fredk

The Macro is well suited to photos of small wallets and things, but you are doing holsters, the 50mm should work out ok. I use +1, +2, +4 close-up lenses on my S5000. My photo above was taken with the +1 on. These lenses are a cheap way to get close-up. They are not so good as a prime macro lens but they are handy, especially as I can't change the lens on the S5000 If you do go for a macro go for one around 105mm and not the 50mm Nikon makes A real cheap way of making a 'light tent' is to get a real big card box. Paint it white inside. Cut holes in three sides and cover the holes with grease-proof/baking paper. Aim your lights through the covered holes, shoot thru the normal flaps side of the box. Prop a bit of light/pale coloured card in for base & curved up back ground

The thickness of the leather helps prevent hernia during the weight lifting.

Remember; with your DSLR you can set very slow shutter speeds. Use that tripod, it'll be one of the bestest investments Exposure is a balance of the aperture (the hole in the lens wot lets in the light) and shutter time (how long the light is allowed in). The exposure is determined by the amount of light and the ISO/ASA. With low light and a low ISO you just set a long exposure time. Use the tripod to keep the camera steady. On my sample photo; The ISO was 100, the aperture f/8 and exposure time was 1/3 of a second - because the light was very low, ie not a lot of it coming in thru the window f/8 gives 'depth of field' = how much front to back is in focus, and is the maximum on my S5000. Smaller number, eg f/4 = less in focus, bigger number, eg f/16 = more in focus ISO, 200 is usual average, 100 or lower gives better quality, 400 and above gives digital break-up, a fuzziness. When doing a product photo use the lowest ISO you can, a medium f/number, like 8 or 11 or even 16, and then set a slooooooooow shutter speed, like 1 second, or 2 seconds. That tripod will hold the camera steady. ~~ one other tip, if your camera takes one, use a remote release, if it doesn't take one, use the self-timer on it. either of these will keep your hand off the camera and prevent any little shakiness due to your finger pressing the shutter release. I always use the self-timer on the S5000 as it doesn't take a remote release. The grey card suits me. but you get a selection of three or four and rotate thru them. They'll only cost a dollar or so each. You can even mess around by using spray paints on the cards and doing wide fuzzy patterns, or a lightish centre and darker edges. . . . . more on that later maybe? PS. My light boxes and lights are stashed away right now as I was . . . . um. . . 'reorganising' my flat ------- apartment to you

Buy three or four 'angle poise' light units. Buy a 'day light' colour LED bulb for each of them. Each bulb about 20w LED (not 20w normal!) Buy a pop -up light tent, box shaped, about 50 cm cube, or if you do really big stuff, 1m cube. Buy one good tripod Light units, about £10 each. Bulbs about £3 each, Light tent about £25, tripod about £25 Set up; One light shining down thru top, one on each side shining thru the sides, the fourth set up next to the camera which is on the tripod. The first three lights will give a soft diffused light, the fourth you can move around for hi-lights and shadows For back ground; the light tent will come with some cloths. useful, maybe. I use a piece of art card, pale grey, big enuf to go across the bottom and curve at the back up to the top. of the light box. The curve makes an 'infinity' back ground of the card ie there is no join between the floor and the wall also, devote a space for this set up and use it a lot until you get used to it all At the mo, my set up is an occasional table with the grey card clamped to it and curved up and jammed under part of the mantel shelf. Main light is day light thru a big window, using the curtain to control it, and using the camera flash to fill in. Camera for this is an old Fujipix S5000. My DSLR is packed away. Taken with my current set up:

afaik about 300* to 350* F - or basically, towards to top end of a home kitchen oven's heat range afaik Large commercial places work at about 400*F

I'll jump in here if I may. a. on Tandy - I'm mixed on them. I buy some tools and fittings from them and some specialised leather, like snakeskin as I can't get it anywheres else. On their regular leather - no way hose-ayy. When they had a branch in Manchester I went there to buy. I was gonna buy some leather, until I checked it. It was shelved flat. When I started to bend some 2mm (5 oz) it not only started to crack visibly but it 'cracked' in sound too. I couldn't even bend the 3.5mm (9oz)! They scammed me thee times as well. 1. That time, the sales guy slipped a board of that mouldable board they do. I didn't notice until later as a. it was a big cash order and b. I was in a hurry to catch a ferry ship. 2. overcharging me on an order and promising a refund - never got, 3. sending rubbish off cuts as usable leather. I'm actually glad they shut down the Manchester branch with those tossers as staff. b. I used to have customers who actually wanted the imperfections in their leather items. Not just wanted but insisted on it. Small scars, bites, abrasions et al. The best one was - I had a piece of leather heading for the 'scrap' bin. It had a scar about 8 inches long about 2 inches wide at one end and about 5 inches of its length was right through. There was plenty of good leather around it tho. A lady customer came in. She wanted a new 'occasional' shoulder bag. She spotted this scarred piece and insisted that it was to be the front flap of the bag. I didn't tell her it was rubbish / waste. She said that scar would make her bag totally unique. The customer got what she wanted. c. On the general nature of flaws. On something I made recently what I think are bite marks didn't show up until the dye and finish coat had fully dried. Not the best of photos of it but you might be able to see marks to the left and top. As the piece was already sewn, glued and riveted in place replacement was not an option. On some other work abrasions didn't show up until the dye had dried. Those pieces were scrapped as the abrasions made them just too unusable

