HondoMan

@Instinctive, I know neither the number of stamps nor a diameter. All me to explain it this way. If I have a stamp with a length of 5mm or 10mm, I know that straight lines with a length divisible by 5 or 10 (20cm, 40cm, 100cm, etc.), will allow me to stamp along this line with no gaps at the beginning or end. With that said, mate, I have the same 10mm stamp and I want to use it around a circle. I need a mathematical formulae to determine possible circumferences so there is no gap between stamps around the end of the circle. If I wanted to put circles inside circles with a stamp along the edge or between circles, I would need to know several circumferences. This is what I am on about.

Apologies for the late response.... the responses are truly appreciated. As an example, I want the stamp below to fit properly around a circle. I have yet to make the circle on leather. I know the stamp has a length of 13mm, and I would like to know what diameter or circumference would be feasible so the stamp fits properly. Imagine one makes the second to last stamp and there is an 9mm or 10mm gap. That last stamp won't fit. What mathematical equation would assist? Cheers!

Odd title. Odd indeed. I must be getting old and my maths were a very long time ago. Seems there is an equation to solve this wee riddle. Let's say I have a stamp that is 0,8mm long. I need a circle in which the stamp will fit nicely without a gap between the first and last. In order to figure out possible diameters, what would the equation be? I can't for the bloody life of me recall. Anyone? Cheers and have a nice start to the coming week, ~ Hondo

A two-years old thread, but people do come back to read.... me two-cents.... had a student with me the other day and she was having this issue. I clarified the issue she was having and it made me look here. There can be numerous issues if one is having to tug on the needle and fingers are not gripping the needle 1. Most like, the holes are not large enough. Either the stitching irons are too small for the thread or the awl is not sharp or large enough. 2. Has the thread 'knotted' behind the eye? A loop behind the eye assist in this and if it has knotted, that comes from tension while pulling on the thread. I refer to this as a small fist. One is attempting to pull a fist through the hole. Mind the loop. 3. If using a stitching iron, when were the holes made? I've seen countless times, people make the holes on a Thursday and won't stitch until Friday. Bad practice indeed. Not long after the holes are made, they are starting to close. Don't make your holes at 4pm, knowing you're going to call it quits at 5pm. 4. Needles and thread need to be paired with the stitching or pricking iron and awl. If the holes are too small, one will struggle to get the needle and thread through if they are too large for the holes made. 5. From what point is one stitching in regards to the stitching clam? If the hole to be stitched is 3cm above the jaws, the leather is too flexible. Move it down closer to the jaws of the clam. It's more stable and the needles will not struggle through the hole. 6. Pliers are nice to have, especially when back-stitching. Best ones to have are dental pliers. The metal is softer, without grooves or teeth in the jaws and some don't fully close. They won't mark the needles and they are relatively inexpensive.

I have heard nothing from him either. I ordered knives back in November and have nothing since. I too emailed last week...*crickets*. I too live in Europe and a phone call to the US is not cheap and there is the time difference.

Something I learned from Nigel Armitage last year. The yellow page was done quickly, but the process is simple. The more straight lines you cut, the smoother and rounder your circle or rounded edge will become. I use heavy washers as seen in the photo. Enough weight to keep it from moving, then drawing the knife in straight lines using the washer as a guide, my edges are round and smooth.

Have a request from a lass for a 5cm wide belt...in white! Wonderful. I did me best to have her change her change her mind, but no. I think the only company left with white is Tarrago. I've used Tarrago once before and found them ok. I'll see how white fares and leave a note here. Would anyone have an idea on who to achieve...an antique look in white? The lass asked, if possible, to have the effect of 'shabby chic' if possible. The things I do for customers! Cheers,

Roq, I appreciate your offer of advice, but it seems lad I wasn't quite clear. The Eco-flo is for Veg Tan and the bag is Chromed Leather and I dyed the flesh side. See my predicament? I used Fiebings Suede Dye, but to reduce it down seemed to not function when applied to the flesh side of the chromed leather. What I am hoping is that someone knows either: A. A method to reduce the dye down when applied on black flesh side chrome leather. B. Nows a chrome leather colour that will work better. Cheers,

Roq, understandable question. Simply, couldn't find any. The lass wanted a certain shoulder bag and to keep the price as low as possible, I used rest leather from a local shop. Or are you meaning why not use a different colour to begin with? Finding purple leather is not easy, at least not where I am living. And to find it in a shade that nearly matches the necklace would be near impossible. Ideas? Cheers,

Right then, I recently made this shoulder bag for a lass here in Germany to her specs. We wanted the purple underflap to match the purple in the macramae necklace that is sewn on. All of this bleedin chrome leather, which I am not a fan of, but it kept the cost low for the lass. That underflap is black as you can see from the 2nd foto. The flesh side, which was dyed with Fiebings Suede, was actually a lighter black. I did numerous tests to find a reduced shade, but nothing worked! I did use Dye Reducer. It either came out grey or the colour we ended with. Can anyone offer a suggestion? I offered to do this for the lass if we can find a solution at no cost. She likes the bag, but would be happier if the purples matched. Cheers,

Cheers Tommyboy. I discovered I had a small brass shoe brush. I experimented with an older piece of leather and have a solution. I will also look for suede dyes. Thanks again!

