LTC

yeah that stuff is definitely for hand sewing. i don't think i would run waxed thread through my own machine. what make and model machine are you going to try this with?

you are digging the hole deeper now. unless you want to risk alienating a lot of potentially helpful folks on here, i would stop digging if i were you.

i bought a couple of these books (the japanese version) and they are really nicely done. the patterns are all in the back for each wallet shown also. the steps are relatively easy to follow along if you have some experience in leatherworking already. though there are some things they do that i don't understand because i haven't seen it done. one thing that i thought was interesting was it looks like they smear either gum tragacanth or something like it onto the flesh side of the wallets and then burnish it with a glass burnisher. i hadn't thought about doing that before. i generally line the wallets i make, but...i'm not sure how well that gum trag on there would work. anyway, there are a ton of pictures. but i do wish i could read japanese or knew someone that could read parts of it so i can understand what they're doing better.

yeah, i know their so-called "brokerage fees" are ridiculous. the cops in my area are actually required to have a college degree. probably just because they have a lot of applicants, so they can be picky i guess. Ed, that's a shame about how home depot treated you. i sure would rather someone like you had been there to help me today instead of the genius telling me to look for utility knives in paint.

so i went to Home Depot today to pick up a utility knife. i went to the tools/hardware section (in the tools section though) and the guy asks me if he can help me, so i told him i was looking for a utility knife that takes snap-off blades. so he goes, "oh...those are all over in paint. you'll have to go over there for those..." well. knowing he was wrong, i said, "ok, where are your utility knives?" he pointed me to them and went to them with me. just about as soon as i got there, i picked one up -- with snap-off blade installed -- and just held it and then looked at him. he goes, "oh." then, "well most of them are in paint..." at which time i pointed out five other different models of utility knife with snap-off blades in various sizes and said, "yeah. i guess that's why they're all over here." this wasn't some kid either...i figured he'd have had the knowledge or experience to know what he has in his department. and i know it was his department because i saw him helping other people (or directing them to go to paint) in his section while i was there. i mean, i guess it's fine for someone to not know what is in their section and all. but i sort of take exception to have been potentially sent on a wild goose chase because of it. i've worked at lowe's before -- in tools/hardware -- and since i was the one stocking the stuff, i knew where it was, but....i just thought the whole thing was strange. they should do a skit about it on SNL sometime...

nope. only place i've seen those actually in a store for sale anywhere was in japan. ....and never seen them available wholesale...pretty sure i haven't seen any like them made in the US.

yeah i've read the Park method of edge finishing several times and already own a pro-edge burnisher for my foredom. if you get a chance, could you please take a look at this thread i posted earlier today? i have many questions....maybe you have some answers? http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=55548&hl= thanks...

lol ok well at least i'm not the only one obsessed with my edges. hahaha do you only use veg tanned leather then?

what is your method for burnishing chrome-tanned leather?

thanks! i'll check it out....

ok well that is an option also. thank you for that. i will look into that.

ok, well i think i have read just about every thread i could find on here regarding edge finishing. including the .pdf from the master of edge finishing himself, Mr. Park. (and yes, the entire thread that contains the .pdf) still, i have some questions. i've been making wallets for a while now and while i was able to get some decent leather, i think it is chrome tanned and is difficult to get good edges on it. i read in some threads where some folks recommended DuraEdge and others where folks recommended Edge Kote. --- are these the same thing? --- if not, does anyone have pics showing what the finished edges of each look like? --- does one work better than the other? this would be for chrome tanned leather and i guess any other leather other than veg tan which brings me to my next question....... i've also read many threads discussing the differences between various leather types. i have quite a bit of veg tan right now that is decent quality, but i've also come across some other types that are quite thin and flimsy...i bought them to use mainly for lining wallets and such. i don't think it would work well to make wallets though, right? (i mean the thin leather) --- can someone tell me specifically what "case leather" is? --- how about "dyed through shoulder"? --- are these both types of veg tanned leather or something else? where is the best place to get these leathers? --- do the edges burnish nicely or do you have to apply some other substance to them to get the edges nice and shiny? --- if so, what is the best coating to use to do this and how would the burnishing process differ if using one of these substances? i searched for several days for answers to these questions, but was unable to find answers. i would be very grateful if anyone could answer these questions for me. i want to make nice, excellent quality wallets but the edges are just kicking my butt. i can finish edges on veg tan leather very nicely, but the better quality leather that looks better for wallets, not so much.

i do prefer US made if the quality is on par. i primarily just abhor asian-made tools because almost all of them i've seen are garbage. but yes, if the osborne is as good as VB, then great.

might want to try reading her last entry in this thread...right above yours...where she says she decided not to offer them. looks like you're about a year too late.

those VB ones are nice...maybe i will try to get one of those. thanks for the recommendation.

thanks very much for the very informative post there. that is some great historical info. i guess i can see where people (some anyway) might not like splitting a hide. for the things i make, i need thinner leather though, so need to at least be able to skive the edges. i'm mainly focusing on wallets, watchbands, small cases...things like that. i agree that the old tried and true tools are preferable (to me) than the newer ones that may or may not be made somewhere in a sweatshop in asia.

i have the black one and it doesn't work correctly. i'll have to look at it and see if i can see what part you said to file down to get it to work right. it's a shame people have to modify brand new tools from tandy just to get them to work the way they're supposed to work. i've seen the one on the right...i had a smaller version which is the one that the handle snapped on (because the smaller one was plastic). maybe i need to buy one of the metal ones... thanks again..

no, I was talking about the handheld ones. i'll look around. funny how someone can "not approve of" skivers with such conviction...maybe I need to rethink buying anymore of his tools then. sounds very silly to me. i happen to believe they can be useful in many circumstances...oh well... thanks for your reply

except they won't do that...they will charge a "setup fee" for that... that doesn't mean you're not going to be paying for those expenses. they are going to be included in the "overhead" i mentioned before...which is part of the expense you're going to find in getting these made...if you can find someone willing to do it.CNC machines are very expensive and they usually command a fairly high hourly rate. the reason for that is that they're going to be tying up their machines doing your project where they could make a lot more than you're offering to pay working on projects for people willing to pay more. 3d printing may be the only plausible way for you to get these made...not sure where you're going to buy wood filament though. i highly doubt you'll find anyone to make these for that price for the reasons we've all stated previously. good luck with it though.

...couple of huge factors you're not figuring in... 1. Time spent programming the cnc for your project 2. Overhead of the cost of the cnc itself, tooling, etc... my experience echos what others have said. i don't think you'll find anyone to touch this project for as little as you're willing to pay.

Can someone please recommend a good skiver? i had one with a plastic handle that worked fine...until the handle snapped. i have the tandy one and it's a piece of junk. even with a new, stropped blade, it doesn't work well at all. i'd like to find a nice, heavy-duty, metal one if possible. was hoping Jeremiah Watt made one...i have a set of his dividers and they are extremely nice...love using them. are there any good ones out there right now? or vintage ones i should look for? thanks for any info on what to look for...

yeah. the use of painter's tape to reduce stretching has been covered before on here numerous times. another suggestion discussed before was adhesive contact paper.

maul is the way to go and it's not just for deep tooling if your technique is correct and you use the right size maul, but anyway...

.....now you know why many of us save up for pricking irons.

no, you're not wrong. struck me the same way. i think instead of contributing to his kickstarter, i'll just contribute to myself. lol