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The blades are not OEM but are of excellent quality. The hollow grind is machined, perfectly square and arrives sharp. I don’t recall the person I spoke with but he definitely knew what he was talking about and a solid guy.

The blade specifications are the same for the American LS440 and the Landis P30 however the tolerances for these units weren’t the greatest. Sometimes the replacement blades (from Pilgrim) are a perfect fit and sometimes they take a little modification to dial it in perfectly. I struggled for a bit but was able to get it right by notching the corners to bring the blade closer to the roller. Its helpful to get a set of feeler gauges to set everything including the roller height, blade setback, etc.

Hello All - could someone direct me to a Bontex distributor in the US (preferably in the Northeast) that carries a large assortment of sizes and thicknesses. I am looking for 4-5mm thick Bontex for briefcases panels and bottoms. Thanks

FYI - I had ordered a new blade for my American LS440 from Pilgrim (if my memory serves me). It came in hollow ground and sharp as could be. I did have to adjust the blade a bit to fit my machine as the blade was made for a Landis. I just had to shave a mm or two from the far edges to bring it closer to the roller’s edge nothing big.

Maker’s Leather Supply sells black Tyvek rolls specifically made for the interiors of this type of construction. http://makersleathersupply.com/category/SUPP.html They also did a video showing its use.

Helllo Folks - can anyone advise if Bontex can be shaped or formed by wet molding or vacuforming? Thanks!

Are you sure that it’s at the point where you need to send it out? What does the blade look like?

Outstanding art. Curious to see how they hold up over time. Do you have any photos of patches that were worn over a year or two? Can you also produce shadows and gradients with the paints?

There are a lot of good questions here. I don’t know anyone who makes different card slot widths according to the number of slots. These slots usually break in over time or increase the overall width. A good trick is to oversize each pocket, glue up, and then trim them all at the same time to get a nice even edge rather than try to line up each pocket to the edge. Lining the pockets is done on many high end pieces. You can choose to do it or not. Many line with fabric as well. Not just leather. I recommend Fenice edge paint. There are tons of tutorials on the forum about edge tools and application. Matt is a super helpful guy. Not sure how he helps everyone and still has time to do anything else. A true asset to the community.

Thank you Karina - They stock some beautiful material. I never knew that felt was so expensive with the price being on par with premium leathers. They have exactly what I was looking for though so I’m going to give them a shot.

Hello Folks - Can anyone recommend a source for 1/4” to 1/2” wool felt sheets in various colors? Much appreciated!

Can you PM me sizes and prices? Do you know what steel he uses? The look very nice. Would consider purchasing from Bob Douglas if only to compare the two brands. It looks like he sells off of Facebook only?

The Feng edgers perform very well. I have the 0 (0.5mm) and 1 (0.8mm) which are both very thin and it cuts soft thin chevre nicely and veg tan excellent. I am going to purchase the 2/3/4 when funds allow. Everything he makes is to order so expect 20-30 days lead time plus shipping.

Hey Mutt - Yes. Very happy with them. It took a while to get used to them, especially around tight corners but love them now. I have the 1.5 and 2.0 spaced versions and they do the trick for 95% of what I do. They’re comfortable and hold the heat well. It seems that Wuta changes their pricing according to the venue so look around. You can get free shipping on a lot of their tools but it takes 20 days+. I always opt for expedited shipping which is about 7 days but cost around 18 bucks.

Here are a few of my favorite things (from Asia): Nobuyoshi skiving knives/plane (Japan) Note: they are not much to look at but the Aogami Super steel is top notch and will hold an edge like no other. Feng edgers (China) Wuta creasers (China) Nash Anonymous awl (Hong Kong) KSBlades stitching chisels (Korea)

They both can be found and contacted through Instagram: Feng Tools https://www.instagram.com/feng_tools Nash Anonymous https://www.instagram.com/nash_anonymous Note: Feng offers two different types of steel for his edgers XW42 and M390. The upcharge for the M390 is worth it. I use it several times a week for six months and only recently needed to sharpen them (and edgers are a PITA to sharpen). Nash offers fully customizable awls and knives. I ordered a special awl with a longer stickout. No issues and charged the same price. They are laser sharp. Goes through 10oz veg tan like butter.

Many flea markets and antique stores sell wood or plastic lasts fairly cheap. I heard of people buying a size or two larger and then sanding down to fit their major measurements.

I can’t really speak to the quality of Vergez Blanchard tools but a new crop of companies from Asia are really changing the game. To name a few: KS Blades: for stitching chisels and punches Feng Tools: for edgers Nash Anonymous: for awls Nobuyoshi: for Japanese skiving knives Wuta: for creasing irons and stitching chisels I highly recommend any of these for their performance, fit and finish and many of them are cheaper than their Blanchard counterpart.

Nice job. Looks like a lot of work went into making it. Is this fantasy or are you going for a particular period with the design?

Have you taken a look at Tempesti Elbamatt or Tempesti Maine? The Elbamatt is offered in many colors, splits to spec and reasonable price. http://www.tempesti.com/

Hello Brian - It looks like the relief line that you made for your handcuff mold was only on the frame side. Correct? You didn't make another relief line on the opposite side of the mold? I am planning on putting in some time to learn Sketchup. I wish the controls were more intuitive and working in a 3D space is not the easiest thing. Have you used Sketchup before or do you exclusively work with AutoCAD?

I appreciate the info @fredk. In your case I think the flesh side is helping to release the leather. With me the issue is when the smooth grain side meets the smooth mold they adhere to each other.

And your leather doesn’t stick to the mold? Does the polish transfer (stain) onto the leather? What brand are you using? Interesting idea.

Hello Y’all - I’m in a wet forming kick right now and testing different leathers and designs. One issue that I’m having across all mold types and leathers is the leather sticking to the mold. When I pull gently to try to release the leather it tends to stretch and deform a bit. Does anyone use a release agent when wet molding? I was thinking of baby powder or some analogue of that but hoping to get some real world advice. Thanks!

That’s a skill that I’d like to someday pickup. I can see that being a game changer. Just seems like a lot of work and cleanup. On my to do list though. Do you have any photos of airbrushing using dilutions of the same color? That would be interesting and relevant to this thread.