Sorry birdman. Been on a train all day. Mobile is not acting well for many reasons. I appreciate your assistance. Sorry for the double post earlier!

Not using sandpaper seemed a wee bit obvious. I have a suede brush but I'm not sure about a rasp. Any thoughts on the before or after dyeing?

No ideas?

No ideas?

Right then, A friend has requested a shoulder bag. Showed me the photos and I sorted the leather. The flesh sides will be facing outward for the flap of the bag and I want the flesh to be more lose or rough looking. First question. Recommendations on how to roughen the flesh? I've seen a wee brush we have here in Germany that has wired teeth bent at about 110 degrees. Would such a brush be used? (okay, that was two questions) Next question: I'm unsure if I should dye the flesh before or after I roughen up the flesh. I can foresee potential errors in both. Would a normal (Fiebings) dye be sufficient or something else? Any recommendations on other flesh treatments to ensure colour-fastness? Any other suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks in advance! Cheers and have a grand weekend, ~ Hondo

Birdman, I see now. Worth a try. grmnsplx, cannot break with hands. I order from the only company in Germany that carries it. I contacted the manufacture directly and they pointed me towards this company, so I'd imagine it's real. Heat, solvent or a bad batch? Not by my doing. My thread stays in a drawer where I keep only needles and thread, so no chance at solvents or heat. Bad batch? Could be and as I stated earlier, it can happen. Oddly, I was working today on something with another Tiger thread. Yesterday I was using a light tan color, which was the culprit of my nerves. Today, I was using black and not one time did the thread break. Hmmm. Methinks the light brown might have been a bad batch. Thank you all for the input!

Sorry, birdman, I completely don't understand... perhaps a translation matter. @Smokey, that is exactly what I do. I don't understand why the thread continues to break. Could be that I received a bad spool of Ritza thread. Could happen. I'll continue to experiment until I figure something out. Thanks to you both!

Right then, I've searched trough the forum as I thought this would be a fairly common issue for a newbie. Found nothing. So,I mostly use John James needles and Tiger Ritza 25 thread. I 'walk the thread' up the need as I've seen in countless videos. Regardless how long or short of thread I leave beyond the eye, it seems as I pull one needle through the holes, the needle pulls away from the tread. It also matters not if I have made holes with a stitching chisel or an awl. I would expect it more often from an awl as the holes are much smaller. But the opposite seems more true. When I've used a stitching chisel, the thread and needle separate more often. Any suggests on this nerve ending topic? Thanks in advance. ~ HondoMan

If it's still needed...I've created a method that works rather well. Depending upon the needed font, I print off the letters or phrase (recently done for a sheath) from word or powerpoint then trace it onto a piece of manila folder. Bloody expensive those in Germany. Regardless I then use the thicker manila paper onto the leather which is easier to trace. Printer can't handle the size of the manila folder so that is my method. Perhaps a step too many but the end result works.

BeUnico, look at either die ledermacher.de or lederkram or rickert werkzeug. All are great websites I use. They will probably have what you're seeking, posting will be less expensive than from America and relatively fast from Germany.

Well, that added needed humour to my day! Lipstick comparison! Now that I think on it, when the woman brought an item into me it did look like a lipstick colour. I attend Medieval fests and markets here in southern Germany and that colour really doesn't pass very well. But who I am to judge? It's all about fun and enjoyment. By the way, from newbie to newbie I am have rather exciting news. One of the leather shops I follow on Facebook offered a chance to win a seat for a leather tooling and stamping course with a renowned instructor. I won! The class is only about an hours drive from where I am living and in less than two weeks time. I'm quite excited as a newbie to learn more on this technique. Should be great fun! Thanks again BeUnico!

BeUnico, thanks for the suggestion. The russet is a very nice shade of brown and I'm not sure I'd want to make it much darker. The remaining leather items the customer wears is a very odd colour of red. She explained it was a red-brown from Tarrago, a company I've not used for dyes, but it looks quite red to me. I tested the russet with some black paint and it looked rather good for writing. It's muted just enough. Keeping in mind that no one other than her will see it as it will be painted on the side resting against her back. It was merely a 'hidden' addition to her sheath. I will post a photo when done. Thanks again BeUnico!

Right then, I'm in the process of making a leather sheath for a small sword belonging to a nice lady. This is to be worn, by request of course, across her back. Her only request was to have the leather on the sheath match the belt she wears with other items. She attends medieval fests and markets here in Germany. Easy enough. The sheath will be done in russet with a medium to light brown stitching. So, the other day, a friend stopped by and dropped a wee subtle remark about an additional item to the sheath that the woman would like. As I do know the lady, the additional work fits, but colour matching is not so much my strong skill. The additional item is to paint a certain phrase on the side of the sheath that rests against the lady's back. I've used Angelus paints before and have quite a few various colours. So, the sheath is done in a russet colour, but what colour or colours would be good for this writing? I am a wee colour-blind, but more importantly I have always had difficulties matching certain colours. Would a dark bone colour be suitable for the actual writing and a dark brown for outlining? I worry it's too bright against the russet? Which colours would be best against a russet? Any suggestions would be truly appreciated. Cheers,

@Thor, you are correct on the planer item! It took quite some researching, but that is what it is used for. I could only find one that was similar called a Planer Bench Unit. Used to position the planer upside down. Excellent! Thank you!