TwinOaks

Welcome to the single largest compendium of leather knowledge on the planet!!! Restrooms are down the hall, kitchen is over there --->, don't eat the donuts. We're glad you found us and look forward to helping you in your new addiction hobby. Please feel free to post your leather questions, and we'll do our best to answer them.

I think this may be part of the issue as well. If you have a sewing machine designed for 'Home Use' then it's probable that you don't have enough machine for the leather. There's a topic written by Wizcrafts that explains what type of machine you NEED for leather. It's definitely worth the time to peruse it.

With a machine I'd think the easiest and most consistent way to do it would be with a binding attachment. They mount to the machine and fold/guide the 'ribbon' of leather into place for the machine to stitch. I'm not sure where to direct you for the leather 'ribbon' - it will need to be a uniform thickness to work in a binder attachment. You may have to go with a manufactured leather product unless you intend to cut your own straps and split them (or outsource the work). On a small sized purse, I think you'd need easily 60" (30/side) for just the body. That could be one continuous strip, or a pair of belt blanks split down. Larger purses = more leather. Perhaps the biggest hurdle will be cost. You're looking to use only the thinnest part of the most popular section of leather - just the grain side. Not making any machine recommendations, but here's the first vid I could find to show a binder https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8GFjQfc-n0

Welcome to the best site on the internet! The answer to "how deep do I cut?" really depends on what you're trying to accomplish. If you're carving for something like a floral pattern, then you'll cut NO DEEPER than half the thickness of the leather. Filigree goes all the way through. Decorative cuts will vary- specifically, each cut will have increasing or decreasing depths as you taper out lines. Features that you want to really stand out will be cut a little deeper, small things that just need to be present don't have to be that deep- perhaps 1/8th or 1/4 the thickness. The notion is to get deep enough that you can compress the fibers on the grain side without tearing them (a blowout) on the flesh side when you tool.

They look to me to simply be scribed lines with tooling on either side of them. The tooling sets the background lower than the center, giving it a raised appearance. The reason for this line of thinking is that a bead is usually beveled on both sides for most or all of its length. The examples here are tooled...just not evenly beveled. That, and on the saddle, you can see the scribed line in the corners of the meander stamp (where it makes a spade shape).

check out the topic by Hidepounder (Bob Park) on edge finishing in the "how do I do that?" section. He describes how, as well as why his way works.

It's been a while (again) since I've been active on here, and wow, there's been some pretty major changes to the site! I haven't gone away, I've just been up to my eyeballs in everyday life in the physical world. Logging in today and seeing the changes brings up a pretty poignant issue for most of us on here: Making time to do the things we love. As any single parent will attest, time for ourselves just seems to disappear when so much of our time is spent on our kids, our jobs, and all the daily clutter - from bills, to groceries, to being a tutor at night, even being a referee in cage fights in the living room. I know it's not just single parents that deal with time issues, but hey, that's my perspective now. Being away from this site and from leather work in general has really brought home just how much I relied on the craft and the camaraderie from the folks here to help me find my center. So, to all my fellow crafters who seem to have more on the 'to do' list than minutes in the day, I want to offer some encouragement. Stick with it, even if it's a half hour a day, stolen from your hectic schedule. If you've been bit by the leather bug, keep scratching the itch...ignoring it just makes it worse!! This was all brought home to me when I stopped in a Tandy on Friday while running (yet more) errands. I walked in and the smell of the leather hit me- that deep rich scent, a touch of contact cement, and the scarcest whiff of dye solvent. Then I noticed a few people working on small projects, getting quiet pointers from employees and other people who were lending a mentoring moment. I was confronted with the realization that THIS is what's been missing. Since I'm beginning the process of relocating AGAIN, I'll likely still not be here as much as I like. Maybe in a few months, maybe more, I'll find my way back. I'll be trying to apply some wisdom that I shared with one of us....Chase your dream, and when you catch it....don't ever let go. And yes...I did walk out of that Tandy with a new side of leather. I will name it George, and I will hold it and pet it and squeeze it.:)

You might also try Dr. Jackson's Hide Rejuvenator

You could add a t-stat controlled heating element to one, sure. Or you could just have an all metal embossing plate that you heat independently, then place and press.

