TwinOaks

First of all, Welcome to Leatherworker.net! Leather sheen is supposed to be a sealant. However, you may need to apply more than one coat to get the leather properly sealed. Also, depending on the type of dye that you use, you may need to buff the dyed project to get any unabsorbed solids off the face of the leather. Black (in many forms) is one of the worst colors for rub-off, or bleeding. Once it's buffed....it's not nearly so bad. So...how much buffing? Until there's no more dye coming off the surface. THEN apply your sealer, and do a couple of test pieces to see just how much you need. If you aren't happy with the 'Sheen....I also recommend Resolene. And if a trip to the leather store isn't in order, you can use Mop-n-glo.

Leather can be BOTH. In many instances, it is even more demanding than something like painting on canvas. We cut, stretch, bend, compress, and permanently deform our medium. In painting a picture if you get an "oops", you have the option to cover it. With leather, like sculpting in stone, once it's done, it's done. If you mess up, you have to start over on another piece

I think the amount of pressure you can apply is going to play a role in this. Every hot stamping machine I've seen (all two that I've seen at book stores, and the rest on google searches) has some sort of high pressure device. The stamp head is either gear driven, cammed, or pneumatic....which indicates that significant force is involved somewhere in the process.

Extremely well done, sir

It has been out of production, but is still being used in production...interesting twist. Parts are available through CampbellRandal, as are accessories. Needle/awl sets can be found through Pilgrim Sewing. I know because I have a narrow throat machine sitting in my friend's store down on the coast, and I looked up all the parts and pieces. The rollers for the cams on the back of the machine can be made from drill bit stop collars, and when the set screw is removed, it makes a nice little oiling port.

Yes, you can, but it will not be easy nor quick. You'll have to completely strip ALL the resolene, AND most of whatever color you used*. If you're going darker, then you may be able to just color over...but you can get hints of the other color showing through. The type of dye you used wil also be important. If it's spirit dye, then you have only the option to go darker. If it's ECO-dye, I'm not sure. If it's Eco- ALL-IN-ONE, then you probably won't be successful because that product also includes a finish. Products to try for resolene removal: Acetone, denatured alcohol, etc. Incidentally, you'll also need to recondition the leather after using harsh chemicals to strip it.

I take a little bit different route than most. Even on pieces that are sewn with my Boss, I "back tack" by hand, and use a saddle stitch. I have had regular backstitching come loose due to very high stress...I guess it's either a statement on just how strong the thread is, or how week the back stitch was. Since I started hand sewing the last few stitches to lock everything down, I've had zero problems, even in similar situations. I always add a half stitch so that the threads end up on the back of the piece, and just heat the thread nubs with a lighter and mash them down into the other threads.

http://www.academy.com/shop/pdp/smith-s-pocket-pal-knife-sharpener/pid-32498?N=300365095&Ntt=knife+sharpener&Ntk=All

There is also the feel of the thread itself to consider. I've felt both bonded poly AND nylon that was stiff and coarse....and other samples that had a soft hand to them. In the case of garment work, I suspect it's the softer hand of nylon that keeps it on the spools, as well as color assortment.

Separate a small piece of it and see how many cords there are. I hand sew with 3-cord (approx. 207 size thread) linen and that seems quite a bit larger....perhaps the equivalent of 416 size thread. While that would work, you'll need to sew it at around 4-6 spi to avoid perforating the leather, and even then it's going to appear rather stout. That looks very similar to the thread used in harness machines and shoe machines.

A note on blade shapes: You mentioned the round awl...that is typically used for marking, not stitching. A proper stitching awl blade typically has a diamond shaped cross section. This shape is critical in being able to position the angle of the stitches. If a round awl is used, you'll only have a hole - no distinguishable top or bottom, and that WILL effect how the thread lies in the hole.

I haven't looked at those particular hides, so this may not apply...but, burnishing really only works on veg-tan leather. If it's bag side, or any other type of chrome tanned, tawed, or oil tanned leather, you might be able to slick it (sorta), but it likely won't ever take a true burnish. ETA: I just took a look at them and they are almost certainly chrome tanned leather. You can sand, de-fuzz, smooth, burn, and paint them...but they won't take an actual burnish because they lack the oils, waxes, and fats (tallow) that veg-tan has preserved in it. You might be able to add something to them to make them lay down, but because the good stuff isn't IN the fibers, it won't be the same.

