LumpenDoodle2

And if you time it right, you can buy the Silverline bench grinder for £18 (insert smug emoticon here).

Fredk, you are my long lost twin, and I claim my £5. Pound Shop, or poundland purchases are wonderful, I buy my UHU glue there all the time. May I reccommend the cotton pads used to remove makup. Perfect for applying and wiping off dye or conditioner in small areas, and they don't leave thise little cotton 'bits' behind. A5 hardback lined page books £1 each. Perfect for writing your orders, stock, important addresses/numbers, or instructions for making up your leather items (hate getting halfway through a project, and finding out I've missed a step out). Visit the Poundshop garden section, where you can buy the lolly sticks cleverly disguised as plant name markers. Cotton buds for applying dye and edgekote. Three big boxes (100 per box?) for £1.

This is why god invented labels, and writing implements. Consider yourself fortunate. If I put a piece of damp leather in an unmarked bag, and left it in the fridge, I know exactly what would happen. My dear hubbie would wander through to my workshop to ask me what kind of sandwich meat that was, as it was a bit chewy, and not to bother buying it again.

I've read up on the 40w machines too, and the opinion appeared to be that some do need a bit fettlin' with the wiring (loose fittings and connections). Also the mirrors may not be aligned properly, and expect loose nuts/screws. The water pump is also the first upgrade to be made. It does appear though, that if you are prepared to accept that it may not work directly out of the box, and are willing (or able) to do what's needed, they are worth getting. There again, who doesn't do a check over for loose parts on a new machine before they use it. Biggest thing to check out, would be the supplier. Some of the laser forums list the sellers who are more concerned with the quality of the laser engraver they sell than others. Check that out, and buy from them. Me? I have no experience with lasers, so I bought a little A3 5w laser engraver. It can do engraving, and will cut thin material. More of a toy for me to learn about lasers than anything else, I suppose. Because it is basically an open cnc plotter style frame, I can move it onto a hide or wooden surface of any size, and engrave a shape or image. I'd love to have at least a 40w machine, but have neither the space or confidence at the moment. This is why I eagerly await further reports from electrathon.

I was taking my usual peruse through that well known auction site, when a cnc plotter took my attention. Has anyonr used one of these machines to design, and draw out patterns or designs. I'm just curious as to the practical uses of these things.

Is that them thar a 5 or 6 slug gun y'all got there.

AND, THE WINNER IS!! I wiped the marks with 50/50 vinegar and water mix, and the marks came off. I then wiped the leather with a bit soapy water to nutralise the vinegar, followed by some conditioner. Many ta's, project saved.

Naw..... you're doomed, just like the rest of us. welcome to the forum.

Many thanks for the replies. I didn't get time to try out the ideas last night, so hopefully I'll have time tonight, and I shall let you know the best of the suggestions.

Many thanks, will give it a go.

Right, now that I've got your attention, I need a wee bit of advice. during our recent 'summer' weather (monsoon proportion rain), it appears that a garden slug found it's way through an open window of my conservatory/workshop. I have a shelving rack I built quite near the window, and I figure the slug came via the window to get out of the rain. It then managed to get onto this shelving unit where I leave my dyed projects to dry, and wandered over a holster. Question, any ideas on removing slug trail from newly dyed leather. I used a bit soapy water, then conditioner, but it was quite difficult to remove, and I can still see where it has been.

Certainly J Hewit & Sons (bookbinding leather suppliers), based in Scotland, get their goatskins from various countries, including Africa, and India. Last time I was in, they showed me a lovely goat's skin from Scandinavia, I believe. Never had any problems with funny smells from the hides. i love visiting their place, so much leather, so little time............

Subtile as a half-brick in a handbag.

Oooh, that's a lot of leather to bend without damage. I've done it, once, but not without more problems than it was worth (and fold marks). That was with a fairly plain holster, but, IMHO, I'd be tempted to leave a Mexican loop holster unlined. Checking out 'Packing Iron', I can't say I can see any lined Mexican loop holsters. Possibly for a reason. No doubt someone with more experience will come along with a solution.

Glad to see another Singer 29 given a new lease of life.

That's the tricky bit, but if you use one of the Stohlman patterns, you will have to add about 4mm all around thr outside edge of the pattern, and widen the loop cuts. Otherwise your gun takes to look of a 50 year old man trying to squeeze into his 30 year old wedding suit.

That was extremely kind of him, and you aporeciate stuff more when it's handed on like that.

Well done. Lots of good info out there on sharpening these knives. Just think, if the seller knew what it actually was, it would have immediatly turned into a 'classic, rare, antique leathercrafting knife. A bargain at $200'.

I've got one of those, and it works rather well. As to the one in the vid, I've never seen one like that. Very fancy.

I learned how to do Mexican loop holsters via an Al Stohlman book, and worked out my way from there. When the time comes to fold the holster over, I first put my Aussie conditioner on the outside, then feed a wet sponge through the inside holster body a couple of time to dampen the leather. The book advised running water through the holster, but I did that once, and never again. After sending up a prayer or two to the gods, I bend the leather through the loops. I then immediately pop the gun into the holster to staighten everything out. Another coat of conditioner, then remove gun, and leave to dry. Most time, you get away with it without any marks or loss of definition, and I've used this method with carved holsters. You can also use a foam shoe spray (whose name escapes me at this time of the morning), This spray is sold as a leather shoe softener and stretcher. Just spray the inside of the holster, instead if the water.

I now own a Tippman Boss, and the main reasons for buying it, as have already been mentioned, are the small footprint, and the sewing thickness. The fact that I can easily take it outside on a sunny day also wins brownie points. Yes, I could have bought an electric powered machine, but I do not have the space, and the majority of machines available in the UK, just won't look at 3/4" leather, without a hefty price tag. As I have said, space is at a premium, and when I bought the Boss, it was with the understanding that it wouldn't be getting a massive amount of use. So filling my little workshop with a gallumpin' great expensive monster which might only be used once a week, could not be justified. In a workshop measuring 3 metres by just over 2 metres, anything that saves me floorspace is worth every penny to me.

Hopefully one of our more experienced members will be around soon to help out. Maureen

Translation, if it helps anyone? I have such a problem, in the book more Western Tex tips do not hang on one page! Namely, 35. Who can take it with a photo or scan? I will be grateful!

What works best for me is, a sheet of cutting board material (forgotten it's proper name), which covers the whole of my main workbench. I don't have much room, so this is my leather cutting, dying, and general stuff workbench (150cm x 70cm cutting area). I started off using the green cutting boards, but they seemed to grip my knife blade, instead of letting it glide over the surface (especially important with a round/head knife). Saying that, the mats work well with Stanley blades, and scalpels. I have a 21+" square lump of granite for stamping, skiving, and flattening stitching with my trusty hammer. Again, this gives me a nice big area to lay the piece I'm working on. As to stamping out holes, and using pricking irons, etc, I have a 20+" log roll (or stump), directly next to, and level with my granite slab, on a table built using my own fair hands. This gives me an extended flat work surface, so that belts aren't constantly dangling over the edge of the table. Some folk use plastic as a soft surface, others use lumps of lead. Poundo boards (a la Tandy?), wood, leather, you name it, someone will tell you it works best for them. I'm a great believer in trying out other people's suggestions, then settle on what suits you best.

Imagine the size of the cow the leather came off.