UKRay

In addition to everything Terry said, you might want to check that you have threaded it correctly. Although it will work, up to a point, with almost any sort of threading, it works a whole lot better if you follow the instructions in the manual exactly. I learned this the hard way but you don't have to. Have fun, 29Ks are great little machines when you have sorted out their foibles! Ray

I have a picture of races like those you are talking about, Mike - see below: I use mine to cut stitching grooves. I find they work well on thicker leather but tend to drag on thin stuff. I'd like to find a really good American style groover but don't know where to start looking. Anyone got any ideas? Ray

It sounds like you maybe ought to try using a relatively inexpensive hooked blade clicking knife before making the transition to round knife. I purchased a handle and then made my blades from old hacksaw blades. Learn to get that properly sharp first and then you won't risk spoiling a good round knife.I would suggest you invest in, or make a strop board - Mine is a 3" wide x 12" long piece of wood, faced on both sides with 3mm thick leather. A good rub on one side with some red jeweller's rouge will get you started and then finish off the polishing process on the raw leather side.Better people than me will doubtless help you perfect sharpening, but I find a hooked blade great for cutting tight curves in thick leather. When you have a very very sharp blade, learn how to work the leather 'in the air' and not just on a cutting board. It makes the task a lot easier. Ray

Well, Slick, I'm impressed. I didn't think it was possible to be more opinionated, inconsiderate and condescending that you were in your first post but you have proven me wrong. Congratulations! Ray

I have a brand new Highlead GC0618-1SC fitted with a servo motor. As long as it is stitching fast and straight it works fine but the minute I slow down the stitching, try to turn a corner or put the thing in reverse I risk breaking the thread. It doesn't do it every time (that would be too easy!) but whilst making a simple tool roll with twenty tool slots I had the thread break fifteen times. Another complication is that the servo motor has a 'computerized' control panel. When I slow the stitching down at the end of a run I run the risk of the computer control shutting down giving me an error reading. I then have to 're-boot' the machine by turning off the power.I purchased the machine new and am starting to wish I'd never seen it. Anyone got a clue what is happening here and how it might be fixed? I've got the engineer who sold it to me coming soon but I want to have a better idea of what the problem is before beating his head with it...Can anyone help? Ray

Is there any way to re-strop the blades yourself to save money? Ray

Many thanks for posting the article, Terry - very interesting. Ray

George really pushes back the boundaries when it comes to tooling doesn't he?Most impressive work.Ray

Slick, perhaps you didn't understand that the design was not the object of the exercise? I have a huge amount of respect for Roo and the stuff she produces - not because it is necessarily technically excellent or even that it is elegant or useful (although it is usually all those things) - simply because it makes me think of new ways to do things. I don't always make things that are functional - sometimes leatherwork is about the look and feel of something beautiful - not just about how many pounds of horseflesh it will hold down. Let me be explicit: from where I sit leatherworking isn't simply about the next bit of fancy-assed Sheridan carving (no matter how beautifully it is done) or yet another acanthus leaf belt clone - after a thousand identical craftaid inspired carvings the design becomes stale. Leather isn't just for western saddles, boots or the tops of rodeo chaps - I see western style leatherwork all the time and, because so much is simply duplicating old designs, a lot of it makes me yawn. IMHO, leatherwork is a living craft that is still developing world wide (yes, even in Australia and the UK). If you are prepared to open your mind to new ideas then there is a wealth of learning to be had here. Suggesting that creativity is all about using leather stamps for pottery is insulting at best. Ray

I'm reaching that point where I'm going to take hold of the stupid thread stand on my machine and hurl it out of the window. I wanted a multi-spool thread stand and saw one advertised so paid good money for it - more fool me. The thing is a piece of junk and I'm really keen to get one that doesn't bend, twist or distort. In fact I just want one that works - has anyone got any suggestions that don't involve crappy tubular and angle section stands? Has anyone made their own - if so please be kind enough to post a picture of it. I've got a few ideas including making a wooden or metal stand shaped like a square so I can screw the base onto the sewing machine table, but I'm keen to hear what cleverer people than me have come up with. I need it to hold four large cones of thread... one of each colour already threaded up and ready to go so all I have to do is tie the loose end onto the thread that is on the machine and pull the thread through the tensioners and stuff - it saves time re-threading the machine when you need to change colours in a hurry. Hope someone can give me some advice - how do the pros do it - or don't they change thread colours? Maybe I just need a machine for each colour? Doh! Ray

