TwinOaks

Levi, welcome to Leatherworker.net! Though you're excited to get started on your leather projects, nothing will ruin a project faster than rushing through it. Some things, especially in the finishing dept. take time - like letting a finish dry between coats. Proceed at a steady pace and if you run into a snag, stop and ask some questions...we'll be happy to help where we can. Regarding the Craftool selections: Much of what Tandy sells is adequate for hobby and amateur leather workers. For most simple stamping jobs like a camouflage border, the craftool stamps are fine, and at low prices you can afford to get more than a handful to try out. However, my personal experience is that the stamps used in repetition patterns (basket weaves, and geometric) suffer from a lack of quality control. Keep in mind I stopped buying Tandy stamps about 2 years ago, so the quality may have improved. What I found was that the stamps were not uniform, they were poorly chromed, and many were poorly cast. The chrome issue can be side stepped by burning it off, but one shouldn't buy stamps with the expectation that they must be 'worked on' before acceptable results are achieved. That's not to say you shouldn't modify them, only that you shouldn't HAVE to. There are several good alternatives, with one of the most economical being the Pro-crafter (I think) tools available through HideCrafter. The really nice tools are typically hand made from solid steel (some blued, some stainless) instead of zinc, and will last several lifetimes if cared for. Just be prepared for the sticker shock of upwards of $50 per stamp. Not stamp set...per stamp. With the craft set you ordered, there should be a few tools with it. Look closely at the construction of the stamps and the impressions they make on the leather. Let that be your guide to determine if you want to spend more per stamp, or just get more stamps. This hobby has a tendency to eat money fast, so having a few inexpensive tools to learn with is not a bad idea. If the impressions are good enough for what you do, then spend the extra money on other items. If not, well......just how much do you want to spend on tools for your new hobby?

I haven't used elephant, but I have had minor issues with stringy flesh NOT holding like I want. While it seems to bond well, all those loose fibers tend to pull away from their base hide under stress....even with a good contact cement. While you can stick the fibers to another piece, if the fibers themselves aren't 'held in' well, then the bonded flesh side will just peel away from the hide. The only way around this that I know of is to skive down past the junk fibers to get to good hide. There's a couple of options, from skiving machines to splitters (best option, IMO) to sanding to hand skiving. Try to at least get rid of all the really stringy stuff. I've even used an electric clipper to remove some of it, which mostly worked, but ended up scrapping the whole section because I couldn't get a uniform cut. For just a trim piece, grab a skiver and a REALLY, REALLY, REALLY sharp blade and start shaving it (RAZOR sharp is a good starting place). If you can get the nap to under 1/8th inch, you can probably glue from there. Hopefully, you'll get to some good leather.

Don't forget that it would be the best of both worlds to have a cylinder arm machine with a flat bed table attachment. Something like the Cobra 3, or Cowboy 3500 would be more than capable of handling wallets due to the feed mechanism. It also has plenty of 'room' under the arm for other leather goods, should you find yourself expanding to work on purses or bags. As a general rule, it's always a good idea to get a bit more machine than you think you'll need.

I hate to see that you over cooked the holster, but really, that type of lesson is the type that sticks with you the best.

I picked up a used Boss from another member here, and even in the 2-4 projects/ week range, it paid for itself in about 3.5 months. I am looking forward to a powered machine for things like belts and rifle slings, but for now....the Boss is sitting on the corner of my work table. There's only been a few items I haven't been able to sew with it, due to the throat size. One of the things I did to make mine more stable was to mount the sewing machine to a base I made from wood. I bought a 12 x 48 piece of wood from Lowes, cut the board in half, drilled the bolt holes, and mounted the machine to one piece. The second piece became the bottom of the base, complete with felt pads to prevent scuffing. The result is that the machine is still portable, but can be placed on a counter/table top even without the clamps (but they're still recommended). There's additional room behind the machine that makes a great little mounting point for the accessories box. One of the best things I've done is mount a small eye screw behind the machine and use a small bungee cord to tension the thread for the first stitch. One downside to MY machine is that either it doesn't like adjustments, or I haven't figured it out. I've pretty well settled on a thread thickness, and stitch length and that's where it stays. Material thickness dictates tensions, but most of my stitching can be adjusted with only the primary tensioner.

