Stephenpuhakish

Awesome... So did you hit "the wall" Or add "another brick in the wall" Sorry couldn't resist lol

http://www.ebay.com/itm/311024933438 Managed to find a few, getting just the right combination of search terms was key "Wallet card punch" will pull up at least a half dozen if not more. And thanks Bob, I really am search tool handicapped. And it seems electrathon used acrylic or plastic rather than wood, but the idea is there

Yes they do make such punches, a quick search on eBay will yield many results. However they always looked to be cheaply made so I never bought one. If you do, let us know how it works for you. For all the wallets I've made, the small holes and connect the dots method is still my favorite. If you do a quick search of the forum you will find some threads about this topic, including one person who made their own by stacking razor blades between wooden blocks, then cutting out the small pieces that remained. Don't recall who and to be honest I am handicapped when it comes to our forums search tool.

Love the wallet. As far as the portion of strap everyone is referring to, why not try a template for the billet off of a ranger style belt, resized? It would give the appropriate curves to make it blend in, and would be fairly easy to resize. Keep up the awesome work!

I've actually seen the punches listed on eBay for doing card pockets just like this. Never took the plunge to buy as they looked poorly made. What I do is use a round drive punch to make the two small holes on either side of the pocket, then cut between with a straight edge and your cutting instrument of choice. I find that the holes tend not to tear as a straight cut does.

I'm from Canada and we have coins for $1 and $2 denominations as well. We did recently discontinue use of the penny. Realistically, if you make a single purchase with "paper" currency the highest number of coins you could receive back is 7. That being said, cash transactions are largely going the way of the pager(at least here). Most people I know use their bank card or credit card for every purchase. That being said, most mens wallets I make these days are simple card wallets without a billfold. Ladies wallets almost always have a spot for coins. Personally I don't carry coins around, I dump them in my wife's purse(which already weighs more than your average toddler)

Here's one I learned the hard way, a good sharp awl will easily go through the leather and into your fingertip if you've done the foolish thing of putting your finger behind the work, likely without you feeling it. Also, for some reason most customers don't want bloodstains on their brand new item... go figure

Here's a thought, if you're doing smooth bevelling, make a push(or speed) beveller. It's usually used on longer lines but I think you could still make it work for you. I have one that I ground myself for making belts. It's in one of the Al Stohlman books somewhere, I'm sure someone has made a post about them before too.

Have you thought of making a scrapbook style instead? Many different page sizes, layouts etc are available, and you can find posts fairly easily at places like Michaels or other craft shops. My wife has been hounding me for some time to make one for her and I recently picked up the posts for it. If you check out a few scrapbooks you'll probably see they're fairly easy to copy. If I get to it before too long I'll post a step by step of how I did it. If you beat me to it I'd love to see photos. Regards Stephen

Excellent advice given so far, just one thing I have to add to this. If you are using a Tandy beveller with a "z" in the number, trash it and invest in a better quality one, even if it's just a real craftool. My first set was all the cheap cast "z" stamps and the heel on the beveller was so round it wouldn't actually get into the cut. I did manage to improve it with some files but eventually I just replaced the whole mess of z tools. Good luck. And if none of these tips help, a photo of your carving will help others steer you right.

Sadly things like this are all I find locally. http://regina.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-sell-hobbies-crafts-Juki-Industrial-Sewing-Machine-W0QQAdIdZ595559636 What sources are you using to find your deals? I scour all the classified sections and hunt online and never seem to find anything close enough for me to go sew off on. Unless it's so overpriced it's not worth looking at that is. Just bad luck I'm guessing. The hunt continues...

I too bought one of these just to find out it's a glorified silver gel pen. My wife has dozens, and I've used them with the same success as the Tandy pen.

I don't see any shading and I'm guessing that's what was forgotten. Still looks great!

Actually here is a link to them at the Tandy outlet. They also have the Japanese and English styles as well http://www.tandyleatheroutlet.com/p-307-al-stohlman-brand-french-style-skiving-knife.aspx

