Kevin

No, I don't mean the Campbell is not good for production work. I think the Campbell has a speed limit of 300 stitches per minute and the Union is capable of 800. (Now I'm looking at the Campbell manual and I don't know where I got that figure, I think it is right though) The Campbell is foolproof. We had one in the shop that had been leased since 1947, it was rebuilt in the late seventies and it was as dependable as an anvil after that. The only reason we got rid of it was that the rent went up to $45.00 per month and I really wasn't useing it much anymore. I sometimes wish I had bought it but I already had a Landis 3 at home. Kevin PS I was bidding against Keith when I got my Landis 3.

I once bought a guitar amp, and I had to get rid of a car before I was allowed to bring the amp upstairs. I don't know what kind of work you're planning to do, I own 2 Landis 3's, I've had a Union Lock for close to 30 years, but I've put in the most time on a Campbell and unless you are doing production of some kind, I prefer the Campbell. It has a positive stitch length adj. that you can repeat if you need to. You can also backstitch on it easily, which is not practical on the Union and when you stitch fast on the Union, the stitch shortens up, so you might have one length stitch on one side of a strap and another on the other side when you are "running home". You usually can't go fast enough on a Campbell to have that problem. The Landis 3's I've used didn't pull quite as nice a stitch as the Campbell, but that could be because of wear. Good luck, Kevin

I always thought antique paste smelled like shoe polish and turpentine, I've never tried to make it though. Kevin

AS far as I know, the only co. in the US that has English bridle leather is Booth and Co. Kevin

I use a no9 setter on 12s all the time but I have totally reworked the dimple and setting surface. I have a different setter for #9 rivets. Good luck, Kevin

Hey Jen, To get the bead shape, your creaser has to be shaped that way (rounded). If you use an adj. creaser, there's nothing there to mold the leather. I probably have at least ten creasers, but I only really like two of them. They are both old Osbornes. I've tried new ones but they just don't have the right shape for me, I can't control them and they run right off the edge. You may be able to use a new one if you're not already spoiled like me. The way I get the bead is I first bevel the grain side only with a #0 edge beveler. Then I wet the raw edge only. If you wet the whole surface on some English tanned leathers the grain seems to sort of bubble up in spots and we don't want that. So just wet the edge and the moisture just goes in enough that you can run the creaser and shape that bead the way you like it. The reason for only edging the top is so that you have something to put pressure against on the bottom. If you edge the bottom before you crease there is nothing supporting the leather under the creaser. After you're happy with your crease, you can bevel the bottom edge. I usually bevel the bottom with a beveler at least one size larger than the top, sometimes two or three sizes bigger depending on the thickness of the leather. I will try to post some pics, but no promises, My camera doesn't seem to like detail shots and my pictures end up too big, even with the automatic resizer. Kevin

Stitching itself, will stretch the belt. Stitch the length of something on just one side and you will see it is now curved. Kevin

I have a shoulder crease and I never use it. For my use, it is too big and clunky. I want my crease lines to meet at the point and that thing is too big to get a crisp end of the line. I don't crease properly though, I'm going for a rounded bead on my edge, not a burned crease line. I assume you're talking about the Blanchard pricking carriage, I sometimes use that, but the same issue of control in tight curves keeps me from using it very often. I mainly use pricking irons and McMillen or Osborne overstitch wheels because of the smaller size of the wheels. But this is just my experience, I'm mainly doing repairs and custom work so I never do the same thing twice in a row and if I do, I won't do it the same way because I will try to improve the second one over the first. Oh, I forgot, I have a crank creaser for long items like lead shanks or reins, if I had to crease them by hand, I would use the shoulder crease more. Good luck, Kevin

Deglazer removes finish. I would try dyeing without useing it first. Kevin

Weaver's has one, it is very simple yet effective. Kevin

Sounds like you have the backbone already, just aim for what you want and you will get it eventually. Not everyone is going to understand why you want it and you may not either sometimes. Keep plugglng away and slowly but surely you will get there. IT will happen. Good luck, Kevin

Harbor Freight gasket punches, has a spring loaded center to push scraps out. Kevin

