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JMWendt

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Everything posted by JMWendt

  1. JMWendt
    Can you give a list of what you have left?
  2. JMWendt
    Yeah, I built my own vacuum press from a plan on the woodworking veenersupplies.com website (http://www.veneersupplies.com/categories/Vacuum__Press__Items/Vacuum__Press__Kits/). Chose the EVS kit to build. Very simple and cheap. Runs off my air compressor and gets 20" Hg, so really works well. Radically altered the look and snugness of the holsters I make, to the point where they can be too tight and need to be loosened for ease of draw. The vacuum press is the way to go. Whether you buy a vacuum press from Harbor Freight or build your own, it will change the way you bone in and mold holsters, sheaths, and other leather goods, for the better.
  3. JMWendt
    It's Hollywood. It's probably hot glue and velcro.
  4. JMWendt
    What kind of scabbard? Or more importantly, what kind of rifle? Scoped, iron sights, bolt action, lever action, etc. Determines the scabbard design.
  5. JMWendt
    Rotate the tool 1/4 turn prior to each hammer strike until the rivet is set. This will keep the tool from sticking, and it will make a nicer finish.
  6. JMWendt
    That's what I figured. Very nice work.
  7. JMWendt
    Looks nice. I like the dye job. Gives it the look of woodgrain rather than a solid dark color. Don't let anyone tell you it looks "unprofessional." What function do the tassels serve?
  8. JMWendt
    Those prices are nuts. They're just asking prices, not bids, I assume. No one will pay that much for those stamps. You should stop looking at ebay. It is skewing your sense of reality.
  9. JMWendt
    Of course, all this being said, I wouldn't sell any of my stamps ever. And I'm always looking for more. But the important stamps are the ones that really do a lot of the effects . . . bevelers, backgrounders, special shapes and patterns, basketweaves. I've never cared much for the figure stamps like the angels and crosses and other full-art depiction stamps. But my kids do love them because they're a cinch to use.
  10. JMWendt
    Used Tandy stamps are worth $3 apiece, tops. Rare older stamps are worth $4 apiece, tops. Custom stamps are worth whatever you want to pay for whatever you need the stamp to do. My personal top price is $4. Given that we now live in an age where a person with a computer driven laser or CNC or 3D printer can make any stamp very quickly, the value of stamps in general is hitting the floor. I'm with TonyRV2-- they're worth what someone is willing to give you for them (Fair Market Value). Of course, "collectors" are nutbags who are just burdening their offspring with the job of getting rid of their personal effects (euphemism for "garbage") after they die. Some of it might be worth a couple bucks, but it is almost never worth the pain in the A of sifting, sorting, evaluating, estimating, then auctioning or selling. Ugh. Sell them on ebay for as much as you can get for them. They're just stamps, and frankly they're not even useful stamps. All they do is that one dumb thing. I'd rather have the money in my pocket than the angel on my workbench. Of course, I don't see the point in having figure stamps like these.
  11. JMWendt
    No doubt. Or they're having to pay storage on the thing. Needs its own garage space.
  12. JMWendt
    That tool doesn't walk as well as a 101, 104, 105. I tend to use the 114 for small corners of things, not whole areas that need backgrounded. You've got the hang of it on some of your samples. It's backgrounding . . . it should never look "perfect" . . . it should just push the things that aren't backgrounded to the front. You don't have anything in the front on your practice piece, so it can't look that good. Carve a flower, tool the flower, then background the stuff that isn't flower. You'll be surprised how much better it looks.
  13. JMWendt
    So I don't get it. Are we complaining about folks turning opportunity into cash flow, or are we bitter because we didn't take the initiative ourselves? Listing on ebay is free, so they have a great opportunity to let it sit out there until someone who needs the machine and can afford it at the price they're asking. Sounds like good old American ingenuity and good business sense to me. I'm sure if you still want the machine(s), you could contact them and offer double what they paid and they would take it. They're just looking to make some profit. Double the money now is better than an imaginary ten-x the money in a year.
  14. JMWendt
    I hate to say it after your comment about the Harbor Freight belt sander that broke down quickly, but I am using an $89 Harbor Freight belt sander with a cheap mini-shop-vac attached to the back hose hole to control dust. I use it daily, sometimes excessively, and even use it in place of skiving for some projects. It's been functional for some time. I replace the belt around every six months, or I find I have to apply too much pressure to do the work, and I think this might lead to breakdown in the long run. The leather dust issue is a nightmare. You have to have a vacuum system in place or you'll quickly be knee deep in the fluff.
  15. JMWendt
    I've noticed with these machines that I tend to screw up the thread occasionally when I remove an item from the work space. Then on the next round of sewing, the thread is wrong . . . usually the second tension disk where I accidentally get a loop of string in the spring around it, or I get it so the string is completely out of the disk. In the first case, the tension on the top string is too high, and I see knots on top. In the second case, tension is too low and I see knots on bottom. I have also seen spools of thread that just unwind poorly from the thread stand, and they tend to twist into themselves then bind going through the feeder holes. This seems to happen on stiffer bonded threads, or anything I made the mistake of leaving in the sun for a month. My machine is near a window. I'd check the thread path first before focusing on mechanical issues. But if the thread path looks good, then I'd monitor the thread behavior during sewing . . . just watch what is happening and see when it gets tension and starts showing knots. Then and only then would I start to look for mechanical issues.
  16. JMWendt
    Where did you acquire all these tools? I wouldn't sell a one of them. A collection like that is a thing of immense pride. How much for all of it?
  17. JMWendt
    Made this bound photo album for my parent's fiftieth wedding anniversary photos. 6oz leather, pigskin lined. Has a really nice feel to it. I think they'll like it. If only I could find any photos of them at their wedding to put in it.
  18. JMWendt
    I use "ArtRage 4". Really a very nice art program for fifty bucks. Allows you to import photographs and use them as "backgrounds" so you can sketch the lines. Also has a great feature allowing you to duplicate strokes in symmetrical locations (so you can draw something in one corner and it appears in the other three corners rotated and perfect). I use ArtRage 4 for all my original art, and have also scanned all the Stohlman books and any other "prefabricated" art I have into the computer to use as stencils. Here's a sample of a piece I did last month for a leather photo album for my parent's 50th wedding anniversary.
  19. JMWendt
    Great work. Great work area too. I wish I had that kind of space to work with.
  20. JMWendt
    Wouldn't it be easier just to load up some dummy bullets (no powder)? Of course, that assumes you have access to loading equipment or know someone who does. I see some great practical joke prospects during hunting season with some of these dummy loads of yours if you use silver or brass colored paint and make them look very realistic. Heh heh.
  21. JMWendt
    Make sure it stays your hobby. It's a lot less fun when it's all business.
  22. JMWendt
    My work area is a mostly standing work area. I have one chair that I use for tooling, and for everything else, I stand. For tooling, I use a high end chair that I picked up from a manufacturing plant in an auction for ten bucks. They used these chairs for their assembly line workers to sit while assembling printers. The chair is highly configurable-- height, pressure on lower back, height of foot rest, forward lean, etc. I have found the lower back setting is secondary to the setting for the foot rest. Get a good foot rest. I also use a modified tempur-pedic pillow as a cushion. Since setting up this system, I have suffered no neck pain or back pain after hours of tooling, as opposed to prior to the new system. So I recommend you get a really nice chair and lots of padding for your bottom end. Also, drink more water. All my tendinitis issues (and creaky neck and knee issues) went away when I doubled my water intake. Rule of thumb: 1 oz of water per 2 lbs body weight per day. An acupuncturist told me this and I thought, yeah, sure. But he was right.
  23. JMWendt
    Design based on Stohlman art, altered slightly for this project. Magnetic closure, two pouch sling bag for notebook and pistol. Didn't ask why he needed to carry a notebook and a pistol.
  24. JMWendt
    I use a rubber mat about a half inch thick on top of a 2" thick maple cutting board. The punch can go into the rubber and remain sharp and undamaged. The rubber mat is similar to what you'd find on a gym weight room floor or a horse trailer. Works very well. Have used it for 20 years plus now.
  25. JMWendt

