jpherold

I am interested as well! Thank you for all the work on this.

Thanks Karina, appreciate all the links! Definitely am going to keep my eye out on craigslist/ebay for a used variable speed grinder or 1725rpm motor. In other news, I've been salivating over this beast: Handler Red Wing 26A [manual] - 1725/3450 RPM two-speed lathe - Can come with 1/2" straight shafts - Made in USA Overkill? Yes. Would it like to own one? Indeed.

Karina, definitely hear you on the price. Couple questions: - My biggest requirements for a used bench grinder would be low speed (~1725rpm) and an shaft that guarantees I can throw a chuck on it. Would you mind sharing which model grinder you have and the chucks used? Most searches for this setup lead me down the road of finding a local machinist to make an adapter. - You mention you put a chuck on both sides, do both sides of the motor spin in the same direction? Or did you have to get arbors with left and right threads? That may be a trivial question, but I have not used a bench grinder before. Thanks!

Greetings, Anyone own/use one of these Foredom M.BL Bench Lathes before? Decent price comparatively ($170 new off ebay), various functional attachments (spindle, collets: 3/32", 1/8" & 1/4", wheel mandrel, chuck arbor, flex shaft adapter, etc), 500-7,000 rpm, Foredom quality. Searched the forums but only found references to Foredom's flex shaft tools. Really like the idea of the bench lathe though, as the variable speed will be great for burnishing, and can throw on a polishing wheel (or grinder) on the other side. Compact size is great too, and can be mounted or suction cupped to surfaces. Cheers,

I have had great experiences with Texas Custom Dies as well, definitely recommended. You can get a single die, or even a "gang die" if you want. Gang dies have multiple cutting dies welded together in frame. This way you can get multiple pieces per click (unless you have your own clicker machine, most places will charge you by the click or by the hour). Best scenario is to have a gang die as well as a single, that way you can get a greater number of pieces per click and use the single for perimeter area of leather where the gang die doesn't fit.

Since this thread I've ordered a Montana #2 edger, and it is fantastic. Craftsmanship is superb, performance tops, and you can tell when you first pick it up that it is a quality tool that you will have for a loong time. I called in and spoke with Toby (the new owner) and he was very helpful. I even got the #2 in, had some hesitations on if I should get the #3 instead, and he is sending out the #3 no charge so I can pick the one that best fits my application and send the other back! I am using 4/5oz veg tan tooling leather and will report back on my size preference. #2 was great, but I think I'll want just a little bigger to help with the rounded edges I have on my pieces. Though I will say after the experience I have already had with Ron's Tools, I'll most likely get the whole set of Montana edgers over the next year or so.

Also check out Stimpson. I haven't used myself but made in USA since 1852, gotta love that. Sending them a sample to have a couple grommets set for my own quality inspection, will let you guys know (probably won't get back for another week or so). *Edit: Stimpson is more for grommets, eyelets, plugs, etc. Could be useful but not sure if you were looking for something else.

I'm working with leather in the 3-5oz range and have been doing research on rounding out the sharp edge from clicker presses. I was advised as well to forego an edger, and instead use sandpaper. Could be something for you to try although you'd have to make sure you have a good clamping setup. You may want to try a sanding paper sponge (e.g. angled sanding sponge), but can't advise a grit for your application, that may take some experimentation. Then from there as Billybopp said, some paraffin wax + canvas could be a nice finish on top.

Mikesc, Very generous of you to go through all that communication. I am new around here as well but love seeing a post like yours, and really appreciate this community's wealth of knowledge and distribution of members around the world. I would be interested the paint in a gold color, possibly 07-03 according to color chart . Do Beraud make matte and gloss finishes? I would not be interested in the heated edging tools as the thin veg tan leather I work with may burn. Would love to see some examples of work from anyone who has used this paint. Intrigued by all the praises I've read but haven't seen too many in shop pics.

Definitely dramatization by Fasnap, but made note of that after my experience talking with Stimpson. Also made me ponder if somehow due to the design of self-piercing models they are able to compress thinner than the listed L.U.F measurement. Most likely I would always pre-cut the hole for exactly the issues you mentioned no matter the type of grommet I used. Sounds like I may have to just stop theorizing and breaking down salesman differences, and order some samples for real life testing! Your experience with the Lord & Hodge grommets sound like exactly what I am after. Quality metal and they can compress down to thinner material. I've seen it recommended before that you cut your hole slightly smaller than the listed inner diameter of the grommet neck. In your experience Corey, do you normally just cut the size of the hole listed? Material makes a difference I'd imagine, so curious especially for leather. Also, although the end use won't be high stress or require much reinforcement, I prefer the similar width and finish to both sides of a set grommet. Both sides of the leather where the grommet goes will be finished and have designs.

Thanks for the tip! I will investigate the company some more and give them a call. Have you used their grommets with win materials by chance @coreysyms? I like the I also have called Fasnap in the time since my post and one of their reps told me that their self-piercing "#2 will compress down to basically the thickness of a piece of paper with the correct dies". May send a sample in there for testing, and also want to figure out if they are manufactured in the US. The rep's comment though is making me wonder if most self-piercing models can compress down more than non self-piercing. In which case I may bring Stimpson back into the picture as well.

Greetings, Quick version: I'm starting up a project which calls for a 3/8" hole to be reinforced with a brass grommet. Note: the desired ID would be 3/8" (trying to preserve a specific allowance). The other important bit is that I am using thin tooling leather, 4/5oz. Grommet requirements would be high-quality and all brass, USA made preferred. Any recommendations? Details: After some research on grommets, Stimpson caught my eye on thomas registry. Made in USA goods, founded 1852, all types of product, etc. Ordered a grommet catalog and had my eye on a self-piercing model but had a question about their L.U.F (length under flange) measurement. I called their sales reps, who told me that the L.U.F + 1/16" would be the recommended thickness for that grommet. For their 3/8" grommet this would be ~0.2625". Using Herman Oaks thickness guide, 4/5oz (.0625-.078125") leather would not work. I tried to communicate this to the reps and creatively figure out a solution but they weren't much help. Their basic response was that as the ID hole got bigger so does the L.U.F. They did offer to try and set the grommet for me if I sent in a scrap, but I figured there has to be a product to fit my requirements. I've found this post about adding eyelets to suede, which transitioned to recommending grommets, and a couple tips on looking at sailing grommets for canvas, tarp, or the like. Also this post, which said Harbor Freight is a good place to go. I will follow up on all of those tips, but wanted to hear if anyone specifically has used grommets with my thickness of leather (~4/5oz)? I like working with USA based companies like Stimpson as I will be buying in bulk and like supporting domestic made goods. Cheers!