CrazedLemming

I don't know a US vendor, but a few months ago I ordered some tools from another Japanese company at LeatherCraftTools.com . Ordered Nov 7th, shipped from Japan via EMS on Nov 9th, delivered Nov 12th. The "LC Diamond Hole Punch Pro" sets I got from them appear to be identical to the Seiwa diamond punches from GoodsJapan.

For spraying an acrylic clear, this cheapo harbor freight "airbrush" works pretty well. $10. Cleans easily. Mostly plastic. Several jars. Almost disposable if you can get a few salable projects out of it. Check other airbrushing topics for info on filtering out chunks that clog the brush. http://www.harborfreight.com/quick-change-airbrush-kit-93506.html If you're diluting your resolene with water, usually the bubbles will pop and settle before it dries even when sponging it on. Spraying it helps keep from smearing water based dyes and antiques.

Resolene and other acrylics seem prone to forming little blobs that clog an airbrush even when diluted. Making a filter bottle is really cheap and easy though. Here is an entire thread on spraying resolene: http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=67014

I use a chunk of FRP wall board I had left over from a project. The back side makes a smooth, easy to clean work surface. Most dye wipes off easily with some alcohol and a rag. It does get a bit stained over time, but not enough to transfer to other pieces. (The only times I've had dye transfer to a later piece was when I was too lazy to spend a few seconds wiping the board...) I think this is the one I have: http://www.homedepot.com/p/4-ft-x-8-ft-White-090-FRP-Wall-Board-MFTF12IXA480009600/100389836

I grabbed the silver and the wood ones on amazon a while back. They each have problems, but for the price they definitely beat the old yellow poly mallets. The wood one is a little lighter than I would like but works. The finish on the wood was really cruddy. I liked the feel of the silver one but it started breaking down after a few months. The plastic head spins and rattles too much for tooling now so it's been relegated to whacking punches really hard when I don't feel like reaching for my deadblow mallet.

I just wanted to add that I've been using the electric Berkley fishing line cutter for a couple weeks now. It works great for synthetic threads. I use it to cut things up to the size of tandy's braided thread (roughly 1.2mm) without any problem. Smaller threads like 0.8mm tiger thread are like butter. I might get another to add to my tackle box.

Maybe a trailer mud flap? Something like this? http://www.ebay.com/itm/AEROPRO-AE2430-24-x-30-Eco-Flex-Rubber-Mudflap-Black/281535222734

Did you stick it in a container to keep it from drying? If all you did was dip it in water and let it sit on the table for 8+ hours, you're trying to carve dry leather. Try doing the simple way, wipe water on it with a wet sponge or rag and then cut when the color changes back to normal in a few minutes. It may not be proper casing, but it will get you practicing faster. Working with leather is an art. It takes time and practice to get a feel for it.

If you're a wholesale buyer, http://ohiotravelbag.com has a ton of stuff http://goldstartool.com http://www.buckleguy.com

It's a serious pain when paypal does weird things. Several years ago, they froze my account and spent 8 months insisting that I didn't exist. Paypal is its own company now. It split from ebay a few months ago. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PayPal#Spin-off_from_eBay

Here's what is working for me. Plastic storage bottle from HF and a chunk of dollar store pantyhose screwed into the cap as a filter. I haven't had any clogs since throwing these together.

I just use a butane lighter, but there are things like these little burning tools that might work. Fishing line cutter: http://www.amazon.com/Berkley-BTHLC-Hot-Line-Cutter/dp/B004DIH2DS Bead/Jewelry cord cutter: http://www.amazon.com/BeadSmith-Cordless-Thread-Zapper-Burner/dp/B001HBXOUY

You might check Nigel Armitage's pricking iron reviews. I think he reviewed one of the chinese products along with a bunch of other brands. Here's his youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/Nordicbadger/videos And there's a free PDF version of the reviews toward the bottom of his shopping page: http://www.armitageleather.com/shop/4583584113

Here's a quick stitching sample from the Japanese diamond punches. Scrap 8-9oz / 3.2mm leather, Tandy braided thread (roughly 1.2mm braid). My punches are from LeathercraftTools.com, but the LC, Seiwa, and Kyoshin Elle punches appear to all be from the same factory. When I asked LC, they said theirs are from the same factory as Kyoshin Elle, and they appear identical to a Seiwa I already had. The 6mm set is closer to a 1/4inch stitch. 5mm is about 3/16inch

Yup. That was the direction I was headed - though I'm single so I had to buy some stockings myself... 1. I stumbled across these storage bottles at HF ( http://www.harborfreight.com/pack-of-3-8-oz-storage-bottles-with-twist-caps.html ) 2. Grabbed some cheap pantyhose at a dollar store 3. Mixed resolene and distilled h2o in a bottle 4. Added the fabric while screwing on the cap like this guy does with regular paint bottles 5. Filled the airbrush from the filtered bottle I ran about an ounce through the brush without any clogs.