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Bert, i would also like to devote more of my stock to latigo and oil tanned, but don't yet have a consistent source. What are some good places for these? My two main sources are Siegels of California and The Leather Guy of Minnesota. I like latigo over the oil tanned. I also like veg tan over the oil tanned, but I'm beginning to see that many customers prefer softer leathers, which are also less expensive. For tool bags, i would worry that the oil tanned, which is oil infused chrome tanned, might damage the metal on some tools because of the salts used in the tanning process. I can't imagine , for example, a gun case made of chromed leather. I'm not aware of such a problem with latigo. There are many more people in this forum who know better than I about all this. Ed

On the rare occasion I'm at an airport, I like to look in the bag shops to get some design ideas. For example, The front bottom strap retainers on my briefcases are "inspired" by what I saw in a Ferrari shop at the international airport in Milan. Many of the bags there were very simple veg tan bags selling for $900 and more. I was at JFK picking up my fiancee the other day and was looking at Ferragamo bags and couldn't believe what was selling for $1750. I really believe that my bags are better constructed. Many of these expensive mass produced bags are designed in a way that is easy to manufacture. I think men are willing to buy a bag/satchel/briefcase if they like it and are willing to pay at least up to $700, even without a designer label. But I think for women it is important that they know they are getting the designer label.

I finally got brave enough to turn on the press today. I love how quiet it is. I'm still a bit paranoid about the way the chuck is just supposed to stay on, so I guess I'll watch it carefully and give it a whack every now and then with a 2 by 4. If I need to remove the chuck, what types of wedges am i supposed to use? Ed

The chuck is a tapered fit (JT33). I retracted the teeth all the way into the chuck and gave the nose of the chuck some light taps to get it stuck on the spindle (arbor?????). This didn't work, as the chuck was easily pulled off. I did a bit of research on the net and came up with the conclusion that the only way to install this chuck is by doing exactly what I've been doing. I went back to the press and this time gave the nose of the chuck some harder whacks with a 2 by 4. The chuck now seems stuck onto the spindle, as it doesn't seem possible for me to pull it off. However, now i am deathly afraid to use the press, because I don't want this 3 lbs chuck flying off and killing anyone, especially me. I don't understand how in the 21st century , this 3 lbs piece of steel is supposed to stay attached just because I whacked it a few times with a piece of wood. In case you don't hear from me again, it was a great pleasure to be a part of this forum. Thanks for all your help. Though my leathercrafting career was shortlived it was lived to the fullest. Ed

I got the drill press today and have it all set up but the chuck. I can't figure out how to install it. The directions state that I should tap the chuck lightly onto the spindle, but that doesn't really do anything. I can't imagine the chuck will stay on at 2100 RPMs or higher just by tapping it onto the spindle. I can only imagine what will happen if that heavy chuck comes flying off. I'll call Harbour Freight tomorrow, but can you guys point me in the right direction? Thanks, Ed

I need to replace the electric ballast in one of my magnifying 22w fluorescent circline bulb worklamps with a magnetic transformer. I have two options: 1. Go to home depot and buy one of their 22w circline bulb adapters that go into a regular light socket, take the magnetic transformer out of that and use it in my nonfunctioning worklamp. Since I would be taking the transformer from a 22w adapter, I know the specs are correct. 2. Use the magnetic transformer from an old, nonfunctioning 13w fluorescent worklamp. It looks similar to the pictures i've seen of the transformer from the 22w adapter, but I'm not sure if the specs are correct for a 22w application. The sticker on this transformer reads that is is for 13w/7t4 or 15w/f15t8. the more specific specs are 120 v 60 hz , .3a. My limited knowledge of electronics would suggest that I could use this transformer in my 22w lamp. Ed

Wonderful, idea. Thanks so much. now i have to learn how to sharpen edgers, because i think mine are getting a bit dull. My edgers are from Tandy. I have the ones that give the rounded edges and ones that take off more of an angle. Should I use the latter? Ed

Thanks for the feedback. i had been wondering whether I should do this. i was worried that if I cut off too much of the liner it would be too short to get caught by the stitch and then would be held on only by contact cement. My stitching has gotten much straighter since this worry so I should go ahead and give it a try now. Now I'm trying to think of the best way to skive this liner, which is sometimes only 1.5 oz suede. Sometimes it's 3/4 oz suede. I was thinking that I could glue the liner down securely to the edge, then lightly skive the entire edge, veg tan (sometimes chrome tanned or Latigo) and suede lining. My only other option is to cut the suede lining back with a scissors, which would risk inaccurate cutting. Just when I thought I was cutting down my prep time.... Thanks, again. I'll do this with the next bag. Ed

I really appreciate your nudging me to get a press. I had been thinking about it but needed just a bit more motivation. I went with the least expensive one because I thought it would be the smallest. All I need it for is to drill holes in aluminum stays, to puch holes in leather, and to burnish. I do like that the one I ordered comes with a small lamp. Are these presses a lot more quiet than a handheld drill?

