Canuck

My dad lives 7 hour drive from me so I'm not in his shop to supervise. However I think he is using a bench grinder with a sharpening jig. I don't think it takes much to put an edge on it. I have used it to cut 8/10 weight leather as well as garment an so far clean easy cuts. I'm not sure how a it would stand up to a true clicker press. With a manual press you can gage how much pressure is needed and you can hear that distinct scrunch sound when the die has cut through the leather.

My father is in the process of making some dies for me. We are recycling old band saw blades. The wrong side of the blade is sharpened He mounts a plywood template of the pattern to a 3/4" plywood base. He then form fits the bandsaw blade around it. He pins the blade to the template and then sandwiches it with the negative template cut out. Glues some foam rubber inside and I have an economical die. I use a 3 ton arbor press that I have modified. I attached a 12"x12" x1.5" steel plate to the ram of the press. I have a thick nylon cutting surface. So far it has worked out well. For limited production I think it will hold up. I will report back later on the success or failures of this project. Cheers Robert

Here's a style that I make out of 2 oz leather. Inside is a pocket for a PDA or cell phone, a money clip as well as a bank card dispenser. It is based on a "Rob Roy" design so it is meant to be made out of soft leather. I make a braided sporran strap instead of the regular chain style strap that can damage a kilt.

I make sporrans, not too hard to do, a little time consuming. The one you have pictured. the back and the flap are one piece. made from 6-8oz leather and lined with garment leather or 1.5-2 oz leather. You can glue the lining leather to the heavier. They are about 7" wide and 8-9" high. The front piece is identical to the back minus the flap and an inch or so for the bend. Sew a gusset 2-3" wide to join the two pieces. Make tassels. Basically the same construction as a ladies purse. You will also need a belt loop on the back for a sporran strap

I deal with Harness hardware all the time. I live 35 minutes away from them. Great bunch of guys in the heart of Mennonite country. A lot of their stuff comes from China now. They have made some things for me, and I was very pleased with their work. Good prices too!

Thanks Bruce, I do have a guide. It's a sliding arm device. I will check out the websites you suggest. Cheers Robert

I have recently acquired an electric skiver. It is made by HART and built in Rotterdam Holland. It is similar to a fortuna(sp). I am trying to figure out how best to operate this machine with regards to setting it up properly to do clean skives. Does anyone have generic instructions of electric skivers that I could get a copy of? There are two control knobs in the front of the machine. The left one is for the sharpener. The right is attached to a worm gear that moves the cylinder cutter close to the feed dogs. The presser is concave (No roller) and there are screws to adjust the camber, On the far left are two knobs that adjust the camber of the feed dog. Any hints would be greatly appriecated. So far I have been going on trial and error. Thanks Robert

Thanks Gents. I have a good feeling I will be learning a lot from here. Have a grand day

I stumbled across here looking for information on clicker presses. I manufacture contemporary kilts made from denim hemp and leather. I also make sporrans and belts out of leather. http://www.rkilts.com always willing to learn more about leather craft. Cheers

Here is the link for the clicker press. http://lucris.com/index.php?option=com_fro...ge&Itemid=1 they are for sale on ebay but do cost a considerable amount. Currently $1200 US. I use a 3 ton arbor press. ($100) I got a longer handle (40") 1" round rod. I made a base by laminating four 12" squares of 3/4" plywood. I put a 12"x1/2" nylon cutting board on that. As mentioned in previous posts it's also advisable to have a thick piece of steel to evenly distribute the pressure over the die. I use 1 1/2" steel. I'm cutting billets and straps as well as ranger belt components. 6-8 oz leather is realatively easy. 8-10 oz takes a little more effort. I found that a quick downward thrust, replicating a clicker action works best. You have to make sure the arbor press is bolted down well to a workbench. I have since modified the press. I now have a 12"x12"x1.5" piece of steel attached to the ram. I slide out the nylon cutting board place the leather and the die on the board then slide it back into place then drop the ram. I'm pleased with the results. You may want to check with the die maker how much pressure is required for the die to work properly. The more intricate the die and size will determine the size of clicker press you will need. All the best