RockyAussie

Hi Matt S, if you find the edging a bit to shiny it will dull down when ironed in with a iron not too hot. I do this sometimes and just finish of with a wax polish which can give a nice satiny sheen. If it has to be extra well finished sometimes I dull with a chemical I get made up but you can achieve the same with a talcum powder if used carefully.It needs to be shaken well before use as it can settle a bit after a while.If you use too much powder you will increase the hollowing/craze line up the middle problem as I have found on the Giardini colours when applied thickly. I have not tried the black Giardini and cant say if it has this problem.Brain

I have to agree that burnishing can be a lot quicker way to go when you can but unfortunately I have to deal a lot with dissimilar leather combinations and even when crocodile is done full veg tanned the hard and soft between the scales makes burnishing near to impossible for me. I have to also do my best with a wide range of often vibrant colours and chrome tanning, re tanned and many other as well. As most of the products I make are for the higher end even the edges of my wallet folds where their seen have to have colour matched edging. As far as any peeling or rubbing off goes the techniques I've developed over the years have minimalised these issues near to non existent. Too slick an edge before edge coat is the biggest mistake that some people make as that can lead to peeling up and as you say you want that colour to deeply penetrate into the leather fibres. Note: I don't use these edge coats on greasy or bridle type leathers and on these leather types I agree fully with burnishing as the only way I know of. Normal veg tooling type leathers are no problem with edge coating if not overly slicked up before application. I have put below a few product pictures to hopefully show a bit of what I am trying to get at. Brian

Wow I wish I was anywhere near that capable on my first bag. Very tasteful edging tint and so well done and the stitching is superb. I think you might drown in the orders for if your not careful. Regards Brain

For many years I have used a different named solution (Ares (Italia)S.r.l.) which I believe to be Fenice by a different name. I have generally used it by applying coats and ironing in with a shaped tip soldering iron that I have temperature controlled via a light dimmer switch housed in a box. Picture of iron shown below. It became a bit of a problem here in that the supplier went to needing orders of 10 or more litres at a time and the price per litre by the time it hits here is like $70.00 per litre. Be that I have mixed my own pigments into the clear AR 6350 for years and duller if wanted as well it is difficult to work out effective alternatives. Another re branded product (OMAC) I think is Giardini I have tested in some colours and found that it hollowed out when put on flat leather and sometimes even appeared to get a split line crazing down the middle.I am interested to hear other users experiences with these various edging products. At present I am thinking of doing more trials with the Giadani but will need to look for a good supplier first. Thanks again for starting such a valuable subject thread.

Thats fair enough I can feel the pain on those end mills. Though stainless is IMO overkill. It's a shame getting things cast is so expensive in small numbers. Well that's the case here at least.Hope it works out. Brian

They look pretty good Uwe but can I ask if you considered putting in a groove at the bottom to straddle the thread?

Thanks Gigi, Yes it is a button hole punch used but could have been a fixed stud if customer were 8 hours closer to me. Once the length is established there's no real need for strap adjustment I think.

Thanks for posting such useful comparisons. I would like to see a comparison with the Giardini as against the Fenice range. One thing that I have found some trouble with is the tendency for a crack line or hollowing to show up in the middle of the edging when applied thickly which can be difficult and time consuming to smooth back out. Regards Brian

Have a look in New South Wales Leather Co. It was a couple of years back now and I often just send samples of the croc colour and thickness I want and if all is well they send a suitable colour. A lot of the leather there is job lots that are not ongoing lines unfortunately, but for these sort of one off items your in a lot better location than me.

Here a couple of pics of a bag I designed a while back. It shows how with just pouch studs and a keeper you can make a small adjustment to length on both sides.I believe that you could attach similar to your centre gussets but a couple of inches lower down. Regards Brain

If this helps with a clicker press that's about 50 minutes to cut and a quick calculation says a little over 3 square feet should do you a hundred if its clean. Over this side of the pond I'd charge you a dollar AU each(about 75c US last time I checked) and with your logo done as well. One off stamp made here would cost you another $75AU though. Surely there has to be someone over there can do it.............. Best of luck. Regards Brian

If you don't have a lathe I reckon that's a good tip.

