MADMAX22

You can use a glass slicker or even the plexiglass ones. Case your leather then run the slicker over it in one direction. It will tighten and smooth things out. A better option is just use some vegtan horse butt. It is very dense and smooth and makes an excellent strop.

Forgot about the 2x72s. I built mine (welded together) and thru on a grizzly 1HP motor. It works pretty darn good. Dont get to make knives anymore but it is very useful for other things as well.

So a sewing machine that "could" make you money should be $35k? Not all of us drive 35k cars or 60k trucks. To me $2000 is a lot of money as I am sure it is to some of you.

You can go on some upholstery forums but pre warning, these guys think everything is a trade secret and generally abstain DIY or people who dont own there own upholstery shop or work for one.

I would call Steve at cobra and he or one of the others there can get you squared away. If you dont want to talk with one of them personally I would watch one of his videos on setting up a cobra class 4. He goes thru all the various timing checks and what not. Do the simple things first like change the needle out and what not. Follow the video to double check everything is timed appropriately. Have you done anything so far.

How about a price.

Arbalet I like your style for making items and still enjoy looking at your leather work but that being said this isnt the for sale section.

I got it somewhat figured out. The website has "bonded" in the selection description but what they really mean is "soft" or unbonded which shows up on the invoice after you have placed your order (if using PP). "Just return the thread for a full refund for the price of the thread", so basically I am going to be out $70 for a $120 order because there website isnt updated properly. Sounds legit. Live and learn I guess.

Think I found the answer, the website I placed my order thru says bonded poly, the thread I received is "soft" poly. So much for the money spent for 2 day shipping and needing it for a project I gotta finish this weekend.

Question for those that have used both bonded poly and bonded nylon. I just received my first order of bonded poly to use on some motorcycle seats, I have always used the bonded nylon in my machines. Are you suppose to be able to untwist the bonded poly easily? I know with the nylon Ive got ya have a pretty hard time untwisting the individual threads, this poly I got ya just have to backtwist with your fingers and it unravels. Thanks for your input.

NP and thanks. One thing I forgot to add is that I dont dunk these in water or anything. The exotic is glued to the flesh side of the vegtan so you have the nice smooth grain side for the inside of the sheath then I just sponge or spray the grain side and let it sit for a while. Kind of like casing in a way. I try and not over do it with the water.

Thanks. This stuff was about 3-4 oz. I would put the padding on, glue on the suede, cut it somewhat close (within half a inch of the veg tan) then stitch. After it was stitched and the glue cured over night I would take a freshly stropped edge beveler and bevel the suede edge which also cut off the excess. The suede wouldnt bunch up as bad with a sharp beveler and with that half inch or so of extra it would give a little bit of rigidity while cutting/beveling. After that first cut/bevel I would go back again and basically roll the beveler more toward the suede edge to cut any excess left over and get the bevel as close as possible. Hope this makes sense, hard to explain in words. Wanted to add, its not going to be perfect like two pieces of veg. But it also can look decent with a little care.

I use suede backing on rifle slings I use to make. Basically I would glue and stitch like normal, then use the edger on both sides (vegtan and suede), on the suede side I would edge back as much as possible. Then I do my burnishing like normal - dye, burnish, wax mix rubbed on, burnish, verify they look good, then when I seal the work with neatlac or a wax/oil mix I do the edges as well. Here is a link to a few I made Also the only picture I really had of the edges for one of them.

Did you get a price for the 30 quantity? I have never asked about the price on them, it was on a price list I got a long time ago but prices from 2007 dont really transfer to prices today unfortunately. The ones from across the water look good and the different colors are a nice option but sure the shipping would kill the deal, plus returning anything is out of the question.

http://www.hermannoakleather.com/products-and-pricing/misc-leathers-copy-20140722145318 Have never ordered from these guys http://www.dangerousthreads.com/leather-side-veg-tan-split-full-side-medium-weight-20-square-feet/ From across the pond I think http://www.metropolitanleather.com/Vegetable-tanned-split Forgot to add I think zackwhite carries veg splits but I have not ordered from them in a long time after getting some very poor quality leather a while back.

Haha yeah although I would say the one that you can HT properly and repeatedly is the most important then the one that you can convince your customer that it will do the job of cutting down trees and butchering 10 moose without being sharpened and still look like new after doing it.

Ive had good luck with grizzly. Its still imported stuff but much better then harbor freight but also more expensive. I have a dust collector and a 12" disk sander that have been going strong for about 6 years now.

Yep thats understandable. I guess I kind of didnt follow exactly what the OP was really asking for. The sales men/ladies at WC have there own extensions and will transfer you to the person you want or if they are gone will pull up your account which has the details from your previous orders (even if its been a while) which ofcourse you have a handle on.

I guess I dont really understand what you are really asking for. Are you asking for prices that are not listed on there website (bulk orders)? If so then your well beyond the "craftsman" type of business. There prices listed on the website are fair prices compared to any of the standard retailers. HO is a little better pricing if you order there quantities however WC will split a single side down and send it your way if thats what you want. If your asking for advice on what leather to use for a specific job/project then I think that would be a question better suited to the forums here so that you can get input from those who make things all day long as there primary/secondary job. WC like HO has a limited selection (harness/bridle/tooling/latigo....) and pretty much all of these can be split down and back side refinished. Just remember the splitting usually gets in line with current orders so could take a little longer to process your order. Still they have always been within 2 weeks for my orders which is fine considering it has to ship across the country.

Have you talked to them? So ya go on a forum to ask others about there "opinion" on the knowledge of a sales person? Everyone is different. Some guys that order leather probably think they know more then the guy that has worked at a tannery his whole life, others may barely know what veg tan is. I personally think you should just call and place a order if you want. There advertised prices are less then any other retail price. If you have the cash to place a large order then you should be calling and arranging the price and shipping anyway. I have personally dealt with atleast 2 of the 4 listed sales ladies/men and Matt. I called, told them the 4-6 different hides in what thickness I wanted, gave them my info, got leather within 2 weeks. Oh and the leather is always much better then any retailer I have tried.

Two comments that usually dont go together - "I am fed up with cutting leather" "I am a leatherworker/craftsman"

I agree with Colt that a tree log on end basically acts like a good solid one piece cutting board. The end grain of the wood will not fight the tool (like a board on its side does), its very solid for a cutting surface, and renewable by cutting a thin layer off the top.

Think Ive worked with most of them, not a issue with any of them. I usually know exactly what I am ordering ahead of time so there isnt much conversating. Tell them what I want, give them my info and wait for delivery. Anyone of the sales staff have readily answered the few questions I have had on that rare occasion.

I use a pricking wheel and awl when hand stitching, one of these days I may try the pricking irons just havnt had a use for them yet. Guess they help with the awl stabbing. My word of advice is get a awl and look up some of the sharpening videos on them. Having a sharp awl is key. Armitage has a decent video of sharpening them. Once you get an awl that will punch thru a couple layers of 8oz vegtan with relative ease it will make sewing things much easier. It also allows you to concentrate on your stitching instead of fighting your awl and getting frustrated with the results. Using a awl for stitching and lacing will significantly improve how your stitching/lacing looks on your projects over punching holes IMHO.

Not to mention if you honestly charged by the hour as you got progressively more efficient at your process you would actually make less then when you started. Now if you charge the same amount as when you started then I guess you would make more money but you wouldn't really be charging by the hour anymore.