JerseyFirefighter

You do not need to have the ram of the press drilled and tapped to accurately press stamps into leather. That standard harbor freight press has square stock for a ram that can be lined up and stamped easily, quickly, and evenly. I have used craftool stamps, custom delrin stamps, and cnc'd brass stamps with great effect. I had recently purchased the tandy arbor press without the stamp attachment and it does not work like the cheap one does. I will have to get the stamp attachment for it to do the things that the $60 harbor freight press does without modification.

Just a vintage rotary cutter. Regularly sold in craft shops.

MD! Yes. emboss, dye, oil, paint, finish with resolene. I use to use a 50/50 resolene water mix airbrushed in two coats to keep a mellow gloss. If you happen to be going to the MD State Firemen's Convention in June, Stop by Ridgeway Leatherworks and we can talk shop. Always happy to speak to another fire leather guy face to face.

I forget what the dual sided edge finisher cost, but it was ridiculous compared to the $50 dye box. Going from hand finishing with a dauber for fifty dollars is a no brainer. Much cleaner for me as well. Then again I only use black dye for the edges and it's not conducive for cleaning. I just use what I have in the box and forget cleaning the applicator sponge. Ill buy a new one if/when it becomes an issue. 6 months and no issues.

I would be all over that. There's nothing like getting a new machine like that and realizing how much time youre saving and that the purchase was completely worth it. For me the top four would be the clicker, the sewing machine, the 4 sided edge beveler, and the heritage dye box. I increased my capacity ten fold.

I have the same problem. Ive got around 20 bellies and about 7-8 contractor bags of scraps I KNOW I can make use of clicking out key fobs and such, but I certainly dont need a thousand key fob blanks sitting around either

That's a pretty cool idea. Let me know how it works out.

I've never had any success with backing off the presser foot pressure on my ferdco either. One of those minor annoyances I have come to accept in life. Still curious on further insight.

General tools being (but not exlusively) Utility or exacto knife (with plenty of spare blades) A interchangeable punch set or rotary punch to get you different sizes. A solid work surface inclusive of a granite slab or steel plate for pounding. A cutting board or heal-able cutting surface to extend the life of your blades and save whatever you'd otherwise be cutting on. Hardware....hardware.. buckles, rivets, keeps,.. If you have a tandy near you at least you can check out the goods first hand until you know what type of hardware you will need on a regular basis. Leather, leather, leather. Learn from your mistakes (more than we all care to admit) practice on scraps, and welcome to an awesome new hobby/venture.

Thanks for the replies! Ill order them all and toy around. Id like to get it as close as possible, but the more responsible route is to just givem 3-4 choices and go from there. I almost had her sold on some pre-dyed bridle tan I stock too.

So I was asked to make some groomsmen gifts for very close friends. Belts to be precise, however just like most they have an idea in their mind and use visuals to represent what they want. Although I have a fair amount of dye I lack in the brown department. I was going to just buy all of the close samples until I got to about $50 and pumped the brakes. Could anyone narrow this leather color dye down to 3 or 4 browns. Perhaps its the lighting of the pullup of the leather but am I overthinking this and its just a brown/med brown leather dye? I will dye samples and let them choose from what I have. Im making smuggler's belts for them which I thought was a pretty cool idea. The retailer that sells this labelled the color "Tan Glove" which obviously doesnt exist in the dye world (at least from what ive seen) Thank you for your input.

That's pretty cool. Im sure I can find a US variant, but I always wanted to a extra custom project like that. Thank you.

Thanks. Could you elaborate on who "they" were by chance.

Thank you for your response. I cant be certain what type of metal it is. Id venture to say its a gold plated steel. I dont suppose its a big deal to omit them from the design, however if it were possible I would have loved to include it. I think its a cool idea to convert certain charms into conchos, but seeing how it isnt so common there is likely a reason for it. Im guessing your answer would be one of the main culprits.

I'm curious to see if anyone has ever turned a necklace charm into a concho. My particular curiosity stems from these two dog collars I am donating to a local PD's K-9s. They have these little badge charms that were given to the officers that had asked if they can be incorporated into the collar. I assume maybe a jewelry repair place might be a good place to look into. Just thinking out loud and wondering if anyone has ever added a screwback onto something similar. Thank you in advance.

"Customer service wasn't concerned at my dissatisfaction" I have to say that this has never been the case in my dealings with SLC. Sure there has been a few posts here and there that discuss SLC's idea of A or B grade H.O., but they have always worked out any issues over the phone without hesitation. Just my two pennies.

Same with the cheap sets of chinese strap end punches. I have to bang a few back straight every now and then. I've been trying to muster up the courage to spend $450 for each round and english point set from Weaver....but that damn cheap set wont die just yet.

I use the heritage dye box... I agree it soaks in quick, but doesnt stop from rubbing on anything and everything during the first 15 mins... then on the hands only after that for the next 4-6 hrs.

I mean messy as in dyeing the edge with pro oil dye and then straight to the burnisher. Die all over your hands, the project, etc. I do everything else similar except I used a sponge to wet it, and a mix of glycerin soap and beeswax or paraffin to give it a waxy finish.

I wonder how a heritage dye box would do with the gum trag. $50 cant go wrong. Thay sounds ridiculously messy no?

That is a fantastic video. It certainly gives more depth to the work and care that go into your products. Not to mention your work seems to speak for itself. I'm afraid if I tried anything close to this, it would look more like something that made the cutting room floor of a kindergartener's youtube video.

Hello Gregg. It was me you were speaking with. I had never received the diagram and unfortunately my messages left the following days with the nice lady at the desk were never returned up through Friday (to which you were out of the shop) hence this post

*looks over at my mistake pile* Hard pass on Cordovan

Thank you for doing a little bit of digging. I cant really speak to any changes in operation as i've kept sewing to a minimum since I have discovered its absence. What I did notice when I was using it was the very loose pull of the bobbin thread and subsequent "tinking" sound the bobbin made jostling around in the hook as the machine worked. Im certain it came with the spring as I've loaded my bobbins for the past year at anywhere between 6 and 10 o'clock positioning of the hook and the bobbin has always sprang out of the hook slightly at any position. (well that and i've had it fall out on me once prior). I would prefer it to be kept as was from the dealer for future servicing purposes.

I cant say for certain, however he may be taking phone orders only. I was planning on calling tomorrow. To touch base and likely to place another order.