They're extremely rare, and worth THOUSANDS if you can get one in good condition!!! Sorry, just kidding (I think). I too am interested in what it is, and am looking forward to learning more about it-----just from an "info" perspective.

Yes, there is. Make sure the edge is fully supported - either stitching, glue, or just something placed on top of it, then wrap a cloth around then end of a flat tool (like a creaser/folder). Then, moisten the edge and run your cloth covered tool across it to burnish. If it's already on another piece of leather, you'll need to slide something like a file folder under the edge before burnishing. This is to prevent additional burnishing on the leather under the file folder.

You could print out the letters and trace them to the leather. Then cut, cut and tool, just tool....etc. Given the fine lines of that font, you might consider using just cuts for the fine work, and inverted carving for the thicker areas of the letters.

well, no, not really. That question has a single correct answer.....

If you're going to be posting the patterns you make from pics members send you, please make sure that the source image is neither ™ or ©. Other than that, this is a very generous offer....thank you.

It's generally recognized that there are only so many ways to wrap leather around things. Similarity in basic design, especially with something like an Avenger style holster is extremely difficult to avoid. Where you would run into trouble is if you start producing exact duplicates, including logo designs, or certain specific aesthetic design elements, and selling it. My default example of this is the Harley Davidson logo. If you make a tool roll and put a Harley-like shield on it for YOUR bike (for the sake of discussion) then you'd be okay. If you start making tool rolls, stamp them with a HD logo, and sell them as HD branded merchandise, you would start getting letters from attorneys.

have you sealed the leather yet?

An interesting take on learning from one of the master crafters is this: Each and every one of them, at some point, learned the basics of this craft. But it was only once they started out on their own and started doing things 'just a little differently' that their work began to stand out. That's not to say that they reached a plateau, but that the reached the limit of what their apprenticeship could teach them and then DID THEIR OWN THING. How do I figure this? Because if everyone was trained to do things ONE way, and never changed it, then we'd still have exactly the same type of leather work as 150 years ago. As far as "having hundreds of years of experience"....well, no. It might be a lifetime's worth of experience, but as each generation grew with advancing and evolving technologies, many of the old ways of doing something were "updated". Unless you are wanting to learn to make period pieces, with period methods, then ignoring all the improvements just doesn't make sense to me. For example, I can understand wanting to know how something was done back in yesteryear. But while making stamps from sticks or bronze might have been all the rage back in the day, I'd rather have a stamp made of steel so that it doesn't wear out. Other examples: Do you use a swivel knife? If so, why? Why don't you use a sharpened flat blade screwdriver the way Al Stohlman did when he started out? Do you hand sew, or use a machine? Do you purchase dyes or blend your own? Do you purchase oil/conditioner, or do you make it by distilling it from raw materials? Having improved tools and techniques does NOT equate to forgetting the past. If you want hundreds of years worth of experience, you are currently reading on a site that has exactly that...and more. It just isn't in ONE area. We have over 50,000 members here, and while some are newer than others, the number of members who have been at this for decades easily balances it out to figure at least one year's experience per member. That's over 50K years' worth. As far as the precision and dedication .... it isn't something you learn from someone else. You either have it, you develop it...or not.

If you KNOW it's going to see hard use and probably wet weather, I'd opt for something a little more water repellent. I've used "Sno-seal" on some sheaths, but there are other products. Without some research, I don't remember what all of them are, but you might check in the motorcycle gear section to see what's recommended for saddle bags, as those defintely need to be waterproof.

One of the best aspects of this craft is that there are very few 'hard' rules...and making your own stamps is part of it! Since you are limited by tool selection, I suggest seeing if there's anywhere local that does laser table work. You might be able to trade out some milling time for laser time? Use your machine to make the rough stamp sizes and all the hogging, then mount in a laser table for the detail work.

Welcome to the site! We look forward to seeing some of your work.

Kevin's way of doing this is to have a bound edge, which will hide the fabric at the edge. You can also stop just short of the edge by about 1/8th inch. Then, you only have leather meeting at the edges, and it's glued together. When you sew it, the stitch line should be in far enough to catch the fabric, and by stopping 1/8th" away, that should still give you plenty of room to sew close to the edge....just not ON the edge.