toxo

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

If you're in London you should aquaint yourself with J T Batchelor In Dalston. I believe they do it and much more magical stuff as well.

I get how that works for layers but I'm not getting what you meant with the front flap, unless you mean to bulk it up cos it's thin? This was always just a trial run to see how the pieces came together using leather that's been through the washing machine cos it's still got a chemical smell to it. I wish I had a clicker press. My entire setup is in a small spare bedroom and my humble 1 ton arbor press pretends to be everything from a clicker press to a hot foil machine.

Thanks Brian. Here's a couple of early attempts showing the circle. On the first one I tried to design the strap for double duty as a bum bag via a keeper at the back or over the shoulder with the D rings. Not getting the first/second cut bit. These were hand stitched. (As if you couldn't tell ha ha)

I made these die cutters to make this bag and decided to test it on thinner, smelly leather that I don't like. The pattern was designed to be hand sewn but I wanted to see if I could machine it. Needs a couple tweaks but I'm quite chuffed with the result. Should come right on thicker leather. What's the verdict guys?

Don't overthink it! If the leather is thick enough and wide enough, a long slanted skived scarf properly glued and stitched will hold a hell of a lot.

I would say you've nothing to lose by giving it a go. I would start by dampening the whole thing and and packing it as much as you can while it's wet. Wooden blocks in the pockets and maybe stuffed newspaper or somesuch. Whatever it takes to get the shape right. Let it dry (even in the oven on a very low heat). Then clean it and get as much oil in it as you can. The rest you can do yourself. Saddle stitch isn't difficult to the standard that you'll need and think of the satisfaction you'll get. Priceless!

If you get stuck, there's a bearing shop not far from me and they're really helpful. Give me the relevant measurements and I'll call them tomorrow. If you do a search on my content you should find the post I did on it.

You don't have a hacksaw? chop the shoulder off, clean up with a file. If it has a shoulder it will usually have a set screw in the shoulder and not a keyway. After you take the shoulder off, drill and tap a diagonal set screw hole to hold onto the shaft. We're not dealing with massive torque here. If there's a shoulder on the shaft for the new pulley to sit on you might only need a serrated washer under the nut to hold it in place.