esantoro

I've got leather on the bench waiting for me but have been preoccupied with this article and the readers' comments. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/24/magazine/24labor-t.html?em

You can get a mallet die made for around $50 to $80 to stamp out ovals of this size. ed Were you looking for just the pattern or precut ovals. Here is an oval 120mm wide by 60 mm tall. ed

Were you looking for just the pattern or precut ovals. Here is an oval 120mm wide by 60 mm tall. ed 120by60mmoval.pdf 120by60mmoval.pdf

Why not do up a quick oval in Corel Draw or Adobe Illustrator, print, trace to poster board or card stock pattern. I'll do one up for you later today,if you wish. How high would you like the oval to be? ed

How loud are the Foredoms? I just purchased a rather inexpensive Chinese version of the Foredom, the one I link to earlier in this thread. I'll let everyone know how it works out. It comes with a five year warranty, so for $92 shipped, and including quite a few accessories, I figured it was a no lose situation, unlike $50 for one year's or less use of the Dremel. Ed

This is from LCI's website: TOP COAT #200 A solvent-system, semi-gloss, waterproof/protective coating. Excellent adhesion and flexibility. Spray application. If thinning is desired, use LCi Thinner only. * TOP COAT #300 A solvent-system, high-gloss, waterproof/protective coating. Excellent adhesion and flexibility. For best results, spray lightly. If a higher gloss is desired, repeat application. Use as is. Do not thin. * FLAT COAT A solvent-system, flat-stain, waterproof/protecting coating. Ideal for upholstery leathers and for top coat finishes where a gloss is not desired. May be mixed with any of the above LCi Clear Coatings to achieve various degrees of gloss or flatness. If thinning is desired, use LCi Thinner only. * LEATHER KOTE * A lustrous acrylic top coat finish for new and worn leathers. Excellent adhesion and flexibility. Restores the texture and enhances color depth. May be applied manually or by spray. For best results, use as is. If thinning is necessary, use water only. * POLY KOTE * An excellent waterproof top coat finish and protective coating. Poly Kote is formulated from a blend of very tough, yet flexible acrylic resins that achieve a high gloss and excellent durable wear. Excellent scuff resistance. Widely used on factory tanned leathers--smooth and exotics. Spray as is, do not thin. The Poly Kote above IS Weaver's Tuff Kote. One of the others listed above is a pigmented version of Tuff Kote/Poly Kote. Weaver carries such in black only. If you wish to do the dance of Carlos, you might be able to get custom colors, though note that even the pigmented version of tuff kote/poly kote is not meant to dye leathers, but I imagine to put a translucently pigmented finish on leather of the same color. The Leather Kote above seems to be sold by Weaver under the same name. ed, who seems to be accosted by the apparition of Carlos/LCI wherever he turns.

I just now dipped a piece of veg tan in the TC 200. Once it dries I will put some water on it and see what happens. We will be able to compare the results with the experiments I ded months ago with various waterproofers/conditioners. NB: Of all the conditioners, solutions, dressings, finishes I have, this TC 200 by far has the strongest fumes. I would never use this for medium scale production on up without a specialized ventilation system. ed

I have a gallon of the tc 200. I experimented with brushing it on, which is not a good idea, as it streaks. I have not yet experimented with spraying it on. So far, I haven't really needed it yet. You do need to use it in a very well ventilated area. ed

I might be interested in a few. Do you know if they are chrome tanned, vegetable tanned or something else? ed

That's a good sign that it sticks well to your own skin. I think I'll look more into using it. ed

I know you've written T.R. Walters, but here is a J. Reed Walters: http://walkonleather.com/index.php

If exposure to leather is considerable, I would suggest dunking the leather in top coat #200, then neatsfoot at the appropriate time. then tuff kote at the appropriate time. then possibly aussie wax or similar to top it all off. I've never tried this approach, just throwing out an idea that peaks my curiosity but may have some legs to it. always test on scraps. ed

Is this the 1 gallon shop vac that is being suggested? http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?...;ci_sku=8477890 Or is it another with a higher amperage? Thanks. Ed

I just checked the energy consumption of the computing unit itself: AMD Athlon X2 Dual Core processor 5000+ two 300 gb hard drives 400 watt power supply 2x DVDRW Drives Hooked up to cable internet I ran the computer for 11 hours and 30 minutes. Energy consumption during that time came to 1.28 kwh, which is about .0019kwh per minute. During this period, the computer was mostly idle, as I would periodically perform web searches, check email, and read forum posts. No hardcore computing was done during this time (eg., film editing, digital processing, large file transfers, DVD/CD burning, etc.) Add to this energy consumption for the monitor, which was about .00113 kwh per minute and you have total consumption of approximately .00303 kwh per minute for the monitor and computer and hardware. Multiply this number by 60 for consumption per hour and you get .1818 kwh per hour. At ten cents per kwh that is about 1.8 cents to run the monitor and computer for one hour. If you have the computer and monitor running for 10 hours a day, energy cost at $.10 per kwh comes to around $.18 per day. Do this 30 days a month and it's about $5.50. For the year it comes to about $65.50. In NYC, the current cost per kwh is about $.10. During hot summers, this can shoot up to $.18. That is the word from Con Ed. Some of the above figures were rounded; some were carried out additional decimal places. It is never to late to procrastinate. Ed

