esantoro

How does Harness Dressing fit in among the other finishes such as Leather Balm, carnauba cream, Aussie Wax, etc? ed

It looks like they get a lot of their supplies at Weaver. I'd like to know what they're using to seal the flesh side. ed

I think what they mean by double lock stitch is that for reinforcement in some areas there are two rows of stitching. I wonder if any of their leather is bridle or if it's all skirting. Ed

That is fantastic quality. Incredible attention to detail. It doesn't look like they are double stitching each hole, but it does look like they are using 346 top thread, superb leather, and either an Artisan or a Ferdco machine.

That's it? They weren't peened over any washer? ed

Have a look at the 6 oz sides at Zack White.

Thanks, Bruce. From my brief experimentation with handle assembly on a briefcase, i may not even need a special tool, as the layers of metal and leather seem to work as an automatic tensioner, but I can see myself using the Chicago Screws on belts, for which the pliers tool that started this thread would be a good choice. By the way, do you ever come across the need to use the 5/32" screw backs in place of the standard 1/4" that all CS seem to come with? I'm putting in an order first of the year with Weaver. Ed

I do like the idea of being able to use the the motor for burnishing as well as grinding. I've found a 25 lbs Delta 6" variable speed of 2000 to 3500 rpm and a 65 lbs 8" variable speed of 1725 to 3500. I'd much rather go with the 25 lbs 6". Am I correct in thinking that 2000 rpm won't pose much of a problem for burnishing or is the additional 275 rpm too fast? Thanks, Ed

came across this tool this morning: http://www.proleptic.net/products/index/12

Hi Greg, Thanks for the info. The widest I need to split is 18". Ed

Thanks Darc. Now I understand what Mike was saying. After all this, we now have three methods for cutting these curves. 1. Freehand. Art and Windy told me about this a year or two ago, and is the method for how I've been shaping my flaps. 2. Find a picture of the curve you like, get a rough estimate of the ratio of where the arcs begin on the x and y , axes , position a plate or saucer of similar diameter, etch your curve, and cut. 3. Use the two radii blended together. Ed

I'm not sure if this is a great idea but I thought I'd throw it out there as a possibility. Might anyone be willing to go in on some kind of share for a 20" splitter from Artisan for the New York City area? Being able to split down bridle leather would save about $60 a side. I'm even thinking of contacting Etsy.com, whose headquarters and workshops are in Brooklyn, to see if they might be interested in housing the splitter for me and even charging a small fee for anyone who wants to use it. I just can't quell the itch. Thinking out loud again, Ed

Ok, I'm ready to carve the flap on the next bag. I've labeled the photos in the bottom left corner. Which cut do you like the best? Thanks, Ed

I think i'll get the 6" 1750 rpm. Thanks for all the advice. Ed

I need to get some CS Osborne awl blades from Weaver. Do you think the cs042 1.5"/1.2 mm diamond shank would be adequate for 277 and 346 bonded poly, or should I go for a thicker shank? Ed

I have a dremel and it is of very little use on grinding down these hardened steel objects, though I could use it to finish off the grinding and do the polishing. Or, Maybe there is a particular grinding wheel for the dremel that I should be using. I do like the idea of a variable speed mini-grinder.... easy to store and a wide variety of uses. I also wonder about cheap items,but I've also paid top dollar for some things that were outperformed by their cheaper counterparts....stereo equipment comes first to mine...Denon CD player with Rosewood panels $600 vs. $99 Hitachi CD player. The Denon two years with $200 to repair a repeatedly faulty CD tray. The Hitachi is still going strong today with no repairs. The one thing I don't like about the mini grinder is that it comes with only one stone wheel. The other is a fiber wheel. Some of the larger grinders come with a courser stone wheel and a less course stone wheel. Thanks for the feedback, Ed

There are some modifications I need to make to some tools, so it's time to get a bench grinder. Do you think this 3" bench grinder from Harbor Freight would be sufficient to grind off 2mm from a stainless steel needle plate, flatten the rounded end of a hardened steel mallet tool, and take off the teeth of a hardened steel presser foot?

I don't know just when I'll be able to get one of these, but I'm scratchin' the itch more and more every day. Does anyone know how expensive it would be to replace the blade? Instead of risking screwing up the blade by sharpening it myself, was thinking of sending it out to be sharpened when needed and using a replacement. Or I could just learn how to sharpen correctly. I long for the day when I can just order a side of bridle leather and split it myself to whatever thickness needed. About the demo: It seems that chrome tanned leather is much more difficult to split. Whatever the splitter could do to chrome tanned , should be even easier on vegetable tanned leather. Ed

Just got back from the $.99 store , where I bought various sized plastic plates to use as templates... Ahhh! The insanity has never been better. Ed

Mike, Thank you for taking the time to explain this. I've taken what you've said and tried to simplify it acoording to my understanding. Here is what I've now done: Based on the measurements from the picture, I rounded the ratio to 1:.90. The arc on the Y axis begins 90 percent of the distance between where the X axis arc begins and the right edge of the flap. I marked off these distances for the arc to begin on both the Y and X axes: X axis arc begins at 12.7 cm from right edge of flap; Y axis arc begins at 11.4 cm (roughly 90 percent of 12.7 cm) from bottom edge of flap. I moved into position the 27cm dia. dinner plate to meet up with the x-axis 12.7cm mark and the y-axis 11.4cm mark, and then drew my curve. Here is what I got. Thanks again for taking the time to explain the geometry. Ed

I used the measuring tool in Adobe Acrobat to get a better idea of where exactly the arcs begin on the X and Y axes. It appears that the arc on the Y axis begins approximately .93" inches from the bottom edge of the flap and the arc on the X axis begins approximately 1.08" from the right edge of the flap. I'll now get some poster board and my french curve and see if I can make a pattern. Ed sabcrmeasure.pdf sabcrmeasure.pdf

I thought there might be some mathematical formula to figure these things out, and a while ago someone did post such a formula, though I think it got lost in the crash. I used a dinner plate with a 27cm diameter to shape the flap in the middle picture. Ed

I tried out two cuts with some vinyl cloth. One with a 27cm diameter, the other with a 19.5cm diameter. Ed

Art, Can you use the 19 needle/138 thread in your Artisan cylinder arm machine without changing anything other than maybe bobbin tension? Ed

I've finished experimenting and will go ahead with an order for all three sizes in nickled brass and solid brass -- posts of 1/4", 3/8", 1/2". These all come with screw 1/4" long screw posts. Does anyone know if its possible to get longer and shorter screws at Lowes or Home Depot? Weaver has some (5/32" and 3/8") for $10 for a box of a hundred, but I'm thinking that I would only need a few now and then. Ed