fredk

On here many of us recommend PURE neatsfoot oil, not compound as that has petroleum distillates in it which may be detrimental to the leather

I highly recommend a 'conditioner'. All that work has drawn out the natural oils from the leather, They need replaced to keep the leather in continued good condition I use a mix of bees wax and neatsfoot oil. I rub it on with a cloth. Let it sit awhile, then buff it off. I do it as a final finish, after resolene or other sealing, it gets into the leather ok.

Dead simple; I bought two bars of certain plastics. 1 is delrin and 1 is nylon. The delrin is the diameter to go into the knife. The nylon is smaller in diameter. It slips into a hole drilled in the delrin part. I used a modelling knife to pare away one end of the nylon bar to get the bevel shape I wanted. It can all be done on one bar but I had to be awkward. The cost of the two bars was about $3 and there's plenty to do other profiles I first saw this thing on here but found a. they were/are very costly and b (were) very hard to get. So I made one. If I find it amongst the mess on my desk I'll photo it and put it up.

you can get a plastic beveler tool which fits into the swivel knife instead of a blade. That might help PS. I made my own versions

Another idea; cut the leather into the shape of a letter, eg, A, B, F, L etc. punch a hole in the top, tie a bit of leather lace - cut from another bit of your scrap, and sell for a $$ or two for phone or bag hangers

There are some simple patterns for ear-phone cable holders. Maybe you could make some of those? eg. this seller is selling an acrylic template for something anyone of use can do very easily; https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Acrylic-Sewing-Pattern-Cable-Wire-wrap-Board-PVC-Template-Stencil-Leather-Craft/254261771154?hash=item3b332ebb92:g:RAEAAOSwRjldAPx~ or https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Acrylic-Template-Cable-Winder-Pattern-Mould-DIY-Leather-Tool-Sewing-Crafts/183965261065?hash=item2ad52f1d09:g:8WkAAOSwe2Zdhoj3 or https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Handmade-Acrylic-Leather-Data-Line-Holder-Pattern-Stencil-Template-for-Adult/163350290101?hash=item26086f9eb5:g:qoUAAOSworNb6-nM all it takes is some imagination

All good ideas. Patchwork bags and stuff. My no.3 son took a load of scrap, trimmed the pieces neatly, glued them to some denim and made his then girlfriend a patchwork shoulder bag. He used up some real small pieces so he did In my place, as I make board games including the gaming pieces, as long as I can get a 5mm disc out of the piece its never totally waste. The discs are the bases on the gaming pieces. Bigger discs are the feet on boards.

I get stamps made by chaps in Hong Kong The stamps I get made meet all your requirements Stamps are 1. flat backed 2. have a threaded hole on the back so I can screw in a handle 3. made of brass. via that threaded hole a bar can be screw in to the stamp and it can be mounted in a pyrogravure 4. made of brass 5. machine cut in brass, to a depth of about 3mm 6. Its my design they cut 7. usual average is 10 to 13 days from placing order to it dropping thru my letterbox. Its taking a bit longer now tho 8. (x2) prices start at £15 including postage, thats for a 20 x 20 mm stamp, increases by about £3 or £4 per 10 mm linear, eg a 60 x 60 mm stamp is £25. They can cut fine detail. I got >> Made in UK << cut 30mm x 4mm high. Your 1" x 0.5" comes under the 'up to 30mm' size = £14.99, and your 0.5" = £14.99 as well The place I'm currently using ~ https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Custom-Made-Design-Your-Logo-Leather-Seal-Wood-Stamp-Branding-Iron-Carving-Mold/324106724328?var=513156564074

Thats what I had in mind too. When I worked in the Royal Mail we used to get pouches coming through which were made of stout PVC with a zip along one edge - just like the above - at one end there was a sewn in metal loop and a metal wire was looped from the zip pull to it and a lead seal crimped on. We had money transfer bags which were similar construction but very much bigger and for personal courier delivery only. edit to add; I forgot to say that the address label was enclosed by a frame, sewn onto one front side, like you find on luggage tags, but was only accessible from the inside of the pouch

ah, do not be fooled. I only quote from experience, not science. I bought magnets rated as N36. They just about hold together thru 1 thickness of 0.8mm pigskin. I have also bought magnets rated at N52 and they hold thru 1.1mm upholstery leather.

