billybopp

Fiebings leather dye and pro dye are both alcohol based. The difference is in the pigment which is oil based (synthetic) in the pro dye, usually giving more vibrant colors. - Bill

The tools in the first picture look to be mostly cordwainer/cobbler tools. The pliers at top right with hammer built in are Lasting Pliers. The pincers at top left are sometimes used to remove or cut off nails used in shoemaking. The anvil shaped tools at the left are irons, used to sort of smooth and polish leather sole edges and such. The curved awls aren't used too much in leatherwork other than shoe making / repair. I don't recognize the three tools near the center, but I'd guess the one that looks like a pricking iron is some variation of that. Either used to space out stitches or nails in one way or another. The flower on it looks to be an imperial chrysanthemum and is probably not a maker's mark. I don't know anything about the knives at the right, but it's probably a good guess that they are also involved. - Bill

One way to think about leather work is in two broad categories. Tooling/carving/stamping is more about decorative work, and could be 100% decorative such as a wall hanging - or added decoration to another "more practical" project. The other broad category is more about constructing items, which could be totally plain and simple. Simple and well made is an aesthetic all its own, after all! Both decoration and construction can have lots of variation in style which will dictate what tools you use. If I were training somebody, I'd start with constructions skills first. The good news there is that you likely already have many of the tools you'd need. Basic measuring and cutting tools. Tandy's tools are all over the place, some completely useless, and others not bad. As a rule, Weaver is better (I only have a couple of theirs, but they fairly good). I have a preference for vintage tools, which are generally quite good - if you find them in good condition (click the banner at the top of the page for Bruce Johnson when it pops up). There are also a number of folks out there making VERY good tools - For a matching price tag! Tooling is a pretty broad subject, but that is where some of the Tandy tools shine. They are not fantastic, but they are inexpensive (and often on sale). They are a good way to get a feel for the type of tooling that you like to do so that you can get an idea what better tools you should get later! A few years ago, Tandy were considered bottom of the barrel. Then along came the really cheap ebay tools from China - and we discovered just how deep the barrel really was! Tandy are now more middle of the road. Not that they've greatly improved. They are still good for an introduction to tooling. When you've figured out your style, replace them with something better, such as Barry King - sort of the low end of high end tools? Hope that helps! - Bill

LOL. Yeah. That does look terrifying! But that's how a lot of stuff was until relatively recently. The folks that designed and sold it trusted people would be smart enough to not put their fingers in the gears. Liability lawsuits weren't a thing. - Bill

Burnishing before dying the edge does lessen dye penetration, but that's not necessarily a bad thing since un-burnished edges tend to absorb more than the grain does - sometimes to the point of bleeding through from behind to the grain a short distance, which doesn't look so good usually! - Bill

I came across this article today, and thought it might be of some interest here, particularly for those old iron fans. It covers how the first sewing machines came about, how Singer came to dominate the market, and some of the social changes they brought about. https://www.bbc.com/news/business-50673541 Enjoy! - Bill

You might google plastic upholstery piping and see what turns up. It does exist - nice and smooth, I reused what was in my leather couch to repair it. - Bill

I think Springfield used to sell Chaylor interiors? Looks like they are a sponsor here now. Click their banner ad and see what they have on offer? - Bill

Sadly, there is not set rule of thumb for thread/needle/hole size that I've ever come across, other than the bigger the hole the bigger the needle and thread. And yes, there is an interplay of hole size, slant angle, thickness, thread size & thickness, and sewing technique. There's a lot going on in something that seems so simple. It is also worth noting that not all irons/chisels and awls are created equal! They need to suit your technique OR your technique needs to change to suit them. - Bill

Huh! You learn something new on here all the time! Good to know. - Bill

On youtube cechaflo does some good vids on felled seams. The second one is usually called a French seam but you might also see it called double felled. - Bill

Looking good, as always. You're really nailing the bar grounder! - Bill

The large circle looks to be a representation of an Aztec/Maya calendar stone - albeit not totally accurate. Here's an image of one that I found online - https://favpng.com/png_view/aztec-print-aztec-calendar-stone-mesoamerica-maya-civilization-png/8Dnxr30y Mexico, Central and South America have a long tradition of leather tooling, probably learned from the Spanish, who also have a great leather tooling tradition. I have a really nice old bag that is marked Honduras. The tooling is much simpler than your wallet is, but still pretty cool. - Bill

To my eye, that looks like chrome-tanned top grain embossed leather, but it can be very hard to tell for sure. There is a blue tinge to the center of the leather which points to chrome tanned. Leather doesn't usually have that pebble grain finish naturally, so it is most likely embossed (very common). The grain looks to be relatively loose, so as @YinTx mentioned that could indicate belly leather, but again it's hard to tell. As @DJole points out, marketing terms for leather can be pretty misleading. Check out this blog by @nstarleather - He KNOWS leather, and his family have been in leather manufacturing for 50 years. There is some GREAT information here - https://nstarleather.wordpress.com/2018/05/31/the-grades-of-leather-hierarchy-youve-probably-read-about-is-a-myth/ My take on this is that it doesn't really matter too much what the leather is on this case. It doesn't need to be top quality since it is not structural, and is really just there to look nice! - Bill

That looks great! Now, are you on the naughty list or the nice list? Is it big enough for a round knife? Ho ho ho