Beez, I did it. I ordered a drill press from Harbour Freight. It was a no brainer. With all the burnishing I've got to do, it doesn't make any sense burning out several handheld drills and putting up with the noise. Plus, now I can use the handheld drill in its stand as a dedicated hole puncher for straps. Thanks, Ed

Beez, I'm glad you posted this information, as my next question was about a benchtop drill vs. a handheld in a stand, which is more quiet, better for burnishing, etc. One of these days I'll have to post pics of how I've modified my one bedroom apartment into a leatherworking studio with a bed and a kitchen. I went with a handheld drill in a stand because I can move it around and store it easily. I put one of my Tandy marble slabs on the base to keep it from tipping over. It is rather loud, and, to tell the truth, I really like using a drill press. In my first day using it I got quite a bit done. I'm going to look into that $80 drill press. I bet it will be nearly as easy to move out of the way. Thanks for the heads up.............................................................................. ... Just got back from harbour freight. I wouldn't mind going with the cheapest model they have: http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/disp...temnumber=44505 The base looks like plastic. Would I be courting danger if I were to use the press not bolted down to anything, just a 25 to 30 lb weight on the base? Ed

Thanks, Bruce. I received a stand for my handheld 3/8" drill today, so now I have my little portable burnishing station all setup. I'm hoping this will cut down on some production time and fatigue. I've seen the Colonel's bags before and today received some 5.5 oz crazy horse leather from Siegels that looks similar to what the Colonel's using. Ed

For difficult situations, especially porous material, I really like Feibing's leatherbond white glue. It works wonderfully wherever Duals 88 can't cut it. I also don't have an extremely well ventilated area, so I've got to stay away from the glues with strong fumes. ed

The bag has finally evolved to where I want it to be. I sold this one for $375. I would be extremely happy if I could get $450 per bag. Currently there's a guy on Ebay who consistently sells his bag (about 50 a month), which he has made in Mexico, for $400 to $450. He has clever marketing, but the craftsmanship and hardware are really lousy. I really can't believe so many people are satisfied with his bag. http://cgi.ebay.com/Leather-Briefcase-Lapt...1QQcmdZViewItem Anyway, I really think there is a market for these kinds of bags. Bags of this nature and of the highest craftsmanship, perhaps entirely hand stitched, sell for $1300 and higher, mostly in Europe. Ed

Now that I'm currently working on ten bags simultaneously I'm learning more about what takes the most time. Ironically, the stitching is now the easiest and least time-consuming part. As you say, cutting out the pieces and and prepping them to be placed on the bag is what takes the most time. Today I'm going to try to make handles for all of the bags. I think it will take me the entire day. ed

I'm slowly moving away from the Belgium made jiffy rivets and toward the use of semi-tubular rivets, for strength. I recently bought this 1/2 ton arbor press that has been modified for leatherworking (though the link seems to be broken at the moment): http://www.metalworkingusa.com It works wonderfully and also has the ability to be used for other things requiring the use of an arbor press . The dies it comes with work well with many Tandy rivets, as well as other brands of jiffy and rapid rivets. I bought a bottom universal peening die from OTB that works satisfactorily in one of the slots of the arbor presses OEM base plate. I think I'll put a little bit of duct tape around the spindle of the die to make the fit more snug. Ed

All of the stitches are finished up by hand. The handle assembly is all handstitched. As are the strap retainers. the rest of the bag is machine stitched, except when I make a mistake and have to redo the stitching by hand. Even though the long stitches are done with a machine, all of the bottom corners are doubled over with hand stitching. I've tried to figure out exactly how long one bag takes, and it's between 10 and 15 hours. I'd like to gt it down to eight.

I also like the burnisher from Weaver that has the tip, but I'm not crazy about chucking up the wood part and having the whole thing break after a short while. If Norm will make more of his burnishers, I'd like to buy one from him.

Here's my latest briefcase and what I think will be my standard design for some time. Thanks for all your help. Ed

Thanks, Peter. This sounds perfect. Does anyone know of a link to a picture of these? Does the wood burnisher give better results? Ed

I've been working on 10 briefcases simultaneously, and, boy, am I doing a lot of burnishing. I've started using the plastic wheel from Tandy on my power drill. It's cutting down quite a bit of time, but I'm not wild about the results. Is there another type of burnishing wheel I can use with my drill? Also, is it possible to purchase a drill adapter for winding bobbins? Can I simply go through Tippmann, or are there other suppliers? Thanks, Ed

I think these are the same ones I'm using. Thinking that they're supposed to be something special and also not being very impressed has prompted me to ask for people's experiences with various blades. I guess the ultimate answer would be to learn how to sharpen and use a head knife. Ed

What are some of the sharpest and longest lasting box cutting razor blades, or are they all pretty much the same? Thanks, Ed

i just did a comparison among Aussie wax, Pecards, and Feibing's Liquid Mink oil. One application only. Ausssie Wax is the best for waterproofing hands down. I'll post pics later. I'm now on the hunt for the lowest price, so that I can include a couple of ounces with each leather bag sale. By the way, what about something like sno-seal? I haven't tried it, but I have had a customer ask if it was ok to use on the bag. Ed

I may go this direction. I already use a 9" wide template for this very purpose. I use the strap cutter to strip off 4" for my smaller gusset. This was supposed to be a time saver, but now I've got to go over the gussets with a straight edge to even them out. I'll go make a 4" template and lay that over what I cut off from the 9" template. I should be fine using the strap cutter for anything under 2". Thanks for the help, Ed