Hilly

I have a Consew 206rb5, and even with a servo motor, it groaned when sewing anything thicker than 1/4 inch of veg tan. I bought a heavy leather stitcher from Steve, and never looked back! The Consew still has it's place though! It works great doing leather (and fabric) upholstery and biker leathers.

Thanks a lot, guys! That clears up that mystery What's a good weight leather to use to make a guitar strap? Would you line it? If so, what do you prefer to use for lining?

I'm not a guitar player, so I don't have a clue... Can someone please post a pic, and describe how this 2 piece guitar strap goes together? It's the PDF file in the first reply. The only guitar strap I ever saw was a one piece nylon webbing kinda thing, that adjusted like a nylon dog collar.

You can use a lifter from Barry King Tools (6th row down, center photo). Well worth the money.

Hi Amanda. Welcome to the best place on the internet! I recommend getting the book "The Art of Hand Sewing Leather" by Stohlman. The "Art of Making Leather Cases" series (also by Stohlman) is another must have if you ever plan on making any type of case. The projects are a bit dated, but the info is still sound for construction basics. I also recommend looking through old posts here; especially in the "Getting Started" section. And never be afraid to ask questions. There are so many helpful and friendly people here who are willing to share what they know. Good luck, and enjoy the addiction craft!

I know Leatherworker.net is not an attack site. I just wondered why all the annoying messages? Now I know, and it's already stopped. I dumped IE a while back, and have never looked back. Too many security issues with it. I run with Firefox exclusively. And thank you so much Johanna and others who work to keep this the best place on the web. I really appreciate all you do for us!

I keep getting this message on this site. What's up with this? What can I do to stop these annoying messages? I haven't changed any settings on my computer since the last time I was here, and it worked just fine.

You don't have to give up anything. Just take 2 pills in stead of 1, and replace that last slice of pizza with a 12 pack of beer!

You can make a fine awl blade out of a bicycle wheel spoke.

You might also try your local library. They sometimes have books on leatherworking.

Huh?

I just did a general search for =1"]"Don101" , and a bunch of his posts came up.

You can use whatever you feel comfortable using, as long as it's sharp enough. Many people use utility knives. Some use scissors, some use scalpels, and some use a head/round knife. The bottom line is the same: It just has to be wicked sharp.

Wow, I haven't seen Heckle or Jekyl in a LONG time! Your skull dude needs his teeth cleaned. They're looking a bit stained after smoking those cigs... You're off to a good start there. Thanks for sharing and keep posting!

Yes, leather is a medium! Any liquid the consistency of milk or thinner can be sprayed through an airbrush. You can spray Fiebings dyes through an airbrush, as well as eco flo dyes. I would stay away from the Eco-Flo dyes for anything that is used out in the elements. You can buy inexpensive airbrush/hose/compressor/regulator sets through harbor freight (to name just one source) You might also want to try a Prevail Sprayer (Google is your friend), and see if it's something you'd use. For larger items such as saddle bags, I'd use an HVLP (high volume, low pressure) gun. These cover larger areas evenly, and quickly, and can also be used for shading edges. Just make sure you have the proper solvent/cleaner for the type of liquid you are spraying. Keeping the sprayers clean is as important as knowing how to use them. There have been a few threads on this topic here on L.W. You might try doing a search to learn more. Hope this helps a bit. Almost forgot: Make sure and get at least one good moisture trap to use with any kind of sprayer that runs off of a compressor.... (don't ask me how I know this).

That's some really beautiful work! If the seat stays natural, I'd use lace the same color as the seat. That way it won't take the eye away from the tooling on the seat, but it will still look awesome. I'd leave the decorative lacing off this one, too. Just my $0.02.

If you are using prewaxed thread, rub it vigorously between two layers of plain brown paper. It will melt the wax, and send it deeper into the thread, while at the same time remove the excess wax from the thread. You can dye your own thread (white unwaxed linen thread), and dye it any color you like. When it's dry, simply rub it on a cake of beeswax, and then use the method I described with the brown paper. You can use fabric dyes, or leather dyes. Or you can simply click on this link , and order prewaxed linen thread in many colors and weights. You can order a sample card that will show you every color they sell, and you can see how thick all the different weights are. Hope this helps.

How close to the edge is a matter of personal choice. The edging and cuff are sewn right sides together, then the lining is folded around to the back side and glued down near the edge. Then turn the work over to the front side, and stitch it right next to the edging, through all thicknesses. Turn over and trim away the extra edging very close to the stitching on the backside with a sharp knife or an edger. If you look closely at the cuff photo, you can see the stitching right next to the edging on the front side... You don't need to oil anything if it's thin enough. I'm guessing Kevin used something like lambskin lining, which is somewhere between 1 and 2 oz in weight. You could do the same thing with pigskin lining. Kevin is very talented when it comes to sewing fine detail!

That looked like a pricking iron to me. He was using it on some thin leather, so maybe it did punch all the way through?

Have you ever tried Wickett&Craig leather? You can buy directly from the tannery without paying a middle man. You have to buy 8-10oz. sides and have them split (no cost) to the thickness you want. The only disadvantage is that the price is the same for 3-4 oz as it is for 8-10 oz. They also have different grades to choose from, depending on your needs. Also, did you return the leather you were unhappy with to SLC? Did Kevin make things right with you? I've ordered Herman Oak from them and have been happy.

The Tandy website may have a grape vine in their free patterns section. For hops, try doing a google image "hops line art" search, and see what comes up.

Tandy used to have them. I don't know if they still do, but they are very cheaply made. You are much better off buying 3 ring binders with good quality guts, and drilling out the rivets, and re-using them in your projects. The ones from Tandy don't hold up very well IMHO.

I second Bruce's opinion about the video by Jeremiah Watt. It's an excellent video!

USPS has some large envelopes for mailing stuff like calendars, etc., and they are excellent "little hammock" material! They don't rip, and you can find used ones lying around your house.