BDAZ

I only use drum dyed veg tan leather for commercial work. It saves time which is money, is very consistent for order refills and allows me to limit my color offerings. I do find it a bit trickier to case the leather due to the dying as the changes are more subtle. I would ask for some natural veg tan scarps to play with. Bob

That's all I use. I make sure I burnish it first then peel the release paper and burnish the edge. Works as well as glue without the mess! One last tip, tack the paper to the liner (suede, fabric) first with just enough time tokeep it in place. Then apply to the project and give it the 30 seconds. You can "cook" the adhesive with too much time. Bob

After 5 months of using Heat n' Bond, I am totally convinced. My days of glueing suede or fabric linings using spray or brushed on glues are over. What used to take half an hour with a good possibility of scewing the pooch are over. I have a 15" x 15" press and heat to 250F for 30 seconds. I bond a large sheet of adhesive to a piece of suede or fabric, then when I need it, I simply trim to the size of the item, toss it in the press for 30 seconds and I'm done. No drying, clean up, sticky fingers, etc. I have not had the bond fail in any of the hundreds of commercial items I have made in the prior 5 months. Another change I have made is using leather tape instead of gluing before stitching. Again, no muss, no fuss and no spoiled pieces. Good quality tape does almost as well as glue. Bob

I have a commission to cover two 3 foot vertical handles on the front door of a building located in Arizona. The door is north facing and exposed to the elements. Not sure if it receives any direct sun but could occasionally get wet and be exposed to 115 degree summer temperatures. I have considered oiled leather or latigo but the architects are looking for a better finish. I have a deadline to meet and don't have time to order a hide and have it skived and not sure if my shop table skiver would be viable to accurately cut 1 1/2" strips of latigo. The attached picture is the look and feel they are looking for. I decided to try using tung oil as a protectant on drum dyed veg tan leather as an option with a better finish. This was taken after the first application of Tung and a short drying period. The finish is dark and even after the second. It will be possible to have regular maintenance where a protectant can be applied or reapplied. Tung oil seems to fit the bill as it works well on wood and should dry hard, leaving the leather stiff and less likely to shift or unwind. The strips will be glued to the 1 1/2" handle with Barge. Any suggestions or commes welcome. Thanks! Bob

A friend is in a Utah based version of these folks: Wolfshäger Hexenbrut I promised to make her some leather gear for this years halloween. Anyone have any suggestions of what being worn in the coven this season? Thanks! Bob

After a month or so of using the heat press and adhesive I am STOKED! I figure it saves me 30% or more on assembly time by replacing spray glue. I am able to laminate 5 or 6 pieces at a time. The cost of adding a nice fabric to the flesh side of a pouch flap is negligible and approaches the cost and trouble of dying.Less trouble and slightly more cost. Also rockey, you could probably use the material for all your appliques. I am currently using 260F at 30 seconds with a silicone cover sheet on the press. I am also testing a double sided tape offered by the same company, which appears superior to the Tandy tape, fits the Tandy dispenser and is easier to apply due to the transparent backing.

Just finished edge coating 50 or so running feet on a small production job. Yesterday, I purchased the desk top roller from my local Tandy store and it does a great job! I didn't have one smear in all the edges I dis using Edge Coat. There are commercial items so I can't afford to get perfectly burnished shiney edges, but the edge coat does cover the 4 layers (2 veg tan and 2 suede) nicely and when I use my cocobolo burnisher, produces acceptable results. All my products are wet formed AFTER stitching so the edges can be a bit rough. I use a belt sander then the new desktop roller and voila! A little touch up with a Q-tip and I'm done. Bob

My son and daughter in law live in downtown Orlando and work a Florida Hospital (PAs) . She is from NOLA . Welcome!

Amazing feel for the materials and color! Really is leather art! BTW I was in the Tempe Tandy store Saturday..Nice folks.. Bob

Same here! Needed a carved belt to replace the 40 year old belt that came with a Zuni silver buckle. I checked with my Tandy store to see if they could recommend a maker. When they told me it may cost a few hundred dollars I thought I could do it myself! It was an odd size so $7,000 later I have the world's most expensive belt. Of course I also have a thriving leather business exporting to 25+ countries. Bob

Brian, What I meant was that the laminated suede lined leather wet forms with no problem. Bob

First off, I used the Ultrahold only and noticed no issues stitching with my Cowboy machine. Nothing was "gummed up". I also used a hand iron to melt the paper backed adhesive into the flesh side of the project first, then removed the paper and ironed the suede or fabric onto the the leather. As to using a heatgun, probably not because it requires heat AND pressure BUT it does take wet forming with out issues. I am optimistic that the press arriving today will allow me to laminate half a dozen pieces simultaneously. The unit comes with a silicone cover sheet, and additional silicone sheets are available, which would be useful for even hand ironing projects. BTW I used a granite stone with a scrap piece of fabric to be able to get firm and even pressure on the item. My heat press arrived this morning! https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01BCUUIY4/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 I felt sorry for the post man who had to haul the huge box to the door in the 100F heat. Unboxed it and plugged it in. Set the temp to 350F and the time to 20 seconds and an a test. I pressed the film to some tartan fabric, let it cool and removed the release paper. The adhesive film was perfect! I then took a leather piece, flesh side down, and placed it on the adhesive and closed the press for 20 seconds. The result was PERFECT! The platen is 15" x 15". I did a similar test using sheep suede and also perfect! The suede separated before the adhesive failed AND I tested it on a bag flap with repeated flexings. As least as good as glue and probably better. This is the Business!... Bob

