 69 thread. What would be the next size down and would I also need to use a different size thread if I use a different needle? I tried smoothing it down with a bone folder as you suggested, Tom, and it did help, but it still doesn't look as nice as the other side. Best, James

Hi, I am new to leather and dived straight in and bought a leather sewing machine. I'm loving it. However, I've made a few wallets and I am noticing a problem I don't know how to fix. If you look at the photo below, you'll see the bottom holes are not clean - the leather gets pushed out. On this wallet, I sewed the top holes from the top and the bottom holes from the reverse side, so you can see the difference. So the problem holes are what happens to the under side of the wallet when I am running it through the machine. This problem doesn't happen with all leathers. Just this buffalo calf. Any idea why this is happening and how I can fix it? Thanks, James

Please can you add me - thanks.