Because I hate lugging out the full-size vacuum when needed, though it is a good one, I usually wait too long to tidy up areas, which makes me less productive than I could be. Can anyone recommend a good mini vacuum for the work shop? I guess, now that I've thought about it, that what I'm probably looking for is a mini shop vac that can be easily picked up, used, and stored away. ed

Not only did I adjust for the rotation of the earth but also magnetic pull, percent tilt of the earth, and gravitational pull. ed 17" CRT MAG Innovision computer monitor sitting for SIX hours with no actual use of the computer consumes .41 kwh. Later I will check the computer itself (CPU and hardware). ed

Not only did I adjust for the rotation of the earth but also magnetic pull, percent tilt of the earth, and gravitational pull. ed

I did a bit more legwork on daylight bulbs. The Sunlite bulb that started this thread is of the following rating: lumens: 1300 Energy used:23 watts Incandescent equivalent: 100 watts Avg. hours: 10000 Avg. cost: $7 CRI: 82 Color temperature: 6500k I've already stated that I like the results of this bulb.............................................Buuuuuuuuuuuuuut, can I go better. I found a more affordable bulb online that has slightly better specs: Company: Megalight Energy used: 23 watts Incandescent equivalent: 100 watts Avg. hours: 12000 Avg. cost: $5 (includes shipping) if you buy at least six at a time CRI: 85 Color temperature: 6500k Going by just the specs, this Megalight bulb should be even more of a full spectrum bulb, but I wonder how much these specs can be trusted and whether some bulbs may perform better at mimicking natural lighting than other bulbs for unexplainable reasons. ed Ordering Code 23W/6500K Spiral Product Number S28023-6500 Energy Used 23 Watts Volts 120 Bulb Shape Spiral Base Medium (E26) Diameter (in) 2.4 Length (in) 5.000 Average Rated Life (hr) 12,000 Light Output 1,450 Lumens Finish Daylight White CRI 85 Color Temperature (Kelvin) 6500K Common Cross-References GE: No Available Direct Offset Osram Sylvania: No Available Direct Offset Additional Information ProductNotes:

I was out the other day looking for graphing/grid paper to plot patterns. Not being able to find anything, I resolved to make my own and found this online formatting source: http://incompetech.com/graphpaper/plain/ ed

I'm thinking of getting a 40 watt/200 watt equivalent daylight fluorescent spiral bulb to go into the magnetic lamps that are arriving. One will go over my computer area. One will go over my stitching area. And one will go over my skiving/drill press area. I like the results from the bulb I've already mentioned, but then I found this 40-watt bulb. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00...K/thedourol-20/ I need to do some checking to make sure that this bulb is 6500k and not 6000k. Is there any reason I should think twice about going beyond 100 or 150 watt equivalency with these daylight bulbs? ed

The Verilux lamp is on my list, but the Harbor Freight magnetic lamp and spiral CF 6500k bulb I mention is a $17 alternative that I stumbled upon. ed

These lamps are available from Harbor freight for $10. I've ordered three to outfit with the full spectrum compact fluorescent bulbs. My earlier comparison is between 22-watt circline daylight bulbs and this spiral compact fluorescent. I've noticed that spiral cf puts out a whiter light than the daylight circline, which puts out a more yellowish light, though it is also supposed to be 6500k. one hour of use of this 23 watt spiral cf bulb consumes .02 kwh. A regular 100 watt incandescent consumes .07 kwh in one hour. The spiral cf bulb consumes 71 percent less electricity than does the 100 incandescent. I'd like to put one of these spiral cf bulbs in my Danray lamp but I need to find a bulb that does not stick out as much, as the lamp's safety grill will not fit. ed

sand the edges smooth, burnish with water and device of your choosing, and then use an edge paint or dye. Depending on the tyoe of leather you're using, darker edge finishes work the best. Where are you getting your 2 oz suede? I've tried pigskin but can't find a good supplier. ed

did a bit more research. I think this mini phaser will work as a speed control dial for single speed rotary tools, as well as for soldering irons. Now a few of the $10 cheapo rotary tools from harbor freight is a viable backup tool. The seemingly disparate insane ventures into soldering irons, lamp wiring, and rotary tools merge. ed

I have a mini phaser rheostat to control power to my soldering iron and regulate the temperature of the tip. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...p;category=4770 Does anyone know if I could also use this rheostat as a table-top speed control knob with the flex shaft rotary tool on Ebay? Ed