Colt W Knight

When I hooked mine to a real aircompressor it was 1/4" but the hose that came with this baby compressor is 1/8" on both ends.

I know what you are doing, but I am trying to think of an articulate way to explain how to stop it. When you get to the tip, let the needle go all the way down and just start to come back up. Stop. lift the presser foot and rotate the leather to the correct position for the next stitch. Then use the hand wheel to advance to the next stitch. Repeat until you get out of the tip and proceed as normal. If you turn the belt while turning the wheel, you will get the long stitches like that.

How big, and what type of leather? I iron chrome tan leather to get wrinkles and out and make it flat using a high steam setting. Vegtan leather, I cut to the size I want, completely soak it in water, lay it on the bench to to dry. I flip it over occasionally so it dries on the front and back evenly. If it has kinks from scars or stretched from storage, as it is just about cased, I use a glass slicker to straighten it out. The slicker will stretch the leather, so I don't cut to exact shape until after it has been slicked.

Alcohol dye can stiffen/harden the leather, and an even coat of neatsfoot oil can soften it back. Also serves to preserve the leather and preven it from drying out and cracking. I oil before I dye. the leather seems to dye better in my experience, plus I don't have to worry about bleeding dye into my stitches or other areas if I have multiple color dyes.

I cut the loose thread off, and start sewing again 3-4 stitches back from where the stitches end. That way, all the holes line up, and the 3-4 stitches lock everything in. Then cut everything flush and melt in with a lighter

A little experimentng this morning Top Right - Vegtan Leather Top Left - Airbrush full strength Fiebings Light Brown Bottom Right- Airbrush Fibings light brown 4 parts alcohol 1 part dye Bottom Left - Fiebings light brown applied with dauber. ( which looks like just about every other brown dye when applied with a dauber.)

Ive never had a nice air brush, just cheapo ones from HF. I have been considering picking one up to learn to airbrush. Airbrushing involves a lot of skill and art. I can ussually master mechanical things, but I fall short in the art department.

Local tattoo artists are your best bet. There are some really talented folks working in tattoo shops

I don't know anything about sewing machines. Why not 3-n-1?

Do they have the normal 1/8" that goes to the air and a proprietary fitting on the airbrush end? So far, I am really liking how much easier it is to apply the finishes, but I need to order some more jars. I need a jar for several dye colors, a jar for cleaning, and a jar for clear.

I have been wanting to airbrush leather dye for a long time, but I live in an apartment - didn't want to disturb the neighbors with loud air compressors. Also, the canned air is expensive. Today, I as in Harbor Freight looking around, and they had an airbrush compressor kit on sale for $89.99 plus my 20% off coupon. http://www.harborfreight.com/15-hp-58-psi-oilless-airbrush-compressor-kit-60328.html Setup was very easy Practiced a bit I can't believe how much quicker, cleaner, and easier it is to dye something with the airbrush - not to mention so much less waste. These bottles are 3/4 ounce, and I used about 1/3 of that practicing, spraying the test piece black, and bursting the other piece. Faded edges I have had airbrushes from HF in the past that I used for my guitar building back when I lived in West Virginia. These aren't precise airbrushes you can use for drawing and what not, but they work great for bursting edges, touch up, painting small areas, or stenciling. When I can afford to, I plan on investing in a quality airbrush, but I am very happy with how quiet and how well the compressor works thus far. What they are not, is durable. If you drop these airbrushes, or set something on top of them, they will break. I was okay with that, because they are typically 10$ or less. Plus, when I was running lacquer through, it was easier and cheaper to throw them away after awhile than waste a bunch of lacquer thinner cleaning them. TCP global sells extra glass jars for less than $2 a piece http://www.tcpglobal.com/ABDTB-002.html?gclid=Cj0KEQjwo7auBRCOtoqn_s-G7aMBEiQAxArNrK-S1zKcIAcJfaoS7aCJZtoy1NX6jM61e093Xk3ilyMaAsKH8P8HAQ#.Vc5CXpc0d-4

Super nice. Hand sewn or machine stitched?

What type of sword? Samurai swords use ray and shark skin an long swords often had a wooden handle with either leather or wire wrapped around for grip, then it was wraped in thread or yarn to smooth it out, then covered in thin leather.

Ive made a mix of 1/3 beeswax, 1/3 tallow, and 1/3 extra virgin olive oil. It is the consistency of Kiwi, and I like to apply it with a horse hair brush. It has a little bit of smell in the can, but once applied you can't smell it.

Are you letting your needle bottom out and start back up before stopping, lifting your presser foot to turn the piece?

I would skip anything fuzzy 1. You get hairs and fuzz stuck to everything - You don't want fuzz hanging around your lenses 2. Fuzzy stuff or stuff like felt will hold sand and grit - don't want that around your camera. I doubt your case will be big enough to need any glue on the padding to hold it structurally, but it may be handy holding everything in place while you construct your case. Stores like JoAnne Fabric carry all different kinds of padding. Test out your glue on anything kind of synthetic material. Neoprene and other rubbers can be really reactive to solvents in glues, lacquer, bug spray, etc. I bet some L200 closes cell foam would be great. IT is only like 8-10 bucks for a 3'x5' sheet

My fingers hurt just looking at all that lacing.

I use hardboard/masonite for guitar building templates. I tried acrylic but the router bearings somtimes got hot and melted the acrylic, but I bet for leather working it is the way to go. The downside to masonite/hardboard templates is the edges begin to crumble in humid climates. So I always had a master template I kept in my sock drawer to remake the working templates every so often. I use manilla folders for my leather patterns now. If i had a pattern I used a lot, I would either make acrylic patterns or have a clicker die made.

Great deal on great equipment. I got my sewing machine through a similar deal, and at the time, I just couldn't afford to by the entire holster shop.

Excellent work

Ive gotten all my needles and thread from Bob at Toledo

I have a 1 lbs spool of black I can't get to run through my Consew

Thats beautiful tooling and color.

Superb

McMaster Carr http://www.mcmaster.com/#standard-rubber-sheets/=ydf12u McMaster is an industrial supply store with warehouses across the country, they stock everything from hardware to safety gear. It is a great resource for raw materials.