    Tim:

    Your boot work is outstanding.  I'm wondering what sewing machine you are using, especially for the doing the sole stitches.  Can you let me know?  Any other specialized equipment you're using, as well?  I'm interested in making myself some boots, but have a feeling I may not have the gear.

     

    Thanks!

     

     

    1. Tim Schroeder

      Tim Schroeder

      Hi, Making boots are all about technique. I watched a bunch of Lisa Sorrell videos and a few other peoples to learn the process and then built a few pairs. Hands on experience is the best way to learn. Making them for yourself you learn how to measure a foot and make a boot that fits. I built the first one out of some upholstry leather just to get an idea of building a boot.

       You need a curved awl to sew the inseam. I bought one from Thornapple but Panhandle leather has Osborne awls. Lasting pliers I bought of Ebay. I get all the materials from Panhandle Leather. Insoles, soles, heel counters, and any other supplies.

       I use a machine that is a triple feed for most of the uppers. It is the same as a Cowboy Class 18. I had to use a Singer 153K103 in a few spots. It is a Triple Feed cylinder arm machine. I had to take these boots to a local shoe repair for the sole stitching. He uses a Landis 12 model K. I have a Landis 12 Model l but I am am just now getting it going. I still need an adjustable edge guide to be able to run two rows of stitching. There is no doubt that you could hand stitch all of the uppers.It would take more time but possible. Hope this helps.

      Thanks Tim

    2. JMWendt

      JMWendt

      Thanks.  It does help.

       

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