Good to hear. That means you should be pretty adept with your machine, and with the 'hold the thread' tip, you should be sewing holsters in no time.

practice on scrap first.........

It's called a box stitch, and can be done with no welt. You're effectively just sewing at an angle through two pieces of leather. What you are viewing as the side and edge stitching on the case, is actually the top and bottom stitches. Check your PMs if you haven't.

My post was in reply to this: ....unless I misunderstood the gist of "it is the beginning one that I am now messing up on..."

Pull off 6-8 inches of thread from top and bottom and HOLD them when you start. You'll need to hold the tension for several stitches, then you can let go of them. That initial tension is critical to keep from pulling the threads through to one side or the other.

Yes, Ray, biscuits at 11:35 (prep + bake time). They were wonderful with real butter and honey.

It will depend greatly on what type of sewing machine it is, if it still works correctly, etc., etc. If it's a machine that can handle the sewing (thread and needle type), you could always just hand turn it until you can get a suitable motor for it. To directly answer the question, I both hand and machine sew. It depends on the item. Most of my hand sewing is on small items with close tolerances. My Tippmann comes to bear when I'm doing sheaths and holsters, long runs (belts), or other thick items. Since I seem to have one of the finicky ones that doesn't like to be repeatedly adjusted, I have set everything to my thicker thread and leave it at that. For small things, it just isn't worth the time to reset things.

Though, unrelated to beeswax, here's a snippet of conversation (as related in the tales of family lore) between my aunt (when she was about 6) and my grandmother regarding making buttermilk biscuits: A: How much flour do you put in? G That depends on how many biscuits you're making. A: How much shortening do you use? G: You use shortening according to how much flour you put in. A: Well, how much buttermilk do you use? G Get out of the kitchen. P.S. I'm rather upset that after reading this thread I have a sudden overwhelming craving for fresh buttermilk biscuits.....and, yes, my wife is looking at me strangely because I'm about to make biscuits at 11 P.M.

Sometimes pre-waxed threads are a little heavy with the wax. I buy mine from Hobby Lobby (On-a-String brand) and it's pretty consistent. Occasionally I'll run it through the beeswax block if I find a section that feels a little dry. If it seems too waxy, by all means, run it through a bag/cloth to remove some of it. I've seen waxed thread so stiff that it would stand out from the project, and I've seen it so dry that it was brittle. It may just depend on who was running the machine on the day that particular spool was wound. That's one of the nice things about this hobby - nothing says you have to use any product just the way it is*. Modify it to your liking. As an aside, I'll presume that you're only using about 3 feet of string at time, right? Pulling more than that through all the holes leaves the 'front' (at the needle) looking a bit ragged, while the starting point looks much fresher. That can make a significant difference in the appearance of the stitches. *except for warnings about using any federally regulated stuff that says "It is a violation of federal law to use this product in a manner inconsistent with its labeling". Gots ta follow da rules!!!

That's a grid cut with a swivel knife, then stamped with a seeder at the intersections.....or it's a seeder stamped in a grid and connected by swivel knife cuts. Kinda depends on how you look at it. After the cuts and stamping, it looks like a little antique got down in the depressions, but it may just be dye.

Sounds like the leather to me. If it's THAT flimsy after the 'roon, chances are it was a piece of rolled leather that was compressed and had a glued/matted back. I think any significant exposure to liquid would have yielded similar results. I've never had 'roon do anything it wasn't supposed to, and it's practically all I use for black anymore.

Josh, if you do decide to use one, you can use a t-nut or a chicago screw. Add a rubber grommet for a spacer between the pieces of leather. You can also use a cup washer on the front to widen the area of the screw's pressure, and to look better.

Welcome to Leatherworker.net!

yeah, this one is done...............

Short answer is yes, it can lose potency. If there's still some metal in the container, add a little vinegar and it should revive it.

click and drag it to the 'new tab' button, and it will open in the new tab at a viewable size. Absolutely fantastic work, Johnny. Is that a result of the dyeing method (intentionally streaked), or did the leather just take the dye like that (character of the leather)? Standard upload size for pics should be 800x600, which allows for those with slower connections to be able to see it easily.

Given the cost of needles vs. the time to heat, harden, temper, and resharpen..............just order another pack of needles.

South Alabama here, I'm interested. Can you give us some specifics on what you're looking for? That would help us out.

Glad to hear you got it sorted out.