I believe the major disadvantage for me is not having proper retail premises to display my work - but this could also be my greatest strength! I work, full time now, from home and sell via my website, at shows in the summer months and through a good number of retail shops. I love the web sales and resent the re-seller business because they are making, in some instances at least, more than I do from my work. I can only justify them when I think how much a 'bricks and mortar' store would actually cost me to run... It makes me grateful I don't have any store bills to pay when the month is a poor one. Other disadvantages are that there is only me working, so nobody is around to pick up the slack. However, I'm the only one who needs to get paid so that ain't too bad! I switched from part-time to full time at Christmas - was it only a few weeks ago? It feels like a year already. I went from a three day week at a job I hated to working full time for myself and I can tell you I have never worked harder, but I love every minute of it. The work is coming in - albeit slowly. The inventory level is growing slowly and the workroom is always busy with folks dropping in to pick up jobs. The process was a long one. I started by creating a writhing mass of internet link websites, blogs, Knols, forum posts, newsletters etc. This took almost a year to complete. I made these so they pointed at a blogsite URL, but changed the target URL to www.barefootleather.co.uk when my main sales site went live. Having got my web 'real estate' in hand including a powerful link structure that drives extra traffic and gives me a tad more 'respect' from the search engines, I now have a website that allows me to sell my products easily and doesn't take much managing. I still work on it for an hour every day but that is a small price to pay for the opportunities it brings. As my business is primarily on-line, I have had to find time (and an excuse to leave the workroom) to create 'hard copy' for labels, letterheads, business cards etc - an online business still needs almost all the things that a 'bricks and mortar' business needs. It is pretty well done now thanks to some good friends - and extra huge thanks to Tina from this forum who did some wonderful design work on my logo. I'm now looking forward to another summer of trading at fairs and events around the UK complete with all the right paperwork and the backup of a web based 'selling machine'. Sorry, that went on a bit, but the transition from part time to full time took a while too! Ray

Count yourself lucky they call you Dave, the leather guy... LOL Ray

An easy way is to get a 'junior' hacksaw frame, take the blade off it, stretch some string between the notches, give the string a coat of jewellers rouge and away you go. Fast, effective and very cheap.Ray

Worked like a charm - I'm most grateful, Roo.Cheers,Ray

I need a graphic file grabbed from my screen and wondered if there was an easy way to do this using Windows? I'll try that again... I want to make a screen grab - how do I do this so I end up with some kind of digital graphic file - Ideally, I'd like to end up with a jpg. Any help gratefully received.Thanks,Ray

I'm a big chunky lead block man - My punches stay really sharp and it helps to absorb some of the noise when I'm working in the middle of the night! LOL

Thanks, Terry. I do have a couple of foot presses that would probably work but I need to know what the tooling would look like before I can design and order it locally. I simply felt it would be easier to order a complete unit that was ready to roll rather than try to make something I already have do another job. IMHO, dedicated machines mean less set-up time. What I really need is to see one of these things working or see pictures of one working so I can get to grips with what is required - maybe my foot operated machines would work well - who knows? LOL Thanks for the Weaver tip-off Luke - You really do know that old Weaver catalog inside out don't you... I am beginning to think you need to get out more! LMAO!!! Ray

Here in the UK we don't see too many used spot setters - in fact, I have never seen one. To be honest I haven't seen a new one either! I'm imagining a hand or foot operated machine rather than a hand tool but maybe I'm wrong. Can anyone give me some advice on choosing and purchasing one of these things. I'm almost certainly going to have to buy in the US - unless you can tell me different. How much will I pay for a good one and what brand should I look out for? Are all spots and spot setters the same? - Like I said, I have never seen one of these things and don't even know what questions to ask to get the answers I need to make an informed decision. Is a spot setter the same as a rhinestone setter? Hope you can help, pictures would be a real advantage. Thanks guys, Ray P.S. If anybody has one to trade or sell then I'm definitely in the market.

