LatigoAmigo

I was thinking about your project. I've done a little braiding, and found this "Easy Braiding Soap Recipe" I thought you might be interested in. It came from Australian Plaiters and Whipmakers Association website (which may no longer exist). You will need: A pot, a spoon, and your stove A cheese grater One (standard size) 4.5oz bar of pure Ivory soap One and a half cups of water One pound of lard A sturdy container with a lid that seals (to store your braiding soap in after you’ve made it) 1. Grate the bar of soap into the pot with the water slowly, over medium to medium low heat, while stirring often. Bring the water to a low boil then back down again several times while stirring in order to dissolve the soap as completely as possible into the water. 2. Add the lard and stir it in until it is creamy and there are no lumps left. Be careful at this step to not let the solution boil. 3. Carefully pour the mixture into your storage container. Continue stirring your plaiting soap about once every half hour until it starts to cool enough that it becomes difficult to stir. Then seal the lid on, and wait overnight for the mixture to become firm. When you are not using your braiding soap, always keep the lid on.

Oh yeah, you do have a choice. But if you pick Zen don't fall asleep at the wheel.

Weaving/braiding/stitching can become a meditation, something to look forward to. It can bring peace.

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