Kevin

Calanneh, If only I were that clever, I would love to do that for you. I can handstitch, I can run some sewing machines, I can loosen and tighten nuts and bolts, but I don't have what it takes to take a picture and load it up, and when somebody tries to explain, all I can hear is waugh, waugh, waugh. Sorry, Kevin

I don't know where they came from, but I have a Porsche and a very sultry looking lady's head marked BARON TOOL LA. I got them at an auction. That doesn't help you much, but stuff does exist. Kevin

I love it, The only things in that picture I haven't had in the shop are the saddle and gel ankle boots. For some reason a lady (total stranger) brought in a cell phone charger. I don't know if she talked to someone on the street and they said we can fix anything or what. Kevin

I'll give it a try, Zinc is just a very cheap metal that is lightweight and weak. For some reason it often has air bubbles (oclusions) in it and breaks very easily. Steel is relatively cheap and very strong, but steel + leather + sweat = burnt leather. I see a lot of chrome plated steel, but the chrome wears off,chips off and you're in the same boat. Brass is relatively strong and inexpensive (was) and leather friendly. But it's not that strong. I used to see a lot of harness buckles that had a brass body and a steel tongue with brass sweated onto the tongue. Lately, on English type saddles, the prices are going up, up, up, and the materials and labor skill are going down. But they are pretty and comfortable, don't have to be broken in, as in days of yore. Anyways, part of that prettiness is brass stirrup bars, and they break. Used to see a lot of brass and bronze rigging dees (actually rings) on western saddles, but they were massive. Now stainless has gotten relatively inexpensive. I'm guessing production technology has helped there. Stainless steel is very strong and leather friendly. It is more expensive, but when someone's life is on the line, I find it worth that little extra. I know I've left out nickle (German silver), but I don't see much, if any hardware made of that anymore. Hope that puts things in a little perspective anyway. Kevin

Hi, I can't see your rivets, so I'll just give some pointers on what I see people do wrong. I set enough rivets that I've ground my nippers and rivet setter to cut at just the right height and the dimple in the setter just covers the top of the rivet. Remember you're changing the shape of a soft piece of metal, not driving a nail. Tap, tap, tap, just like when you are tooling. I hold the hammer up near the head so the handle balances with the head. Then, once the top of the rivet is nicely rounded, I give it a tap with just the hammer, so it has a little plateau on top. One other thing I forgot is, I like to have a tight hole in the leather for the rivet to go through. This holds the rivet still, if it is bouncing around, you'll get nowhere. You can hear if you're hitting it solid or not, it should say tink, tink , tink, not thump, thump, thump. It sounds stupid, but you must become one with the rivet grasshopper. Hope that helps, I didn't even mention doming the back of the rivet. If you're using #9 rivets, get a half inch bolt, cut the threads off, use a half inch drill bit and countersink the end. Hit the bottom of the rivet with that and you've got one sweet looking rivet. Kevin

I don't mean to hijack the thread, BUT, even if someone wants to help you out, time is money. Even if you stand there and don't say a word, you're taking up valuable time and space. Answering phones, talking to customers and paperwork take up more time than anyone wants to spend. It's hard enough to concentrate with the distractions that you have to take care of. Trying to talk and work at the same time, causes mistakes and cuts production in half probably. How serious are you? Serious enough to quit your job and sweep floors for minimum wage and eat beans for a few years? That's what most of the people who's knowledge you want for free had to do. Personally, I love talking to people who show the slightest interest in what I do, I can go on 'til I can't talk no more. The boss starts huffin' and puffin' and rolling her eyes, but I see it as public relations. Nine times out of ten you'll find me fixing a pile of thirty halters,twenty girths, or maybe putting rubber on reins or stretching boots (4 or 5 pair at a time). It's not fun most of the time, but there are the times when you get to make something nice and it turns out like you wanted or better, and then it is sublime. Oh, and there was the time I measured 75 women's legs for chaps in two days, but I have digressed more than enough already. Kevin

I have an older Tandy groover that works just fine, if you concentrate. A couple years ago I ordered one for the shop, and the blade is longer than the guide, which I find impossible to use. I wonder if this is what is causing your problems. Kevin

Rickeyfro, I have added fuel line hose to a couple of my stamps to make them less crampy. ,Kevin

