mikesc

Well that saved me from a 200km drive ( each way ) to ask the grand daughter "was she sure ?" ( and given that it has been a few years since I bought the machine, she'd have wondered "why is he here?" ) Glazing iron makes sense, but she said anvil /hammer ..the guy probably used it for a " universal tool"..it has some quite substantial "dings" and "chips" that says it was sometimes being used for a hammer..He had left it clamped in a bench vice, ( head uppermost ) and had used it as a tiny anvil*..right next to his workbench ( about 20 cm from one of it's legs ) was the smallest "pot bellied" wood burning stove I have ever seen, with the flue tube going straight up and out through the roof..Kept the place warm she said..and he used to brew his tea and coffee on it , probably heated the glazing iron ( sometime anvil / hammer ) on the top too..I wish I'd thought to take some photos of his workshop..tiny place..I had trouble standing up in it..and really had to crouch down to get through the door, but the Bretons are usually not very tall. I imagine the guy in there like one of the Hummel figurines of a cobbler.. Mine ( anvil/ hammer/ glazing tool ) looks like toxo's..with the same notch..and the handle is split from age the same way.. Busy today ( and it is raining ) or I'd go dig it out from the atelier to see if anything is written on it or stamped on the head somewhere. *You see more big anvils around here than you see small or tiny ones..you can buy them, just don't see many..I saw one tiny one being used by a leatherworker ( compagnon de devoir ) at a fair last summer..I have one somewhere, and a big one, but mostly use a 30cm piece of railway track..or a "hammer mounted upright in in a bench vice".. :) Most hammers ( carpenters, cabinet makers etc ) in France have the shape of that tool, in varying sizes..Then there are lump hammers, sledge hammers and roofing hammers for work with slates..ball peen hammers are rarely seen ( those who have seen my hammers have always asked "what is that" ) and claw hammers are sold as "American hammers"..nails are normally removed with a pincer like tool..Welders hammers have the "wedge" going horizontally, ( right angle to the shaft ) whereas in other countries I have lived in the wedge is vertical , parallel to the shaft. Not one big box tool store, or small tool shop, sells Manual Bearing Presses ( like the 1 Ton arbor press models that many leatherworkers use for stamps )..they used to be made in France, as elsewhere, now they are all imported, and only available "online" at twice the price of them in other countries..Cheaper to order from the UK or Germany than to order from a French reseller...Same applies to sculptors tools.. for sculpture of wood or stone..and yet there are many artisans here.. The true use is a glazing tool eh..I learned something today.any day when you learn something is a good day :)

That is what it is " Cobbler's Anvil / Hammer" ..I got one "thrown in" (and some other stuff ) when I bought my 29K Patcher from the grand daughter of a French Cobbler near Rennes. She remembered him using all his tools, knew what each one was for, even how the patcher worked ( and threaded ) , he used to let her play with it, ( and the other hand tools ) sew scraps etc.. Cobblers here ( in the countryside at least ) used to make shoes, boots, clogs, saddles and harness ( general "tack" ), general "leather work", bags etc , feed bags, and mattressess.. The latter really surprised me..they made the straw stuffed ones and the sheep's wool surfaced ones.. Nowadays it is all "shoe bars" ( stick on sole and heel ) that cut keys and make number plates, and have a patcher in back that most do not know how to use properly.. :(

I now get the impression that he is thinking of getting his own CNC machine Fred..and I think is in the USA from previous posts.. Good point about 3D printers, for limited runs of any stamp they are an alternative.. To buy the machines, CNC, laser engravers, 3D printers..I suggest aliexpress..unless you want to spend a lot of money..and have the risk that you will be getting resold Chinese machines at huge markup..

Ah..if you don't already have a 3D modelling program.. Try FreeCad ..which is free and "cross platform" it can output Gcode to run a CNC machine. using path workbench A CNC machine can also ( by switching the head to a laser, and using a different program, such as laserweb or lasergrbl ) be used as a laser engraver. You might also want to look into grbl . There is other software, but if you want "free" those are a start.. HTH :) You'll find some useful tutorials and items on youtube and instructibles, and there are many dedicated fora.