I just sold an Adler that does this job. It is a twin needle with a single bobbin and the tension can be adjusted to make the raise more or less. It was a pretty good machine in that it can be a single needle or a couple of different spaced twin needles. I can get the model number if you want to track one down.

The machine looks in good condition and the grease cap etc all looks as normal. The cap says time for a little refill but as to the type I cant say as I have only ever used the same grease as I use on my vehicles. To be honest although mine get used a lot they have gone for more than a year or 2 without a check at times. The rubber dust cover should be replaced but they do seem to go for a lot of years in worse than that condition ok. There is no way the feed wheel should be able to touch anything except the bell knife or the presser foot if it is lowered too far. If you are hearing a metallic scraping sound it is likely the cover on the right touching the bell a bit. The black knob that is attached at the front to it can be also rotated around to give more clearance from the bell.Try to adjust to a minimal clearance so as to not have leather wanting to get in between. If the bell is wearing out the ejector may be coming to far forward in the bell and need to be pushed back into the bell a bit deeper. Once the threaded rod is screwed in the ejector can be forced back and forth sometimes with a little tapping. The bell should be only a mm or so from the edge of your presser foot unless you are doing very heavy thick leathers. Hope this helps Brian

so backing Horween Chromexcel or Dublin would be hard since they are both waxy/oily? In regards to good adhesion to backing (stitching can overcome this a bit) and edge coat if applied to edges for durability. Not hard to do just not such a good idea. As for asymmetrical I have only ever done symmetrical but I doubt if there would be any significant difference to stretch but that may depend on the construction method used. I have only ever done bands with fillers to enhance the profile but I guess that would also give more resistance to stretching..

Well I must say this is somewhat disconcerting. Most members I think come here to get some assistance and sometimes to help people with a problem. Invalid interjections aside and before the moderators can shut this down, JLS I have given this some serious thought and have come up with a few hopefully helpful suggestions. That little spoon used for getting into those tighter areas when ya moulding THEY call it a T spoon and is somewhat misnamed as its really a coffee and sugar spoon when not in the workshop. Now here's a tip worth noting - If after making up a cuppa n tasting you find that your eye is suddenly hurting, you have to remember to take the spoon out of the cup first. Oh and dont forget that it must be thoroughly stirred first. Ya coffee I mean. Now I must admit I have been getting a little inpatient of late and what I am trying to work out is how can I teach mine to match up my socks???? Over 30 years married now and I still cant work that out I already know not to say anything after 4 as its getting to close too dinner by then. Any help would be most appreciated. Seriously

As to the finishes I agree with Mike and as to what is suitable I could only say ones that are not oily and waxy are easier. In the watch band pictures of mine above you see one that has a red back and on that one I embossed a line pattern onto the entire back surrounding the logo. I have done many various patterns and the reason I do this other than looks is that I don't like sweaty watch bands and this helps the air keep the band dryer and more comfortable to wear. To save you a lot of experimenting try .25mm as your line thickness if you are getting plates made for the impression. The backing leather is best on this with a firmish veg. The lines will make it more flexible.Below see a picture of one pattern version which allows a space for the holes. Regards Brian

I've only ever used them with the ejector in place so how they go without one I could not say. If you have waste coming up to the top often then I would have to say it would help. Regards Brian

Nice job and well done. Lucky you had the bolt hand to help.

Thank you so much for this Tom, I will try and do some tonight and see how I go. With a bit of luck we may have to pin your input here ?? Regards Brian

Did I not warn you bout them NZ ones already mate??? Next time spy on her and see how you it is you like your coffee and threaten to make it yourself in the future......Maybe

The ones shown would be very inexpensive to make but they will stretch longer in a very short time. If your watches are throw a ways these would be fine. Just to add to what Mike has said I think the oily waxy type leathers can be a little more of a problem in watch bands due to the glue not sticking as well and the edge coat being more likely to peel up. Brian