A nice 4" thick piece of granite is good. Before I got that, I had a 1 1/2"x 12"x 12" and thought that was great. Almost anything is better than the 3/16" piece of Masonite that Tandy sold and I'm sure a lot of us started out with. Kevin

McMillen Tool Co., not the prettiest in the world, but it sure gets the job done, 20.95$ ten years ago. Kevin

I bought one from The Leather Factory when they first came out in the early '90s. It took me a day's work to get it to work the way I wanted and I used it for about 17 years until the blade finally wore out. The metal in the blade was alittle soft. Of course, I have no idea what a new one is like though. If I was going to buy a splitter now, I would save a few more bucks and get the Keystone from Campbell Bosworth. A friend of mine has one and it was wicked right out of the box. Good luck, Kevin

In would say just keep doing it the way you are. Stitching toward yourself is a matter of ergonomics I think and Germans angle their stitches the other way, not lefties, lol. I am right handed with my awl and left handed with my stitching, it's a little slow, but I'm happy with the look. The biggest thing is consistency. Good Luck, Kevin

Ha, that's life, when you're ready to move up, I think it was The Rutland Granite Co. or something memorable like that. After paying $40 apiece, when I was leaving, I noticed a big hole they bull dozed the scrap into. The guy that sold it to me said he'd sell it by the truck load if I wanted enough. Kevin

I think everybody has their own method of burnishing edges, but someplace on here, Hidepounder has a tutorial that everyone seems to like. Boning is just adding wax, like parafin, and rubbing with a bone, piece of wood, piece of antler or anything smooth and hard. I don't like metal as it leaves a grey hue. To bone boots, you pretty much have to have the wooden trees in them to give you something firm to rub against, which is another reason people don't do it anymore as trees are as expensive, if not more so , than boots. Kevin

I know at least one thing about Rutland, when you need a piece of granite, you won't have to go far. I have three reject gravestones and that's where I got them. Kevin

All you really need is a stick with two holes in it. My 29-4 pitman arm had one end broken off, I just cut a little more off and added a bearing on the end, attatched with a leather strap. It has lasted close to ten years being used every day. I have an Adler treadle base and when I got that I took the nasty looking arm off it and made one with bearings at both ends. Anything to make the work go easier and smoother. I'd had a job where I didn't have a flatbed and had to use a patcher for replacing chap zippers, that's 24' of treadling. Good Luck, Kevin

All you have to do is burnish the back, just like you do the edges and it will be shinier than the grain side. They used to do it on English riding boots all the time, I think it's called reverse waxed calf. After riding through briars and getting the boots scratched up, you just bone them and the scratches are gone. You don't see it too much anymore because people are too lazy. Kevin

I think Anne Ross is doing one soon. Kevin

Same as Art, If you just measure the leather, the buckle can add 1 to 3 inches, I've even seen some 5 or 6 in. long buckles lately from south of the border. If you measured just the leather they would be huge, now I'm typing this I remember that's why I had them, to be shortened. All that said, There is a high dollar custom tailor next to us and his belts are all measured from the fold. Kevin

Tree Reaper is right, brass escutcheon pins are what you are looking for. They are kind of hard to set, so practice first or you will beat the heck out of the plate. I just put a pilot hole in the leather or even just drive the pin through the leather so that it is held tight. If it is loose, it will bounce around and never set right. I do this a lot and I usually use a copper rivet from the back and the plate is the burr. I think it looks cleaner and is easier. I use #12 rivets unless the holes in the plate are too big, then I'll use #9. Whoops, it depends on the size of the holes in the plate, on small plates I use # 14. I set it with the setter and give it one little tap with the hammer to flatten the top a little. If you use the brass pins, the head is against the anvil and gets scratched up. I then use a rubber mallet and bend the plates a little to con form to the person's waist, just buckle the belt and you'll see how much to bend them and it's easier to unbend them than it is for the person to bend them. Good Luck, Kevin

Try LR needles. I do not understand the idea of diamond needles, it looks just like a round pointed needle's stitch to me (ugly), so what's the difference? Good luck, Kevin