I agree with you :) ..But he is definitely selling his Birch Bark products ( his home brewed ones ) to leather workers here and elsewhere, not looking ( AFAICT ) to buy anyone else's Birch Bark products or Pine tar / oil products either for his own use or for redistribution..Perhaps he'll post again .. He was trying to get some Birch Bark oil from Russia ( to compare ) because it is way cheaper than he is selling his for..

"Rocky Mountain Leather has a listing for it, but it's currently sold out; you might get in touch and see when they anticipate new stock. https://www.rmleathersupply.com/collections/horween-usa/products/horween-nfl-football-veg-tanned-leather " The link says "veg tan"..the page says chrome tan..Chrome tan being what footballs ( and soccer balls , and many other types ) are actually made from nowadays.

"Isn't that the recipe for Rock?" Good thing you are not cooking.. ;) However.. "Don't overthink stuff too much." Is true.. :)

Benzotriazole, is going to be better than either n-acetyl-cysteine or borax... if you have it to hand. Although they will all work..( as antioxidants ) in descending order of efficacy.. Benzotriazole , n-acetyl-cysteine*, Borax** .. However it, Benzotriazole does have some antiestrogenic properties, so on belts, yes.. But not on things that would be in long term skin contact such as watch straps , bracelets etc. *n-acetyl-cysteine binds very well to proteins, such as the collagen in leather..but some people may show allergic symptoms on contact with items treated, fewer than the small percentage of those who show allergic symptoms after inhalation or ingestion, but..someone might decide to sue.. Various research and information about the collagen in leather can be found by searching that phrase "collagen in leather" ..without the quotes. **Borax acts as a "pH buffer"..would have been better to apply it prior to posing the brass ware..and it may show up as micro crystals on the surface where it is applied after a time. HTH :) 3 to 5 is quite a large range ( before neatsfoot oil..and neatsfoot oil covers "a multitude of sins" )..find out ( as far as possible ) which final pH which you are dealing with, before attempting to deal with it, and it's potential*** reaction with your metal ware. ***unavoidable ( well I could have, but decided not to ) pun ;)

No one is going to "custom make" ( not even in the Far East ) for less than the Tandy "off the shelf" price..But for better "off the shelf quality" than Tandy, and cheaper..Goods Japan.

" customs did not provide any additional information on it" !! What on earth are Canadian customs doing letting " mystery productX " in a bottle be imported without a formal customs declaration ( these are made by the sender, not customs ) accompanying it as to what is in it..For all they knew it could have been H in a liquid base..or part A of a Binary bang compound..or a Bio weapon.. or... or... Yeah I know , the last thing you need is to go telling Canadian customs that they are not doing their jobs correctly..but.. Matt ..Otzi is selling his Birch Bark products..he doesn't "need them".. Otzi.. surely you mean "Birch Bark Oil", and not "birch tar oil"... the "tar" is made from the oil*, not the other way around.. Yours would "spread" because it still has some liquid oil in it, you haven't reduced it right down from the oil..if you did, it would be more like a resin. and you'd get a far smaller yield than you do per 100cc..Btw..it is much easier to understand if one uses cc for liquids than if one uses ozs..even if you mean fluid ounces ? The fluid ounce varies according to which country you are in ..fluid ounce and even varies with what substance / liquid you are measuring ..an ounce of mercury does not occupy the same volume as an ounce of water..nor does an ounce of oil..and all oils do not occupy equal volumes when they weigh 1 ounce..These are just some of the very good reasons why the rest of the world uses cc as the measurement of volume. *The "oil" with "bits of charred and oxidised stuff in" is probably closer. "oil" is probably a misnomer in itself.