Hi everyone. I was recently approached by someone to make wallets in larger quantity. I have been hand stitching everything up until this point but am now looking for a sewing machine that will be at home making wallet interiors, and making items using garment weight leathers, perhaps even the occasional purse. I won't be sewing any veg tanned leathers on it, I still prefer hand stitching items made from it (and would continue to hand stitch on the wallets but hand vs machine I won't ever compete production wise). I know of the premade wallet interiors through Springfield leather, but I prefer making them myself. First problem I've had is I have tried to figure out what exactly I need sifting through old posts here and elsewhere, but it seems many of these machines were clones of a specific model and I can't keep all the numbers of the different manufacturers models straight in my head. If someone would lay it out straight for me(as much as is possible) I would really appreciate it. As in, "you need a singer xxx-xxx,or it's clones a pfaff xxx..." I realize that many machines would fit this purpose, but please simplify things for me as much as possible. My second problem is location. I live in Saskatchewan Canada, and finding anything capable of what I need locally is a problem. Links to eBay items would be welcome as well. My final issue is cost. Without going into detail I have medical problems that keep me from working or doing much, and my wife supports our household. Though my leather craft is contributing much more these days than it used to, there is precious little to spare for reinvesting into tools or equipment. So the smaller and less costly the machine(and shipping) the better. I have managed to scour up a few options locally, one being a nakajima dbu-180L-2. Priced at 750 just an hours drive away. Would this machine be too much for what I need? It has the table, motor, and bobbin winder. I'm sure I would have to modify it to work on leather and find leather needles if it's suitable. But sim sure that will be the case with most machines, and definitely any machine I can source locally. I'm also open to buying any machine someone might have on hand and unused, assuming costs can be kept low. Anyhow I'm rambling now and I'll wrap it up. I'm just looking for someone to point my compass in the right direction. Thanks for reading

I usually use some gum trag and slick the back. Simple and takes the fuzz level down.

Actually that's just what I was trying to say. Flip grain side and flesh side in his diagram and skip the flip. Dress the edge up and voila

Sorry my first post was clear as mud Let's start with your diagram. Notice how the elastic goes outside the edges of the leather? Why not put it flush to the edge, stitched in place, then fold the elastic to do the same on the other side? The seams would all be on the outside of the card holder accessible front and back for a saddle stitch. You could even lace the edges to cover them. If I'm still unclear I'll make an attempt to load some pictures that would explain better... If I can figure out how to post them. Lol

"I will oppose it and do everything possible to get it regulated and banned...." Funny in one post you're willing to go the distance and do everything possible and 2 hours later you can't be bothered to read a post because it's too long. Everything possible should include, but not be limited to educating yourself on the issue and having the decency to participate in an adult discussion or debate, as well as trying to see from all points of view. You're hiding behind a screen name and spouting trash. Maybe you have a legitimate claim against ecigs bothering you, maybe not, but at this point you've just removed all credibility you may have had.

Here's a question, why not make the leather slightly larger to accommodate stitching (or lacing) the elastic, and flip the edges of the elastic from inside to outside(flush with the leather edge). So you would have the leather edges and elastic edges both exposed(why I suggested lacing). It would allow stitching or lacing without having to actually do it within the confines of the card holder interior. If my explanation is unclear just say so and I will try to clarify. One other thing to note, most elastic is designed to stretch lengthwise, not width wise so be careful as to what you choose to use.

I'm not praising anyone for quitting a habit they chose to start. Breaking an addiction however is different. It requires help and support to be successful. Whether an alcoholic chooses to attend AA, quit cold turkey, or go through another process, the important part is that they get the help they NEED. Addicts will justify things any way they can, saying it doesn't hurt others, whatever they have to do so they can keep going. As far as the ecig companies funding studies you're way off the mark. They don't have the resources or the channels to get them published into mainstream media, but we all know how much money and pull those tobacco lobbyists have. The same tobacco companies that are losing customers to the ecigs are the ones who are pushing to ban them. In fact there is only one ecig made by a tobacco company, the rest are not affiliated. Coincidentally that ecig is also the only one with a television ad. Blü As to these studies, I've actually read them and researched the issue. I'm not saying they have no ill effects on users or bystanders. I'm not even close to calling them safe. But, heck for all we know our iPhones and other smartphones are poisoning us, they have been around about as long and surprisingly enough there are fewer studies done on them than the ecigs. LTC, While you seem to be stuck on your personal issues with these devices they are just that. YOUR ISSUES. I haven't heard of one other person with this issue, especially second hand vapor(I have heard of people with sensitivities to one ingredient but those people tweaked their ejuice to remove the offending culprit) If someone is using these around you, you have the right to ask them not to use it. But they have their right to use it' as long as it doesn't infringe on others. This isn't black and white. It's all grey. Now you've said the vapor bothers you, understandable. Some people do have allergies to the pg or vg or various flavourings. So rather than outright saying the vapor is to blame, maybe we could discover your issue. Have you any allergies to food additives? Propylene glycol is a common food additive and if you do some research on it, you will discover it's the one of the ingredients in... asthma inhalers. Vegetable glycerin? It's a food additive too. If this vapor bothers you, have you ever been to a concert or haunted house with a smoke machine? Guess what, same stuff way bigger scale. Look on YouTube and you will see some idiots using smoke machines to vape with(pure idiocy unabashed and unbridled) Personally diesel exhaust bothers me immensely (burning eyes, throat, coughing, trouble breathing etc)but I'm not calling for banning them. And when people park them next to doors with the engine running I don't have much choice about my air quality. Even these "cleaner diesels" with particulate filters do the same thing, be it a 600hp cat in a tractor trailer or a little tdi jetta Judging by your previous comments in this thread, I would guess you were never a smoker, maybe have never struggled with addiction at all. If that's the case you are stronger than most. If it's not you have your own vices and I'm sure they've affected someone else at some point as well. Now to be clear here, I'm not attacking you, your beliefs or anything of the sort. But let's step back from the issue and look at something else. When automobiles were first invented, do you know how many people were against the noisy smoking creations? How many people tried to ban them from the streets so they could keep using their horses and buggies? How many pedestrians got hit? Without some painful growth and experience, anything new can be demonized. What's being debated here is largely subjective and opinion based. I have a quote on opinions, not entirely proper but it goes something like this, "Opinions are like butts. Everyone has one, and everyone thinks theirs doesn't stink." Basically opinions are feelings, largely based on experience rather than fact and as such, no opinion can be decidedly right or wrong. On a final note I support your right to those opinions, and commend you for sticking with them. However one persons bad experiences with a device does not constitute a need for banning them. That would be akin to lobbying to ban glasses because sometimes I get a glare from the lenses, since people could just wear contacts instead. I applaud you for asking people not to use them around you. As for me, I've always tried to be polite with anything that may bother someone else, it's only common courtesy(sadly not so common any more). I fully support others rights to not be subjected to things(like cigarette smoke or vapor) against their will. I don't use mine anywhere I wouldn't have smoked.

