fredk

I doubt that I'm the first to discover this A cheap and ready source for picture or letter stamps are ones made for Letterpress printing There are is a wide range of letter types and sizes. For not too much you can buy complete alphabet sets, actually multiple letters in the sets Also there are available various pictures and fancy designs. With these you are limited to size. But they are cheap 3 quick samples 1. Archer, size of stamp is 31mm high by 17 mm across 2. Two children on a bicycle, stamp size is 30mm high by 27 mm across 3. Scottish themed border, 20 mm high by 86 mm across. In the hand even the small details can be seen impressed into the leather All of these, and others I've bought, are metal bonded to a wood block. I used my Tandy press, (1.25 ton), to press these into cased 1mm leather. Just a quick & rough test On average I got them for about £4 each

Linky no worky Even a new raw leather benefits from a wipe down with a dye-prep or other cleaner before further dyeing. Was this done?

I too just pull the thread through a small block of wax. The wax came from own bees who gave a more sticky type of wax than is normally found in the hardware stores or from leather supply shops After pulling through the wax block I pull the thread through my finger - thumb grip to even out the applied wax

Was it a pre-finished leather? Did he wipe it over or wash it down with anything to break through that pre-applied top finish?

No real leatherwork in this, just the main strap. Pictures attached using double-sided sticky pads My Christmas hat band;

Thanks for sharing I just bought a 3D printer with this sort of thing in mind. It will beat bulldog clips and lolly sticks Its all just arrived in the last couple of days, I've not even had time to open the boxes

I've bought and used the cheap China ones bought via ebay. They are fine but do need a wee bit of sharpening to make them better https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/304632420229?hash=item46ed81d785:g:Y54AAOSwZDFjS1Bq&amdata=enc%3AAQAHAAAA4HOc5W%2BIJTlN0bLnGsMGJLkVg4iETm5kEJSmCKcrAk%2FbYk%2BHFPPOnLvHslv66eFTQkRxI9nzMmoHsoxhbAXxu5F6JxXplQQpHb61yC6cNJQ3cvbBb43xCqnQVEii4Ybj%2FYxSXY%2BPBc8ECFcQ0j9e9GYH2hSt%2BlN%2FsDCYnGsUEtYE%2B2sG02bfzZQ7H%2BKN%2FCED1HdCPi5OKgo9BmgQ9WOegEmERtoSbQH8ruAWvzQZY11rumq%2BuFHFQz7PH5XYjr4%2B0hpl4sq6as022rRowfYmZ9SmV5QzzuEHVRN4SNkWpfkN|tkp%3ABk9SR4ioo9mcYQ This is a seller I've been buying from. All has been in order

Do you ever start one of those projects which at first seems quick and simple then turns into something more involved? I had this idea to make some pen/pencil cases for the members of my Knit & Natter group. I thought just to use some chrome tan, folded over and with some sort of flap at the top. After considering this and discarding the idea as not good enough I've ended up doing wet-moulded veg-tan ones I asked the librarian for the first & last initials for everyone in the group so I could personalise the cases. Not everyone turns up every week so I see only about 8 to 10 members each week that I'm there. 8, 10, or even 12, easy-peasy. Ah, but no, there are 19, including the 3 library staff. I can't leave them out After carving up some scrap wood, I started. Leather is about 1 -1.2 mm veg tan. Afair, it came from Tandy. A 'belly' leather. I wet the leather, not a really long soak, but a good wetting under a running tap (faucet?), in very warm water. Then I stretch it just using my hands. Step 1; wet mould over the wood former, using bulldog clips and lolly sticks (aka popsicle sticks) to hold in place. I stretch the leather over the former as well, so the clips are re-positioned a couple of times Step 2. Before the case has completely dried a flat iron bar with some scrap leather glued to it is slipped between the former and the leather and 3D picture and letter stamps pressed in. (this case needed the top edge trimmed, as by the marked line) Step 3. The wet-moulded case is glued to the back & flap piece, after the top edge is trimmed. if necessary. Bulldog clips and lolly sticks again, but lolly sticks front and back so the bulldog clips don't leave marks. A different wood former is used to make sure the case retains its shape whilst being glued up and the case continues to dry out Step 4. After the glue is dry, the cutting lines are marked in. For the sides and bottom I use a piece of 6mm thick MDF board used on edge, pressed up to the sides. For the flap shape, a simple carboard pattern shape Step 5. Waste cut off. Holes punched for the snap, and an 'access' V is cut away. Not really necessary, but it looks nice. On some I've been punching the lacing holes at this stage Step 6. Tan dyed and KAM snap installed. I like the KAM snaps. They are easy to open, come in a range of colours, easy to install. But only usable on leather less than 1.4mm thick Step 7. Holes for lacing (1.5mm round coloured lace) punched Step 8. Laced up Step 9. Contents added. a pencil, a coloured gel-ink pen and regular pen which I've had printed up (20 pens for £20, cheap as chips) So far I have 14 finished. with 3 more at different stages. I have until December 14th to get them all done. They are actually quite easy and quick to make, especially in a 'production run'. No fancy edge finishing or nuffin. I've priced these and including the pens & pencils but not time they work out at £3.20 each. Not very expensive at all.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Class of 1886, wear sunscreen . . . I can now say that this is all resolved. The missing items arrived via FEDEX earlier today, Monday December 5th. A day earlier than FEDEX said they'd be delivered on I have emailed Chelsea to let her know that the parts have arrived Thank you all who have either just written anything or otherwise got involved