Pounce wheel can be , ( was also ) used for trompe l'oeil and fresco work..Probably the technique originates from that.* The origin of the word "cartoon" is that is what the overlays images were called, that were then "pounced" through onto a wall, or ceiling, in order to get the design onto the wall or ceiling..Some types of frescoes were marked out differently, but this was one way, ( an initial process in what is called Fresco-secco ) that has been used for many centuries. Before the "wheels" the holes were made by hand, one by one, following the lines drawn on the traces. * the ones for large artworks have the prongs further apart..and often once the image has been "pounced" ( frequently by the students or the apprentices** )the artist comes back in and alters the image on the wall . ** Michael Angelo didn't "do it all" himself, ( none of them did ) they had sometimes as many as 50 or so apprentices, to prepare, smooth, sand, rough out , pounce , clean brushes, get the food in..do the dishes..etc ..these guys were heads of businesses as well as creators***, not alone starving in a garret.. ***Kind of like Jeff Koons, or any major artist / designer / sculptor / couturier today.

BK and Arbalet12 etc are more expensive, because ( amongst other things ) their stamps are far far far better than the Tandy ones, it is not merely a question of "profit" margins, and , or final retail price over initial materials price.

Ah.Now I see what you meant :) "As I was typing it, the terminology evaded me. Dry distillation. For birch oil, as I understood it, traditionally done in a container without oxygen, and a fire set under/over/ or around the container of birch bark." But, I really cannot see Russian peasants , nor anyone before say the middle of the 19 century, having the ability to either selectively remove the oxygen from the air that would be in the container with the birch bark ( even if the birch bark was extremely compressed, there would still be air in there ) nor be able to create a total vacuum around the birch bark..It is much more likely that they are talking about heating the bark in an enclosed vessel without additional air, an recovering the vapours that are given off and then condensing the vapour down to form a more viscous liquid than one would get if solvents ( water or otherwise were added ) ..But the initial bark will contain a very high percentage of water ( could be as high as 90% ) and so it is in reality "self steaming" the oils* out, which are then picked up in that water vapour and condensed to form a more viscous oil than one would get if the bark was soaked in water with additional solvents. Realistically the only difference between "dry distillation" ( which isn't "dry", due to the water already present as humidity in the bark( or whatever ) and the various oils in there ) and what could be called "classical" distillation, would be that in the latter the initial water content in the mix is higher, and the solvents ( if any are added ) are not those present in the bark to begin with..with the exception of the molecules necessary to form natural alcohols, such as that known as "wood alcohol"..which would act as a solvent for any oils present..So..You'd get a more viscous distillate from the "dry" method , than from the "classic" method..the distillate themselves would be chemically very similar if no external solvent was added in either case ..just one would contain more water, which could be evaporated off, either in air or with the addition of heat.. But again..only laboratory analysis would be able to show if this were the case, and also what the difference was as regards the percentage of water. *The reason that I put oils and not oil is that despite referring to Birch Bark oil..there will be many different "oils" in there..We call the oil that we get from olives "olive oil" but in fact there are oils dissolved in oils in olive oil, and in all others..The definition of "oil" is complex , both chemically and physically..and there are many "oils"..water is far simpler :) H2O..Further the organic solids in each tar and oil will vary from location to location, and from time of year etc..in the same way as wine does..even from one side of the slope to another in the vineyard..Birch Bark oil would exhibit just the same "terroir" effects..analysis would able to tell you ( providing there were enough reference samples ) where it came from..and when.** *Aside..the "when" is important..most people think of C14 as being the way that things are dated..however, when you are involved in dating art objects ( paintings and items made with organic materials..one of my "hats" is that of art restorer, degree etc ) one of the easiest ways** to spot forgeries or fakes, is that items that were made, or supposedly made or created before the explosion of the first atomic weapons ( by this I mean including the above ground tests ) cannot contain isotopes of elements that require an atomic explosion in order for such isotopes to be present..If such isotopes are present, the item is from after those initial atomic tests..All growing things stop absorbing isotopes when they are no longer alive..So using wood cut after the tests to make a piece of furniture that is supposedly from the time before the tests, or painting a picture supposedly from before the tests, on a panel or a canvas that is made from after the tests, or using paint that is made from organic materials that date to after the tests in something that purports to date from before them ;) Many forgers and fakers do not realise this..It is as obvious as the wrist watch on the wrist of the charioteer in Ben Hur, or con trails in the sky of a western set in the 19th century..It would apply also to a leather item..if it was alive and died before the testes, it cannot contain traces of things that did not exist "in nature" on this planet, until after them . ** There are obviously many other ways, some far even easier than this one..Some forgers know some of them, many don't...Many major museum curators, and auction house "experts" ( including those in the big two) know less than many forgers..