In my experience, you can't really burnish most chrome tan leathers, this is when to use Edge Kote or something that goes on the leather instead of into the leather. You may have already tried to dye the edge and found the dye bleeds into the leather and doesn't just stay on the edge. I've been tempted to try some plain old latex paint, but I'm just too lazy. Of course you can skive and fold the edge, or do a French edge ala Kevin King. A few years ago, I had a lizard watch band to make. I told the lady it would have a painted edge because the tiles on lizard won't follow a straight line when you try to fold it. My assistant said she wanted to make it. Well, she didn't know what she "couldn't" do and got it on the first try. She used a filler in the lizard and folded the lizard around that and got a perfect edge. Poor ignorant girl. Good luck, Kevin

I don't know about crayons, but Yankee makes a very hard wax that is applied to the burnishing wheel on a shoe finisher and used to burnish soles. Maybe you could apply it to the edge and then burnish, I haven't tried that. My favorite edge finish is parafin wax, but I'm too impatient and get flakes of wax all over everything. I'm afraid that's what would happen with the Yankee wax if you tried to use it that way. Kevin

I thought that was NEVER supposed to happen, because we actually have to pay when someone calls. If this is true, somebody is going to be feeling my cell phone going through their digestive tract backwards, and they can have it. Kevin

I can't recall seeing any in the last few years other than the butts. There's only one slaughter house in the US allowed to do horses anymore, so whatever raw hides exist, the Chinese tanneries probably get them because they are subsidised by the government and can pay more than our tanneries. I don't mean that to sound conspiratorial (is that a word?), but I think that's part of it. Plus people are more squeamish about wearing old Dobbin than they are poor old Buttermilk. I hope you do find it somewhere, so many things are just part of the bygone days, Kevin

I've got an uncle that is 83 and still chasing cows. Problem is, the arthritis in his wrists is so bad he can't pick up either of his saddles. So far what I've decided on is a Ralide tree, plastic stirrups, 10 oz. leather and in skirt riggings, slick seat and no carving he'll contact because he's been getting shingles on his legs. I will do the half leathers to save weight. I'll cover the stirrups and use real sheepskin, but where ever I can save weight I will (and still keep it safe). When I made David O'Conner's (oops name drop) cross country saddle, I actually drilled holes in the tree to keep the weight down, but that is steel reinforced. But those are the ideas I've come up with so far. Kevin

I may be wrong, but I was led to believe it is the muscle that a horse can shake flies off with, in isolated areas of the skin. I hope that is worded understandably. Kevin

Maybe I've been seeing too many episodes of Murder She Wrote, But that looks like duct tape and a knife to the left of hubby's bench and I think he's looking for more space. Be Careful!!! Kevin

I just looked at it with a magnifying glass. It is actually a Life Eye needle, made of brass 3/32 x 2 1/4. It is threaded to screw onto the lace. If the lace breaks, don't try to dig it out, just light it with a lighter and it expands and comes out like a fourth of July snake. The more I think about it, it had to have come from either Tandy's or Ohio Travel Bag, cause I've had it for at least 25 years and there just weren't many places to buy tools from back then. Good luck, Kevin

I just looked and I do have a curved Permalock needle, so they are or were available. I don't know where I got it, but I think it was probably Tandy late 70's early 80's. Somebody must have it. Kevin

I have a Landis 12K, it took 3 of us to lay it down in the back of my truck. I got it home and inside a building. The next day I spent the better part of five hours getting it back upright, without it,the building, or me being seriously injured. I'd work on it a little, come in the house, scratch my head 'til I quit shaking, go back out and work on it some more. The old building has so much termite and rot I was afraid it would fall through the floor. I'm ashamed to say I never have sewn on it, kids set my house on fire and I suddenly had bigger fish to fry(ha ha). I got to live in a travel trailer for a year and got a new bathroom and kitchen. This was about the same time Katrina hit, so I actually felt pretty damn lucky. I was able to hook up to my own electricity, water, and septic. Whoops, I believe I have digressed, anyway, that machine is heavy. Kevin

I would just like to say, this was the first forum I have ever joined, I have since joined 3 others and they are so cluttered and confusing I get very little out of them. Thank you to Johanna and everyone for keeping this as simple or as comprehensive as any person could want without it being a big project. Kevin

