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I've got the straight LEDs, too, and like them. The magnet came off and I had to resecure it with marine Goop. It seems that the halogen bulb should have lasted longer, so now I'm wondering if there is some other problem with the halogen lamp. ed

My Artisan halogen lamp came with a 7 degree spot bulb, which I think is too narrow a spot. I'll be looking to get a 12 degree spot replacement bulb. Ed

Instead of going with 1/2" thick sheets and finding some kind of /2" diameter cookie cutter drill attachment, I ordered the 1/2" diameter F1 felt cord, thinking it would be easier to just cut off the desired length of 1/2" polishing wheel. I have no experience with felt cording. Does all the reasoning here seem sound, or will the F1 felt cording not do the job. According to all the specs -- hardndess, abrasion resistance, density, etc. -- F1 grade felt seems to be the way to go. Ed

I've ordered the F1 corded felt for burnishing and F7 felt sheets for applying dye and edge coating. I'm also looking into getting a hard wood burnisher to see if that helps.

I'm beginning to wonder if I should invest in a stronger, thicker tensioning spring for the primary tensioner assembly on my 441. For those of you who have the long and short -arm 441's, could you check to see it the springs for the primary and secondary tensioning assemblies are the same size and thickness, or if the spring for the primary tensioner is thinner? On my 441, the spring for the primary tensioner is thinner than the spring for the secondary tensioner. Lately, it seems that for 277/207 bonded poly, I sometimes have to tighten the primary tensioning nut all the way, even with bobbin tension set to as loose as possible. Thanks, Ed ed

My Halogen lamp from Artisan stopped working yesterday. There does not seem to be any blowout in the bulb itself (certainly not more than 20 hours of use). I've got to get a new bulb to troubleshoot the problem. The halogen bulb that came out of the lamp is a two-prong MR11 FTA. Does this mean that the replacement bulb must be an MR 11 or could an MR 16 also work? 20 watts seems to be the max. The OEM bulb was 12 watts. Ed

Thanks, Tim. That link is perfect. Now I just have to figure out what type of felt to get. McMaster also seems to the place where I should get single layer felt sheets for applying edge coating. I currently use thin polyester felt sheets from which I have to cut strips to be tripled over. The only problem with this polyester felt is that it gets a bit stringy rather quickly. ed

is it possible to buy 1/2" or 3/4" thick felt sheets from which I can cut my own cylinders for use with a dremel? Ed

I read a while back about using a dremel to burnish edges. So, I decided to try one of the felt polishing wheels for the task, and was very pleased. The only thing I need to do is find a wider felt wheel and cut a rounded groove in it so that the felt wheel creates a rounded burnish instead of a flat burnish. Anyone have any tips for doing this or other attachments that allow using the Dremel for burnishing? Thanks. Ed

Hi Ashley, I'll give your $30 for both. Ed

Thanks, Luke. I'm still waiting for LCI to send me the dark chocolate brown. I'll be stocking both browns. Ed

I would say the coating holds up better than the Fiebings does. Here's a bag recently finished with the edges done up with the LCI edge finish. Ed

Is it true that deer antlers make good burnishers? If so, you can sell some pieces for burnishing. I'd take a couple, as I haven't seen many deer around New York City. Ed

Some great deals. Here's what I got in an email. Hello! We just wanted to let you know that www.sewwhatsupplies.com is offering 10% off ALL of our products until the end of June! This includes our NEW super specials & closeouts section! Also, we will ship any order over $50.00 for FREE! Stop by and check out some of our new features and products - we now carry Fiebing's new Leathercolors Dye - a low VOC dye that can be shipped to California! As always, please feel free to contact us anytime at info@sewwhatsupplies.com or call us at 1-800-390-9503. Thanks!@CRLFSincerely yours,@CRLFCollin Shoemaker@CRLF

45LC, What did you use for a longer handle? I'll probably get the 2-ton arbor press, but I'd still like to lengthen the handle on the .5 ton press. Most likely I'll have to do the same to the 2-tonner. Ed

I don't think my 1/2 ton press is going to cut it. Infinity Stamps recommends a 2- or 3- ton press. I'd like to get this hydraulic press from Harbor Freight, but it just seems too heavy and maybe a bit too large to be stored out of the way when not in use: http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/disp...temnumber=44811 My next best choice is this 2-ton arbor press. Does anyone have experience with Palmgren arbor presses? http://www.amazon.com/Palmgren-61201-2-Ton...977&sr=1-34 There is also this ratcheting 2-tonner, which I think may be even a better choice: http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/sto...970_35086_35086 With this ratcheting press, is it possible to ratchet down the pressure, remove your hands from the handle, and still have the same amount of pressure applied? Does the ratcheting mechanism keep force applied if you let go of the handle, which would be very nice? Thanks, Ed

I had been wanting to experiment with mixing these colors to get the exact shade I want. I mixed @ tsp. of amber with @ five drops of black and got a better matching color for W&C med brown bridle leather. Pics will come later in the week. ed

I had posted pictures of LCI's edge coatings but the labeling of colors was not clear or nonexistent. I have now edited the pictures so that the name of the color is clearly labeled in the picture itself. My stock includes: LCI Black, LCI Calf Tan, LCI Amber #195, and LCI Dark Brown. I'm in the process of getting the DYO Dark Brown. Ed

The poundo boards work very well, but they cut too easily. ed

They're not at Siegels or OTB? Even if Siegel's doesn't have them on the website, you should still call and ask.

Randy, Can that gum rubber pad you have be cut into as easily as the Tandy poundo mats? I'd like to find a good gum rubber pad that I can put on top of my 55 lbs. anvil for stamping out logos with an oval die and heavy hammer. Ed

I had a good look around the workshop today to see if I can make room for this 20" splitter, which I sure could use. Ed

For the most part, I've figured out how to stitch reliably one layer of 5/6 oz chrome or veg tan using my 441 with 277 poly on top and 207 on bottom. By reliably, I mean that the stitching looks attractive and knots are not pulled obscenely to the bottom or the top of the stitch. The main thing I did was to set the bobbin tension nearly as loose as possible without having the bobbin thread fall out from between the forked tab of the bobbin tension plate. This allows 95 percent of adjustments to be made to the top thread while stitching, and then maybe only a smidgen of a turn to the bobbin tension screw if necessary. Also was the use of a presser foot that holds the leather down with some pressure. Increasing presser foot tension was also helpful. If any of you are willing and have the time, could you also try to do the same on your machine? I'm curious to know how the various versions of these 441's, long and short arms, handle this task. I'll run some samples of my own and post detailed pictures. Ed

Thanks for all the feedback. Daryl did a wonderful job with the logo stamp. Ed

Troy, Can you post actual pictures of the machine?