I have been off the forum for quite a while but have been steadily been building up my leather business which started with the 3200 5 or so years ago. I have shipped to 25+- countries and my 3200 hasn't hiccupped since I received it. There were a few bugs, quickly resolved by the folks in Toledo. I have made some mods to the electronics which has slowed down the stich rate significantly, but otherwise the machine is magic! It hasn't dropped a single stitch. Just today I had to rework a one off item which required ripping out a 12" seam then restitching. I positioned the needle in the first empty hole and the rest were PERFECTLY placed in the remaining holes! Go for it!! Bob

Glue is not my friend! It's messy and too easy to ruin a piece with a rouge drip. It stinks and when I use spray adhesives outside, a wind usually comes up and blows the tacky surfaces into each other. If all goes well I often don't get the lining square with the leather and i have to glue in little patches. Sometime I line with fabric and the glue saturates the fabric is some areas ruining it. I have also tried water soluble cements, wood glues..all a huge PIA. I ran across HeatnBond at the Walmart sewing section yesterday. I tested it out with a hand Iron and it appears to be amazing! After cooling I was unable to separate either the fabric or the suede from the flesh side of some 5-6 oz vegtan. To that end, I ordered a 15" square heat press. If this all works out, this product could cut my production time down by 30%, cheaper than using glues, and potentially no ruined pieces. Has anyone used this stuff with a press? Short term tests indicate the stuff works great and withstands flexing, is inexpensive and the temperatures required don't damage leathers and fabrics. In fact, it appears to be easier to use a fabric lining then to dye the exposed flesh side of unlined products. (I use drum dyed leather from Wickett-Craig. I supply for resale to companies who have my products in their catalogs, so color consistency is critical) Thanks for your input, Bob

Another issue is that there is a range of QC available from the Chinese. Who is going to get the best quality machines, a foreign importer buying hundreds or even thousands of machines a year or Joe Bloggs buying one. If there's one that is dubious, guess who get it!! My experience with Toledo is that they earned every penny of the markup. I had the bearing on the speed reducer fail on a new machine and I had a replacement days later at no cost and very little down time. If you live in BFE (If you don't know what BFE is or have never been there..congrats!), then a direct import may be your only option. My attitude is that I am in the leather products business, not the sewing machine set up business and it costs me money if my machine isn't performing. Bob

Not a specific one I have been looking at, just an example of affordable prices. Bob

I have some stl files of guns and there is a local company that can make an inexpensive print for me. I'll test it and see how it works. I have also looked at companies that actually scan and print firearms for manufacturers, and they will sell you a print of one of their scans BUT it is more expensive than a Blue Gun. 3D scanners are becoming affordable : http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Matter-Form-Desktop-3D-Laser-Scanner-Auth-Dealer-/221802798078 Bob

Has anyone had any experience in scanning and or printing your own plastic replicas for holster production? There are some STL fines out there that I am going to test but I would like to be able to scan and then print my own guns, Thanks! Bob

Water is the universal solvent. Right!? Try dissolving plastic in water..ain't nothing universal about water as a solvent. I am in the soy solvent business and hold patents in solvents. Nomencature in many fields INCLUDING leather differentiate between water based and solvent based products, solvent referring to a high VOC solvent like alcohols, Acetone or various other solvents. Most petrochemical solvents will soften or dissolve many water based dyes and finishes. The reason this MAY occur is that there is often water in the solvent. it may be 10% or less but it will have an effect. Please do your homework before hitting the submit button. Cya! Bob

http://www.mohawk-finishing.com/catalog_browse.asp?ictNbr=431 Just an example. Typically anything is a spray can will be solvent based. Cya! Bob

Any oil or alcohol dye works well. I use a $14 detail spray gun from Harbor Freight and put on a moderate coat. Enough so there is some pooling in the depressions, but the Reso dries clear and totally protects any coring or overlay paint I may use. I would NEVER use it with any water based "Eco" dyes. For that you need a solvent based sealer. Cya! Bob

Wouldn't work because vinegaroon needs to penetrate into the leather and it would spread.. Cya! Bob

A source of washers would be fantastic! Cya! Bob

The best! Cya! Bob

I have been a web master since '95. The fact that your company's colors are yellow and black doesn't mean you have to use them as the basic colors for your web site. You want the viewer to focus on your products, not the Halloween colors. This advice is worth what you paid for it heh heh.. Cya! Bob