I've sat back and watched this thread for a while and can sympathise with both sides, BUT, and it is a huge but, there is little point in an argument where nobody listens or learns. It seems to me that forum members could learn a lot from Wyoming Slick as his knowledge of the 'best' craftools is self-evident. I'd like to see (possibly in another post) lists of crafttools that will do the job and some idea when the patterns/manufacture/whatever changed and they became less attractive to the regular user. On the negative side, it seems that our Slick is a tad too up-front and confrontational to make his point without ruffling a few feathers. Slack back a tad, Slick, and I'm sure people will take more notice of you. BTW, referring to something that a guy has spent years learning about and obviously loves with a passion - and is in a position to share his knowledge with others on this forum - as crap (ie: craptools) isn't just nonsensical, it is also pretty rude too. Hold 'em in guys and learn, that is what we are here for isn't it? Equally, and as usual, I have to agree with everything that Jim Redding says about profession tool use. Jim said quite clearly that some Craftools were good enough for professional use but some patterns are better from Pro makers. Who can possibly argue with that? (loved the truck analogy, Jim!) Before anyone bites my ass, I have used Craftools, almost exclusively, for more than thirty years. Not because they are especially good, but because they are all we can get this side of the pond without spending a fortune in shipping charges and customs fees. Yes, I do know a good tool when I use it (I own several Pro Tools) and my work sells well enough for me to think that other people appreciate the quality of my tooling. On the subject of tool bend: some of my Craftools are good and others, notably the later ones are poorer quality. I have bent a few shanks recently - not through misuse, but because the tool is not up to the job. I use the same kit as almost everyone else - a mid-sized Tandy maul for stamping large designs and a small one for smaller stuff. Most of my tools don't bend but several of the newer ones have done. In fact, I purchased a new spare for one of my favorite designs and it bent first time out of the box - I had been using its predecessor for the past 30 years without any hassle. I used in exactly the same way as before. No differences at all. I went back to using the original and it is still going - that was two years ago. I am keen to invest in more pro-tools but am biding my time until I learn more about them. Maybe - if Slick doesn't lose it with us all - I'll learn which craftools to buy and won't spend the money... Maybe! LOL Right now it would make sense to recognise that there are two (or more) different opinions here and learn to live with both of them - IMHO, nobody is ever completely right. Ray

An interesting aspect of this forum is the diversity of opinions. There don't seem to be too many supporters of oil dipping although I'm fairly sure there is an historical/harness making precedent in that some early British military pack animal tack was specified as being 'dipped in oil'. Quite a number of people have looked at this topic and on the face of it, oil dipping would seem to be a no-no - but I'm still not sure. Has anyone else got anything to add here? Is there a correct way to oil dip? Is there a way to 'dip and drain' that doesn't leave the product feeling excessively greasy? What do you think? How do you do it? Ray P.S. Thanks for the neat's foot explanation, Terry. Most kind!

Tim, How do you apply your oil? Is this a dip? paintbrush? rag? how do ya do it? Is the Bee Natural oil thicker than neatsfoot? What is the difference? Or is it just easier to get? <grin!> Ray How do you apply your oil, Ryan? Ray

I can't believe nobody else dips their leather in neatsfoot oil... Anyone know what a neat is? Ray

It would seem that I've been misleading people again! I went off to find the video and discovered it wasn't Weaver at all - however it is definitely a tank filled with neatsfoot oil! Check out: and after the stitching demo you'll see the thing working for Buckaroo Leather in Diamond Springs, California... Sorry Mr Weaver! LOLAlex: I still like the idea but, like you, am also wary of too much oil as I was always taught it caused damage to the fibres. I wonder if this is because it softens the leather making it more prone to disintegration? The weeping is an entirely different issue. Personally, I don't like having greasy oily bits of gear about the place; but I wondered if the waterproofing effect might not outweigh the 'weeping' on animal gear that is used outside all the time. Particularly hunting leashes, retriever collars and dog harnesses. Ray

I was watching a video about Weaver Leather this week and was taken by a clever bit of equipment they use to soak finished product in oil before packing and dispatching. It looked like a little round 'wishing well' full of neatsfoot oil. The items to be dipped were put in a small basket and lowered on a steel 'rope' into the oil and left to soak. They were then 'wound up' out of the oil by means of a handle and roller and left to drain. Does anyone else use this method? I have always used a sponge or brush to apply neatsfoot (or any other oil) it makes sense to dip stuff though - I was thinking about my dog collars. What do you think? Ray

'Stuff' expands to fill available space, Kate. There was loads of room in there when I started... I agree that someone starting out can manage perfectly well with a very small space. I started out by working in a cupboard under my stairs, and stayed in there (heck I almost lived in there) for a couple of years. That was in the 1970s... I've collected a few more tools since then! The advantage of separate work areas is not just clear up time, it means that you can lay out your tools in a way that is most convenient to you. I keep most of my hand tools in the black drawers under the hand-operated machines, but a lot still have to live on the benches if I'm going to work effectively. Personally, I'd like to see more people's tool racks so I can decide what sort to build for myself. I accept that my workroom is unlikely to appeal to someone with a nice clean, open-plan work space. It is far too cluttered with tools and machines, even for me, but until I get to move to a dedicated workshop it will have to do. Randy Cornelius has the most wonderful shop. I want one just like it! Ray