BDAZ

Sign up at your Tandy store as a manufacturer/reseller, assuming you are a business. Then you will receive wholesale prices. Buy the strap cutter, not expensive, and much cheaper than having someone do it for you. Cya! Bob

I think the web sit isn't up to the quality of the holsters and instruction. Too amateurish. I find the use of "urine yellow" a bit off putting. Cya! Bob

Mine is marked 33" x 58" plus the border. I have had mine for a year and if it gets too badly marked I'll just rotate 180 degrees. Cya! Bob

The copper rivets require a ball peen hammer and preferably an anvil in addition to the setting tool available from Tandy. They are stronger than stitching. Cya! Bob

Second the copper rivets, They look especially good on latigo which is what I make my collars with. Cya! Bob

Costco has a really nice cutting board 20 x 15 x 1/2 for around $8. I use a table sized (40 x 60) mat on my cutting table from the fabric store,. which was around $40 on sale. I find the grid and ruler marking incredibly useful! Cya! Bob

Also have the Goldstar $59 shipped with one set of dies. I also bought their snaps which are also a good deal. Cya! Bob

I had a similar problem with the bobbin thread visible just below the surface of single layer thinner leathers (4-5 oz.). I replaced the bobbin spring but check to make sure you don't have any stuff under the bobbin spring which would lighten the tension. I cut a few coils off one of my upper bobbin springs to lighten the tension and it is now working perfectly. I can go from a decorative stitch on a single layer of 5 oz to a double layer of 5 and 7 oz with a perfect stitch. Bob, If I understand your issue you have the "knot" on the bottom of your work and you want to pull it through to the middle? Just loosen the tension on the bobbin spring. Cya! Bob

I have cut a very thin strip of leather about 1/8th inch wide and have it glued, on edge, to a board. I use white or green jewelers rouge and strop in the opposite direction I cut. I have 3 different widths for 3 different groovers. Ooops..that's for an edger but I'll leave it up. For the groover I just run it along the edge of my strop in the direction opposite I use to cut. Cya! Bob

It is not a dye at all but a chemical reaction between the vinegaroon and the tannin in the leather. I tested on some samples from a banjo head maker and it had almost no effect. I inadvertently left a piece in for a week and it eventually turned black. I soaked one sample in a super strong tea solution to introduce some tanin and it turned darker but not black. Some of the black will rub off but not like a dye. Neutralizing with baking soda will help reduce the odor. Cya! Bob

Try the Prevail Sprayer, available at home depot... Cya! Bob

You can achieve a similar look by printing the text in reverse on a laser printer, then apply toner side down and swab with acetone, then rub with a creaser to transfer the toner. Once dry it is pretty tough and can be sealed with a WATER BASED sealer like Resolene. It's not engraved but very legible. It's essentially laser printing on leather. geo tracking.... or a top secret restaurant?? Pretty close to some excellent wineries..been there...done that! Cya! Bob

One of the really kewl things about Vinegaroon is that you can use white or natural stitching, then dye and the stitching stays light. Nice job.. Bob

I use tan 1:1 with Methyl Alcohol and apply with a touch up spray gun. I use a few light coats and I allow to dry (10-15 minutes in AZ) in between coats. Cya! Bob

I used to do some work for the Ostrich Co-op in Oudtshoorn, South Africa. They had ostriches up the wazoo.. http://www.kleinkaroo.com/ Let us know how you make out! Cya! Bob

An aside..there are various "upgraded" blades for utility knives including blades made in England and Japan. These tend to produce sharper edges which last longer. Cya! Bob

Finding copper washers is no problem.. Even Harbor Freight has em.. Cya! Bob

I ALWAYS use reversed, toner down so I DO get transfer. Much easier and more accurate than tracing . I usually use 2 pixels so the toner is not visible once tooled. Of course if I want the leather "printed" then I use a robust font. Cya! Bob

EXACTLY what I was looking for! Thanks! Bob

I think you are asking for trouble. What I use for complex lettering is a laser printer. I layout the text in Photoshop in reverse, print on standard paper then place on the leather and saturate with acetone. I then use my bone creaser to transfer the lettering to the leather. Then I seal and it's good to go. If you are looking to stamp complex text, you WILL, at some point, screw it up and ruin all your work. A name of 5 - 10 characters is fine, I use a 2 ton arbor press. The Tandy letters are self aligning and I use a triangle to make sure the alignment is ok. Cya! Bob

The problem was transitioning from 1 to 2 layers without a major reconfiguration of the tension and all is now working fine. Thanks! Bob

I found a 100 foot reel of 4mm copper ground wire from my amateur radio daze and wonder what the best way to turn it into rivets? Are there any off the shelf tools to create a flat head? I am trying to save time and money... Thanks! Bob

I was in Winter Park last Thursday..great Sushi bar there.. Enjoy but make sure you have a well funded bank account... It can be a long slippery slope! Cya! Bob

Like dissolves like, so resolene being a water based acrylic will tend to dissolve any of the water based dyes you have used. Use a solvent based sealer on water based dyes. Cya! Bob

Funny, I'm also in Durham for a few weeks for some music gigs..played SUNY Syracuse in a former life. I have met a couplel of the local leather workers at craft shows but I think the right shop in he right place would go gangbusters! Old Time Jam session, good coffee, leather making for kids...kewl! What part of Durham? I'm North off Roxboro. Cya! Bob