dikman

Oops, I missed the rancid bit - it's obviously compounded but as has been said they used something even cheaper than mineral-based oil, some sort of vegetable/animal oil that goes off. Definitely don't use it on leather (unless it's for someone you don't like!).

Sounds like it might be compounded neatsfoot oil, this is pure NF mixed with petroleum-based oils. It can be made cheaper because it's effectively diluting the NF with (relatively) cheap mineral oils. It will still work on leather but most leatherworkers prefer the pure stuff. If it's compounded it should mention it on the labei. A google search for P Paulin doesn't come up with anything.

Be wary of people advertising machines as "semi-industrial" or "heavy duty", in most cases they will simply be older domestic machines.

The scarf (the little notch on the needle) faces towards the hook.

Definitely not pretty , but yes, functional. Using a cam to operate the push rod, which could be shorter, is what I have in mind, just an idea kicking around.

I'm curious why that is the weak link? What am I missing? It doesn't look any different to me than other buckles I have.

Bit of confusion there Jonas, he's talking about the lead shot not Black Powder. Brass would deform and crush if dropped/sat on whatever. Some sort of polyethylene funnel cut off and stitched inside? Or sheet polyethylene (milk bottle?) rolled into shape and stitched inside? Or as Chuck suggested, veg tan made to shape and stiffened (hot water?).

It finally warmed up enough to paint it so I'm calling it finished. I can now see how to make a better one, a bit smaller and neater.

Don't bother wasting your time trying to slow down a clutch motor (been there, done that!), there is a steep learning curve trying to control one for sewing leather. You got those machines at a bargain price so do yourself a favour and buy a servo motor, you won't regret it (you may need a speed reducer too, but try the servo first). There's been lots written about oils, to a point it's not that critical as long as it's a light oil but do not use car engine oil in the long run it can gum things up. The best way for a newbie is to buy Lillywhite Sewing Machine oil if you can. That 155 is a real workhorse.

Always nice when a plan comes together.

The banding steel isn't hardened but it had no problem punching into the white plastic board in the press so yes, I think the saw would work ok. I looked up those rolling thingies, unfortunately they're not cheap anymore.

Might depend on the type of saw? I was thinking of the real cheap Chinese ones which are likely made out of plain carbon steel which hopefully would mean it can be re-hardened if necessary.

Funny you should mention that toxo 'cos it's been hovering there in the back of my mind. No hurry though, I'm just happy that I can make useable dies. I've been thinking about a round die for cutting out coasters and I reckon a cheap holesaw should do, grind off the teeth and sharpen the edge. That stainless tubing looks like interesting stuff.

Are those things hardened? If not once the the rust is gone heat it to blue-gray and drop in oil, that gives a nice finish and some rust protection.

Finished off the last of the dies for the four pieces that my mate is cutting out (he has been getting orders from a Single Action shooting club for suspenders that he makes and cutting them by hand is getting tedious). The dies aren't perfectly uniform but a little bit of sanding/trimming of the leather pieces should fix that. I used some "pretend" leather that I salvaged from my old Triumph saddlebags, not something I would want to use on anything. The Vevor press punched three without any trouble, the larger one took a bit of fiddling as I think I have a pronounced burr on the cutting edge. The press also punched the die fairly deep into the plastic cutting board!!

Using a bandsaw blade should work BUT you'll have to anneal it first otherwise it will snap when you bend it. Once shaped it may need to be re-hardened, depending how stiff/soft it still is. Heating and quenching might warp the shape a bit and you would need to silver solder after re-hardening. Sharpening is a bit of a problem, so far I found the worn belt and a head magnifier the best as although it's slow I have better control. It may not work too well if I ever make a complicated shape.

A lot of work but an interesting result. I'm all in favour of not wasting stuff where possible.

Had a go at making some dies for a fellow shooter and leatherworker. It's not as easy as it looks and there's an element of luck in trying to match the shapes on two sides. Part of the process is figuring out which combination of tools works best to get a desired result - sometimes it's not what you think. I had to make up another tool because nothing I had would let me get the bend I wanted! I tacked the die together with the MIG, and after I'd taken the photos I put a sharpened bevel edge on one, using a worn 120 grit belt (that reduced the risk of grinding too much and also polished the edge). I put it under the Vevor press with some thick scrap and heaved away, very satisfying when it went clunk! It worked!! The banding works well and is surprisingly tough, although being 1 1/2", compared to the 1" of the steel rule, means it's just a bit harder to work with. Damn, I'm good!

That's a bright idea. If you turn on the drill press slow you could use the punch for mixing batter too.

Everything Fred said - and the bag looks good.

Sore hands - yep, but it gets better as you do more sewing! Finding a suitable machine under $400 is a big ask, not impossible but.....read that article AlZilla linked to and then reread it to gain an understanding of what you're looking for. You'll likely be faced with either continuing to hand sew or upping your budget.

A very quick search on google (not hard to do ) immediately shows it is a high speed single foot garment machine.

Fred, those little animals are brilliant! If you made a clicker die to stamp them out in bulk or second choice use a laser to cut them out your cost will be minimal. Where did you get the patterns?

Spent a day repairing my hand-held bandsaw after one of the brushes fell apart, at the same time the top wheel wouldn't turn. Then back to the bending jig. Added a couple of bars across the bottom so it can be clamped to a bench, my reloading bench has three sets of holes for mounting various presses, these are reinforced underneath with steel so I made the bars so it can be bolted down using two of the holes. This works well as I can really lean into the handle and I don't have to hold the press down. Tomorrow I'll go over it with an angle grinder to tidy it up and then it's a matter of waiting for the weather to warm up (could be a while!) so I can paint it. I thought of powdercoating it but my little oven is too small for it. The bending tools have been heated and dunked in oil to give them some protection (also makes them look purty ). It's not perfect, if I'm not careful sometimes the bend can be slightly skewed but that's a minor point. I might need additional different bending tools but they're easy enough to make. All things considered I think I'll call it a success, and all it cost was some power and welding gas. Oh, and out of curiosity I tried one of the shapes that I'd bent under the Vevor press that I bought, using a bit of scrap hard leather, and blow me down it cut it - and it's not even sharpened!

They look great, so cute! I'm sure my grand-daughters (and wife) would love them.