bikermutt07

A little bit more than 14.00 a foot. I guess it's not insanely high?

That looks great. I had always wanted a bird's head, until I held one. Love the look, but I hated the feel.

At the time of construction I'm sure it was purpose built. The maker probably didn't give it any more credit but to last as long as until he could build another. But then it outlived him. Carry on at fixing it up.

I didn't care a whole lot for season 4. It just didn't have "it".

I like Modelo Especial. And I have that Franklin quote on my motorcycle jacket. I didn't know it was a misquote.

It doesn't look like the circuit cutter is up to the task (think sewing machine, it takes a powerful sewing machine to do leather). And as you said, the laser is too expensive. So, let's take a look at less money and improving what you have to work with. What kind of knives are you using? Are they sharp? When I say sharp, I mean sharp. You will need to be able to maintain these edges. What kind of leather work are you wanting to do and with what types of leather? I'm not asking these questions to overwhelm or discourage you. I ask them to better help you. I am a carpenter by trade and have used a razor knife my entire career. All of my steady handedness of all those years didn't exactly translate straight to leather work. There was a learning curve that I found frustrating. Like the leather dragging away from my square at the end of a cut, producing a swoop on my straight line. There are techniques to avoid this from happening, but in the beginning I didn't know about them.

Oh Tim. You make the nicest stuff to drag around job sites.

Ok, I think I have had enough coffee now. When I hit 40 I decided a man should know how to sharpen things. It was always that mystical mystery that eluded me. I have one weird brother who can actually sharpen knives. My dad, other brother and I could not. It drove me nuts. I just couldn't get it. My wife and I lost our second son, Eddie right after he was born. We stayed home for about two months. Getting into leather was what got my hands moving again. In these two months I watched a gazillion sharpening videos trying to figure it all out. I was wanting to buy a nice knife, but told myself I didn't deserve it if I couldn't sharpen it. It was just irresponsible to own a 100+ knife and not be able to take care of it. In all the videos I watched 2 really stuck out. One was a kid about 17 years old. He took a cinder block and a red brick to a cheap buck knife. Little bastard had that thing popping hairs in about 6 minutes. That pissed me off. The second was of a Canadian fallkiven dealer. I tried to find this video for you this morning, but to no avail. He made a statement in the video that completely crushed the mystical metallurgical mystery that had always kept me in the dark shameful shadows. Here it is: The first time you sharpen a particular knife. It will take much longer than normal. Why? Because your hands will not do what a machine or someone else's hand did exactly the same. Your hands will move in a way that is slightly unique and different from anyone elses. Even with all the guided rods and doodads that are marketed, even then, your hands are going to apply pressures differently at different points than the guy who designed this fabulous next great thing sharpener. (That was a long sentence) So, with all that said, you have to "train" a blade. Now, I had always spent ten minutes sharpening something. After 10 minutes, I would be frustrated that it wasn't sharp. And I would throw it in a drawer and forget about it. As it turns out I had always given up too soon. Just maintaining a blade can take 20 minutes. So, how long does it take to train a blade? About an hour. But after that 20 minutes a week is plenty for a pocket knife. Of all the methods of sharpening I found the sandpaper method works for me. I have a piece of quartz and several grits of paper. Using jut the weight of the blade I pull away from the edge with each stroke. It will take a little getting used too. Start with those cheap knives that you couldn't ever get sharp. To train a knife I'm going to start at 400. I do ten strokes on each side, then 5, then 3. You will want some magnification. Looking closely at the edge beveler will let you know how you need to adjust. Then I move up to 800, 1000, 1500, 2000. My daily pocket knives I keep in the 1000 range. This gives them a little more tooth. Then I strop it a good bit. A truly sharp edge won't cast a reflection. When you can't see a physical edge, it is sharp. There is a lot more to sharpening than what I have shared. And there are a gazillion ways to sharpen things. And 2 gazillion "expert opinions" out there. And there are plenty of people smarter than me that probably have better advice. But I do know this method works for me. I have said it many times, sharpening can get really technical, really quick. But it doesn't have too. I hope this helps.

You think that's crazy? https://www.google.com/search?q=hillbilly+wind+chimes&oq=hillbilly+wind&aqs=chrome.1.69i57j0l3.7660j1j4&client=ms-android-verizon&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8#imgrc=pV2KStlVbxKYUM:

It looks like they used a lined bar grounder. I think that it what it it called. It is a little tear dropped shape. Look in your last picture. Bottom left hand corner. Just right of the center of the bottom of the left snap, you will see a nice impression of the stamp that shows the shape. The raised portion is where they didn't stamp. P.S. STEVEHOLT!!!!! We just finished watching "Arrested Development" again.

Ok I was browsing Rocky Mountain Leather Supply this morning and low and behold. https://www.rmleathersupply.com/products/buttero-veg-tanned-leather-3oz-1-2mm-made-in-italy This stuff is expensive, but looks really nice.

You been gone so long I finally made something out of the scrap you gave me.

I don't know about this particular machine. But I think "think" most double needle machines can be run with a single needle.

@dun you are right where I was 4 years ago. I will post some stuff in the morning that may help.

Good find.

Well are you finally settled in after the move?

It's Great.

That sounds like a good process.

And now I know. Doesn't seem that long ago when I was stumped by these little guys. And look at me now, I know how to use a glue bottle. I'm just improving by leaps and bounds.

I do the same. It comes in handy having an art teacher wife.

Well, all we can do is look back and see where we as a group let our market slip away. There is a large time Gap in the domestic leather industry. From the 70s- to recently our market was allowed to be wooed away by cheaper import prices. Personally, I blame the jet set cocaine 80's. That's where everyone was supposed to be too rich to care about anything. Now we look to our current situation. People are starting to slowly wake up from the "disposable age". And this is where we can step up and educate the market. Of course I could just be talking out of my butt. Opinions yet again.

Yep, one of the best carpenters I ever worked with said, "you have to learn a bit of everything if you want to keep your family Fred". Truckers!?! Ironically enough, I am making repairs for a mobile showroom this morning. This guy hauls this rig all over the country selling bath and kitchen fixtures. I have to finish today, because he rolls out in the morning.

Lisa Sorrell uses a sewing machine for boot tops. I would say those boots are hand made. People have expressed here before about... How a market won't really bear a price difference in hand stitched vs. machine stitched. Because at the end of the day, the end user doesn't know or care about the difference. They bought a hand made leather item that should last at least 2 generations (with care). Machine or hand doesn't really lend itself to the end scenario. That being said, you can inform and educate your audience. And maybe they will be willing to pay more for hand stitching, but the real argument boils down to how popular or "in" is your product. When it comes to sales, the most experienced salesmen will sell on emotional connection. Not construction techniques. One needs to sell the experience of having a favorite bag that only lasted 6 months compared to the bag that went on all the adventures with them, that now they can pass on to one of their children. See the difference? Well made is well made. But the sale comes from connecting on the clients' level.

What about all "handstitched"? It's all about the marketing.

Nicely executed concept.