billybopp

If the leather is thin enough ( about the range you're looking at) I don't use an edger. It's just too thin. I damp the edge, burnish, a little saddle soap and burnish some more. You just have to be careful to not put too much pressure when burnishing so that the edge doesn't completely roll down. That's usually enough to make it nice. Hope that helps Bill

A few pictures might be helpful .... And what SPI are the markers? Bill

The smaller the wheel, the slower the contact area with the leather for any given motor speed. Looking at what the folks that are selling these use (Weaver, Tippmann, and ebay, etc) they all look to be about 2" or so. I'd think that's where I'd start. ( I only chose 4" & 8" in the above post to show the numbers ... Just an example). Bill

I have a burnisher with a curved but fine point on the end. You have to burnish from front and back separately rather than both at the same time, but it works. Bill

... I knew there would be a heated tool and a turned edge somewhere in that mass of guesswork.

I use an Olfa circle cutter if the leather isn't over 8ish ounces. If I can't have a pin-prick hole in the center for some reason, I put a piece of scrap leather there to stick the center pivot point needle (or whatever you call it) into. They come in about three or four sizes .. I think I've got the smallest one that maxes out around 3 or 4 inches. Hope that helps Bill

It almost looks better than the original in recent years.

Really REALLY nice work! I've gotta try one of those sometime. Bill

Antiques are generally meant to be used as Monica said: To accentuate the detail and shading in carved and tooled leathers. Usually, you'd finish your tooling, possibly dye, apply a clear finish as a resist or an actual resist product selectively and then put the antique on thickly rubbing it into nooks and crannies and excess wiped off to allow the antique to remain behind in the low spots to dry there. A final finish is applied after all is dry. That being said, the Eco Flo gel probably makes a better leather stain than it does antique. It tends to discolor resist too much for my taste. I also seem to have a hard time sealing the eco flo gel to prevent dye ruboff with wetness / sweat. I've swtched to Fiebings antique pastes for my antiquing, but the gel still has it's place. In the end, it's all about what you like and what works for you! Hope that helps Bill

That's normal, and it's a good thing to have that little rolled up edge when sharpening. A very fine stone is the way to remove it before stropping. Check out this video on sharpening a round knife ... Same idea. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9NvllVNGcM Hope that helps Bill

The belts all look really great! I think I may have to make one for myself. But I have to ask: Where the heck did you find those fancy Chicago screws!? Bill

If it were possible to make the process shorter, don't you think they would do that? It's a HUGE amount of money sitting in the vats not making money for a long period of time. Other tanning methods are quicker, with different results. Look into brain tanning.

Keep in mind that the faster the motor runs with a given wheel, the more friction you create with the wheel. If you create too much friction, you may burn more than burnish. A smaller diameter wheel can help to compensate for a faster shaft speed. If you want to do the math, using pi*d for the circumference, an 8" wheel @1750rpm moves surface past the leather at 733 inches per second. A 4" wheel at 366 IPS, or half the running speed along the leather being burnished. While I can't tell you what an appropriate speed along the leather should be, it's something to keep in mind when you purchase a wheel. Hope that helps Bill

Conditioner and / or saddle soap might help. Then again, it might just be crap lace. I've run into a spool or two. Bill

That's how I'd do it, Glockinator ... Except that I'd mount the press beyond the edge of the table so that the lower skinny part sticks out. That greatly helps getting into tight places when needed. Bill

When I'm mixing dyes for a particular color, I use some plastic disposable eyedroppers that I bought at a hobby shop. I use a different one for each color of dye so that I don't cross contaminate the dye in the bottle...Even one for the dye reducer. I then use a small ceramic bowl or paint flower to mix them in. Just count the number of drops to get the ratio you need. The droppers are good for a couple dozen uses before the plastic is done in. But they're cheap and do the job! You might also see them labelled as "transfer pipettes". Can't wait to see your finished piece!! Hope that helps Bill

Edge kote is more of a glossy flexible paint than a dye. About the best use for it is putting a finished edge on leathers that do not burnish well. Bill

I wonder if something like clear nail polish would be good to prevent corrosion? Bill

I sometimes dye the back, and sometimes not. If you do not want dye on the back, you can put masking tape on the back to help protect it, or frisket film for larger pieces. The adhesive from the tape/frisket can sometimes pull up the grain to leave the back a little "hairier", but that can usually be resolved with some gum trag or tan kote and a glass slicker for larger pieces or just a regular wood slicker for smaller ones. Hope that helps Bill

Marvin looks awesome! But it looks like he's missing the Illudium Q36 explosive space modulator!! Seriously cool. Marvin has always been one of my favorite Looney Toons characters. Bill

Great work as always! Bill

For my part, I think I like the burr showing on this bag, especially since Joe did such a good job making them look smooth and even. It just adds something visually interesting to the bag. Perhaps a different bag design with more happening visually would do better with the head out. I wonder, does anybody know if the copper rivets will oxidize to green with time? If so, how would you prevent it? Also, has anybody tried "machine turning" or some other method to give these rivets an interesting texture? Just some thoughts ... Bill

Exactly 23 1/2 more parts and you have an entire machine. Bill

I just put in an order with Tandy for some stuff that I need in a hurry, and included a bottle of the Neutral Pro and Gloss. I'm not usually a fan of edge paint, but I'm curious how this will look! Bill

All three of the Stohlman case books are pretty good. They are best read in order, as they somewhat build on skills presented in previous volumes. Many of the demo projects are outdated (Polaroid camera case, etc), but the skills taught are still very much valid and useful. All three are downloadable from Tandy's Leathercraft library for $9.99US each at the moment. https://www.leathercraftlibrary.com/c-79-ebooks.aspx?pagenum=1 Hope that helps Bil