Maybe they are having a party with all the socks that get lost in the laundry? I kind of wonder why there isn't somebody out there making these parts. The market is probably not big enough to go into castings, etc - but with the advent of small CNC machines, and such, it seems like these parts could be made on a piece by piece basis and still make some amount of profit. If I had the gear, I'd give it a try! - Bill

nfo is short for Neatsfoot oil. (not neatsfoot compound) - Very useful stuff in leather work in a number of ways. My preferred edge finish is a quick burnish with water and maybe a little saddle soap - then dye as needed. A light burnish first helps keep the dye from oversaturating, as it sometimes does on a raw edge. That's followed by a more thorough burnish using Tokonol, and maybe a little beeswax after that. Tokonol makes a beautiful edge, but for some things it's a little too shiny, beeswax knocks that shine down a bit. I do use a 50/50 beeswax/nfo mix (melted together in a jar in a water bath) as an overall finish for some items, if needed melted in with a hairdryer. It makes a very nice finish - not too glossy, not too matte, and water resistant. - Bill

Just be sure, if that is a metal pipe, cover it with plastic wrap or something. Leather can interact with metal, particularly iron, and stain. - Bill

Hi Tony, All the above is true, and typical of emerging economies. Many of us are old enough to remember when Japan made cheap junk. I remember getting a small wind-up toy as a child that said on it "Made in USA" - A neat little trick they used to help hide what they were really making - We found out much later that there is a city in Japan named USA. They were buying scrap drink cans from the US and turning them into toys: If you opened one up you might find a Budweiser label on the inside! But that changed over time and Japan started making some of the best stuff around. China is now in the same sort of transition and starting to make some quality stuff. The hard part is knowing what you are getting. Japan had known brand names, China does not yet have brands that are known quantities. So, when we order something, we don't know what we are getting, leading many to avoid ordering altogether. Further, many that want US made hardware(or English, or whatever) do so because we want to support our own economy and not somebody else's as much as we do for quality products. - Bill

Congratulations on your new machine, I'm a little jealous. I don't yet have a leather sewing machine, but have been using home machines for years. My Mom and Grandmom made sure that I knew the basics of fabric sewing growing up, and I even have my Gran's little Singer Bantam that I can use for basic stuff. Hemming pants, making bags, fixing stuff and whatnot. I'm really glad they taught me to be independent that way. Lots of good advice above! But I'd add: While I don't yet have my own machine, I do follow what folks post on here to prepare for the day when I have a real workspace so that I can get a leather machine! One of the things that was recommended on here some time ago was Al Bane's Youtube videos on sewing basics with a Cobra Class 4. While that's not the machine that you have, he does show a lot of basic skills and exercises that should be helpful to you! The principles are the same, even if machine details are not. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhhAV7nVLSY If you are looking to do upholstery(specifically automobile), Cechaflo's Youtube videos might be a good watch for you ... https://www.youtube.com/user/Cechaflo/videos And if you're looking to do bags and such, Arthur Porter's Youtube videos might be a good watch for you ... https://www.youtube.com/user/MrDallas1953/videos Hope that helps! - Bill

Additionally, a 90 deg inside corner is far more likely to tear than a rounded corner, even if executed perfectly. - Bill

I have yet to run into a dye that has anything to clog an airbrush. Can't hurt to filter it, tho. - Bill

@azarl given your situation, I think I'd consider one of two things to try first: A further speed reduction using your current servo, or contact your Cowboy dealer and see if they can come up with a hand-crank for your machine. Or, even better, if they can come up with a MUCH bigger wheel for the handcrank, that would also drastically slow down the machine when using the servo: Best of both worlds! Just some food for thought! - Bill

Figure out what how big the largest item you'd like to shoot will be. Add about 25% or 30% to that. You don't want your items to be TOO close to the edge or top - and something always seems to come along that is bigger than you anticipated! You can shoot smaller items in a bigger box, but it's really hard to go the other way 'round. Search Amazon for Photo light box or Photo light tent. Most all of them are collapsible and don't take up much space when not in use. There are two basic types, hard sided ones which usually have the light built in. I have a small one of these, the drawback is that the built in LED lighting is a little "hard" - and that's OK for some things. I also havIe a much larger one 48", I think that is a fabric popup light tent, which I got with a lighting kit that has two daylight balanced continuous fluorescent lights on tripods, meant to shine onto the sides of the box for a very diffuse light. I like that one more for most uses. Mine is Neewar brand light tent, and it works just fine. I do wish I had a couple more lights with it, and wish I had LED lights rather than fluorescent (LED was still pretty pricey at the time). Folding that one is a little tricky at first, but you get the hang of it after a few tries. Hope that helps! - Bill

In a finished product, I'd look for any or all of the flaws listed above for stated. There are cases where some of the leather flaws might not be a factor as @battlemunkylisted above might be fine for certain types of items. They can add character in some items. Other items, not so much. The leather should fit the product! Things to look for would include: Are the edges even, or were they left uneven and sloppy. Were the edges finished for an elegant product? They MIGHT be left raw for something more rustic, which would be fine. Are the parts consistent and even, or are they sloppy? Are THOSE edges finished appropriately for the product. Is the stitching a consistent distance from the edge and straight? Are the stitches neat and consistent, or are they uneven and not all lying properly? Did they make the stitching nice and square on a corner that is square, or just sew right around the corner because that's easier. Is the dye on the leather a consistent color? Uneven dye might be fine for a rustic item, but it wouldn't be so on a dressy wallet or belt. Did they use the right type and thickness of leather for the product? A wallet made from thick leather inside and out can get awfully chunky and heavy, which might be fine for a rugged wallet, but not for an elegant one. We could go on about flaws to look for, and I'm sure that others have more ideas to add to the list. But this list should get you started on some things to look out for. A few are absolute no-nos for ANY product, but it's mostly more about what is appropriate for the product. To add a little more, I used to have a friend that worked for a place that made leather seats for auto makers. He told me that BMW was MUCH fussier about the quality of leather and work in general than was Cadillac, which was pickier than Chevrolet. The quality and level of finish matched the level of the finished product. - Bill