Powder coating uses static electricity. The item to be coated does not need to be able to conduct as the static elec is only on the surface The item and the powder are charged with static elec and when the powder is blown onto the item its attracted by the charge. This also means the item gets an even coat of the plastic powder all over. Then the item is heated in the oven and the plastic powder basically melts and flows together

1. Feibings does a 'dye prep'. Wet a rag with it and wipe it over the surface of the leather. It should leave a trace of wetness that evaporates almost immediately 2. other cleaners can be, oxalic acid, vinegar & water, lacquer thinner (aka cellulose thinners), methylated spirits ( or any alcohol) 3. a. before dyeing dilute your dye. b. wet your leather. c. apply the diluted dye, d. allow this to almost dry completely, e.repeat c and d until colour density is reached then let dry completely

Give that up. Use 'floor polish'. The liquid 'floor polish' was sometimes called 'Pledge with Future Shine' - the makers keep changing the name. But its not a 'polish'. Its actually a water-thin acrylic varnish which is great as a dye blocker on leather as well as sealant. Just don't put more than about 5 coats on as the thicker it gets the harder/stiffer it makes the leather and the surface finish of the varnish can crack. But up to 3 coats are more than enuf.

oh dear, another example of lost photos due to not posting directly onto this forum

Attach one end of the strap to the D. Feed the other end of the strap thru the Slide, thru the D and up thru the slide again. The slide will act as a strap length adjuster. To use as a belt, adjust length of the strap to suit, or if the strap needs to go thru trousers/skirts belt loops, undo the strap from the D & slide, put thru clothes loops and re-do on bag

How about a 3-bar slide? http://www.leprevo.co.uk/photos/brass-3-bar.htm

hee, hee, (on us) It took till today to spot that, we are so observant aren't we? (not)

As frodo has said; surface preparation is a priority for a good top finish. I don't do the coating myself but I get it done. One place I used to use did not do the surface prep properly and the powder coating just peeled off, like a skin off a banana. Another place, which i now use, does a proper prep and nothing short of a nuclear blast takes off their coatings One thing I found out is to put cast iron items in a hot air environment with hot air circulating and venting and refreshing for a long period. This removes moisture which the cast iron has absorbed. Cast iron absorbs quite a bit of moisture from the atmosphere**. If left on it forms rust bubbles under the powder coating A friend showed me how much on a cast iron car manifold [exhaust header to US readers]. The weight of the manifold dropped by almost 5% upon drying.

My experience of powder coating is on vintage car parts and not a sewing machine a. the finish can be better than painting but it is thicker. b. the powder coating can be tougher than paint c. yes, you can apply decals on it and varnish over it. d. you imply you are going to do it yourself. don't forget to plug screw and bolt holes and cover any screw or bolt threads sticking out. you can buy plastic plugs for the holes and plastic caps for the sticky-out bolts e. done well a powder coat finish can look like a baked on enamel finish as per original old machines

Make sure you get pure NFO and not compound

Yup, its a very old idea. Some other workers on here have been doing it for yonks, further back than that faceybk you showed

In my experience oil darkened leather does not get any lighter. It does not dry out as does water It sill looks grand tho. Why use vegetable oil? Pure NeetsFoot Oil is better. To feed a project after dyeing and working on it, to replenish the oils I use a beeswax & NFO mix. There is very minimal darkening if any

a. on rivets. make sure they are neither too short nor too long for the material they are going thru..- if too short they will not fully fasten, if too long the stem will bend sideways and make the head drift to one side. Ideally you want 2.3 to 3.5mm of stem above the leather.

A; speed-stitchers, aka sewing-awl are dead easy peasy to use. Shove needle with thread through leather, making its own hole or a pre-made hole. when the needle and thread is thru, pull a length of thread off the needle equal to and a bit more than the length you want to sew. Pull the needle back thru the hole leaving this extra length behind. Poke needle thru next hole until thread is thru, then back it out a wee bit leaving a wee loop, feed that extra length thru the loop and pull the needle back out completely = 1st stitch, repeat along the length needing sewing: in hole, back a bit leaving a loop, feed thru loop, back out fully, in next hole. Its very fast when the subject is in a clamp. b. this appears to have a c-clamp built on the back end. I'm thinking its for clamping the sewing needle and to feed heavy long material, like sail or tent canvas, onto the needle rather than working the needle unit along the material

Le Prevo in Newcastle, England has what you need and will send to you as well.

very thin belly leather wet moulded over a ball shaped buck. was done in ages past. you'd need a very solid buck tho, maybe an old leather soccer football

yeah, shud work. use a fleece bonnet tho. for me; its 'over-kill' but if it suits your needs. . . . .

More very most excellent works isn't that a grade school thing?

Thanks for the answer. That looks the bizz sure enough Base-ball caps are not common here