dikman

Very classy, I can see a lot of work (and leather!) went into it.

Yep, I've found one of those rotary cutters much better on softer material because there's no drag like you get pulling a blade.

Those conchos look much better, more subtle. The others stood out too much, being solid metal.

More info always helps, along with photos. Pfaff makes a lot of machines.

That was doing my head in trying to figure it out until it suddenly clicked into place. Simple but very effective.

That's a pretty solid looking belt you've got there, should be good for a few years!

For a first effort that's pretty impressive - and ambitious. One of the problems with being the maker is that you notice all the little flaws, things which others won't see. Which also means you can see where improvements need to be made. I'd call it a success.

Well, I've run into one problem, although it's not the machine's fault - I can't find anywhere local to buy the steel rule that the dies are made from. So far all my searches lead to the US or Alibaba, and they have minimum sale requirements of usually 100 metres! Why do things have to be so hard.....

Messing with old steels is always going to be a bit hit or miss but fortunately most blades for leatherwork are on the small size so as Chuck said a MAP torch should usually be ok. I have a Bullfinch gas torch and it gets almost as hot as a MAP so is fine for small blades. A good starting point is a red-orange heat and then quench. Sometimes quenching in water, rather than oil, can give a harder steel but the danger is the shock from a water quench can warp or crack thin steel - happened to me on my last experiment. And yes, the older saw blades are often better quality steel, although I bought a really cheap Chinese panel saw that couldn't cut a straight line but the steel appears to be plain carbon steel and it makes quite good little blades, so it turned out to be good for something after all.

Looks good, might seem expensive initially but in the long run it will be worth it. Old firearms, like old sewing machines, are notorious for having oddball screwheads! My WWGreener shotgun has slots so thin that I still haven't found a driver bit that fits!!

Lots written on here about "what oil to use" but the simplest way is to get some Lillywhite sewing machine oil.

Yeah, shelves might work. I'm looking at what I've got in there that could be stored in that space. It has to be good for something.......

Christmas has come early for you! Ho Ho Ho.

Conchos always look a bit gaudy to me, you either have none or go all out! In your case there is a lot going on with the belt and holster and I don't think you want anything that detracts/clashes with them. Unless, of course, you like that sort of thing.

Since you mention it () personally I think it would be better without them, maybe just a rivet instead, they look a bit big to me.

Most saw blades can be heat-treated and re-hardened/tempered, the el-cheapo handsaws are usually just carbon steel. Nothing wrong with being creative with what's around, I do it all the time when making blades. A gas torch should be all you need to do that with thinner blades.

Hey Bob, putting tubes on the door won't work, they would have to be vertical and it would be a pain trying to fish out pieces that fall to the bottom. BUT it is wasted space so I'm contemplating how I could use it.

Wow, a lot of work went into that! Nice job.

Looks like it's back to the drawing board for me, I think I made my design a bit too complicated.

It will certainly out last me! If used as intended (or possibly even abused!) I can't see any fail points on it, an unusually well made bit of Chinese gear.

That (simple) stamping with the white stitching really pops out at you!

Being in Australia getting dies made by Weaver isn't really an option. I'd like to have a go at making dies but so far haven't been able to source rule steel here in Oz.

Basically a manual clicker press, I saw one on youtube and thought that looked useful. Amazon (Aus) had what was an older version with needle bearings on the shaft end for what was a good price ($178) and by signing up to their app (which I won't use again as I prefer using my computer) I got another $20 0ff. $158 delivered was too good to pass up. It arrived today, well packed, and I forgot how heavy 50lbs is!!! This thing is built like a tank! As a bonus it is the later model with big bearings on the shaft ends. So, the base and pressure plate are made from 5/8"/16mm plate steel, the main support bar is 1 1/4"/30mm bar and the upright bolts are 3/4"/17mm rod. The end bearings are 1 3/4"/45mm diameter and the pressure plate 10.2" x 4.7"/260 x 120mm. I'm glad I didn't get a bigger one because of the added weight. It has a travel of 1/2"/12mm and claimed downward pressure of between 1 - 1 1/2 ton, depending on which article you read. A quick trial of the only clicker die I have handy (lent my other ones to a mate) and it went through the leather like butter! Should be good for imprinting things too. Me happy.

Impressive, lots of torque there. I doubt if overheating is likely to be a problem for home/hobby use. It sounded pretty noisy, or is that just an overly sensitive mic?

You'd have to do a lot of stropping with a coarse abrasive to significantly change the blade geometry! Eventually though it would need touching up on an oilstone.