Now I'm by no means an expert on quitting smoking, though in my 15 years as a tobacco addict I have quit several times, once for over 2 years. For the first several attempts it was cold turkey, and I had some success, 2 years smoke free at one point. However I never really wanted to quit, I did it for my girlfriend(now wife). Later on I tried the patches, and the gum but with little success. My latest attempt(going very well, 6 months in) is using an ecig. Now I realize this is more replacing the habit than quitting however, I have weaned myself from 28 mg e liquid down to 7(nicotine content). The next step is no nicotine at all. To those who are behind the ecig movement, it's a step in the right direction but it's not quitting. You're replacing one habit with another. True, ecigs are thought to be less harmful, but it's still an addiction and no addiction is good. However just because there aren't many laws specifically pertaining to these devices, doesn't mean you have no obligations to others. If someone asks you not to use it around them, be respectful just as you would with your cigarettes. To those who oppose this new wave of smokeless nicotine addicts, whatever your claims against them, how about a little understanding? Would you berate the person using methadone to get off of heroin? I'm sure we can all agree that smoke is more bothersome and harmful than vapor(though some people have shown reactions to the propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin that comprise the bulk of the liquid. Other ingredients are nicotine and flavourings). The tests that have been done so far have been largely biased, funded by tobacco companies or subsidiaries and their testing is quite flawed. Most testing has been done on the cigalikes, the cheapo gas station things you find everywhere now. Sadly these are not representative of the mainstream user. Most people who go to vaping (ecigs don't smoke they only produce vapor), use what's known as a Mod. A larger device, not even close to resembling a cigarette. The advantage of this is the user can choose flavor, nicotine content, pg/vg blending, etc. And, you can choose where to source your liquid or to make your own. This is the main difference. Those prepackaged cigalikes are largely made outside of country and imported, with quality control and safety not being an issue. It's like buying your hamburger from McDonalds vs making your own. As a user of one of these products (last 6 months)and someone who smoked cigars(and I mean smoked, full inhale) I can only attest to what my personal experiences are: I no longer have a smokers cough No more shortness of breath or occasional chest pains No more bringing up phlegm My leather items no longer have that stink about them I've rediscovered my sense of smell(and boy is it working overtime) My fingers have no more staining My wife no longer complains of the smell(she doesn't even complain about the black liquorice flavour I use and she hates liquorice) The cost of vaping vs smoking. Vaping I've spent less than $200 on my equipment and liquid over 6 months, vs $100 a week on cigars Oh and to top it off, no withdrawal Anyone who would like to discuss this in a reasonable and adult fashion, I welcome the conversation. To anyone trying to quit, I applaud any actions you take towards that end. To anyone who has issue with these devices, I welcome your feedback, as long as you are willing to enter a conversation with an open mind.

I disagree with the airbrushing theory. I recently picked up a dremel and have some old scraps of stingray sitting around from a cuff I made some time back, so I played around with this after seeing a spiderweb done on a bike seat. Basically the more you grind/sand off the tops of the black glossy pearls, the more white and flat they become giving depth and shading. Well that's if you're skilled and practiced anyways, I'm glad I was using scraps. While I disagree with this guy calling it hand tooled or hand carved, I can't think of anything better to call it. Hand etched maybe? I digress. This fellow obviously has some great skills with a grinder. For proof just look closely until you find the spine(white diamond) it's all been ground down.

I would love an invite to the adult section as well. Thanks