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Tokarsky

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About Tokarsky

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  1. Tokarsky
    I thought about dura edge, but everything leads me to believe it's flexible which means it's less hard than I'd like. Maybe I just need to start experimenting with varnish and other hardware store items.
  2. Tokarsky
    I'm working outside of plain old vegtan, and I'm looking for any kind of edge sealant that will dry hard. For an example I'm using horsehide chromexcel and I can only burnish so much due to the kind of tannage it is, I can make it smooth and pretty, but it lacks the durability that a good vegtan burnishing can produce, even with several coats of resolene. I'm curious if anyone out there uses any kind of acrylic, resin or whatever-based product that provides hard edges?
  3. Tokarsky
    Appreciate the offer sir, found a guy 10 minutes away that's going to run all 50 or so through for $20.
  4. Tokarsky
    Does anyone have access to a bench splitter or nicer in the Seattle WA area? I have about 50, 3/4" straps I'd like to try to split down to 6/7oz. If someone has access to one I'd like to work out a deal to get these straps done. Let me know please. Also, if anyone elsewhere uses this: http://www.tandyleather.com/en-usd/search/searchresults/3790-00.aspx What do you think of it, I might have to break down and drop $200 if I can't find a local helper.
  5. Tokarsky
    That was Herman Oak via Weaver. I didn't know anything about the TR grade, maybe that's where it went wrong.
  6. Tokarsky
    Yeah, after I saw what I got I scoured their catalog for an explanation, I without a doubt should have gotten a Strap Double Back.... to finish my job that's what I'll most likely get.
  7. Tokarsky
    That's a fair statement, and again this is 100% new to me, first side I've ever bought. I think the hardest part is since ordering online I had to buy it sight unseen. I'd have gladly paid a bit extra to get a nicer or bigger or whatever side, but unfortunately I wasn't given that opportunity. I appreciate the input about adjusting expectations.
  8. Tokarsky
    Yeah I can respect that, and upfront I gave them a ton of info with the order i.e. don't cut anything under 40", I wanted a longer hide hopefully at least 84" to get at least 2 40" straps per strap, the length they got right, the quality not so much. But this was my first side, I was hoping to have mostly usable material, with this I have about 60% usable, that just seems wrong. Someone elsewhere mentioned that maybe they tried to force a 4/5oz side to be a 8/9oz side, hoping I wouldn't notice since it was pre cut. Hopefully my pleasant but descriptive email gets the ball rolling on a resolution. Side note, I'm down here in the Seattle area, neighbor!
  9. Tokarsky
    I guess my main issue with this is that they sold it as a "8/9oz Strap Side" basically 1/2 of this side is unusable at 8/9oz for anything strap related.
  10. Tokarsky
  11. Tokarsky
    I recently bought a side of Veg-tan from Weaver leather, and had it cut into 3/4" straps for making a bulk order of camera straps for a customer. When I received the leather straps (side) I started looking them over and most of them have a good 40-50" of quality leather, then it starts to degrade into this more fibrous portion that feels like its delaminating. Is this normal as whole sides go, or did they sell me a bullshit side of leather, cut it up and hope I'd not notice? I'll post pics as soon as I get home from the office, but I was hoping to get 2 straps out of each single weaver cut strap, but because of this nasty portion of leather it doesn't look like I'll be able to, on almost every long strap... Did I get a side with http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_rot_%28leather%29 that isn't red?
  12. Tokarsky
    Thanks. So obvious step one is to cut and glue all the pieces as close to perfect prior to stitching. After stitching, I even up all the edges with my dremel and a sanding bit. I then use an overpriced tandy edge beveler to edge the now floppy edge corners. Next, and I hated to admit to myself that this made a difference was wet sanding by hand with 400 grit paper... I always thought wet sanding was pointless, I was wrong and dumb. After that moisten with gum trag and hit it with my "ghetto-cocobolo" dremel burnisher http://i.imgur.com/4UV1TfJ.jpg that gets it pretty good, but the last thing I started doing was rubbing some plain beeswax right on the edge and using some canvas to make it hard and shiny. Hope that helps.
  13. Tokarsky
    I think this is the first real thing I'm proud of producing. Used 2/3oz Hermann Oak Vegtan, Fiebings Pro Walnut Dye, and Brown .6 Ritza 25. Man how the lighting affects the color in the picture...
  14. Tokarsky
    I switched my stitching priority and I think I somehow fell ass backwards into proper form... With this I had the grain side of the leather (shown here) facing my right hand. My pricking iron marks all direction /////// going down the grain side. Starting from the far end I awl'd from the right side through my pricks. Put my left hand needle in first, then passed the right hand needle over the the left hand needle but under the left hand needle's thread in the hole. Pulled tight and my result is what I wanted. But I just don't get it.
  15. Tokarsky
    I'll definitely give your experiment a try. Good eye btw I think the math is somewhere between 7 or 8 spi for the Chinese Irons I bought. Maybe I just need to drop from .030 thread to .020. The guy in the video is saying a rounder tipped awl follows your pricking iron marks and an acute tipped awl can wander. Makes sense, I'm not certain that's my problem, I think the size and makeup (twisted vs braided) of the thread is what is making it look odd.
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