I left a few bucks in an unattended account some years ago, just to 'keep the account open'. When I tried to use it, it was frozen because of "suspicious activity". No problem...new account. Oh wait, I already have a paypal acct. linked to that email addy, so no paypal there. Okay, sure. New email addy, new paypal. I have to keep repeating: "It's just a game, It's just a game...."

Just about any thin leather would suffice...provided...that it's veg tan. While it isn't a guarantee of instant corrosion, there's a concern that some types of chrome tanned leather may cause corrosion over time due to the chemicals that *might* still be in the leather. There are other factors, such as the blade steel, any finishes on the blade, etc.

I think the manner of stitching will also depend on how you make the keeper. Instead of a butt joint, I skive the ends and make a lapped joint (glued, too). Then after stitching it, I just back tack to lock the threads down. BTW, curved needles come in handy for this type of sewing.

Enjoy your experiment

Or polyester strap.....poly often has little or no stretch.

First of all, Welcome to Leatherworker.net! Rubber cement is for temporary adhesion only. If you're going to be sewing something together you might as well use permanent cement. My preference is to use Weldwood contact cement. It's very important to follow the manufacturer's instructions with the cement (especially Ventilation). At first, I had a problem with 'squeeze out' and little globs of glue on the edges. Then I started following the directions of "...apply a thin layer [of cement] to both surfaces and allow to dry to a tacky film before placement...", and the problems went away. There are several brands of contact cement sold as leather cement, and I haven't seen any really negative results for any of them....I just chose Weldwood because I can pick it up locally (Lowe's / Home Depot).

The diameters of the two 1/4" punches I have are right at 3/8th". Every sized punch has a different diameter shank...but I don't have Weaver punches, so I can't speak on them. You might consider using a Jacob's chuck to hold the shank - that way you have an adjustable way to hold anything up to ~1/2" (common drill bit chuck size).

Thanks for the pattern!

To make that alteration, you simply need to find the center of the foot and drill it out to accept several sizes of stamping tool. 5/16" bore will handle *most* common tools. Once that's done, you need to add a set screw (I drilled and tapped all 4 sides) to hold the stamp in place.

I disagree with the statement "As for cutting round corners, it is impossible to cut round small corners with any knife....". I've seen it and done it too many times. That said.... If it's a really intricate pattern, you could cut it first with your swivel knife to get through the grain, then follow with whichever blade you use best to complete the cut through the flesh side. It will be a multi-pass cut, but I haven't seen any rules that state we HAVE to cut clean through something in one try.

You likely lost quite a bit of solvent...so maybe adding a little compatible solvent would....umm...."de-booger" it.

Lexol, or Dr. Jackson's hide rejuevenator.....but since it's likely garment leather, you should test in an inconspicuous place to check absorption. I haven't used Dr. J's, but I have seen Lexol sold/used for leather seats/couches/chairs (I conditioned some car seats)...which like many vests, is analine tanned leather.

I can and DO respect a quest for knowledge just for the sake of that knowledge. However, the depth of your research reminds me of something I've told my kids several times: " When you learn by your actions, including mistakes, it's called Experience. When you learn from the actions of others, especially mistakes, it's called Wisdom." Suggestion for your project: Call and speak with a person when ordering your leather (my opinion favors Springfield Leather) and order something with a soft hand/temper. Carve/tool, use a "Pro Oil Dye", and condition with neatsfoot oil or Aussie conditioner. Rub in a generous amount of carnauba cream from the flesh side (helps with suppleness), then (when all the conditioner has had a day to absorb/migrate) finish with a lacquer. As far as the scent...personally, I like the smell of regular ol' leather. If you use a scented oil, then efforts to 'refresh' the scent may eventually result in over oiling the leather.

In Keith's video, when he gets to the 'removal' segment, he's removing excess. There's still a tiny bit left in the nooks and crannies...which is what makes the effect.

It occurs to me that you've not stated what your project is. With the incredible compendium of knowledge here, perhaps your question should be "Which leather should I use for ____________________". This just seems an awful lot like learning to build a watch factory when all you need to know is the time.