afair, send your photos to yourself and the phone automatically compresses them

I keep my cutting mats for cutting and when I need to use a hammer punch I do it on my wood blocks. Sometimes I'll put a piece of scrap leather between the blocks and the project

You really cannot beat another self-healing mat. Anything else also gets cut up or blunts blades and needs replacing as well. If you shop around you can s-h mats quite cheaply. I just bought another A2 size for £8.50 (about $10?) I used to do some cutting on a large piece of 6mm thick tempered glass. But that was heavy and it blunted blades pretty quickly. MDF or hardboard is cheap but gets sliced up quickly and needs replacing often

Me too. Plus cereal box cardboard. Sometimes I need to eat a lot of cereal. The things I do for this craft! I envy you guys though; I think most of you learnt to do proper drawing in 'shop' or something. We don't have 'shop' here and I reckon its a big loss

wilco

Yes. . . . and when I contacted Tippmann for them they wanted me to pay for them again, plus more S&H

Hi folks, I was out all afternoon (my time) and whilst I was out I received an email from Chelsea, timed at 14.41 (my time) quote "So it looks like the discount was taken off of the deluxe master crafter kit in our system, so the total you paid, $1460.89, was also supposed to include the needles. The quantity was wrong in our system for the needles. So the total you paid reflects what you wanted, the ordering system for inventory was off on the total and the quantity. We will get out the needles you requested and the flatbed today." All might be sorted. But such a palava ! I might have to pay customs and FEDEX admin fee, it shouldn't be too much, but I can live with that Thank you to everyone who helped or commented in any way I'll let youse know when the items arrive

@MikeRock Thank you. It all might help

Not quite; there is more to be sorted

Hi Chaps, Thanks for the input There is about a 5 hour difference between me and Tippmann HQ. I'm ahead by 5 hours, ie 10pm my time is about 5pm Indiana time Just before Tippmann shut down last evening I finally got Chelsea to admit, and acknowledge that I was owed the Flatbed accessory. That is one bit sorted @Dwight thank you for the offer. I'll PM you with that info.

You are correct Every email to and from them has been an add-on to the previous email, which started with the order. Thus every time they send me an email or I send them one that order is there for them to see. And I keep directing 'Chelsea' to it but she denies I paid for the items I don't go on to any of those social platforms, but I may ask a friend or family to do it. My next thought is to start a 'charge-back' through my credit card, until Tippmann sort this out I've tried emailing others at Tippmann but the email addresses Tippmann supply are 'dead' and the emails cannot be delivered. This too is now making me question what sort of company Tippman is. A company which will take ones money and doesn't want to be contacted with problems of their doing

Having read through here and looked elsewhere I believed Tippmann, who advertises on here, was good company So last week I bought a Boss It was delivered quickly but it was missing several items from my order. I emailed Tippmann within about 1/2 hour of my receiving the Boss Allowing for the holiday weekend I finally got contact from 'Chelsea' this evening (my time) Who now says I never ordered the missing items, despite all our emails having that order to view She now wants me to pay again for the items missing from my order which I have already paid for, and paid customs duties on So much for a 'good' US company! Is this the standard of US companies? I have better dealings with Chinese companies than this I didn't have to buy the Boss. I could live without it but as I had windfall bonus recently I thought I'd treat myself to one. Such a mistake. I really regret buying from Tippmann.

Finally got a response from Tippmann They want me to pay again for the items which I have already paid for and which they forgot to pack!

I ordered a Tippmann Boss in the early hours (my time) of Tuesday and I received it at 12.25 today, Very speedy indeedy Whilst I'm happy it has arrived its missing several items which I ordered with it. I've emailed the Tippmann contact, Chelsea, but as this is a holiday weekend goodness knows when I'll get an answer and get the missing items I'm truly disappointed that they could not pack the order correctly

Last week a chap on another forum recommended getting one of these heated over-jackets - It needs a separate rechargeable power back Has anyone tried one? My apartment never gets so cold that I would need one regularly but I'm tempted to get one anyways

Have you got access to a computer and printer? Write the letters in a Word document. Enlarge the letters to your size. Print out on paper. Rub some olive oil onto paper. Place onto cased leather then go over the outline of the letters with a dead biro pen, pressing the outline into the leather. Then work on those outlines