howlback

Another way is to submerge it in water until all the bubbles come out and then slick the top grain. It will take a very long time until it’s ready to stamp but you can speed this up by throwing it on a fan. When it changes back to its original color it will stamp like a dream. It’s hard to tell how much moisture the leather takes on when applying water with a spounge and submerging until the bubbles are gone is a way around that.

I once heard Chris Andre say something along the lines of... 'I don't mind stitching at a slow speed on my machine because I still remember how long it takes to sew by hand.'

I've taken classes from the pros and this is what they say that they all do.

Big time milled user here. I buy it from Sav Mor and the heaviest they go is 5-6 oz but I've purchased it from other retailers as well. I DO NOT dye milled veg tan black because it is impossible to ensure that it will not rub off (I use Fiebing's Pro Dye). I DO stain milled veg tan though and I haven't had any issues (I use Fiebing's stain). When I need black, I buy pre-dyed milled from Sav Mor. I have ruined clothes before so I suggest that what ever you choose to do, you make a prototype and use it to ensure the finish holds up.

I own a lot of Barry's geometric stamps but now I am getting more into sheridan/floral work. Curious if anyone has any tools they might be looking to sell since I am starting from scratch here.

@Instinctive I don’t cut it but I probably should because it doesn’t spray as easily as resolene. Then again, I don’t even cut resolene but only because I just haven’t really experimented. I do notice that my airbrush will clog if I don’t keep things flowing (more so with resolene). Regarding Tan Kote, I favor its resin like qualities because it almost sticks on like spray glue where resolene or pro resist will pool like water if I spray on too much.

I’ve airbrushed it on one time. It resisted very well but it left a “plasticky” appearance that I was not a fan off. The top grain looked totally non-existent. Just a very smooth hi-gloss surface. When I spray on Tan-Kote, the antique paste will still find its way into some of the grain. With the Pro Resist, it only falls into your tooling, stamping and carving. For some, I’m sure that seems like a very desirable effect but not at the cost of things looking synthetic afterwards. Again, I have only airbrushed on Pro Resist once and it totally transform the look. When I get time in the future I will do it again and document my results on this thread.

I’m very proficient at geometric stamping and pretty decent at laying in a nice carved border but that’s about the extent of my tooling skills. Just wondering if anyone knew of someone who I might be able to take lessons from. I’d like to learn the ins-and-outs of traditional Sheridan style.

Quick sidenote about airbrushing: When using an airbrush, the dye won’t penetrate as deep. When I am dyeing items that will undergo significant wear (such as belts) I tend to use a dobber instead. Obviously, my color options decrease significantly because, as mentioned before, many Fiebing’s dyes look similar (when using a dobber to apply). However, using a dobber means I can rest easy knowing my belts will wear-in without the bright paleness of the natural veg tan showing through. This is something that I haven’t been able to avoid yet when airbrushing on my dyes. If a buckle wears in the edges of the leather, you can start to see the natural veg color underneath pretty quickly.

Holy cow! What an amazing machine. I had some veg tan with a furry split side and that thing gave it a fresh shave. It’s a shame they are so expensive. To me it really improved the overall look after evening my blanks out to a uniform thickness. We’ll see how the final products turn out but I’m tempted to pursue one in the future, if they exist for under 10k. The guys said the one I used cost them over 30k new.

Where ya located?

Attempting to get more serious into garment manufacturing... In deconstructing a few bags, I’ve found most folded edges are skived and then glued to a shaped card stock. I want to make bags out of suede and lighter veg tan leather but I am unsure which skiving machine I should be looking at. I see a lot of manufacturers I’m inspired by using the old fortunas. Figured I’d turn to the forum to seek out advice on what I need to look for in a skiver for this type application.

$12.50 to ship a few dozen sets of snaps from OTB??? Pretty insulting considering they fit into an envelope. I try and offer the lowest, if not FREE shipping when my customers buy from me. Guess that's lost on some companies. LINE 24 SNAPS WITH REASONABLE SHIPPING RATES? I'd go to Tandy but I need varying cap and post sizes.

Thanks everyone, I literally just stuck a line 20 cap in the end of a little ryobi drill and spun it on a piece of sandpaper. Done!

I want to learn how to do this. Apparently, Ship John grinds and polishes each one of their snaps/rivets but won't get into detail about how it's done. Any ideas?

Does anyone use a clamping jig? I started lining projects but I stitch last. Clamping really helps to fuse the pieces together (especially the edge) so the project remains intact during sanding/edging/burnishing. Any advice on specific materials?

My Chinese clone is still assembled with some Japanese parts. Nonetheless, Atlas Levy in Los Angeles, CA sells affordable parts for every type of sewing machine out there.

My round knife was excellent but it’s grown dull and I’m inexperienced when it comes to sharpening... any advice/threads I should check out to get it back in action?

Does anyone else try to avoid getting it on the back of their unlined projects? If so, what are your tricks?

What is the best style knife/method when trimming oversized belt lining? (I'd like to use veg-tan of identical thickness as a liner)

And Argentina. They also cost half of what american tanned hides cost. I can't afford american tanned leather.

Don't have the cash flow for it right now but if it sticks around long enough I'll snatch it up and bring it up to Los Angeles

There’s one on Craigslist around Austin, TX. Wish I lived close enough to pick it up

Something with the ability to recall a specific thickness would be ideal (Landis 30 style). I’d want it mainly for leveling out the thickness of my pieces. However, I do buy 5/6, 6/7 and 8/9 oz hides. It would Be a blessing to be able to purchase only 8/9 oz and split the piece down depending on the application. Lots of factors here but where I buy leather, the heavier weight hides get picked through a lot less (better hides to choose from) and they’re not that much more expensive.

I want to run my cut patterns and straps through a splitter. Assuming the pieces aren’t too wide, will a cobra 14/artisan do this or will I need a Band Knife? I use Veg Tan only.