Tars are water repellent ( and if you coat the surface of something with tar, you'll make that surface water repellent ) because they are in effect condensed or partially solidified oils, and oil and water do not mix. To coat a surface with tar, you have to add it mechanically , by rubbing or smearing, or you'd have to reduce it's viscosity by adding something to it, like oil..in which case , why reduce the oil to it's tar in the first place ?..You could mix in beeswax at the time of adding the oil..Adding alcohol would make the tar "thinner", but alcohol is hygroscopic , so you'd be introducing water ( albeit in small quantities over time )..But the, even though oils will not dissolve in water , they have some water in them, and some other volatiles, which are what are driven off when the oils are reduced to their tars..Seems a lot of work to get back to where you began. Non oil tanned leather used to be waterproofed by painting oil on to it ( sometimes the oil was warmed to make the oil thinner and penetrate the leather fibres better ), or rubbing the oil in to the leather..Eventually over time, the acids in the oil attacks the leather, oiled boots will last many years though..and they will be waterproof, if the oil is reapplied..It has to be ( reasons are many ) partially because oil oxidises, and in doing so is not as water repellent, the change to the oil renders some of them slightly hygroscopic..A lot of the water repellent properties of things is down to their physical surface construction , sometimes on a microscopic level, water has a tendency to "bead" and run off some textures and surfaces more easily than others which the structure of makes water act "wetter" ( flow / penetrate into the surface ) ..Waxing and then heating works better than waxing cold, because the wax flows into the fibres and the "gaps" thus plugging them better.. Water runs off bird's feathers well, due to their structure, ( the structure of all birds feathers is not identical, but is similar ) but water birds oil their feathers regularly. The various products and mixtures and brand names that people discuss to waterproof their leather ?..just oil it regularly, adding a little alcohol or beeswax won't hurt ( it will "spread" easier and penetrate better if used cold ) but warm oil ( around 45°C ) painted on, or rubbed in works..as will rubbing in warmed tallow or rendered animal fats..redo regularly.. Distilled or over a fire ? ..What does "over a fire" mean..?

Bear in mind that you are selling Birch Tar ( which is reduced down from Birch Tar Oil ), and they are selling Birch Tar Oil*. I've never tried reducing Birch Tar Oil down to Birch Tar ( I do know the smell, our family had small farm in Eire, we , and our farming neighbours used it and Coal Tar Oil a great deal ) ..But based on what one could call the "Tar Yield" of many oils ( Yes I know , they vary, but..) I'd be surprised if 100 ccs of Birch Tar Oil reduced down to more than 1cc or Tar..and probably less**..also depends on how you are doing the reducing. As to what you think they may have "added"..again only someone in possession of a lab analysis of it, is in a position to know if they did, or not..anything else, is speculation. If Farmaks have dealer in the USA..they will have to have produced an MSDS..IF they have a dealer in Canada..they would have to have produced the equivalent, and likewise if they have a dealer in the EU .. The customs declaration ( to allow it to be imported into Canada by yourself ) should say what it is. *In other words, you are selling a "concentrate", they are selling the raw material from which that concentrate is made. ** In order for it to "pour"..It could not be "tar" ( which is a "catch all" word for highly viscous derivatives of various oils ) "solids" in oil..the % of "solid" to oil varies..Viscosity can be measured..What the "solid" consists of can be analysed,as can what the oil consists of..In order to derive oils from organic substances such as Birch Bark, the Birch Bark can either be heated in water, or have steam and sometimes a volatile solvent ( such as alcohol ) passed through a container of chipped and shredded bark ( usually under some pressure ) and the vapours captured and condensed, sometimes the solvent might be recovered for reuse..this would be distillation, in which case there will be some traces of water in the distillate, and some traces of whatever the solvent was...The distillate can be further condensed ( or reduced ) driving off the oil and the traces of water and solvent, to give a "tar".. Or.. The Birch Bark can be chipped , shredded and crushed and then pressed, this is closer to how cold pressed olive oil is made.But I'd be very surprised ( nay, amazed ) if this method was used as Birch Bark is not known for it's natural oilyness..at least not to the touch..cold pressing would not be very practical, nor would it have developed as an artisanal technique in the past..

