toxo

Great job! So nice to see something other than flowers and scrolls.

First of all, I've never made a wallet in my life yet but I've been asked to do some coin purses and was given an old one as a sort of template. Obviously the leather was very thin but behind the leather was a thin layer of foam and I was struck by how luxurious and warm it felt in my hand. I should add that behind the foam was a stiff, thin piece of plastic that stopped it being floppy. I have to admit to being jealous of the build. The turned edges were very small and the stitches were tiny. I know these things are possible when using machines that are permanently set up for one particular job.

Thanks guys. Found some on Ebay. I do have some small bits @ 6mm/18mm/50mm. Was thinking I might have to hot wire it.

Well I didn't get any joy with the splitter question but maybe someone can point me to some thin foam like they put in wallets?

I just got an economy veg tan side and a 3kilo bundle From Zack at J Wood. The side was ok but the bundle was far from ok. I was hoping to get some 3 inch squares for some patchwork. What I got was mostly the edges left over from the die press bin. That was £40+ and I've just seen they've increased it to £50+. Won't be doing that again.

Hello hive mind. Can you help me please? I think I'm gonna get one for veg tan anyway but I'm beginning to amass lot's of 3inch squares for patchwork but they're various collections of thicknesses, now do I make piles of each thickness or attempt to split all to a uniform size. Forgive me if this seem strange but I seem to have a sort of brain fart because it took five attempts to write the previous sentence. As much as I'd like a nice hand crank splitter it ain't happening. I'm thinking one of the cheap ones with replaceable blades rather one with the solid knife that has to be sharpened. I'm thinking roughly £70 to £150. Thoughts please.

I'm really not understanding the pushback here. Did no one read my previous post? I'll post the two relevant parts again. Here's the cost for everything except the 40mm motor pulley.More torque at the machine. An hour to fit. What's the reduction for a 250mm and a 40mm Wiz?

Here's the original post i did including the cost. It's called a taper lock pulley and the hole in the center is the same for all sizes. It's the bush that goes on the shaft that you order with the pulley for your shaft. the set screws lock everything together. Here's one company in the US. https://pulley.biz/pulley-manufacturer-in-united-states-of-america/#:~:text=Taper Lock Pulley In United States Of America,patron’s requisites regarding our products specifications and sizes.

You guys certainly like to spend money. For less than £50 I replaced the handwheel with a 250mm pulley and replaced the pulley on the motor with a 40mm one and now can do one stitch at a time and it took less than an hour to do. You guys constantly never offer this as a solution but never say why.

It'll come. Just remember to not pull your hair out until you've got all the ducks in a row. Getting one thing right without the others being right will have you pulling your hair out. even that little spring thingy has an important job.

Well done on making the leap to a machine Phil. Hope to see mucho productivity from here on in.

Thanks Bill. Wish I could take the credit but it's one of Tony See's (Dieselpunk.Ro) designs. I do have a slight affinity though. When he brought out the design he asked his following to name it. I said "It's got to be the "Monte Carlo" to carry the winnings out of the casino". I won a free pattern.

Thanks Dave. I'm inclined to agree with you. Apparently Oxalic acid is quite common for bleaching leather but I certainly wouldn't experiment on a finished piece.

I use this type of shape cutters to great effect under a 1 ton arbor press with a magnet.

Fill yer boots. https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2380057.m570.l1313&_nkw=leather+cutter+shapes&_sacat=0

I have a nice bag that someone wants to look at. It's been sitting for a while and the veg tan isn't as bright as it once was. IIRC I put resolene on it. Can it be brightened up? Obviously it can't be dunked. I've also noticed darkening on leather that's laid flat on the parts that are not covered by the piece on top despite not being in direct sunlight.

I'll throw this Newsboy hat out there simply because it's a six or eight panel hat. https://dieselpunkro.patternbyetsy.com/shop/13248976/hat-patterns

Zac at J Wood is worth a call. They're prices are good and sometimes have good deals. I once snagged a huge side that was about 2.5mm for £50 delivered. https://www.jwoodleathers.co.uk/

Good job. It's always good to see some out of the norm.

I made this one last night. Watch this space for a patchwork tote.

Don't overthink it. There's no mystery here. I normally go with thin pigskin which is as cheap as chips but thin leather or anything thats handy. If you want it to support an internal pocket of course it needs to be a bit thicker.

Well done Spyros. An excellent job. I have to slow myself down to pay attention to this amount of detail because I'm always in a hurry to see the final outcome. If I were to be really picky I'd say the flap needs something but well done again. ps. I hope those pockets are felt lined. That class of lens is not cheap.

There's another side to their business a couple of doors down where they make stuff. I'd be surprised if they don't. You can even use their big clicker press for a consideration.

I like to help people. These are what I use. This beats drilling hands down but hard on old hands. https://www.cromwell.co.uk/shop/hand-tools/punches/hand-operated-power-hole-punch-kit/p/KEN5607800K?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIifeJjrr38wIVIe_tCh03lQDGEAQYAiABEgJbFfD_BwE Bending tool. Does the job but there are easier (and dearer) machines out there. https://www.cooksongold.com/Jewellery-Tools/Durston-Metal-Bending-Set-prcode-999-7162?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIwsOG_Lj38wIVyO3tCh13QQXREAQYAiABEgIqovD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds This well is built and does circles in a jiffy https://vevor.co.uk/products/manual-ring-roller-bender-metal-sheet-roll-bending-rolling-machine-343mm-tool?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIwsOG_Lj38wIVyO3tCh13QQXREAQYByABEgLsAvD_BwE You might want to check out Harry Rogers YouTube video on doing this. Watch the earlier one before he upgraded to a much more expensive bender.

It's called Rule Steel. Think the name of the company over here is called Partwell. It comes in 1 meter lengths and I had to buy a box of 60. Make sure you get the 2 point rather than the 3 point which is thicker and much harder to bend. If you have a commercial die maker nearby they may sell you a few lengths. They also sell the bender and the hole punch (not cheap) but the first few that I did was with two upright steel rods in a decent vice and a hammer and a pair of welders gauntlets. I'll find some links if you're interested. https://www.partwell.com/die-makers-steel-rules