BigMatt

Well, it is finally finished! The black belting leather briefcase I started 3 weeks ago. I used a glazed black double butt meant for belts and Maine .030 black thread. The clasp is from Abbey England and everything else is from my local supplier.

Thanks!

Thanks, also thanks for the comment on the blog.

Monica, there is a really good illustration of the 3 part gusset at http://www.gizzi-leather.com/how_its_made_01.html I don't have that groover like he has though, I just use a stitch groover with multiple passes to get the crease nice and sharp. Thanks King, it is a lot harder than I thought it would be.

Thanks Monica. Yours is an opinion I hold in high regard. I have been meaning to take better pictures of the black purse on the carpet, it slipped my mind when we were taking the other pictures.

That is a good looking holster. What did you use to punch the holes? That is a lot of leather at the welt!

Thanks, I am trying to learn how to take pictures. I think that is harder than working with leather!

I have been working with leather for a while and I have been interested in taking better picures of my stuff. Here is my blog for displaying my recent work. Let me know what you think. https://tiekenleather.wordpress.com/

Thanks, I think it turned out well.

Great work Huns. I am a big fan.

I had some leftover Crocodile left over from a watch band I made so I decided to make a wallet. I tried to get it black with some dye, and I knew it would take more than one application. After the first application, I knew I had to use the color that ended up on the leather. I fell in love. I used royal blue .8mm Tiger Thread at 3mm spacing. It came out matching the shell pretty well but it pops against the black lining. The lining is made from Black glazed veg-tan leather I bought to make briefcases and handbags from. I split it down to 2oz with my Tandy splitter and also thinned the edges with my tabletop belt sander. I thought the edges would be too chunky if I didn't thin them a little. Finally, the edge paint is Tandy Pro Edge Paint. I used my Radio Shack soldering iron to massage the edges and sanded them as well. All in all, it took about 5 coats with sanding between and finally melting with the soldering iron. I really need to get the attachments for the soldering iron so I can put a nice ridge at the very edge.

When replacing the bobbin, you need to pull the thread and hold the bobbin to keep it from spinning. This will allow the thread to "pop" under the spring tension device on the bobbin case. There is a youtube video that shows this procedure, but I can't seem to track it down.

I just got a Singer 111w155 and even though I am still working out the bugs, I love it. The bobbin size is a little small, but the walking foot can't be beat. I installed a cheap servo motor on it and it will go as slow as I want.

This thread needs to be a sticky. If nobody does by then, I will look in my GA-5 tonight to see if it has the marks.

I very seldom buy anything but groceries without asking for a better price. It has become a joke with my friends and wife, but it has also saved me a lot of money. Catskin, I hope you never go to a gun show. You will get mad and leave before you even walk in the door! I appreciate your opinion, but I wouldn't think twice about getting a better price on an item like this. By the way, to the OP, if you can get this machine for $160, jump on it. It is worth that in parts.

Huns, I just wanted to let you know I have just spent the last hour on your site pouring over the pictures. Great work, good looking food and great photography. Keep it up!

The bag looks very nice. If that is truly your first project, you have a bright future in leather.

Send him a piece of that ostrich leg you just got Monica!

OOOOOOH! I smell a few crocodile watch straps!

Thanks. No, I try not to glue things if I don't have to. Getting them started was tough, but once started, they weren't bad.

Have you tried Tiger Thread? I really like it on smaller items. It is soooooo consistent. Also, the diamond chisels from Tandy aren't slanted enough from me. All of my stitches seem to run together and bunch up on themselves. I like the ones from leathercrafttools.com

Thanks Monica, your opinion means a lot.

Sorry to take so long to get back to this topic. The temp range on this iron is 300 degrees and up. It heats quickly and has a readout for the set temp and the actual temp. It seems to be a nice unit. I used the tip that came with it and it seemed to work with the Tandy professional edge paint. The tip is too small and pointy though. It was hard to get a smooth edge on the leather. Also, the iron uses the wrong sized tips and won't accept the 4mm tips (the tips for this unit are 6.5mm). Since I already have the iron, I think I will try and make a bushing that will allow me to use the 4mm tips and then buy the ones from EBAY. I have a lot of projects going right now, so I don't know when I will be able to get to it.

Thanks for the compliments. I used 7-8 (maybe 8-9) veg-tan that was drum dyed and also has had a glaze treatment. I did, however, split the gussets, decorative panels, and handle pieces. The tabs on the gussets are what make the standard 3-piece gusset. When you cut them they should fit together like a puzzle to make a gusset. My first one was pretty rocky, but I was more careful after that and they turned out well. I should have taken more progress pictures. If you search LW.net, you will see what I am talking about. It is also illustrated in "The Leatherworking Handbook" by: Valerie Michael.

I decided to make a purse for the wife. I really want to make another briefcase, but I thought I should practice first. Here is the result of my practice -