BDAZ

Rooster: Common Courtesy: if you ask for help and some folks ask questions, answer them... Cya! Bob

Does anyone know if the Weaver clicker plate adapters will work in a Harbor Freight press? Thanks, Bob

Few Questions: 1. Did the reverse ever work properly? 2. Have you changed needles and thread since it arrived? What size needle and thread. 3. What happens if you manually reverse the machine without flipping the lever. 4. Do you have a washer under the stitch lever plate? Cya! Bob

I replaced the bobbin spring with one obtained from Bob at Toledo and the machine is PERFECT! Loking from the top, you can not see the transition from two layers to a single layer. In addition, my products requires 60" of stitching around the circumference and every time, when I get back to my starting point, the machine drops the last two stitches in the same holes as the first two! Cya! Bob

One of the really big markers can be used for "block" coloring of 3D stamps. You can also use metallic sharpies and brush them along the raised part of the stamp..I also use the big markers for edge coloring. Cya! Bob

Try metallic silver acrylic paint from the craft store. Works great, inexpensive and lasts. Cya! Bob

Both are metallic and have had no noticeable wear. They were from the Art section. Cya! Bob

I recently tested acrylic paints from Hobby Lobby against "leather" paints and found no difference. I made a test banjo strap which I have used 2-3 gigs a week for the past two months and there has been absolutely do degradation of the painted areas with either paint. I only used one coat and sealed with two coats of resolene. Cya! Bob

The center foot seems to be adjustable with the two set screws or should it be all the way up? i haven't messed with it but does seem to be a possible parameter to play with. I have never had visible knots on the back..guess your top is a little too loose. Thanks! Bob

Thanks! I just completed 25 items and the leather used ranged from 3-4 oz to 6 oz. I replaced the upper spring with a spring from a bicycle hub quick release, much lighter, and I lightened up on the foot tension. The single layer 6 oz (drum dyed veg tan) was perfect. No knots visible from either top or bottom and the transition to 2 layers of 6 oz is perfect. The items that have a single layer of 3/4 oz look a bit like your pics. The knot is visible if you look for it but below the surface, though not in the middle. All my work is drying from wet forming but I'll post some pics tomorrow. How do you have the center foot height set? Cya! Bob

I had a 74 HD 28 which was one of the nicest sounding guitars I have ever heard but traded it for a banjo....too many instruments, not enough fingers! Resogat sound like fun! Cya! Bob

LOL!!! Cya! Bob

Great stuff! Enough straps for a bluegrass jam! You '28 has a really nice piece of rosewood for Indian! I still have my original strap made by Roger Sprung on my original guitar, a '63 28 bought new. All three of us are a little worse for wear. I used to tour with Sprung and we used to play at the Fiddlers Convention in Hiawassee every year. Back to the bench!! I am filling an order for 30 musical leather items. Cya! Bob

I decided to make all my Christmas presents this year. Probably will be your most expensive Christmas presents EVER! Cya! Bob

I would NOT use a water based stain on an item expose to water.Find an alcohol based stain and soak the straps so the dye permeates the leather, then buff off excess and Reolene away! Resolene is a waterbased acrylic and sets once dry but won't dissolve the alcohol based dye when applied. Cya! Bob

Chuck, you were responding to the wrong response: The damaged I was referring to was: Anhurset: The only time I've had vinegaroon turn brown was on a bad hide, the surface disintegrated and the leather took on a dark brown color. I only dip for 20-30 seconds then rinse in warm water. There are many folks that don't bother with no apparent issues. Cya! Bob

Just a follow up to my earlier post. After tweaking the bobbin spring (removing and bending) and loosing up the foot tension as suggested by Wiz, cutting two coils off the tension springs as suggested by Bob Kovar, I now am able to transition from 1 to 2 layers of 5oz. with a perfect stitch and no adjustments during the transition. I just completed stitching 10 identical items and there was slight variations in the knot amongst the 10 due to differences in tanning and thickness. I don't mean to hijack the thread (no pun intended) Cya! Bob

I also make straps for open back banjos and those players prefer light, unlined leather so the ability to sew 5-6 oz is important to me. I did come up with one trick..I use black or brown in the bobbin and white in the needle. That way the knots are not noticeable just below the surface.You may find that useful. Cya! Bob

Listerine = Dettol. Another way of casing is to thoroughly wet the surface, then roll up the belt and place in a plastic bag overnight in the fridge to prevent mold. BTW what part of London are you in? Cya! Bob

If it were me I would explain that one wouldn't know if it was poor unless you tried carving it. Send them both back for a refund and threaten bad feedback. It's not the £15, it's the principle. Cya! Bob

Oh My..well the leather may be "defective"? Dried out, incorrectly tanned but certainly not right. I'd contact the seller and ask for a proper blank as this one is not carving properly. Good Luck! Bob

Would you mind sewing a single layer of 4-5 oz and see if you can get the knots centered with 207? Thanks! Bob

Some of the pre cut belts are NOT vegetable tanned and consequently, they won't get soft when you case the leather and will be not be suitable for carving. I assume your scraps are veg tanned. Cheers! Bob

Waiting for things to dry is an integral part of leather work, if a customer can wait for me to hand stitch a piece then they can wait for an item to dry properly. Not worried about the customer waiting, it's my time that is critical. If I can save time in the finishing process I can be more productive, keep my prices lower and sell more product, As I mentioned, this is not a hobby for some of us and I cost my time at $25 an hour of actual working time. I also suggested that it could have been due to a weak mixture. Actually the mixture was fine but I suspect the immersion time should have been a bit longer. It was probably only a couple of minutes, however, I do my dipping on my patio / spray booth / wood shop where it was well over 100F at the time. So both making and using vinegaroon is a faster process. Might have just been the result of the high temperatures. Wet forming takes minutes! Cya! Bob

The leather was fine and the item turned a really dark brown from blue black. Obviously not the same problem you had with what was apparently a poorly tanned hide. The customer decided she actually preferred the color and kept the item. The bubbles can appear immediate if at all and are most likely the reaction of the residual vinegaroon and the bicarbonate. I did not suggest that one wait for the bubbles to stop, however I don't buy your "damaged leather" assumption. I find that for production work, if I am not using drum dyed, I spray two coats of stain diluted 50/50, takes about 5 minutes, a light oil, another couple of minutes then resolene 2 minutes and a spray wax finish of about 30 seconds. Total time under ten minutes. With vinegaroon the same product required significantly longer dry times, 3 or 4 heavy oilings, which is not inexpensive, and a lot of rubbing and waiting. I would guess 5 times as much time and effort as a spray coat of dye. In addition I buy my Feibings locally so no transportation and hazmat charges and cost per item is a fraction of what I spend on oil, even Costoco EVOO. No cost saving what so ever, unless of course, you work for free. I don't. Again I find the long (5-10 minutes) soak in Vinegaroon stiffens the leather and requires a lot more finishing work. Not cost effective. I do use it for "hobby projects" because it's fun to home brew. Cya! Bob