LatigoAmigo

As long as the finished look is what you are going for, sounds like you know what works best.

A hard question to answer without knowing more about the product. I hand sew and find that sometimes I've pulled the thread "one to many times" and have had it break unexpectedly. You'll probably have to waste some with a little trial and error. Some hand sewers add wax to their thread to keep in from fraying and to keep the friction to a minimum. Of course the size of the stitching holes will factor in along with the temper of the leather. Good luck.

Not sure if this will help, but I found this store locator on Jacquard's website. https://www.jacquardproducts.com/retail-stores

Looks great!

Unless of course you could afford a diode laser. CO2 Laser--$3,500; Diode Laser--$35,000.

From my experience I don't think this is the case. Before I bought my CO2 laser I was using a "diode" laser (at a maker-space). It was 100 watts and with its adjustable power setting did wonderfully fine engraving. I've tried to dial down my laser but it still engraves very coarsely.

Who cares?

I do this all the time, so give it a try and let us know how it works for you.

And of course the lesson here is to keep your work area wiped clean. Easy to suggest, but after an incident like this, you will never forget. I do most of my work on a large "self-healing" cutting board the size of my bench, and I keep a spray bottle of saddle soap and a boxful of microfiber cloths nearby to aid in keeping it clean. You just never want this to happen twice.

My go-to suppliers are Maverick Leather https://maverickleathercompany.com/ and The Hide House https://www.hidehouse.com/. I have done business with both of these vendors and suggest that you call them with all of your questions about pricing, quality, quantity, shipping costs, and any in-house specials (those not found on their websites) before you order anything online. You should find both of these vendors to be helpful and friendly.

Beautiful.

You might try changing to Energizer Ultimate Lithium batteries. In my experience they have a much longer life than alkaline batteries.

I'm sure you've thought of it, but have you considered replacing the tip? I use this tool and found that performance improved when I renewed the tip.

From Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07BKP6KFX/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

You might try using foam rubber instead of fleece. You can buy it by the roll and in various thicknesses. It should sew right in and provide you with the "chunky relief" you are looking for.

Smaller versions are available. Here is a site on ETSY that offers a variety of sizes. https://www.etsy.com/listing/749278008/a-pair-metal-purse-frame-doctor-bag?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=bag+frame&ref=sr_gallery-1-15

@Avant1 I didn't change my name, but doing what @Northmount said it sure looked like I could.

I used that particular frame on a "doctors" type bag; it's pretty big for a dopp bag.

Leather thickness varies, so you will want to order a range of sizes, just in case.

I've "manufactured" this when I needed to.

On this side of the pond, lift-the-dot can be purchased here: https://www.dotfasteners.com/shop-by-brand/lift-the-dot/

I like this one. It is a little less pretentious than the others. http://www.campbell-randall.com/product/bf110-hot-iron-station-for-burnishing-crease-lines-thread-trimming-1

I've had neatsfoot oil that didn't fare well over a very cold winter, and looked to have been affected by the cold (instead of being golden and smooth, it was murky and lumpy). When I heated a pan of water and placed the bottle into the warm water for about 20 minutes, viola, it returned to normal.

I have several Dremel rotary tools around the shop for projects other than leather, and found leather burnishing tools (from Amazon) that attach to it. Dremel tools come corded ($) and cordless ($$). The cordless are very handy, and combined with the burnishing tips are comparable to what you are looking at. Price wise much the same, but the Dremel has many other attachments and uses, making it very handy.

Absolutely. And you can easily adjust for the width of the straps.