As barrels were once the only means of packing they were easily dismantled. Knock off the rings and the staves fall apart. Good repackers wrapped a bit of cord round the staves to keep all from one barrel together, then they were packed into another empty barrel. You can get a lot of dismantled barrels into an empty one. Often train and wagon companies charged less for the empties. The rings were threaded on a length of rope. Then the barrels returned to the company of origin who passed them on to their cooper who re-assembled them. Everyone in trade paid a deposit on their barrels. Non-return and the cost came out of your deposits.

Actually barrels were not disposable. There was a large return fee on them. No return and the customer was charged far more than what the barrel was worth. But I can see how damaged or end-of-life barrels would have contributed staves to make other items. PS. Up to the 1970s, a place in Belfast re-used end-of-life barrels to make items such as chairs.

Agree with all the above. But now that you have it made; hammer down those stitches, then add lots of bees wax on the insides ones. I mean, a lot of beeswax. Then really rub that wax into the thread and leather. Use a bone folder, tip of an antler or bit of rib bone to get in there. You want to end up with an almost smooth surface, that its hard for your finger to feel the bumps made by the thread.

Essentially there is no difference. I often do small items that way. Usually I use a Glovers needle one way and sometimes change to a Saddlers needle for the return. However - there is a difference in look, in how the threads lay to each other on doing the two-needle Saddle stitching

No. That only removes the top finish, not the oils within the leather. You need dry leather for the paints to soak in.

Here's a builder's one. Bigger than 1m. Although this one is in the UK it'll give you an idea what to look for https://www.screwfix.com/p/stanley-drywall-t-square-48-1220mm/5826k or on Amazon https://www.amazon.co.uk/Stanley-STHT1-05894-Drywall-Square-Metric/dp/B005ZBAG26

Try a builders supply, one that supplies to roofers. That size is pretty common for them. However, a roofer's square is a triangle shape. I use a 30cm on my cutting table.

Paint will not adhere to oiled leather. Is best put on before the leather is re-oiled after tooling Find someone you can work with who will do the tooling but not put any any oil or other finish on it. You can do that after painting it

1. I get all my special stamps made in brass. Actually, that is the only metal my makers use 2. each stamp comes with a threaded hole in the back 3. on veg tan leather I wet the leather and just press the stamp impression in using my lever press. 4. In theory I can fit a shaft into that threaded hole and up into a soldering iron and heat the brass stamp up 5 if I heat the stamp up I should be able to burn the impression into chrome tan leather or even wood. 6. Get your stamp made in brass with a threaded hole on the back, then it can be used the way I use mine.

I sand by hand. 280 or 360 grit wet & dry used dry to even out any bumps not required, then 400 or 600 grade w&d used dry to smooth it all. Its rare that I need to sand. I usually find that if the edge is trimmed with a good sharp blade that sanding is not necessary

That is a good run. Happy Annie when it comes There's a cynical joke in there; the first lasted 3 years, the second lasted 6 years, the third lasted 9 years and the fourth has lasted 12 years

Looks nice. Pre-dyed purple leather, or did you dye it? When I dye it comes out really, really dark

Another nice piece from you One thing that stands out, really only because we are studying a photo; front side, bottom right, looks like your border line cuts through the leaf. Anything you can do to hide that? At last, something I have in common with your work - I too have that horse head stamp!

Two different threads on this forum threw up a thought in me. Would it be possible or feasible to print a concho type thing over one half of a Chicago screw so that that part is captive inside the 3D plastic? If it could be done, one could makes unique concho type ornaments or heads for the Chicago screws I know I can use resin and rubber to mould something with the Chicago screw or rivet captive. I can also do it in white metal. But as 3D printing is the new way of things I was wondering.

To get the sheath to carry at an angle you angle the belt loop part Have looky here; Courtesy of Al Stohlman, How to make Custom Knife Sheaths You can either start again or cut off that loop part and sew a new one on at an angle The illustration above shows carrying on the right. For left side, make forward = backward and backward = forward Test on a bit of thin card first tho