Make it around 2 to 5 cm bigger than A4, add a loop ( to make a pen holder ) just at the fold over ( inside , so It is hidden ) and may be a hidden magnet fastener at the "flap tip" ( like on a phone case ) and you have a perfect luxury present ( cadeau ), a minimalist "writing case" ( for someone..13 weeks before Xmas..Get sewing and selling.. Love it :)

You want to try to burn the image on that area in the wallet where the Visa card is ? What are the measurements of that space..( in mm ) without going over any stitching lines.? I can shrink the image to fit . How do they get smooth edges.. "how do they get those edges so perfect on such thin leather?" Ask Brian ( or Danne ) they are the perfect edge people around here..actually their edges are better than the ones on that wallet..

Your installation looks like a Bang & Olufsen machine . :) I think Paul is talking about burning curved objects..with a radius , like aluminium cans..pens etc ? They normally require a system to make them revolve about their own axis, so as to keep the laser focus the same. Some machines have such systems built in..or you could build your own, syncing with the laser is the hard part. Slight curvature can be done without that..To test how well a design will burn onto a slightly curved surface, like say a spectacles case, wrap the surface with thin card, like the Chinese call the "kraft paper", that these small machines come with..Then run a lower power burn on the wrapped case..The flatter the surface the better, but the kind of curvature that is on the back of the non glass backed mobile phones, is not normally a problem. Writing a name around a tin of beer would be a problem without a syncro system..but writing it along the tin..doable..just not with letters bigger than say 36pt. Better to burn a flat piece of leather wrap that around, and make a koozie eh Brian :) How does Croc burn ?

Glad the burn worked :)

Can't tell if you are looking to buy, or selling..? If you were not an ocean , and nearly a continent away..These are freehand embroidery machines.For these I would make room..But the shipping would kill me.

Not all chrome tan is made using the same chemicals .. "chrome tan" is a generic phrase..not all veg tan is made using the same "natural" substances.."veg tan" is a generic phrase..There can be a reaction with some, none, or all..of either type. You are more likely to get a reaction with upholstery chrome tan ..because it frequently gets "plastic" ( some will "bleed" solvents for a long time ) or "gas off" for a long time ) treatments on the exposed side..and some of the stuff that people put on veg tan as finishes ( "chemical" or "natural" ) and or treatments ( "chemical" or "natural" ),can cause allergic reactions too.

red faces all round eh :).. You can get separate number pads for laptops ( they don't all have numbers at the side, some, with small keyboards, only have numbers along the row below the "F" buttons row ) ,that connect via a USB..here they cost around €10.oo retail...and I pay about €3.oo wholesale..They are "plug and play" on win. That will get you around that problem..

Paul..go to that other thread that you started about the laser..read my last post Sorry mate..steered you wrong earlier in that thread..Follow that last post I just made in that thread.. to "untick" that box in windows ..and you'll be able to see your.exe files.. .and maybe your size boxes might work ..or not..that might not be related..

Paul..I just realised..when I said to do what I put in that quote box..I steered you 180° wrong..Comes of posting when tired.. That "box" should not be ticked..untick it by clicking on it again..then click OK. now your diao.exe will show the .exe part and all other files on you computer will show their extensions..windows caught me out again, with it's stupid stupid stupid "hide extensions for known file types" being pre ticked..Untick it ..and apply and OK. Corrected step by step.. The rest might start working better once you have done that too.

Bacteria makes it go "off" ...clumpy..smell..doesn't work very well..add a drop or two of tea tree oil*, or Eucalyptus oil* to it when you make it, helps it last longer after mixing, doesn't affect the usage..but only a drop or two. *From Chemist's.. in tiny bottles..cost a couple of squid.