I mostly use Weaver's hardware. I think most of it is made in China. Unfortunately, the US companies don't seem interested in keeping up any quality. I don't know if the molds are too old and they won't invest in new ones or what, but most of the high volume items I used to buy were pretty rough. I'm sure there are some exceptions, but I haven't found them for what I need. Kevin

I'll try #2 now. The Landis is a curved awl machine. The shoe is placed sole side up on the "work table", the awl comes up, makes a hole, then the needle goes down through the hole and picks up the thread. I think I've seen a manual for this, but if you can't find one get hold of Shoe Repairing by Henry Karg. This has some diagrams and troubleshooting section. It also has a straight needle machine, patching machine and a metallic fastener (nailer that uses wire). It also has business tips such as, "It should not be a meeting place for idlers,but one that women and children will enter without hesitancy." The heat is for the wax that the thread runs through. Linen thread soaked up the wax and the wax sealed the stitch holes and made the thread into "pegs" that held everything together even after the thread was worn through on the surface. Now there is liquid wax that performs that function and works very well. On harness machines, they had a gasoline burner that kept the whole machine hot or the wax would solidify and break the thread. Sorry, but I don't know anything about the other machine other than I think it does a McKay stitch. Kevin

OK, Yes I am the proud owner of about 7' of a Landis 200 finisher. I think we cut 3 or 4 feet off( including the whirling gears of death). One motor one shaft, everything runs at one time. At work, we have about 6' of a Sutton. On each of the legs is a sign that says "Own Your Own", I think these machines were originally only leased by the companies that built them and they owned you. We also have an Autosoler finisher that is a modern machine and only takes up about one fourth the room to pretty much do the same job. This has pretty much made the older machines obsolete. I have been to auctions where they couldn't give them away. I love them though, it makes me feel like a millwright. If I only had more room. The Naumkaeg has a rubber pad that is covered by a piece of emery cloth, for lack of a better description. Between the business end and the motor you will notice a knurled piece. Unscrew that and it releases the top of the sandpaper. Pull on the folds at the top of the paper(cloth) and it will come right off. Easier to do than to describe, don't worry, you can't hurt it. Inside is a rubber pad that stays on the machine. Well, it's supposed to stay on the machine, we used to have a guy that would put so much pressure on it that it would fly off. Too lazy to cut the shape he needed, he thought he could just grind it. You can still get parts for the old machines, I think Pilgrim sells most of the accessories such as brushes, burnishers, and replacements for the worn out felt pieces. There are two types of burnishers, one is a corrugated wheel covered with replaceable canvas and one is a wheel made up of many pieces of leather like the wheel on a bush hog. With these, one applies wax to the wheel and merely place your leather against it and voila, burnished leather! Not quite that easy, but with practice it can be done. Anything else, just ask and I will try to answer, Kevin

Azmal, I willreturn soon, I just spent a $#@^%& hour typing an answer and the electricity went off for a second and obliterated it. &%$#@* it, I can't type. PS one machine is a needle and awl machine for welted soles and the other is a McKay machine for moccaisin type soles, I think

I forgot, the Naumkaeg is fantastic for beveling edges on leathers that can't be done with regular edgers, like chrome tanned, lizard, 'gator and the like. Grind on!!!

Hey Azmal, At last maybe I can help someone. You are correct, the whirling gears of death are for trimming soles, they have to be sharp, which is why there are so many of them. I don't do shoes, so I very rarely use that part. The second motor is a Naumkaeg. This is for sanding the bottom of the soles. I get the sandpaper from AGS in Ashland,VA. Of course,any local shoe repair supply house will have these. You can also get a replacement pad for it or a whole new end. I use this for polishing metal before going to the buffing wheel. I'm paranoid of sparks and leather dust. In your blue box are two dull gear things that are stitch pickers. These are bayonets that fit on the end of the shaft of the finishing machine. Not much good except for large stitches on soles, although with two, I'd have to try to modify one. At the top of the blue box is a sanding drum. I believe this is the precourser to the Naumkaeg. My machine has an attatchment (permanent) that this fits on. On the left side is a chrome fluted piece for burnishing and the drum fits on the right. The sleeves are still available for these. Hope that helps some, Kevin